Sometimes, even the most adventurous among us need a little push, a dash of motivation or some extra incentive to take a particular leap. So you've always wanted to wander around southeast Queensland's Scenic Rim region, but have never found the time? Well, consider the area's annual Eat Local Week all the reason you need. If exploring, eating and drinking can't get you in the car and down the highway, then nothing can. Unsurprisingly, that's just the big-picture view of this nine-day festival. Promoting Scenic Rim produce and the people behind it, the event marks its tenth year in 2021 — and it has a big lineup in store to mark the occasion. On the bill: more than 125 events at 48 locations, so you won't be bored during this fest. A number of festivals are taking place within the broader event, for starters, so you can head to the fest for a winter harvest festival, street food festival, and a beer, food and wine festival. The program also includes everything from a citrus mini market, olive grove tastings, brewery banter, and wine and cheese in a vineyard, to picnics in an alpaca farm, macadamia farm tours, cocktail masterclasses and multiple long lunches. Basically, if it's an event in the Beaudesert, Boonah, Beechmont and Mt Barney area between Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, July 4, it's on the agenda.
For more than a decade, Brisbanites have flocked to South Bank for Regional Flavours, the inner city precinct's signature food and wine festival. To the delight of hungry stomachs across town, the popular event is returning in 2021 — and, while hosting one big food fest is all well and good, this year three separate weekend-long festivals are on the agenda. So, if you haven't made it along in the past, you'll have multiple chances in multiple months to rectify that situation this year. The first opportunity coms courtesy of Grazed and Grown by Regional Flavours, where local providers will be in focus between Friday, June 18–Sunday, June 20. This three-day event is all about Australian makers and chefs — and the Aussie landscape. You'll be able to shop through a range of wares from local producers and artisans, with everything on offer hailing from 250 kilometres of Brisbane City. Among the 40 stalls, you'll find wine ice cream, cakes in jars, handmade American-style pies and cold-fusion honey. And, expect a sizeable eco-friendly contingent as well, with supporting sustainability another big point of interest. Also on the lineup: cooking demonstrations with Alastair McLeod, Matt Moran, Georgia Barnes, Paul West, Alanna Sapwell, Matt Sinclair and Louis Tikaram; talks with industry leaders; live music; and craft brews and cocktails to sip. Regional Flavours might be tinkering with its format, but it still all takes place by the river at South Bank. And, if you'd like to hit up one of the mini fest's signature events, there'll be an opening party, a winter feast, a celebration of food and drinks businesses just to Queensland's south, and a beer, gin and wine pairing session, too.
It's time to mark another food-based commemorative occasion. Yes, another one. By now, we all know that they're just excuses to eat more of a certain dish — and there's so many of them that you really could use them to plan your daily eating choices. But we keep celebrating dates like World Fish 'n' Chip Day because they're both tasty and fun. At Kangaroo Point, One Fish Two Fish is getting into the spirit of this seafood extravaganza in 2021 by, well, serving up seafood. And it's doing so across three days — from Friday, June 4–Sunday, June 7. Make plans for lunch or dinner, with $12 takeaway cod meals on offer. For less than a lobster, you'll eat your way through a serving of battered, fried or crumbed cod (your choice), shoestring fries, garden salad and housemade tartare sauce. You can pre-order in advance if you like, but you don't have to — so you can either book the special, then head by to pick it up, or drop in, order and take your classic fish 'n' chip feast home with you.
For the second year in a row, North Byron Bay Parkland won't be welcoming in bands and music lovers this July, with Splendour in the Grass' 2021 festival already rescheduled to November. But if enjoying a jam-packed lineup of tunes is a cherished part of your winter routine, that's still on the cards, thanks to a new virtual Splendour event taking place in its usual midyear time slot. Called Splendour XR, the mud-free two-stage event will pop up across the weekend of Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 — but you'll be watching along from home. Or, from wherever you choose to tune in via your mobile, tablet, browser, desktop or VR headset, all to watch more than 50 acts take to the virtual stage over two days. Leading the charge are headliners Khalid and The Killers. The former will do the honours on Saturday, while the latter will take over on Sunday. They'll be joined by a hefty list of talent, including Chvrches, Denzel Curry, Duke Dumont, Tash Sultana, Violent Soho, Phoebe Bridgers and Band of Horses on the first day, plus Charlie XCX, Vance Joy, The Avalanches, Of Monsters and Men, The Jungle Giants and Ocean Alley on the second. If you're wondering how Splendour XR will work, that's understandable — and no, you won't just be watching old gig footage or clips from past Splendours. Instead, the fest will feature new, never-before-seen live sets that have been created especially for the virtual event. And, while they'll be available to watch worldwide, the fest will operate on Australian time — running from 12pm–2am AEST each day, with tunes starting from 2pm. You'll also be able to view the performances for seven days afterwards. Splendour organisers are also aiming to take as much of the IRL festival experience with them into the virtual realm, too, with attendees set to access "an imaginatively embellished but faithful recreation of Splendour's Byron Bay venue", according to the festival announcement. You'll also create your own schedule so that you can hop between stages to see whoever you like, and you'll be able to virtually meet up with your mates in the process as well. Also part of the fest: raising funds for live music industry workers, mental health and wellbeing, and sustainability. There'll also be an online medical centre designed to help anyone that's struggling with their mental health after the chaos of the past 15 months or so. SPLENDOUR XR LINEUP: DAY 1 Khalid Chvrches Denzel Curry Duke Dumont Tash Sultana Masked Wolf Russ Millions Band Of Horses Little Simz Violent Soho Aurora Phoebe Bridgers Vera Blue Pink Sweat$ Client Liaison Griff Pond Tayla Parx Dune Rats Methyl Ethel The Chats Triple One Cat & Calmell King Stingray The Southern River Band DAY 2 The Killers Charli XCX Vance Joy Grimes Metaverse (Super Beta) The Avalanches Of Monsters and Men Kaytranada Black Pumas Hot Dub Time Machine Millennium Parade The Jungle Giants Ocean Alley Jungle What So Not King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Sinéad Harnett Holly Humberstone Spacey Jane Crooked Colours Amyl and The Sniffers Wafia Aviva The Snuts Band-Maid Ziggy Ramo Gretta Ray Top image: Mitch Lowe.
Tequila is always on the menu at El Camino Cantina, the vibrant Tex-Mex chain that's been spreading its footprint across Australia over the past few years. Between Tuesday, July 20–Sunday, July 25, the brand will be splashing a bit more of the stuff around, however — all to celebrate National Tequila Day. The actual occasion falls on Saturday, July 24. It wouldn't be an El Camino shindig if it didn't spread the love as far as it can, however. So, you'll have six days to tuck into plenty of tequila. You'll be able to sip it in margaritas, enjoy flights of the stuff, and also taste it while eating tacos and chicken wings. El Camino's Bowen Hills, South Bank, Chermside and Robina venues will still be doing their current Not So Soft Drink series, and serving up its signature flavours. So, that's the marg side of things covered. If you're keen on tequila by itself, you'll find two different flights on offer, each showcasing three varieties of the tipple. And, food-wise, the chain will be doing tequila chicken tacos. They'll feature chicken covered in a tequila-spiced marinade, then paired with red cabbage, lime, pickled onion, coriander, jalapeno and avocado. Or, opt for the tequila, lime, chilli and paprika chicken wings as part of the eatery's King of the Wing Festival.
Whether she's behind the camera or in front of it — or both — a movie that involves Miranda July in some shape or form is instantly worth everyone's attention. The same applies to the American talent's recordings, art and books, too, because displaying at the Venice Biennale and hitting the New York Times bestsellers list is also on her resume. July's filmography is small but impactful. She's packed a punch by opting for quality over quantity so far, and viewers have been able to reap the rewards. Case in point: the phenomenal Kajillionaire, which hit screens nine years after previous film, instantly proved distinctive, empathetic and engaging, and was also one of the absolute best movies of 2020. Accordingly, it's no wonder that Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art is spending almost a fortnight paying tribute to July as part of its latest Australian Cinematheque season — the fittingly called Miranda July: Me and You and Everybody. Kajillionare is screening, if you missed it last year, and so are the July-directed Me and You and Everyone We Know and The Future. You can also see her on-screen in the exceptional Madeline's Madeline, watch her chat about the challenges faced by female filmmakers in documentary Half the Picture, and check out No Light No Land Anywhere, which she produces. Screenings are free, with sessions on Wednesday and Friday nights — and Saturdays and Sundays during the day.
