New year, new reason to plaster ace local art all over The Culprit Club's walls — and they're taking to the task with gusto. Alphabet Soup marks their first exhibition of 2018, and as the name suggests, it's a thorough one. You don't promise to step through the A to Z of emerging local, interstate and international artists without backing it up. With the 26 selected creatives chosen for their "their style, strength and skill in typography and letter formation," expect the letter theme to be taken literally too, should that pique your interest. Talented folks showing off their work include Scott Marsh, Phibs, Sophia Mary Mac, Billie the Kid, Inkboy and more. Remember their names: with both originals and prints available to purchase, their efforts could soon be on your wall. The exhibition runs for four weeks from February 23, and, as always, it kicks off with a huge launch from 6pm on opening night.
Booze-sipping wannabe Picassos, take note: it's your time to shine. While there are regular classes and even entire businesses devoted to the concept, Brisbane's next excuse to get creative while indulging in a beverage or two is offering something different. Instead of painting any old picture, you can whip up a portrait of your favourite four-legged creature. Keen on having a few drinks, picking up a paintbrush and creating a masterpiece that makes a star out of your beloved cat, dog, goldfish, budgie, rabbit, hermit crab or whatever other pet you might have? That's one of the options at Brush & Barrel's Paint Your Pet nights. How else will your favourite critter know that you love it if you don't paint their likeness? Classes cost $60 — and, because you're not expected to sketch your pet first, you'll need to email through a photo of Fido beforehand. Brush & Barrel's in-house artist will then pre-sketch it on a 40 x 50-centimetre canvas, so all you need to do is paint and drink. This is a BYO affair, so bring your own bottle of wine for liquid inspiration. The next session with tickets currently available takes place on Saturday, February 22. A warning: unsurprisingly, these classes are popular and sell out fast, so getting in quickly is recommended. Image: Brush and Barrel. Updated January 13.
When Arelhe Urrperle walks the earth, people will take notice. Spying a six-metre-tall puppet that weighs 600 kilograms wandering around is bound to draw attention. Seeing it mosey through Alice Springs Desert Park, sharing Arrernte stories and language, will be a main attraction at 2024's Parrtjima — A Festival in Light, in fact — and just one of the reasons that this Indigenous arts festival should be on your itinerary this autumn as well. Erth, which has also brought dinosaurs and sharks to life around the country in the past — and held prehistoric picnics featuring puppets — is behind Arelhe Urrperle. In New South Wales, Marri Dyin, which also reaches six metres in height, has taken a stroll at Vivid Sydney 2018 and 2019, plus at the Nights on Crown Festival in Wollongong in 2019. Arelhe Urrperle will be specific to the Red Centre, however, and see Erth's puppeteers train local Indigenous performers to operate the roving puppet for Parrtjima's 2024 run. The dates to head along: Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 21. Representing Arelhe matriarchs, Arelhe Urrperle is one of this year's signature installations — and a new addition to Parrtjima for 2024. Fancy feasting your eyes on illuminated cars that form a collage of work celebrating Eastern, Western and Central language groups? Walking through an immersive passageway that pays tribute to late Arrernte leader Dr MK Turner? Thanks to fellow installations Arrernte and Honouring, they're also on the festival's just-announced program. One of the Northern Territory's annual highlights — and one of its dazzling sights, alongside natural features Uluru, the Tjoritja gorges and Kings Canyon, plus nightly light show Wintjiri Wiru, as well as Bruce Munro's Field of Light and Light Towers — this First Nations arts, culture and storytelling festival takes place against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges. Comine that setting with art, music, talks, workshops and more, and a unique festival awaits. 2024 marks the ninth Parrtjima, with its ten-night lineup focusing on the importance of interconnectedness across First Nations culture for this year. That'll partly happen through two things that are always on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attractions, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park. The Ranges Light Show will take over additional projection space in 2024, while Grounded will become more interactive. From there, the program includes a three-night marketplace for the first time in the fest's history. The Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN) Buy Blak Market will feature both food and other products from local Aboriginal businesses. On the music roster, Troy Cassar-Daley, Shellie Morris, Miiesha and Mulga Bore Hard Rock will take to the stage. Cassar-Daley and Morris are also on the talks lineup, alongside Floyd Doyle and Dr Josie Douglas. