Innocent Bystander Tasting Bar at Babylon Garden

Overview

What happens when a standout winery from the Yarra Valley and an outdoor bar with one of Brisbane's best riverside locations team up? For three weeks, the Innocent Bystander Tasting Bar at Babylon Garden has the answer. Top-notch vino, scenic waterside location, Four Pillars joining in with a gin and wine masterclass, a Harry Styles lookalike contest, free tattoos: that's all on offer Thursday–Sunday between Thursday, February 27–Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Call it a tasting bar, call it an urban cellar door (Innocent Bystander are doing both): whichever you choose, there's drinks and other fun on the agenda on Eagle Street in the Brisbane CBD from 12–8pm Thursday–Saturday and 12–7pm on Sundays. A different itinerary awaits each week. Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2 is when you can sip the brand's new watermelon spritz, including in slushies, and try to win watermelon-themed merchandise, for instance. Plus, if you look like a certain former One Direction member, you can attempt to score a $500 Innocent Bystander voucher from 4pm on the Saturday — and if you don't, you can watch on.

On Thursday, March 6, enjoy a feast at the five-course Bystander Banquet, where wines will be paired with Babylon's Levantine-style dishes and tickets cost $120. Across Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9, it's time to get inked without spending a cent. Valley Ink Tattoo Studio's artists will be in attendance from noon, you'll need to get an Innocent Bystander-inspired design added to your flesh, and the tatts are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fancy learning about gin and wine — starting with a Bloody Shiraz Gin spritz on arrival and tucking into mezze platters as you go? You'll want to hit up the Four Pillars and Innocent Bystander masterclass on Thursday, March 13.

Long lunches are a feature of every weekend, too, complete with two hours of food paired with the label's drops.

Images: Markus Ravik.