First you do the exercise, then you get the reward. Yes, that's generally how exercise works. It's usually a long-term process, too, because no workout gives instant results. Ooh La La Rooftop's next sweat session will serve you up a treat as soon as you've finished bending and stretching, though. C'est Bon's new sky-high addition is hosting a Stretch Yoga and Crepes class. It's that straightforward, and also that enticing. The folks at Stretch Yoga will be on hand to take you through a range of yoga moves for 45 minutes — and, after that, you'll hit the serve-yourself crepe station to fill your grumbling stomach. The extra bonus: the view, of course, with all those poses and pancakes being paired with sunshine and a scenic vantage over Woolloongabba. Two sessions are on the agenda, so you can pick between a 10am and 1pm class — but getting a $35 ticket ASAP is recommended, because there's only 20 places on offer per session due to social-distancing requirements. Images: Mitch Lowe.
Brisbane isn't like any other Australian capital city. It's far more laidback than Sydney and Melbourne, and considerably more humid than Adelaide and Perth. It doesn't have its own beach — no, South Bank doesn't really count — but it does overflow with subtropical vibes. So, at its latest free exhibition, Museum of Brisbane is giving everything that makes this sun-dappled town what it is a big, warm hug. It also ponders whether the city's image accurately reflects Brissie circa 2021. Displaying between Saturday, June 19–Monday, April 18, City in the Sun covers everything from frangipanis and jacarandas to pineapples, all via works from artists such as Kinly Grey, Christopher Bassi, Laura Patterson, Rachael Sarra, Sam Tupou, Sebastian Moody, Holly Anderson and Rachel Burke. Also gracing the inner-city museum's walls and halls: Gerwyn Davies, Michael Zavros, Tracey Moffatt, Scott Redford and Olive Ashworth. Their pieces feature plenty of colour, but also toy with and interrogate Brissie's identity. Across 30 artworks — complete with eight significant commissions — highlights include Moody's large-scale light work Sunshine Psychology, Moffat's First Jobs photographs of Brisbane in the 70s and Grey's interactive piece, which draws upon attendees' body heat. Or, get swinging in Burke's backyard installation with its cubby house, flower beds and a tinsel sky. Images: Toby Scott.
When you live in a city that's usually streaming with sunshine all year round, the onset of even slightly colder weather can be a shock. Fear not, "brrrrrrrr"-yelling Brisbanites — the frosty season comes bearing gifts. Indeed, at Riverbar and Kitchen's Winter Lodge setup between Thursday, July 1–Tuesday, August 31, there'll be plenty of things to heat you up. On the menu for winter: beer-infused cheese fondue for $20, DIY brownie s'mores for $20 as well and — to keep you extra warm — open flames, fire pits and faux fur throws. You'll find them on offer every day, alongside mulled Venetian cider, cushions and fairy lights. Feeling extra hungry? You can also get a winter feast if you're with at least one other person, with roasted lamb shanks, mashed potato, roasted vegetables and garlic bread on offer for $45 per person. That said, entry is free, as is the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get when you've been heated head-to-toe by hot cocktails, hot food and hanging out by the fire — all while socially distancing, of course. Riverbar is also doing a few other cocktails, including wintry berry spritzes, if you just want to trust alcohol in general to warm you up.
Among the many things we've all been missing over the past year or so, big events and venturing far and wide both rank high on the list. Large-scale music festivals have only just started making a comeback around the country, and being allowed to leave the country to holiday in New Zealand is still a relatively new development. But if you'd like to an excuse to explore Queensland — and to enjoy a heap of live tunes while you're doing so — Queensland Music Trails is here to take you on a statewide road trip. A new event from the team at QMF (formerly Queensland Music Festival), Queensland Music Trails is hosting an array of gigs and shows across the state, all as part of set trails. Kicking off on Friday, June 25, it's heading to the state's southern outback region first up. Until Thursday, July 8, everywhere from Jimbour to Charleville — and Quilpie, Windorah and Birdsville, too — will host different parts of the program, spanning opera shows in a homestead, chamber music under the stars, a blend of puppetry and tunes against a scenic backdrop, and more. If Opera at Jimbour sounds familiar, that's because it has happened before. This time, Jimbour House in the Western Downs will host two galas — and camping over four nights, if you want to turn your visit into a proper getaway. Or, for those keen on a stint of peering at the sky, you'll be able to do just that at Music for Stargazing at the Charleville Cosmos Centre — with Kate Miller-Heidke and William Barton leading the lineup. At Baldy Top in Quilpie the southwest, Topology and Dead Puppet Society are joining forces to pair the former's sounds and the latter's visual theatre — and in Rabig Park in Windorah, blues, roots and acoustic artists such as Karl S Williams, Emily Wurramara and Hussy Hicks will treat your ears. Also on the bill is Birdsville's Big Red Bash; however, it has already sold out. Images: Tourism and Events Queensland
This winter, the Regatta is using the chillier weather as an excuse to throw a season-long party. That's what Winter in the Vineyards is all about — hanging out in the Toowong pub's courtyards, eating, drinking and making the most of this time of year. On Sunday, June 27, it's turning the winter festivities into a festival, too — a Harvest Festival, in fact. Whether those two words make you think of the ongoing Parks and Recreation storyline, or you'll just take whatever excuse you can to sip mulled wine, dropping by between 12–5pm is recommended. On the agenda as you wander around the fest's food stalls: tucking into Olympus Cheese's Mediterranean-style dairy goods, pairing them with Salumi Australia's meaty range, downing Brockenchack Wines' vinos and hitting up the mulled wine cart. Entry is free, reservations aren't required, and live music by Benjam Band will provide your Sunday afternoon snacking and sipping session with a soundtrack.
UPDATE, September 1, 2021: Due to Brisbane's COVID-19 restrictions in July, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever 2021 was rescheduled, and will now take place on Saturday, September 4. This article has been updated to reflect that change. In 2013, 300 people danced to Kate Bush's' 'Wuthering Heights' in a field — and in 2021, the idea is back and bigger than ever. Yes, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is happening in Brisbane on Saturday, September 4. Yes, everyone should be dressed as Kate Bush, complete with a red dress, red stockings and black belt (men, that means you as well). On the day, a clowder (that's the collective noun for Kate Bushes, just FYI) will descend upon Milton and copy Bush's swaying, kicky dance in unison just for the pure joy of it. Support for this weird and wonderful outing has been widespread, and Kate Bush fans from around the world have been inspired to create events in their home cities. So get your gear together (dressmakers are usually flooded with orders for the day) and ready yourself to roll and fall in green, out on the wily, windy moors of Frew Park. If you need an incentive — other than the event itself, of course — it's now 43 years since the song was first released.
Thanks to multiple lockdowns and ongoing restrictions, we've all spent more time eating at home over the past 18 months than we probably would've otherwise. We've all tried to cook sourdough, too, and also put our culinary skills to the test attempting to whip up plenty of other dishes. Sometimes, though, the urge to hop into the kitchen just isn't there. Also a pandemic mainstay: takeaways and food deliveries. They help us all escape a stint of cooking for a night, and also support local hospitality businesses doing it tough when they can't welcome in dine-in customers. And, to the delight of tastebuds across Brisbane, some places around town have been hatching inventive ideas to keep us all fed — and help us avoid playing chef ourselves. Mac in the Box is one such new arrival. Obviously, mac 'n' cheese is its dish of choice — and it takes the pasta-and-dairy combination seriously. A drive-thru run by Fortitude Valley's City Winery and set up at its Wandoo Street base, it'll have you forgetting all about packet-mix versions of its cuisine of choice. Serving up mac 'n' cheese made with three cheeses, truffles, smoked ocean trout and Italian pork will do that. Fancy all the cheese? The three-cheese version is Mac in the Box's bestseller, and also comes in bundles with some of City Winery's 2020 Gerler sav blanc and shiraz. That's the benefit of picking up some pasta from a winery, clearly. Or, you can opt for the gooey version with truffles; the ocean trout, herbs and spring onion variety; or the Italian pork, fennel and tomatoes dish. Prices range from $13–24 just for a mac 'n' cheese, and from $32–40 with a bottle of vino. Customers can also add some wine to their orders anyway, with ten varieties available. And, house-baked sourdough is also on the menu as a side dish. With Brisbane back in lockdown until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8, Mac in the Box is operating daily during the stay-at-home conditions — so that could be your dinner sorted for a few nights this week. Orders can be collected from 4.30pm each afternoon.