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light will return from Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 21, 2024, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light / Arelhe Urrperle images by Steven Woodburn. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Established in 2009 to discuss difficult issues, push boundaries and inspire debate, Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas has spent a decade exploring provocative topics — and it's celebrating its tenth anniversary in the same fashion. This year's event will tackle the theme 'dangerous realities', focusing specifically on racism, surveillance and climate change. After postponing its weekend-long Town Hall event in April due to the government's ban on non-essential gatherings over 500 people, FODI has decided to return next month with a succinct digital program for 2020. It's called FODI Digital, aptly — and fans will be happy to hear that headliner Edward Snowden is still on the docket. The whistleblower will — of course — examine the reality of mass governmental surveillance system. As expected, he was always planned to appear via livestream rather than in person, so not much has changed. The one-hour conversation will take place on Thursday, September 24 from 7pm. Alongside Snowden, the program features Professor Marcia Langton AM on Thursday, September 10 and Journalist David Wallace-Wells on Saturday, October 11. Langton will discuss the truth about racism in relation to Australia's Indigenous people, as well as our society's resistance to accepting our racist past. Meanwhile, Wallace-Wells will dissect the climate crisis in a conversation titled The Uninhabitable Earth. As all events will be live-streamed, tickets will cost just $10 for Langton and Wallace-Wells and just $15 for Snowden — or nab tickets to all three for $30. FODI is presented by The Ethics Centre, who co-founded the fest with the Sydney Opera House, then partnered with UNSW for the 2018 version of the event on Cockatoo Island. While this year's digital season is decidedly different from past iterations, it still boasts the fest's usual high-calibre range of speakers — so another eyeopening FODI season awaits. FODI Digital will take place across three separate online conversations on Thursday, September 10; Thursday, September, 24; and Saturday, October 11. For tickets, visit the festival's website. Top image: Jodie Barker
Everyone knows the rule: when you go to someone's house for dinner, you bring something (even when they insist you shouldn't). After all, they've just spent hours slaving away in the kitchen — or ordering takeaway and putting it on nice plates to pretend they cooked it. No need to panic purchase a lame box of choccies or spend hours staring dumbly at the bottle-o shelves to end up picking something based on how nice the label is. In partnership with BWS, we've got you covered for top-notch drops to take along. Whether it's refreshing summertime favourites, easy-drinking Aussie brews or lesser-known wine varieties, this crowd-pleasing list ensures success — and we'll even let you take all the credit. XPA — BALTER Balter's XPA is one of the most popular beers in Australia. It's remained in the top five of the GABS Hottest 100 list since launching in 2016 (including two consecutive years in top billing). Chances are your mates have had it, they love it, and they'll love you for bringing a six-pack along to dinner. On the off chance they haven't tried this brew, we can guarantee everyone at the party will enjoy it because, well, everyone does. Easy-drinking with tropical and floral notes, this hopped beer won't take over your taste buds and will accompany pretty much any cuisine. PASH THE MAGIC DRAGON — BATCH BREWING CO Never seen dragon fruit in a beer before? Well, Sydney's Batch Brewing Co is more than happy to oblige. The brewers here are always thinking up something unusual to throw in the tank — former oddball concoctions include a polarising pickle beer and another inspired by the legendary Marrickville Pork Roll. But Pash the Magic Dragon is hands down one of the brewery's tastiest creations yet. This fruity sour ale contains heaps of fresh dragon fruit and passionfruit, and the combination is just delightful. It's perfectly balanced between sour and sweet, and the peachy colour makes it just a little more fun to drink, too. It can easily be paired with fruit-based desserts like pavlova, or alongside the main course, especially if it's a spicy dish. CÔTE DES ROSES ROSÉ — GÉRARD BERTRAND Showing up at your mate's house with a bottle of rosé is a no-brainer during the warm weather months. If you want to set your summertime favourite apart from the pack, go for Gerard Bertrand's Côte des Roses Rosé. It blends floral notes with summer fruits and is full-bodied yet balanced with a dry finish. And it's just