So the biggest Hat tournament in the country is 19 years old, we're all growed up and we think it's going to be pretty damn good (as most 19 year olds think they are!) Hence the theme: the Top Hat. It also has to to with those black cylindrical rimmed objects some people choose to place on their heads.

It begins on the evening of Friday the 30th of November with the Saddam Hussein Disc Golf Classic at Fitzroy Gardens, closely followed by an unofficial social function at a nearby venue.

Wake up the next morning (that is, if you could sleep for all the excitement) and trundle down to Albert Park with the other hundreds of frisbee players for two days packed full of rocking Ultimate with a random bunch of people of all abilities (For newbies, everyone enters a Hat as an individual and gets allocated to a team with players of every level). Before you ask, the fields are NOT the same as the NUFL fields!

It ends on the afternoon of Sunday 2nd December with dinner while watching the final. Book flights to get in sometime before 6pm Friday 30th and leaving after 6pm on Sunday 30th. Of course, you're more than welcome to hang around Melbourne before or after the weekend and do something tourist-ish - check out our markets, famous laneway bars, head up to the Dandenongs, along the Great Ocean Road. Check out our ideas for extended holidays!

The Organising Committee, being comprised mainly of students, understand that an Ultimate addiction is an expensive habit, so we're endeavouring to keep costs down. Thus, the player fee is $80.

This gets you an oh-so-hot and silky limited edition Patagonia shirt, all meals from Friday night till Sunday arvo, entry to the legendary (some might say notorious) Hat Party as well as the full range of player services including massages at the fields.

Another way we try to keep costs down is by attempting to billet everyone from interstate/overseas that needs it. Apart from playing on a Hat team with someone, billeting is the best way to make awesome lasting friends.

So start talking it up to your friends, start getting exicted and making advent-like coundown calenders if you like. For those who are new to Ultimate, this is one of the biggest and certainly the most beginner-friendly tournament in the country, and for those tragic Hat regulars, I promise this will be a hat to top them all. (No, Owen Shepherd didn't supply that joke)