Sometimes, getting out of your car to purchase food is just too much effort. For those occasions, humanity invented the drive-thru. It's a fast food staple, and the concept has been getting quite the workout during the pandemic — so, when a drive-thru dedicated to lasagne first popped up, it felt inevitable. Now, with Brisbane back under stay-at-home conditions until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8, Brisbane's lasagne drive-thru is back. From Wednesday, August 4, it'll be serving up layered pasta with bechamel sauce again right through until Saturday, August 7. If lockdown is extended again, though, the drive-thru will stick around longer. The venture is the latest project from Jerome Dalton, owner of Dalton Catering and — since July 2021 – of CJ's Pasta as well. The latter no longer operates as a bricks-and-mortar business, instead focusing on selling pasta to restaurants and wholesalers. But for folks at home who love a bit of lasagne, CJ's Pasta now lets you roll up to Fortitude Valley's Prospect Street in your car, remain seated, and take home one of three different lasagnes (or a mixture of the trio). The idea first came about in response to Brisbane's March lockdown, with the drive-thru kicking into action while everyone was staying at home for three days. When it proved popular, Dalton brought it back every Friday afternoon. And now, with a longer lockdown currently in place, it's clearly prime drive-thru lasagne time. Brisbanites can choose from beef lasagne, sand crab lasagne, and black truffle and beef ragu lasagne, all of which come in one-kilogram servings paired with focaccia. Prices range from $50–60, or you can grab all three for $120. Different types of freshly made pasta are also on offer, ready for you to cook and add to sauce at home. So are salumi boxes filled with mortadella, salami, aged pork, bread and pickles. If you're keen, you'll need to order in advance via phone, then motor on over to pick up your ready-to-eat meal. You can still try your luck by just showing up with without preordering, but you'll be getting a chilled lasagne that you'll need to heat up at home. Also, this time around, the drive-thru is also setting up what it's calling a 'slide-thru' — which'll give free meals to hospitality workers every Saturday during lockdown, from 5.30pm until there's no lasagnes left. Ordinary customers can also donate to the 'slide-thru' fund to help CJ's Pasta give out even more dishes to folks doing it tough in the hospo industry.
When August hits in Brisbane, everyone in town starts craving the same thing. We've been well-conditioned that way, because this time of year usually heralds the Ekka's arrival — and the annual return of its famed strawberry sundaes. But thanks to southeast Queensland's latest lockdown, things will be a bit different in 2021. Just like last year, the Ekka isn't going ahead due to the pandemic. Fingers crossed that those beloved strawberry desserts will still pop up somewhere, like they also did last year. If you'd like to combine that berry flavour with a brew or several, however, Stone and Wood has something extra special on offer. The brewery is bringing back its Ekka-inspired 'Strawberry Sundae Kisses' beer. Yes, it's a boozy version of iconic dessert, and it tastes like strawberries and cream. Stone and Wood whip it up in the traditional Berliner Weisse style, with the brew also featuring lactose and vanilla — and it'll be available in one-litre sharers at the brewery's lockdown drive-thru. If Brisbane can welcome a fancy mac 'n' cheese drive-thru and a lasagne drive-thru during its latest stay-at-home period, then it can also play host to a strawberry sundae beer-slinging brewery drive-thru — so that's exactly what Stone and Wood is setting up. Its Brissie brewery is offering the service from 12–5pm between Friday, August 6–Sunday, August 8. Yes, other types of brews will be available, as will merch, and you'll get it all brought to your car without having to hop out. Pick up some of the Strawberry Sundae Kisses beer and you'll also be helping a great cause, with Stone and Wood donating all the proceeds from the brew to The Common Good's usual fundraising efforts for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.
Time flies when you're obsessing over a big blockbuster fantasy TV series, as HBO's biggest hit of the past decade demonstrates. Last month marked ten years since Game of Thrones first hit screens and became a pop culture phenomenon — broadening the world's awareness of George RR Martin's books, pointing out how often Sean Bean meets an untoward end on-screen and delivering more dragon-fuelled drama than anyone ever knew they needed. Keen to celebrate the occasion like you're in a Westerosi tavern? That's an option, all thanks to a new collaboration between Moon Dog Brewing and Warner Bros Consumer Products. The two have joined forces on a new line of GoT beers, so get ready to sip a Breaker of Chains imperial stout and a Watchers on the Wall imperial white ale. The former features chipotle chilli, vanilla and a chocolate finish, while the latter pairs white chocolate with orange and coriander. Winter might be coming, but these brews will be available on Thursday, May 13 — so, in autumn — at Saccharomyces Beer Cafe. The South Brisbane watering hole is also whipping out a Game of Thrones board game to keep everyone entertained, with a round and a brew costing $20. Cole Bennetts Top image: Kate Shanasy.
Usually, when you're looking at something, you're staring straight ahead. Even if you're watching a movie in a reclining chair (hello Gold Class), you're peering forward. That isn't the case at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, however. Thanks to its dome — aka its main attraction — you'll be staring upwards here. Each weekend at 3pm, you'll be looking up as part of the Mt Coot-tha site's Afternoon Live sessions, too — which happen on both Saturdays and Sundays. Get comfy, direct your eyes towards the heavens, then listen to the Brisbane Planetarium's astronomers talk you through space's wonders. Sure, you learned about the solar system in primary school, but this 50-minute experience also includes a guided tour of the night sky. And, if you're wondering, the chairs onsite are designed for peering upwards — so you won't get a sore neck. Updated November 5.
Seafood by the sea? Brews next to the beach? There's nothing stopping you from enjoying both at this year's Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival. Coming to Apex Park in Woody Point between Friday, July 30–Sunday, August 1, this returning food fest is serving up plenty to tempt your tastebuds, from oysters and prawns to farm-fresh fare — and beers and cocktails, too. Indeed, if you like the indulgent things in life, you'll find more than a few things that'll suit your cravings on the menu. Running from 10am on the Saturday and Sunday — and hosting a free launch party on the Friday night — the event will also feature a pavilion dedicated to local produce, pizzas and slow-cooked meats to go with your brews, and a section that's all about home, garden and lifestyle products. Plus, if you like pina coladas, you're in luck, because it's the festival cocktail. Live tunes, fireworks and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. And, if you want to counteract all of the eating and drinking, you'll be in the right place for it — just go for a walk along the shoreline. Top image: Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival.
Sometimes, you just want to forget what year it is. You don't need to remember anything that's happening in your life right now, or any of your worries or deadlines, or whatever you have to do tomorrow or next month. Instead, you just want to listen to old-school tunes and feel like you've stepped back a couple of decades — or more. Yes, they're the nights that Retro's probably calls your name. The Fortitude Valley spot has been celebrating nostalgic bangers for six years now, so we're guessing you've probably popped by for some 80s, 90s and 00s tunes and a fishbowl cocktail at some point. It'll keep going on in the same way, of course, but the venue is also throwing a big birthday party to mark its new milestone. Head by on Friday, July 23 or Saturday, July 24 to wish Retro's many happy returns, sip cocktails and enjoy all those suitably retro tracks. The fishbowls will be birthday-themed, and there'll be a photo booth as well, so you can take a memento home. Finding something that's been in your wardrobe for a decade or so to wear is completely acceptable, too.
Back in autumn, The Tivoli and the folks at City Winery teamed up on a new event that combined food, vino and performances. Unsurprisingly, that combination proved a hit, so Brisbane's only inner-city winery is heading back to The Tiv for another round. For this second event on Wednesday, August 4, Seasoned Supper Club will get wintry. 'Tis that time of year, after all. The wine will be mulled and served out of cauldrons, fire pits will be blazing and chefs will be cooking over flames right in front of you. Roving performers will also be working fire into their acts, and the cocktail menu will be designed to warm you up. Food-wise, the dinner spread will suit the season, of course — and, in terms of entertainment, art-folk artist Ryan Downey will be taking to the stage. The idea is to take attendees on a sensory journey, with tickets starting at $39.
Ever wanted to see your favourite bands kick a few goals, and help support a good cause at the same time? For more than a quarter-century, the Reclink Community Cup has been turning musos into footy players for an annual charity Aussie rules match. Before the pandemic, the Melbourne game would draw more than 10,000 people and raise over $100,000 each year. Sydney's match had been going strong for years too — and the cup finally came to Brisbane in 2016. Now, for Brisbanites, the Reclink Community Cup is back again for another round. Come Sunday, July 25, the city's music community will descend upon Enoggera Memorial Park to put their sporting prowess to the test. Two teams will take to the field: The Rocking Horses, featuring players from an array of Brissie acts; and the Brisbane Lines, filled with a crew of journos, industry staff general music-related folks. The complete list of exactly who'll take to the field for both groups hasn't yet been revealed, but members of The Church, WAAX, Dead Letter Circus, Birds of Tokyo, Babaganouj, Sweater Curse and Velociraptor will fall into the first camp. Usually, staff from 4ZZZ, the ABC, Double J, street press, Oztix and QMusic make up the opposition team. The Community Cup isn't just about getting another dose of the live AFL action, though (as ace as the prospect of more footy always is). Given that rock stars are involved, live music is part of the proceedings as well, with Beddy Rays, Melaleuca and The Double Happiness on the bill this year. And, food-wise, expect food trucks ready to fill your ravenous stomachs. Watching bands play both music and footy is hungry work, after all. Every dollar raised from ticketing goes towards Reclink's efforts to improve the lives of Queenslanders suffering from disability, homelessness, substance abuse and economic hardship through participation in sport and the arts. Yep, whoever emerges victorious from the game, a heap of deserving folks will be the real winners. Images: Allan Allport.