oh-so-refreshing. This French wine also looks fancy in its pretty glass bottle with a rose-shaped bottom. Plus, it won't break the bank. PHENOMENAL FIANO — ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM If you want to impress your friends with your wine knowledge, bring along a lesser-known variety that they'll absolutely love. We suggest this fiano by Elephant in the Room. This South Australian winery is known for its full-bodied drops, and the fiano doesn't disappoint. The white wine expresses notes of citrus, apple and spice, with a crisp minerality that offers the perfect finish. It's undoubtedly a bold wine and is best shared with those who want something a little different. PINOT NOIR — RAMBLING ROSES As the nights start to cool, it's just about time to get back on those reds. A decent pinot noir is a good place to start — it's lighter, it isn't too heavy for autumn evenings. If you're looking for something that'll impress, but is accessible, Rambling Roses' version is the way to go. It presents as a typical pinot noir, but, for a discerning palate, is much more than that. Expect notes of red and black currants with juicy strawberries on the nose and an overall depth of flavour. That being said, it's also exceptionally sessionable and works well paired with dinner. On warmer nights, be sure to give it a quick chill to ensure it's thoroughly enjoyed. Update: Due to the current situation, we understand that throwing or attending parties may not be a possibility right now. But there's a silver lining — you can still order all of these drinks online to enjoy at home. Head to the BWS website to browse the full range.
Central's name is accurate in two ways. Now open in the Piccadilly Arcade building on Queen Street in Brisbane's CBD, this 80-seater subterranean restaurant is indeed central in the River City. The venue's moniker also takes inspiration from the Central district in Hong Kong, as its menu does with its dishes. Eat at Fish Lane's Southside in South Brisbane, or at Rick Shores in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, and you'll likely grab a serving of dumplings with your meal. Some feature lobster and prawns. Some come stuffed with truffle pork or chilli crab. The bite-sized favourite is a staple of both restaurants, but it isn't the star attraction at either. For a place with that focus — and plenty of love for Hong Kong — the team behind the two beloved eateries has launched Central. Southside Executive Chef Benny Lam, one of Central's driving forces alongside Southside's General Manager Maui Manu and co-owner David Flynn, has worked in the favourite tourist destination, and is now bringing some of the parts of it that he loves to Brisbane. "The food. The living style. Sometimes I miss it. The rush in that city can be so much, but I really enjoyed that energy, every day," Lam explained when Central was first announced in September. "The thing about Hong Kong, you eat out just about every night of the week. Maybe you leave the office about 7pm but you don't go home. You go to a dumpling bar or noodle restaurant — they're that third place." "You walk and you explore and there's stuff happening everywhere and it draws you in," adds Flynn. "We want Central to be that total sensory experience that we love so much about Hong Kong, but channelled into Brisbane, bringing together two cities that we love." If Central can be that kind of space for Brisbane, the pair will be happy. The menu does its part, with the dim sum range the highlight. Peking duck potstickers and prawn har gao sit beside mushroom dumplings, barbecue pork puffs, king crab and prawn spring rolls, and more. Eager to hang around for a bigger dinner? Just like serving up snack-sized options if you're dropping by on your way elsewhere, Central can cater for it. Mixing Cantonese meals with western influences, Central's other dishes include lobster noodles and wagyu short ribs, both to share; drunken chicken with aged shaoxing rice wine, plus red date and golden sesame, as a starter; smoked foie gras with youtiao, aka Chinese fried dough, plus Davidson plum, also to begin; and traditional steamed Queensland grouper among the bigger fare. Char siu pork and roasted half duck feature as well — and for dessert, mango pudding leads the list. Whatever you pick — dim sum, raw plates, barbecue, sweet treats and more — it's whipped up in the venue's raised kitchen. After helping revamp Gerard's Bistro, architect and designer Jared Webb of J.AR OFFICE turned his attention to Central, where granite and timber are heroed among exposed-rock walls. The lighting remains low, befitting the restaurant's underground berth. Another inspiration comes from one of the space's past guises. Primitif Cafe called it home in the 50s and 60s, with jazz and poetry a feature. "Our motto with Jared has been to 'embrace the cave'. He responded by designing a space with tiered areas that allow people to have different sight lines through the venue with the kitchen and bar as centre