Five Ways to Get Some Culture in Your City After Work
Just because it's a 'school night' doesn't mean you have to go straight home — at least, not with this list.
In partnership with 
Who says the weekend is the only time to do activities other than sitting at a desk? Not us. Don't underestimate the twilight hours of your weekdays — there's so much happening each night of the week so you should have no trouble making plans that aren't emailing clients outside of work hours. From gallery nights to boozy craft sessions to night markets, you can go out straight from work every night of the week if you so wish.
So why not engage with something tangible, and see what your city has to offer after dark? In partnership with Hahn, we've compiled a list for when you've got restless feet and a soul hungry for some culture.
Art Gallery of NSW.
SNEAK INTO AN ART GALLERY AT NIGHT
No longer do you need to contend with the Saturday morning crowds at your local art gallery, as more are staying open for longer hours and — in news particularly good for you — at night. After-dark sessions at galleries like the NGV in Melbourne or the MCA in Sydney are increasingly popular and have a different vibe to your headache-inducing Saturday morning experiences. There's a bar-like buzz, more like-minded people, little to no children running around, and often DJs and beers on offer. So why wouldn't you get your art fix at night? Saturday morning gallery drinking does tend to be frowned upon, after all.
Where? In Melbourne, Buxton Contemporary is open late on Thursdays and often has free opening parties for exhibitions, and the NGV has a constant stream of special events on in the evenings, such as its Friday Nights series. Sydney side, both the Art Gallery of NSW and the MCA are open until 10pm and 9pm (respectively) on Wednesdays, with the latter holding its ARTBAR event on the last Friday night of each month. In Queensland, GOMA stays open late on Fridays when there's a big exhibition on, and the Institute of Modern Art holds a party on the first Thursday of every month.
The Triffid.
SEE SOME FREE LIVE MUSIC
If you're already headed somewhere for a pub feed, consider sticking around and letting some live music warm the cockles of your heart, too; 'Wonderwall' covers are few and far between now, and you can rest assured you'll probably find someone on the mic with some actual talent. There's a bounty of venues that provide free live music in all the major cities, and the only tricky bit is picking which one you want to give a crack. Getting a nice folky soundtrack to your parma and pint has never been so easy and you'll find yourself even praising the ukulele player because you're feeling so cosy and cultured.
Where? To get you started, try The Yarra Hotel in Abbotsford in Melbourne, Different Drummer in Sydney's Glebe or The Triffid in Newstead, Brisbane.
Daniel Boud.
MAKE YOUR OWN MEAL AT A NIGHT MARKET
Why have one thing for dinner when you can have five things instead? Albeit generally smaller bites, the best bit about night markets is that you can roll your way around having a very intense snacktime and, before you know it, all your little bites transform into one big meal and you're full. Nothing says 'culture' like a bellyful of hot sugary doughnut washed down with a few beers.
Where? Hawker 88 Night Market at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Sydney's Chinatown Night Markets, and the Boundary Street Night Market in Brisbane.
Cork and Chroma.
BYO BEERS TO A PAINTING CLASS
If you thought art was not for the likes of you to create, think again. Some of our best work comes out when we've had a drink or two, so consider combining both and giving a BYO painting session a go. An art class is long a very fruitful passage to creating mini masterpieces, and one where you can bring your own bottles of plonk to inspire greatness out of your paintbrush is very civilised indeed. But don't worry — there are instructions and an artist will take you through the actual painting class so it isn't all left up to your novice hands. You just have to organise what you'll be drinking.
Where? Cork & Chroma has studios in Collingwood in Melbourne, Surry Hills in Sydney and South Brisbane.
The Astor by Charlie Kinross Photography.
WATCH A CLASSIC FILM
Heading out after work to watch the latest blockbuster like Crazy Rich Asians is all well and good (because it's a cracker), but sometimes you want to put aside the Hollywood hits for something more subtle. At those times, try watching a classic film at one of the many cinemas that show them on the reg. Melbourne's Astor Theatre and Sydney's Golden Age are both famous for hosting throwback sessions of classic films and often marathons, too. Use those few precious hours after work to invest in your cultural movie capital by making yourself watch Ben-Hur — because when else are you going to do it? Reality TV be damned — these will make for much better chat around the coffee machine at work the next day.
Where? The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Sydney, or Metro Arts in Brisbane.
Start planning your mid-week itinerary so you can fit some culture — and a Hahn or two — in before the weekend.
Top image: MCA Artbar by Leslie Liu.