Is there any day of the year — any single one — that doesn't double as a celebration of a particular food or drink? These days, no. So, if you want to pick what to eat and sip based on the calendar, that's definitely on the menu. Like tapas? Fancy feasting on all the tapas you can handle? Keen to see exactly what that entails over a two-hour window? Then World Tapas Day is for you. So is the spread at South Bank's Olé to mark the occasion, with the restaurant serving up bottomless tapas between 5–9pm on Thursday, June 16. While the evening runs for four hours, you'll only have half of that time to eat all the tapas — including plates of toreznos, pork belly with orange glaze, green olives, tortilla de patatas, Spanish omelettes, albondigas, and beef and pork meatballs. The list goes on, with the deep-fried croquettas del dia and chicken-on-a-stick dish pincho de pollo also on offer. This non-stop two-hour meal will cost you $59 per person, and is available for one night only. Bookings are recommended — and if all that tapas will make you thirsty, drinks cost extra, other than a glass of sangria upon arrival.
It's the frostiest of Australia's annual film festivals for two reasons — the time of year it arrives, and the region it showcases — and it's back for 2022 with another round of recent and retro flicks. That'd be the Scandinavian Film Festival, which naturally hits cinemas around the country each winter. Well, winter Down Under, that is. This year's fest will play 19 titles, primarily hailing from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with the program heading to Palace Barracks and Palace James Street in Brisbane from Wednesday, July 20–Wednesday, August 10. That gives film buffs around three weeks to get their Nordic movie fix, whether you're keen on a historical epic or a dive into Scandi cinema history. Yes, blasts from the pasts are a feature of the 2022 lineup — starting with opening night's Margrete — Queen of the North. Starring Trine Dyrholm (The Commune) and directed by Charlotte Sieling (Lovecraft Country, Homeland), the historical drama is set in 1402, and hones in on Denmark's Queen Margrete, who oversaw the Kalmar Union that brought together Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Also peering backwards: the Scandi Screen Sirens selection, which celebrates leading ladies from times gone by — all in classics. So, you'll catch Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, Greta Garbo in Queen Christina and Britt Ekland in The Wicker Man. There's also two Liv Ullmann films: The Serpent's Egg, directed by iconic Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman; plus The New Land, the 1972 gem in the festival's closing night slot. Elsewhere, the program includes Dyrholm again in A Matter of Trust, which heads to Australia straight from premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival; Finnish effort The Woodcutter's Story, which played the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Critics' Week; and The Emigrants, a new adaptation of Vilhelm Moberg's novels. The latter first hit the screen in 1971, in a film of the same name — to which the aforementioned The New Land was a sequel. From a selection of 19 flicks all up, there's also the Danish boarding school-set Pretty Young Thing, which will have its world premiere at the fest; psychological drama Quake from Iceland; Berlinale Crystal Bear Award-winner Comedy Queen, about a 13-year-old girl who wants to be a stand-up comedian; and documentary Nordic by Nature, which was filmed in the Faroe Islands, including in its seafood industry, and also covers two-star Michelin restaurant KOKS. And if Scandinavian talent has you thinking of Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, he's accounted for A Taste of Hunger from Denmark. It's about the quest for a Michelin star, actually, with the drama following a couple determined to get one for their restaurant.
Plenty of movies have them: that moment when someone walks, moseys, runs or struts just as the music swells, soundtracking the act of putting one foot in front of the other in quite the spectacular fashion. You know the kind of on-screen scene we're talking about. When it happens, emotions swirling in the process, it's instantly memorable. Always wished that real life could feel like that? We all have. And if listening to your usual playlist isn't cutting it during your strolls around town, Brisbane now has a new audio experience you'll want to try out. Available until Sunday, July 24 — launching as part of this year's Curiocity Brisbane, but also sticking around for a couple of weeks afterwards — City Symphony adds a thrilling soundscape to wanders around the River City. It also has some help from David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, Kate Miller-Heidke and Jesswar. Those famous names are all featured in City Symphony's interactive audio, which plays via an app as you walk through the Brisbane CBD. Also on the soundtrack: Keir Nuttall, Hope D, Ancient Bloods, Eve Klein and David Hudson providing tunes, plus original stories by Dr Helen Marshall, Kathleen Jennings and Anisa Nanduala. The brainchild of singer and composer Dr Eve Klein, plus creative coder and engineer Ravi Glasser-Vora — aka Textile Audio — City Symphony offers a site-specific but evolving soundscape that you listen to via headphones, and by accessing the app via a smartphone, as you hit up the inner city. So, you can head to the Queen Street Mall, the Flower Gardens in the City Botanic Gardens, Goodwill Bridge and King George Square, as well as Reddacliff Place, Queens Gardens, Bunya Walk, George Street and Albert Street, and get what's being badged a 'sonically mapped landscape' piped into your ears. In total, there's nine different pathways for folks to walk along, each with its own audio. And if you're wondering what kinds of things you might hear as you venture down Brissie streets and between landmarks, a mass choir singing a prayer to the Brisbane river, a rock concert buzzing with a roaring crowd, a pot-luck dinner and a whirring spaceship are all included — alongside those aforementioned tunes and tales. Feel like you've seen every inch of Brisbane from every angle? And heard it, too? Delivered in conjunction with Queensland Music Festival, City Symphony wants to change that while it's giving you an immersive soundtrack. And, making the experience unique for each user is video game creation technology, which helps the app use real-time data from your phone to adapt its sound mixes as you move through each space.
As much as we all might want to, not everyone can make it down south for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival when it rolls around each year. No, we're not happy about it — but it's time to turn that frown upside down, because you can go to the next best thing. Yes, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is back for another year of touring hilarity. Bringing the best of the fest to the Brisbane Powerhouse on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, this showcase of highlights and hijinks is almost like being there. [caption id="attachment_661799" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jim Lee[/caption] This year's line-up of local and international acts is certain to tickle your funny bone, with Blake Freeman, Chris Ryan, David Quirk and Nikki Britton on the bill, plus Daniel Connell on MC duties. Catch their funny acts live on stage during the chuckle-heavy set, trading their best jokes for your loudest laughs.
All plot, all the time: that's how some filmmakers craft movies. Every scene leads to the next, then to the next and so on, connecting the story dots so that event A plus event B (plus event C, event D, event E and more) neatly equals wherever the narrative eventually ends up. Clio Barnard is not one of those writers or directors. Every scene always leads to the next in every film that tells any tale, no matter who's spinning it, but much of what happens in the Dark River and The Selfish Giant helmer's movies doesn't change, shift or drive the plot at all. Indeed, her features often have storylines that seem straightforward, as the tender and tremendous Ali & Ava does. But that uncomplicated appearance — including here, where a man and a woman meet, sparks fly, but complications arise — couldn't be more deceptive. In Ali & Ava, that man and woman are indeed Ali (Adeel Akhtar, Killing Eve) and Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Ammonite), both residents of Bradford in Barnard's native West Yorkshire. He's a working-class landlord — a kind and affable one, noticeably — from a British Pakistani family, and was once an EDM DJ. She's an Irish-born teacher's assistant at the school where one of Ali's tenants' children attends. Frequently, he's on drop-off and pick-up duty, because he is that helpful to his renters. So, when the skies open one day during his school run, Ali offers Ava a ride home rather than seeing her walk to the bus in the pouring rain. They chat, click, laugh, bond over a shared passion for music and slowly let their guards down. But what would a romance be, especially an on-screen one, if the path to love truly was effortlessly smooth? With a lyrical social-realist bent that'd do Ken Loach, living patron saint of British lyrical social-realist filmmaking, proud — see: Loach's I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You for his two most recent examples — Barnard unpacks everything that roughs up Ali and Ava's tentative courtship. But there's another English director who springs to mind, too, thanks to the way that Ali & Ava can turn from poignant to portentous in a second: This Is England and The Virtues' Shane Meadows. His work finds bliss and joy in ordinary, everyday moments, and also violence and menace as well. One can become the other so quickly that, if it didn't all feel so genuine and authentic, a case of whiplash might be the end result. All three filmmakers possess a commitment to detailing lives that aren't typically fodder for celluloid dreams; all three, including Barnard with The Selfish Giant and now Ali & Ava, make features in the vein that are potent, perceptive, dripping with empathy and as emotionally raw as films come. Ali, friend to everyone, is troubled by more than just regret about no longer hitting the decks. He has a wife, Runa (Ellora Torchia, Midsommar), who no longer loves him or wants to be with him. But he's too proud to tell his family, so they still live together while she keeps studying. That brings judgement his way, with his sister Usma (Krupa Pattani, Ron's Gone Wrong) vocal in her disapproval about his growing closeness with Ava. It makes Ava apprehensive as well, unsurprisingly. She already has enough of her own worries as it is, caring for her five kids — some of which have had kids of their own — as a single mother. One, her son Callum (Shaun Thomas, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), remains affected by his father's death a year earlier, and also his parents' breakup before that. He's far from welcoming to Ali as a result, terrifyingly so, hating even the idea of him as his mother's potential friend. Writing a devastatingly layered script, Barnard spies the myriad of factors that test her titular twosome. She sees them with unflinching eyes, in fact. Racism is a constant that Ali is forced to live with. For Ava — who has a top arts degree, but needs a secure job that makes ends meet to support her family — classism has long worked the same way. On both sides, someone that Ali and Ava each knows has a strong, instant, knee-jerk reaction. On both sides, the pair's past woes linger like ghosts. Barnard took inspiration for Ali and Ava from people she met while making her other movies, and she knows that there's nothing that's simple about anyone's life, not for a moment. She knows that we're all haunted by everything that's ever pierced our happiness and shattered our fantasies, and she's determined to wade through exactly what that means. Grief, trauma, domestic violence, mental health, the responsibilities of being a parent and grandparent, the expectations of families, the strength it takes to care for others, the weight of forsaking your hopes and wishes for someone else, the complexities of looking for love when a big chunk of your days are behind you: they all have a place in this deeply thoughtful film. So does daring to put yourself first, striving to work past each and every roadblock, being willing to fight for what you want, and braving the unshakeable truth that nothing is ever 100-percent rosy. These themes, ideas and factors all percolate as the movie spends time with Ali and Ava, rather than through purposeful and overt plot point after purposeful and overt plot point. Again, that's the kind of filmmaker that Barnard is. Off-screen, we get to know people through their company; on-screen here, with cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland shooting as he did with the director's astonishing 2010 debut The Arbor, that's what Ali & Ava does, too. The picture's namesakes, and the actors behind them, prove exceptional company. They provide wonderfully laid-bare performances as well, which Barnard directs — and Birkeland lights and lenses — with feeling to match. Just as Ali and Ava's existences swing between euphoric and struggling, the movie about them balances its naturalistic, keenly observant approach with a poetic eye. Never is this more apparent than in scenes where Ali, Ava or both are listening to music. Sometimes he dances on top of his car, or on her couch. Sometimes they sit in his vinyl-filed basement. Sometimes they're just driving. Wherever they are and whatever they're listening to, forcefully and dutifully progressing the plot is never the point; learning who Ali & Ava's eponymous figures are, and understanding them as intensely as possible, always is.