stage," advises Flynn. "It's about capturing that spirit of Primitif, but also the rich, colourful nightclub history of 1970s and 80s Hong Kong — places like Disco Disco, this amazing nightclub that's still remembered fondly in that city." As for the drinks, sommelier Peter Marchant — also the Group Wine Director — has built a wine list of around 30 drops that can be mixed and matched with the food menu. Available by the glass, half glass and bottle, it spans both Australian and overseas tipples, and also vino from producers doing new and exciting things in the industry. The cocktails nod to the Hong Kong nightclub scene, as well as to Primitif, including a house harvey wallbanger, a Sichuan Martini Sidecar and a nitrogen-compressed piña colada. Find Central at 340 Queen Street, Brisbane — open from 5pm–late Tuesday–Saturday for dinner, with lunch from 12pm Thursday–Saturday starting in mid-November 2024. Head to the venue's website for more details.
The Belvedere wants to take you to Mexico this June. For an entire month, the 124-year-old hotel in Redcliffe is hosting a fiesta, packed with free tacos, bottomless sessions, tequila masterclasses and mariachi bands. Drop in any Friday from 3–5pm for Mexican Happy Hour, then head back on Saturday or Sunday at 3pm for a bottomless session. $110 will buy you two hours of endless margs, wines, tap beers, soft drinks and cocktails, alongside as many tacos, hot chips, corn chips and guacamole, and churros as you can handle. Want free tacos? Swing by on Tuesday, June 10, and, with every purchase of a jug of margarita, that's exactly what you'll get. Meanwhile, Wednesday, June 11, is dedicated to $15 enchiladas. There's also a bunch of one-off events throughout the month. Catch a tequila masterclass on Thursday, June 12; join the Day of the Dead Party from 9pm on Saturday, June 14; and kick back to a mariachi band from 2pm on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15. Check out the whole program on the Belvedere's website.
Sydney newcomer Wildflower Brewing and Blending is bringing things back to basics, creating barrel-aged, blended wild beers that focus on balance, approachability and natural ingredients. Owner Topher Boehm has an innate fascination with crafting and learning — his previous preoccupations include book binding and bespoke shoe-making, as well as, most recently, brewing at Batch Brewing Company. "When I got into brewing I loved working with the raw materials, but when I found out yeast was available everywhere I had a desire to take it one step further, to source more materials from Australia and what is naturally found around me," says Boehm. "This same beer could have been made 150 years ago." In this naturalist vein, Boehm cultivates wild yeast found in New South Wales and uses Australian malts and hops where possible. Though barrel aging, especially with wild yeast, can add a tart characteristic to the brews, Wildflower is not a sour beer facility. On the contrary, Boehm is focused on producing balanced, easy-drinking beers that are closer to farmhouse or saison-style ales than sours. Blending newly brewed beer with existing barrel-aged beer is what gives this balance between fresh and funky. In a Marrickville warehouse that's rumoured to have a once acted as a rivet factory for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Wildflower's space is very bare bones and is clearly all about the French oak barrels, fifty of which currently line one wall. Boehm sourced these ex-wine barrels from Orange, working with such heavyweight wineries as De Salis, Ross Hill and Canobolas~Smith. The beer is initially contract brewed at Batch and then transported to the Wildflower barrels for blending. Wildflower's core range includes a Table Beer, the Gold Blend #1 and the Amber Blend #1. The Table Beer was inspired by the brewing culture Boehm experienced in France. "We would always have beer with lunch, and I love the idea of stopping during the day and having a table beer that is light and refreshing," he says. He is specifically fond of beers you can pair with food, and describes his gold and amber ales as white wine versus red wine for this purpose. "The most important thing for me is that people just enjoy the beer and don't over-analyse it," says Boehm. "I want the beer to be approachable and simple so it's just a nice brew to enjoy with friends and have a chat over without any pretension." The first Wildflower deliveries went out in mid-April, with venues including Automata, Bitter Phew and The Dolphin Hotel wine room, plus bottle shops including Oak Barrel, Bucket Boys and Paddington's Five Way Cellars, all snagging this batch. A few venues have already sold out, but if you missed out on this round, there will be more where that came from soon enough. Wildflower Brewing and Blending is located at 11-13 Brompton St, Marrickville. The tasting room will open to the public for Saturday tastings and takeaway in the near future, so keep an eye on their website for updates.
