The fete draws a massive crowd each year with its promise of international cuisine and a range of festivities.

But fete-goers can expect something even more glamorous thanks to a fashion parade that will feature the work of art that wowed audiences at Fashfest and got the thumbs up from some wide-eyed pint-sized fashionistas during our photoshoot.

The "Hide From Time" gown was created by renowned local designer Vicky Kidd-Gallichan, who will be joined by several other designers, including Zilpah Tart, Wnd.Lnd and BMdesigns. There will also be vintage pieces styled by the Fashfest team.

Telopea Principal Kerrie Blain said La Grande Fête would bring "a strong French polish to the traditional Australian school fete" and we agree the collaboration with the Fashfest team certainly raises the bar for the humble P&C fundraiser.

The festivities are expected to stretch into the twilight hours, including carnival rides, a mediaeval display by the Canberra-based "battle sports" group The Hundred Swords, a display of French cars , entertainment, market stalls, and a cornucopia of food and drinks.

Fete-goers can also buya ticket in the Raffle Extraordinaire for a chance to win $5000 towards a trip for two to Paris. Very chic.

La Grand Fete kicks off at 2:30pm on Saturday, with the parade to start at 3pm and the merriment to finish around 7pm.

Designer labels without the price tags

There are few more covetable wardrobe additions than the ones thatbear the labels Dolce & Gabbana, Prada or Jimmy Choo. Sadly, they also usually bear price tags that run into figures beyond the reach of the average Canberra wage slave.

There are two options at this point.

Ebay or vintage.

Those locals who love nothing more than the excitement of a rummage through racks of pre-loved discount designer threads need to prepare to be out in force next weekend for the twice-yearly Vintage Canberra "The Way We Wear Vintage" Spring Fair.

There will be thousands of designer, vintage, retro and antique clothes up for grabs. If you are short of cash, frock up before you shop – you'll be in the running to win $200 cash for the best-dressed competition at 1pm on the Sunday.

The event will include vintage dealers from the ACT, Sydney, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria – all selling fabulous vintage and antique clothing, accessories, jewellery, exotic textiles, fashion art, buttons and bows, linen and lace as well as fashion ephemera and collectables. The event will run over three days at the Albert Hall from Friday, November 7, 6pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 10am-4pm.

Multi-entry tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for concession $10, and $6 for under- 12s.

Seinfeld Quiz

Do you have what it takes to win a quiz about a show about nothing?

Ollie Lanham, is a happy and much-loved Canberra kid with cerebral palsy. To the delight of his family and friends, the St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri has selected him for a relatively new neurosurgical procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, which has been shown to permanently reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. The procedure is likely to provide him with improvements in sitting, balance and mobility and greatly reduce, or even eliminate, Ollie's need for painful and invasive orthopaedic procedures throughout his life.

His supporters have set up a punishing schedule of fundraisers in order to help with the $70,000 in expected costs. Their latest effort is a Seinfeld Quiz night, to be held at the Hellenic Club on Tuesday, November 25 from 7pm.

As a community service, we have consulted our boxed set of DVDs to come up with some warm-up questions.

Q1: Name the serial killer on the loose in the Riverside Park area?

Q2: What is about Jerry's suede jacket that so appals Elaine's father Alton Benes?

Q3: What has George never seen his mother Estelle Costanza do?

A1: "The Lopper"

A2: The lining is candy striped

A3: Laugh

Writing: On the Road

Think of it as a kind of Kerouac-inspired road trip: The Emerging Writers Festival Roadshow is passing through Canberra next week – its second stop between Wagga and Sydney – with two events bookending its stay. On Wednesday, November 5, the Canberra Caravan at Gorman House features authors Laura Jean McKay, Tom Doig, Lachlan Brown and our own Canberra recruits Ingrid Jonach and Lucy Neave for an evening of readings, poetry and more. Most pertinently, these writers, all successful in their own ways, will be discussing how they published their first books, what opportunities are out there for emerging writers and their experience of writing and publishing.

And, for a morning after pick-me-up, Scissors Paper Pen is hosting a literary breakfast on Thursday, November 6 at Lonsdale Street Roasters in Braddon. You can scoff a coffee or two, join the "life of the writer" roundtable, guest star on a podcast, buy a book and basically get literary before the day kicks on.

Both events are free but bookings essential. Visit emergingwritersfestival.org.au for more information.

What's on: Saturday

10am PET EXPO The 2014 RSPCA Pet Expo features pet merchandise, dog treats, pet minders and walkers, mobile pet groomers, portable cat enclosures and information stalls plus RSPCA Vets and RSPCA Wildlife. Live music plus food, drinks and gelato available. RSPCA ACT, Weston Creek. 10am-3pm. For more information visit rspca-act.org.au.

6.30pm SCAVENGER HUNT Set out after dark with a series of clues to discover an array of night-time plant, insect and animal activity across the National Botanic Gardens. Finish the night with an open-air fire, toasting marshmallows and supper in the gardens. Starts 7pm – gates open 6.30pm. Tickets $26 Adult/$21 Child (5-16 yrs) from anbg.gov.au – bookings essential.

7.30pm RADIANT DAWN The ANU Choral Society performs a concert of choral music, including composers such as J.S. Bach, Thomas Tallis, Tchaikovsky and Purcell. 7.30-9.30pm. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Forrest. Tickets Adults $35/Concessions $30/Students and Children $20 from trybooking.com/FWJW. For more information visit scuna.aicsa.org.au

1pm DIPLOMATIC NOTES AND FISCAL HARMONY Singers from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Diplomatic Notes) and the Department of Finance and Deregulation (Fiscal Harmony) take a break from their desks to join Rhythm Syndicate in a celebration of music. Exploring a variety of musical styles, from jazz and gospel to popular and classical numbers, both accompanied and a cappella. High Court of Australia. 1-2pm. Free.