UPDATE, August 9, 2022: The Wickham has closed its studio, Wickham Bar and beer garden for renovations, meaning that its Drag Race Down Under viewing parties will no longer go ahead. Start your engines, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under fans — and head them Fortitude Valley's way. With the beloved drag competition series' local version returning for season two from Saturday, July 30, The Wickham is throwing parties to celebrate. It's hosting viewing parties, of course, so you can watch along while you hang out in the Wickham Street bar's beer leafy garden. On Saturdays during the season's run, starting at 5pm, the new batch of drag contestants will strut across the venue's big screen — and host RuPaul, plus judges Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson, too. You'll watch, you'll marvel, you'll throw shade. The Wickham's Drag Race Down Under viewing parties will also include special guests, just like the show it's honouring. Entry is free but bookings are still recommended — and, you can either pay for what you eat and sip as you go, or nab a $55 share platter for two. It includes a range of bites, as well as a couple of cocktails. And no, no word yet on if there'll be a sausage sizzle when that comes up in the series — as seen in the trailer below: Top image: Stan.
Sometimes, a bar asks the questions you didn't know you had. When it comes to wild and wonderful margarita flavours, that bar is usually El Camino Cantina. The Tex-Mex chain loves swirling around different kinds ritas, so much so that limited-edition varieties frequently grace its menus — and for three weeks from Monday, July 18–Sunday, August 7, it's giving its signature drinks a Long Island iced tea makeover. What's better than choosing between sipping a margarita or a Long Island iced tea? Drinking a fusion of the two cocktails. That's what's on offer thanks to the brand's Long Island iced tea rita series, and in seven flavours. Yes, as well as splashing together to different kinds of boozy beverages, El Camino Cantina is pouring them in different varieties as well. So, you can choose between cherry, strawberry, passionfruit, mango, lychee, sour melon and lagoon Long Island iced tea ritas. In Brisbane, you'll find them tempting your tastebuds as part of the chain's National Tequila Day celebrations in Bowen Hills, South Bank and Chermside in Brisbane, as well as at Robina on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Plaza on the Sunshine Coast. In an added bonus, there's a limited-edition tacos range to go with them, costing $7–8 each and $2 on Tuesday. Fancy marinated chilli prawns, crispy bacon and cheddar on a taco? Smoked barbecue brisket with coleslaw? Beef mince with pickles, onions, cheese and secret burger sauce? Nacho-crumbed chicken tenderloins with pico de gallo? They're just some of the special options.
Across four days in September, Brisbane's Palace Barracks Cinema will dedicate its screens to ten films from one country: Ireland. The reason? The return of the Irish Film Festival as an in-person event, after not one but two years of hosting sessions online — and, for its big cinematic return between Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11, it has quite the drawcard on its lineup. Box office Gaelic-language smash The Quiet Girl leads this year's program, after it initially takes to the city's big screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival — so if you miss it then, this is your next chance to see it. The tender 80s-set drama, about a soft-spoken nine-year-old (newcomer Catherine Clinch) who is sent to stay with relatives for the summer, has been breaking box office records for Irish-language movies in Ireland and in the UK. It was also just picked as the country's submission in the Best International Feature category at next year's Oscars, and hits IFF before its general Australian release. The rest of the festival's selection isn't short on highlights either, including opening-night documentary Steps Of Freedom, about Irish dance and its worldwide popularity — plus Let the Wrong One In, a vampire comedy that fittingly boasts Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head among the cast. Or, there's Love Yourself Today, which focuses on Damien Dempsey's music; You Are Not My Mother, about a mother's disappearance from a North Dublin housing estate; and Redemption Of A Rogue, a black comedy about salvation. And, 1992 classic Into the West is also on the bill, with the magical-realist fantasy about a mysterious white stallion featuring a cast that includes Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary) and Brendan Gleeson (The Tragedy of Macbeth). IFF will also keep an online component to this year's fest, screening digitally from Friday, September 30–Sunday, October 16.
Music panel shows weren't invented when Spicks and Specks and Rockwiz started airing in Australia back in 2005, but the two series became Aussie icons quickly. Seemingly everyone watched one, the other or both, with the pair earning a devoted following by realising a pivotal fact: as well as seeing musicians live, audiences also love watching them banter, bust out their smarts and just generally connecting over music. Also taking that idea and running with it is Georgia Mooney's Supergroup, which originally debuted in Sydney in 2019 and is now taking its live variety show on the road. It's inspired by Spicks and Specks and Rockwiz, obviously; focuses on stellar songwriters; and also includes live music and interviews as well. If that sounds like your kind of night out, Brisbane music fans can check out Supergroup's wonders at The Triffid from Wednesday, July 27—Thursday, July 28. Guest-wise, Ball Park Music's Sam Cromack will do the honours with Elizabeth and Seja on the first night, with Jeremy Neale, Hope D and Evil Eddie from Butterfingers taking over on the second evening. Here's how it works: on each evening, the guests come together to form a band, with support from the Supergroup House Band. They'll only play together for that one night, with each high-profile songwriter taking turns to perform songs while their colleagues join in. And it's all spontaneous — with no rehearsals and absolutely zero prior planning. That means that guests get an experience that's never been seen or heard before, and won't ever happen again with the same songwriters and tunes, either. "There is something quite magical about it," says All Our Exes Live in Texas' Mooney. "It is communal and whimsical and musical in the purest sense. I have a feeling this tour will take that to a new level. It's going to feel incredibly poignant to connect again in this way, after the two years we've all had."