Keen to celebrate the sights, sounds and tastes of Thailand, but can't make the trip abroad at the moment? Whether you're lamenting your inability to head to southeast Asia, getting your fix in-between sight-seeing visits, or simply a fan of Thai culture, cuisine and traditions, the annual Brisbane Thai Festival has you covered from 10am–7pm on Sunday, September 14. The event is expected to attract more than 15,000 patrons, so you certainly won't be alone. Don't worry — with food, booze, performances and Thai boxing demonstrations on offer, there's plenty for everyone at Brisbane's largest Thai-focused event. Indulging in all the Massaman curries you can eat, iced teas you can drink and traditional dances you can watch is only part of the equation, of course. As run by the Thai-Australian Association of Queensland Inc, the festival aims to promote and strengthen ties and harmony between the Thai and Australian communities. By heading along, you'll not only get a feast of food and entertainment — you'll be doing your cross-cultural part.
This December GoMA is turning five and we’ve all been invited to join in the celebrations with a handful of exhibitions, programs and events thrown in the lead up to the milestone. Good ol' GoMA have served us well over the years and we owe it to her to give her a big birthday to remember. The Threads exhibition is one of the first in line to show off GoMA’s age and style. Bringing together a diverse range of contemporary textiles from the Gallery’s Australian, Asian and Pacific Collections, Threads is rejoicing the ways in which artists explore the threaded medium. It may be knitted, weaved, looped or stitched, but this is no Rugs A Million sale. Promises will actually be delivered! The exhibition investigates the concept of threads as a function of skin or interface with other cultures, reflecting the transformation of existing social, political and cultural conditions. If this all sounds too deep for you, don’t worry, there’s still plenty to appreciate as always when wandering through GoMA. Like all good art, you don’t always have to understand it, you just have to enjoy it. GoMA definitely wants to celebrate textile style this birthday and why shouldn't she? She is deserving of a party, and really wants you to come. She's 5 and you really can't deny a 5 year old, can you?
Picnic season is upon us, the time of year when sitting outside with a basket full of cheese is the only place to be. Throwing a few beverages into the mix always is always recommended, but Brisbane is sadly lacking when it comes to legal spots to drink outdoors. You won't have that problem at Pinknic, however. A spin-off from the popular Rosé Revolution, which has already sold out its main 2017 event, Pinknic is the relaxed rosé lunch ready to brighten up one particular summer Sunday. Come 11.30am on December 3, pink drink lovers will descend upon The Osbourne Hotel to sip their favourite tipple and eat a hamper full of goodies. Tickets cost $35, which includes a rosé on arrival, plus smoked salmon, duck paté, a baguette, cold cuts, grilled vegetables, cheese, and a macaroon to munch on. More than 12 other fruity, not-quite-red vinos will be available to purchase if you're keen on more pink fun as well.