Across 2021's cooler months, locations around Australia will transform into winter wonderlands, celebrating the chilly season in all of its frosty glory. From May through until September, The Winter Village is returning after its debut run in Melbourne two years back — with Brisbane's debut visit taking place at Northshore Hamilton's Riverfront Event Space in Brisbane from Thursday, June 3–Sunday, August 29;. Modelled on your typically picturesque European winter market — and giving Aussies a taste of a winter experience that we don't really have otherwise — The Winter Village comes complete with an ice rink, an igloo village, daily snow showers, and a food and drink lineup. Think of it as your quaint wintery escape in the very heart of Brissie. Attendees will be able to dust off their skates and hit the ice, and hire a private igloo where you can wine and dine in cosy solace — either with up to five people in a smaller space, or in a six-metre-wide igloo that can cater for 14. Folks spending their time in The Winter Village's igloos will feast on grazing plates of chips, dips, mini pretzels, cured meats, fried chicken bites, mac 'n' cheese croquettes and more, drink their choice of wine or beer, and tuck into a chocolate ice cream sandwich for dessert. That's the $49 package, with the $69 option including espresso martini-flavoured chocolate fudge dipping sauce, berries, brownies, marshmallows, cookies and your choice of an Aperol spritz, espresso martini, wine or beer. Or, get festive over brunch instead — which includes a 45-minute skate session and a meal afterwards for $35. There'll also be pop-up bars and outdoor seating throughout the village, should you be keen on heading along without spending time in an igloo. The latest venture from hospitality group Australian Venue Co, the frozen oasis will be open daily and free to enter — from 11am–10pm Monday–Thursday, 11am–12am Friday, 10am–12am Saturday and 10am–10pm Sunday. That said, ice skating, igloo hire and a couple of winter warming beverages will obviously come at a cost. Top images: Mazloum J.
It's the time of the year when the days begin to shorten, the evenings get cooler and your stomach starts grumbling for comfort food. But, while that'll remain true for the next few months, only one particular day will bring free tacos. That'd be Tuesday, May 4, with Tex-Mex giant Taco Bell doing a big giveaway at all of its locations. If you haven't tried the chain's Crunchy Taco Supreme, this is your chance. If you have and you just like freebies, count yourself in as well. There is a catch, though. This free taco day is themed around the moon — because the chain has decided to name the half-moon the 'taco moon'. So, to get a taco without paying a cent, you need to mention 'taco moon' or say 'I saw the taco moon' when you get to the counter. Also, there's a limit of one free taco per person, so you won't be able to stuff your stomach full of them. What's a Crunchy Taco Supreme? A crunchy taco, as the name suggests, as filled with seasoned beef, sour cream, fresh lettuce, tomato and cheese — or black beans for vegetarians. If you happen to be one of the first 20 people through the door at each store — in Annerley, Beenleigh, Cairns, Cleveland, Currajong, East Ipswich, Keperra, Logan Central, Morayfield, North Lakes, Robina and Southport in Queensland — you'll also score a taco moon party kit, which includes merchandise.
Classic flicks just keep making the leap to the stage, turning their big-screen tales into song-filled musical adaptations in the process. From 9 to 5 and Muriel's Wedding to Moulin Rouge! and Shrek, a hefty number of beloved movies have done just that — and now Adam Sandler's smash-hit film The Wedding Singer is joining them. The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy was originally due to hit Melbourne in June last year but, as we all know, the pandemic hit. Now, it's also heading to southeast Queensland, playing HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast from Wednesday, June 16. When it does finally hit the stage locally, The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy will deliver an all-singing, all-dancing stage show based on its hilarious namesake 90s flick. And it's from the same crew that propelled it to sell-out success on Broadway and across the UK, including the writer of the original movie, Tim Herlihy. This one promises to yank you right into The Wedding Singer's 80s world of big hair and classic wedding bangers, thanks to a toe-tapping score that's sure to prompt a few hearty crowd singalongs. It retells the story of party-loving wedding singer and wannabe rock star Robbie Hart, who's left stranded at the altar at his own nuptials. Heartbroken, he sets out to destroy every other wedding he's a part of, until a chance encounter with a waitress: Drew Barrymore's character Julia. Now, he just has to win over the girl... and somehow put a stop to her own upcoming marriage along the way. If you need a refresher, you can watch the OG nostalgic film trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjOXMTa6vA
Brisbane's day-long celebration of seafood is coming back. Get ready to feast your way through the fruit of the sea — all without leaving the CBD — once again. If oysters and Moreton Bay bugs are your idea of heaven in food form, you're in luck, as Sea to the City — Brisbane's Bug and Oyster Trail promises to focus on these two morsels. Fifteen riverside eateries will serve up their best takes on these two main ingredients at the event, which will take over the Brisbane river precinct from Eagle Street Pier to Customs House from 11am–6pm on Sunday, May 30. Just what'll be on the menu is yet to be revealed, but Moreton Bay bug croissants, New Orleans-style fried oyster po' boys and grilled bugs with XO Sauce have featured in previous years. As for who'll be whipping up said dishes, the lineup includesMadame Wu, Riverland, Blackbird and Naga Thai, plus Coppa Spuntino, Rico's Bar and Restaurant, Fatcow Steak and Lobster, Customs House, Massimo Bar and Restaurant, City Winery, Mr & Mrs G's, Friday's, Navala Churrascaria, George's Seafood Paragon and Pig N Whistle. You'll also find live music, pop-up bars and, of course, gorgeous river views. And, entry is free — although you'll need your wallet for whatever you'd like to eat and drink.
Brisbanites, if you've been seeing this fair town of ours in a completely different light over the past year, that's to be expected. After spending so much time at home and indoors during the city's multiple lockdowns, even the most familiar spots around the place look a little different. So, you're probably paying them more attention than usual. While you're peering around the place with fresh eyes (or what feels like them, at least), you might just spy some great art. Brisbane City Council runs a free outdoor gallery program, with Sunny Side Up currently brightening up a heap of public spaces — and pondering Brissie's sunny and subtropical identity in the process. Also part of the exhibition, which runs until Sunday, April 18: the Sunny Side Up Treasure Hunt. It takes place from 2–5pm on Saturday, April 10 and it's exactly what it sounds like, with Brisbanites asked to race around town on an augmented reality scavenger quest. You'll roam around the city, find six AR works via the Eye Jack app, and even discover your final treasure hunt location there, too. Once you've hit the end, if you're one of the first 100 people, you'll win a limited-edition artwork by Jordan Azcune. Everyone enters the draw for a $150 Museum of Brisbane shop voucher as well. As you're jumping from place to place across the city, you'll be seeing pieces by Azcune, as well as by Monica Rohan, Charlie Hillhouse, Julia Scott Green, Parallel Park, Phoebe Paradise, Holly Anderson, Kinly Grey, Amelia Hine and Hailey Atkins. They're all emerging Brisbane artists under the age of 35, and the whole show has been curated by fellow up-and-comers Alex Holt and Sarah Thomson. It's all free, obviously, and includes everything from photography, sculpture and video to animation and illustration. Fish Lane, Edward Street, Irish Lane, Queen Street — they're just some of the places to head to.
Can you solve a good mystery? Or spark one? Channel your inner Princess Plum, Miss Green, Mrs Mustard, Master Scarlet, Monsieur Peacock and Mr White, roam around a bar looking for the ballroom, cellar and billiard room, and be wary of candlesticks, lead pipes and spanners. That's what Cluedo! The New Suspects is all about when it heads to Baedeker, and we mean that literally. Taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between Thursday, April 29–Saturday, May 15, each night will double as a lavish 1950s party complete with hidden rooms and passageways, enigmatic guests and plenty of secrets. If it sounds familiar, that's because Brisbane Immersive Ensemble has brought the ace board game to life in a theatrical reimagining in previous years — but, as the name makes plain, this time the characters and details have changed. Head along to solve puzzles, find clues and try to work out who did the deed all while you're eating, drinking and listening to a 50s-style big band. Previous seasons have proven mighty popular, because everyone loves a Cluedo-themed shows. We'll call it a case of murder mystery board game fever. [caption id="attachment_761755" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Brisbane Immersive Ensemble[/caption] Top image: Baedeker.
If you know even the slightest thing about the circumstances surrounding Jamal Khashoggi's death, it's impossible to watch The Dissident without feeling angry. That's most viewers' starting mood, given that the Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist's assassination has garnered ample media attention — and Oscar-winning director Brian Fogel (Icarus) is well aware of how much coverage the subject has received, and of how the world feels about the situation. Indeed, his thorough and exacting documentary both feeds upon and fuels that shock and ire. The mood is tense, the commentary is pointed and the prevailing sentiment is savage. Both rage and outrage permeate each frame, unsurprisingly so, as the film lays bare the brutal facts surrounding Khashoggi's murder, its lead-up and its aftermath. No other tone would be acceptable. Nothing other than dismay, abhorrence and anger would be either. When you're making a movie about a man who entered his nation's embassy to obtain paperwork so that he could get married, then left it in dismembered pieces while his bride-to-be waited outside, how could anything other than fury, horror and alarm eventuate? Although the details have already been well-documented since October 2, 2018, they're still reassembled in The Dissident. Accordingly, the doco tells of Khashoggi's visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul just over a year after fleeing his country, after which he was never seen alive again. He wanted to marry academic Hatice Cengiz, his Turkish fiancée. To do so, he needed a document certifying that he was no longer wed to his prior wife. He'd first sought that necessary certification from the embassy just a few days earlier, so they knew that he'd be returning — and once he stepped inside once more, he was ambushed, attacked and killed by a newly arrived team of Saudi agents. Cengiz contacted the authorities when the man she thought she'd be spending the rest of her life with didn't surface, but the Saudi government claimed that the exiled reporter had left via a back entrance. It didn't take long to ascertain the truth, as was suspected from the moment he failed to reemerge. The official story changed several times, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied any knowledge of a premeditated plot, but the fact remains that Khashoggi was slaughtered by operatives from his homeland. Nothing about Khashoggi's plight has been easy to face over the past three years; however, confronting this true tale is essential. Even if the soundtrack to his film needlessly overstresses the emotive highs and lows, Fogel is clearly aware of just how important his task is here, and does his part to help ensure that these specific events aren't allowed to fade in anyone's memories. He charts the tough-to-stomach minutiae, knowing that ignoring and forgetting the grim intricacies isn't that much different from excusing or accepting them. Crucially, he also provides a wealth of context, including by chronicling Khashoggi's career from the 80s onwards. Initially, the journalist had a congenial relationship with Saudi's monarchy and government, but that shifted as he called them out in article after article — and as he continued to speak the same truths to the same powers, and to the world, after leaving for Washington DC in 2017. Also earning the attention of Fogel and his co-writer Mark Monroe (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart): Omar Abdulaziz. Another Saudi exile, the now-Canada based vlogger was friends with Khashoggi, and recounts their connection throughout the film. Early on, Abdulaziz says that the fate of his pal weighs heavily upon him, but it takes The Dissident time to fully explain why — beyond the normal bounds of grief and past the anger that everyone aware of Khashoggi's assassination feels, that is. While Fogel could be accused to trying to add extra intrigue, urgency and mystery to a movie that largely deals in known facts, his documentary is already gripping anyway; rather, he's further fleshing out the background to a heinous crime. The intimate details explored and exposed throughout the film, including a wealth of surveillance footage, phone calls and WhatsApp messages, and even audio transcripts of the murder taking place, all evoke a strong reaction, of course. But so does seeing the bigger picture, including gleaning the feature's insights into how some countries can work ruthlessly and in a highly orchestrated manner to silence dissenting voices, and understanding the role that both technology and money play in such targeted activities. Whether recounting the grisly reality of Khashoggi's final minutes, conveying the callous disregard directed his way by his assassins and their government, hearing from Turkish police and prosecutors, listening to Abdulaziz or spending time with Cengiz, The Dissident never loses sight of its core focus. This is a movie about one of the utmost political atrocities of the past five years — and about the fact that few repercussions have come Saudi Arabia's way since, with the last US President even claiming that the situation was too ambiguous — but it's also a film about Khashoggi above all else. Here, he isn't just a martyr. He's not simply a name splashed across news headlines, and repeated again and again in broadcasts. And, he's definitely never the type of figure that's discussed and detailed yet always remains a remote presence. Some of The Dissident's most stirring moments feature the journalist being himself and trying to find happiness again, in fact, all after being forced to start his life anew. That's part of this equally chilling and moving doco's power. Truly coming to terms with how Khashoggi's life came to an end involves seeing not just a man given the titular label, or someone killed for speaking out, but a person who sought a better future for himself and for his homeland, only to have his existence cruelly extinguished instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wnmC7uLTNQ
By now, every Brisbanite should've heard of the Urban Wine Walk, aka your excuse to mosey around town and drink vino at various bars across a mighty fine afternoon. It's coming back in May — but it isn't alone. Meet the Urban Cocktail Trail, which is exactly what it sounds like. This time, from 2–6pm on Saturday, May 29, you'll make your way around the CBD to sip cocktails. John Mills Himself, Coppa Sputino, The Gresham, Red Hook and Dawn are some of the places involved, with the list topping out at nine bars. They'll each be making their own special cocktail for the occasion, so you'll basically be venturing to them all and catching those different drinks like Pokémon. Tickets start from $69.77 and are on sale now, with places limited. You can choose where you kick off, and you'll get a prosecco and something to eat at your initial port of call. After that, you'll be able to redeem six vouchers for six mini cocktails at whichever participating places you feel like visiting. Top image: The Gresham, Millie Tang.
Dessert can follow every meal, and don't anyone tell you otherwise. Breakfast, brunch, dinner — they can all be improved with a sweet treat after the main course. So can lunch, too, especially in Fortitude Valley between Monday, April 19–Friday, April 23. For five days this week, if you're grabbing a bite in the middle of the day in the Valley, you can also nab a free ice cream as well. An ice cream van will be set up in the Brunswick Street Mall, and it'll be handing out 200 free desserts between 12–2pm each day. Obviously, there are a few caveats, though. Firstly, you'll have to buy something for lunch from an eatery in the Valley — so in the aforementioned Brunswick Street Mall, Bakery Lane, Winn Lane, California Lane, Chinatown Mall and surrounding streets within the Valley precinct. You'll also have to spend at least $8.50 on your meal, and then take your receipt over to the ice cream van on the same day. And, you can only get one ice cream per day. If you're wondering what you'll be licking, you'll have a choice. Get ready to chase down your lunch with a plain waffle soft serve, waffle rainbow sprinkle or waffle sherbet. [caption id="attachment_758021" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tanya Dedyukhina via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]
The road back to music festivals in a post-COVID world has been long and bumpy. Many festivals attempted to be among the first to return, announcing dates and lineups before being forced to postpone. One event that has managed to succeed despite changing restrictions on mass gatherings over the past few months: the new Summer Sounds Festival. Back in November 2020, it was revealed that Splendour in the Grass organisers Secret Sounds — with the help of the Australian government — were working on a new music festival. An announcement for the Adelaide edition of Summer Sounds Festival followed shortly, with the SA leg of the fest taking place across January with a lineup full of local Australian talent, including Ball Park Music, Bernard Fanning, Mallrat and Ruel. A season in Melbourne at the end of February and the beginning of March followed, too — and, come April and May, it's Brisbane's turn. Because summer is now over for the year, the Brissie leg of the fest has been dubbed Summer(ish) Sounds. Well, the weather is usually still warm and pleasant in autumn, so it fits. Taking place over four nights between Friday, April 23–Monday, May 3, the Brissie lineup features Violent Soho, The Avalanches and Ball Park Music. They'll be joined by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Tropical Fuck Storm, The Murlocs, Tired Lion, The Kite String Tangle, Clypso, Beddy Ray's, Alex the Astronaut, Sycco and Hope D. In order to comply with COVID-19 protocols, ticketing will be split into sections, with limited spots available in each area. This means you're saved the pain of rubbing up against too many sweaty strangers in the crowd, plus you'll be able to have a dance with your closest friends. Plus, at the front of the site — right by the stage — there'll be a reserved seating area if you have some cash to splash (and want to sit down). [caption id="attachment_675360" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Violent Soho by James Simpson[/caption] SUMMER SOUNDS FESTIVAL, BRISBANE Friday, April 23 — King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Tropical Fuck Storm and The Murlocks Friday, April 30 — The Avalanches, The Kite String Tangle and Clypso Saturday, May 1 — Violent Soho, Tired Lion and Beddy Ray's Monday, May 3 — Ball Park Music, Alex the Astronaut, Sycco and Hope D Top image: Summer Sounds Festival Adelaide by Morgan Sette
If you dote over your vinyl collection with obsessive passion — or even if you just casually collect whichever albums you happen to come across whenever you're in your local record store — then you probably have one Saturday in April permanently marked on your calendar. That'd be Record Store Day, the annual celebration of ace music, a beloved format and the shops that trade in both. As happened last year, RSD has been postponed in 2021. Instead of its usual timeslot, the huge vinyl event will now take place in June. But that doesn't mean that your record pile has to remain static for the next couple of months, with record companies banding together for a huge vinyl sell-off: The Great Australian Warehouse Sale. Across the weekend of Saturday, April 17–Sunday, April 18, music aficionados will be able to snap up vinyl galore via indie record stores. Record companies such as Universal, Sony, MGM, Warner and more will be diving into their vaults, clearing out their warehouses and making as much stock available as possible, while individual shops will also be adding their own spin to the fun. Different stores will have different items on offer, so going crate-digging at your favourite shops is highly recommended. For further details — including which places are taking part — head to The Great Australian Warehouse Sale website.
It's a shopper's dream: walk into a store, browse the racks, and then nab a half-price bargain. Trust those vintage fiends at Vinnies to put the idea into practice, and to keep raising money for charity in the process. Vinnies 50 Percent Off Sale is exactly what it sounds like. Expect the usual array of clothing, accessories and other items to grace their racks, not that there's anything usual about trawling for secondhand treasure. Not knowing what you'll find is all part of the experience — but, this time, you're paying half of what you'd normally pay. The sale runs from Friday, April 16–Saturday, April 17 at Vinnies stores across Queensland, with the full list of sites — which includes the Brisbane CBD, Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Paddington, Coorparoo, West End and Stones Corner shops — available on the organisation's website. In the Greater Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast areas, the discount doesn't apply to furniture. But, if you spend $20, you'll get a $5 voucher to use before June 30. Image: Onur Bahcivancilar.