This Christmas, all you need is love — and a festive little cabaret that showcases all of the hit tunes from Love Actually. It's the way to celebrate the season when you're not watching the seasonal favourite flick with a live orchestra, or just leaving it on repeat at home. Yep, that's Christmas Actually. Created by the folks behind Rumour Has It and Lady Beatle, and starring Naomi Price (Ladies in Black, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Christmas Actually features all of the tracks that've become synonymous with this merry time of year — including Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You', naturally. To help belt them out, Price will be joined by fellow vocalists Stefanie Caccamo (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Luke Kennedy (The Voice Australia) and Tom Oliver (Velvet). There'll even be more than one nativity lobster, plus a jolly mood and a whole room full of festive cheer. That room is La Boite's Roundhouse Theatre, where Christmas Actually plays from Wednesday, November 27–Saturday, December 7. Get excited by revisiting Love Actually's trailer below. Tis the season, after all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWvZEaAdiDg
Laughter can't solve all of the world's troubles, but it can provide a decent way of momentarily coping with weighty topics — the advance of climate change and the onset of mass death included. That's one of the operating theories behind The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek, anyway. And if it seems like those topics aren't usually the subject of jokes, the play takes its black comedy cues from In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri's Martin McDonagh. Written by Kathryn Marquet and staged for the first time ever from February 10 to March 3, with La Boite the production's world-premiere venue, The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek tells the tale of George, an environmental scientist trying to save the Tasmanian Devil. Making a difference is all she has dreamed of since she was a girl, and she's not going to let the chicken-obsessed ranger Harris stop her from trying. "I'd rather laugh than cry," says Marquet of her approach. Her script was developed through Playlab, which helps support new work from Aussie playwrights, while actress Emily Weir takes on the show's starring role.
Everybody loves a countdown, but some rankings are tastier than others. Take Bloodhound Bar's addition to the fold, The Very Bestest Beers of 2017, for example. While the nation's biggest music poll plays on January 27, they'll be working their way through their own hot list. Beers, beers and more beers are the subject of their tally, as voted by their patrons. 12 brews have been selected, and they'll be pumping through the taps from 12pm for your drinking pleasure. From local lagers to Belgian beers to top tipples from around the country, plenty of styles and breweries are represented in the final rundown. Fancy a strawberry rhubarb sour, an American wheat ale or a few different IPAs? Thanks to the best bevs from Brouwerij Bosteels, Aether, Archer, Black Hops, Slipstream, Brouhaha, 3 Ravens, Green Beacon and Modus Operandi, they're on the list.
Like karaoke? Fond of singing in public in general, whether you're solo or in a group? Then it's time to up your crooning game. Pub Choir is exactly what it sounds like — aka a gathering of folks belting out a tune, together, in a bar. It's basically what happens whenever someone puts 'Wonderwall' or 'Weather With You' on the jukebox, but in a more organised fashion. The event happens monthly; however, after a year of getting musical with a crowd, they're throwing an extra special shindig to celebrate their first year. On March 15, Pub Choir will be heading on over to The Triffid for what's certain to be a loud birthday party — and yes, that means Newstead will be alive with the sound of music this time around. Just like the usual get-togethers, participation costs $10, plus whatever you'd like to drink — and yes, singing and sipping go hand-in-hand. There'll also be cake and special guests, plus more merriment after the sing-along stops. Oh, and a t-shirt gun, apparently. If you're not usually the type of person to unleash their inner Beyonce in front of the masses, don't worry. The great thing about choirs is that everyone is singing, so you are literally a voice in the crowd. In fact, you might just find joining in the fun cathartic. If you can't feel free when you're crooning along with hundreds of others, when can you?
Everybody loves a countdown. Watching rage, voting in Triple J's Hottest 100: they're all Australian traditions. In Brisbane, we love all of the above — and we're also very fond of 4ZZZ's Hot 100. It's the poll voted by locals, celebrating locals and brimming with the best of everything that's hit local airwaves throughout the past year, and it's coming to The Triffid once more. See in the new year with a song (or 100) as the Newstead venue throws its first hangout of 2020. From midday, the entire 100 tracks will be blasted through the Triff with a live broadcast, as you sit, drink, recover or do whatever it is you need to on January 1. There'll be beer, ace tunes and hair-of-the-dog hangover cures aplenty — as well as a dunk tank for everyone and a jumping castle for kids. Plus, you can also bring your doggo. Happy 2020 indeed.