Have you ever wondered about the interconnected underworld of fungus or what it takes to build the world's largest acoustic guitar? Sure, such topics may not always be front of mind, but sometimes curiosity gets the better of us. So, if you're keen to dive into weird, wacky and wild topics, be sure to check out Curiocity Brisbane's free talk series this month. Dubbed Curious Conversations, the series is hosted by Aussie author and journalist Benjamin Law who'll be talking to some of the best doers and thinkers in the arts, engineering and science worlds. So, you can expect boundary-pushing chats that'll ignite your imagination. The series has already kicked off, with past sessions available to watch here. If you'd rather catch an IRL conversation, the upcoming program promises everything from the aforementioned wondrous mycelium to innovate science-led theatre collaborations. Happening at various locations across Brisbane, the remaining events are taking place on Thursday, March 25 and Saturday, March 27. Keen to let curiosity get the better of you? Find more details and register over here.
Sometimes, your tastebuds just want what they want, and there's absolutely no swaying them otherwise. Sometimes, though, simply mentioning a particular dish — and the fact that it's available far cheaper than usual for a very short period — is enough to have your stomach grumbling in a completely different direction. Karaage curry lovers, rejoice — whether that's what you're already hankering for, or the mere mention of it has instantly kicked your appetite into gear, Motto Motto has you covered on Tuesday, March 23. To celebrate reaching a 500,000-curry milestone (yep, that's how many the Japanese chain has now dished up across the country since opening in 2014), it's selling bowls of both karaage chicken curry and tofu and vegetable curry for $1. The offer runs all day, but while stocks last — so having an early lunch could be a smart plan. Brisbanites, you'll be heading to Motto Motto's four local stores at Carindale, Chermside, Garden City and Indooroopilly to get your cheap curry fix. Either side of the city, you can also mosey into Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Plaza on the Sunshine Coast.
Whenever you head to a bar, drink a range of different brews and spend plenty of time chatting about top-notch tipples, you're basically giving yourself your own festival experience. But there's still nothing like the real thing — which is what The Sound Garden is serving up from 12–6pm on Saturday, May 8. Sighted: Beer Fest will be pouring amber-hued beverages from Stone and Wood, Balter, Black Hops, Ballistic Beer Co, Young Henrys, Noosa Heads and more. So, if you were wondering what you'll be sipping, now you know. Entry is free, but you can purchase a $30 ticket bundle in advance, which'll nab you five brews on the day. If you know that all that beer will make your stomach rumble, there's also a $55 option that includes four drinks and a platter to munch your way through. Prizes are on the agenda as well, as is sitting around the Valley with your mates and saying cheers to a heap of brews. Top image: Stone and Wood.
One of Fortitude Valley's bars is going green to celebrate a big pop culture milestone. Plenty of excellent movies, TV shows, albums and songs will mark an anniversary this year, but when April 2021 hits, animated favourite Shrek will turn 20. So, The Brightside is doing its usual thing and throwing a party — a month early. Rediscover why it really isn't easy being an ogre while listening to a live band play the entire Shrek soundtrack, and competing in the costume competition. Clearly, you'll also get a whole lot of Smash Mouth — aka 'All Star' and their version of 'I'm a Believer' — stuck in your head. Indeed, when the band isn't playing at Shrek Fest, The Brightside's DJs will be spinning 'All Star' on repeat. Here, all that glitters is gold — and green — with the party happening from 6pm on Friday, March 19. Tickets cost $30 per person. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W37DlG1i61s
Chocolate isn't the only thing on the menu this Easter — or this autumn — at Brisbane's Treasury Casino. Until the end of April, the inner city spot is hosting a big foodie festival filled with degustations, high teas and cocktails. Arriving hungry is recommended. 40 Days of Flavour spans an array of different events, so you can follow your tastebuds to your favourite — or try to feast your way through them all. And, you can find something to match your budget, whether you're in the mood for an indulgent five-course meal or a $15 special. For those keen to go all out, Black Hide by Gambaro is doing both three-course lunches for $79 from Wednesday–Friday each week and degustation dinners for $199 from Tuesday–Thursday. Obviously, expect steak to feature. Or, you can pick from two different high teas, with The Lab going head over heels for chocolate on Saturday, April 3 and Sunday, April 4, and champagne versions on offer at the same spot every weekend. And, for a daily special — and to play wing roulette — hit up the Livewire Sports Bar. It's easy to forget that new overwater bar Will & Flow is part of the Treasury stable, but its Sundaze sessions are also on the 40 Days of Flavour lineup. The Treasury's sibling venue, The Star Gold Coast, is getting in on the fest as well. So, if you're heading down the coast, you can tuck into four-course lunches and Japanese degustation dinners, take a grazing tour of the venue's restaurants and listen to live tunes on its lawns.
Thanks to our sunny, warm weather almost all year round, Brisbanites are always willing and ready for a pool party. The event happening at Musgrave Park swimming pool on Saturday, March 27 isn't any old splashfest, though. Returning again for another year, it's all about celebrating several good causes. Here's what's on the agenda at Reclaim the Night's Body Positive Pool Party: having a dip, having some fun, and reclaiming a space and a pastime in that have traditionally caused plenty of stress about beauty standards and gender norms. So, grab your togs and cannonball into action. On second thoughts, maybe scrap the last part. No one wants to be that person. There'll be swimming, obviously. There'll also be DJs, a vegetarian sausage sizzle and market stalls features feminist artists. As for where the other worthy causes come in, that's thanks to the beneficiaries of your entry fee. Prices vary depending on whether you're on a wage or not — $5 for the former, $12.50 for the latter — and you can add an extra donation, too, when you buy a ticket.
Not that long ago, the narrow spaces around Fortitude Valley were just that — spaces, not vibrant laneways. These days, the area boasts not one, not two, but multiple jam-packed alleys. Yes, that's a development that's worth celebrating. In fact, it's a change worthy of a day-long festival, which is exactly what the Hidden Lanes Festival is all about. For the 2022 Valley Fiesta, it's returning as a pop-up event, taking over Bakery Lane, Winn Lane and California Lane on Saturday, November 26. From 9am–10pm, the three spots will turn into a flourishing — and free — party, complete with markets, beverages, art, food, fashion, roving entertainers and pop-up musical performances. And, in great news for your wallet, entry is free. Here, you'll eat, drink, listen, shop, chat, marvel at art and restock your wardrobe, all across one huge day and a quartet of busy spaces. Naturally, the event will definitely involve the long list of businesses who call these laneways home — and, music-wise, the Quivr DJs will be spinning disco and funk tunes. [caption id="attachment_742156" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Alvaro Mayorga[/caption]
Those looking to get some insight into the winner of this year's Archibald Prize can tune into a free online talk with the artist Peter Wegner and his subject Guy Warren on Tuesday, August 24. The pair will be discussing the prize-winning artwork for In the Frame with beloved TV and radio presenter Yumi Stynes. After the 2020 award was delayed due to COVID-19, this year's gong was handed out as normal — but now the Art Gallery of NSW exhibition that always follows has been impacted by Greater Sydney's current lockdown. So, the folks at AGNSW have released a virtual version of the popular showcase, which means both at-home Sydneysiders and folks around the rest of the country can view 2021's top portraits from their couch, as well as attend special online programming like In the Frame. Every year for the past century, the Archibald Prize has recognised exceptional works of portraiture by Australian artists. In 2021, from a field of 52 finalists, the coveted award has gone to Melbourne-based artist Peter Wegner for Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. A unanimous decision by this year's judges, Wegner's portrait of the centenarian and fellow artist obviously won the gong in a fitting year. "Guy Warren turned 100 in April — he was born the same year the Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921," Wegner said. "This is not why I painted Guy, but the coincidence is nicely timed." Wegner's win came after an equal number of works from both male and female artists made the finalists list for the first time in Archibald history — all of which you can now scope out from home, alongside entries and winners for the Wynne and Sir John Sulman prizes, too. Across the three prizes, 2144 entries were received this year, which is the second-highest number ever after 2020. And, the three prizes received the highest-ever number of entries from Indigenous artists. The discussion between Wegner, Warren and Stynes will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook from 7.30pm and will run for 30 minutes, and will be available to watch after it streams on the Art Gallery of NSW's YouTube channel. [caption id="attachment_814784" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Archibald Prize 2021. Peter Wegner, 'Portrait of Guy Warren at 100'. Oil on canvas, 120.5 x 151.5 cm. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins. Sitter: Guy Warren.[/caption] Top image: Archibald Prize 2021 finalist. Kirsty Neilson, 'Making noise'. Oil on linen, 50.1 x 60.1 cm, © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins.