Christmas means plenty of different things to plenty of different people, but in Brisbane, it also means feasting your eyes on a heap of festive films in open spaces. Roma Street Parkland is one of them, and they're back with another run of Christmas Movies in the Park. 'Tis the season for joining in the merry movie fun, and all that. On the agenda: ten nights of yuletide screen gazing, spanning the usual well-known titles. You know the first rule of Chrissie flicks, though, right? You haven't really seen any of them until know all the lines. So, ho-ho-hop on over to the parklands' ampitheatre to watch interconnected tales combine in Love, Actually, witness Will Ferrell spread festive joy in Elf, discover How the Grinch Stole Christmas and re-live your childhood with Home Alone, among others. And yes, the second rule of Christmas movies declares that no film is too cheesy for the season.
You've already celebrated one new year in 2018, and now it's time to mark another — Lunar New Year, when the traditional Chinese calendar ticks over and the Year of the Dog begins. If your idea of honouring the date involves eating, then King Street have some delicious festivities that should get your tastebuds salivating. On February 16 and 17, the Bowen Hills precinct will be decked out with lanterns, play host to lion dancers, and serve up two feasts at Fat Dumpling and Banoi. Both eateries will have their own thing going because variety is the spice of life, particularly when you're getting festive. Head to Fat Dumpling if all-you-can-eat handmade dumplings takes your fancy, alongside a four-course meal that features shared plates of stir fried greens, spring rolls, braised pork belly, salt and pepper squid, fresh mango cake, two drinks of your choice (including booze) and more. That'll cost you $65, while Banoi's $30 option boasts a three-course Vietnamese dinner of spring rolls, whichever main takes your fancy (other than chicken curry), a Vietnamese flan and a glass of wine. Whichever you pick, booking in advance is essential.
'The mormons are coming', posters popping up all around Brisbane started promising this week. Come March 2019, they'll officially be here. If you didn't make it to Melbourne to catch The Book of Mormon, and haven't headed down to Sydney yet either, don't worry — Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hit musical is bringing its hilariously irreverent self to QPAC's Lyric Theatre. After playing most of the last two years down south, with the show's Sydney run due to end in October, the multi-award-winning production will settle in for a Brisbane season from March 16, 2019. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, August 7 for its third Australian stint, and given that both Melbourne and Sydney experienced sell-outs, it's certain to prove a hot ticket. Written by South Park and Team America's notoriously puerile creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, together with Robert Lopez of genius grown-up muppet show Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon is probably one of the most lauded comedies ever to have centred on the Church of Latter Day Saints, African missions, AIDS, bum jokes and super ironic racism. If it wasn't so smart and so funny, few would forgive it. But since it is, The Book of Morman has picked up nine Tonys, four Olivier Awards and a Grammy since it debuted in 2011, and has been called "one of the most joyously acidic bundles Broadway has unwrapped in years". If you've been envious of the throngs seeing the musical in New York, Chicago, London or elsewhere in Australia, then you'll be plenty excited that you'll now get the chance to go learn all the idiosyncratic details of Mormonism, meet war criminal General Butt-Fucking Naked and know the true meaning of the hakuna matata-like saying 'Hasa Diga Eebowai'. The Book of Mormon plays QPAC's Lyric Theatre from March 16, 2019. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, August 7, with the waitlist now open at BookOfMormonMusical.com.au. Image: Ryan Bondy, Zahra Newman, Nyk Bielak and company in The Book of Mormon, AUS 1411. (c) Jeff Busby.
The shows livening up its stages change frequently. The art exhibitions gracing its walls, too. They're not the only things that shift and evolve at Fortitude Valley's Judith Wright Arts Centre, though, with the venue itself now welcoming patrons back in after undergoing a revamp. If you'd noticed that sections of the Brunswick Street spot had been closed of late, that's thanks to a $3.1 million refurbishment, which includes the addition of a corner gallery — and digital projections onto the building's facade. But, it's now back in action after its makeover, complete with new shop fronts and office space, as well as new rehearsal and performance areas. As part of the reopening, three new tenants have also moved into the building. That's where you'll find art gallery Outer Space, which just staged an exhibition about folks moving back to Brisbane due to the pandemic, rather than leaving it for bigger cities down south — and also theatre production group The Little Red Company, the team behind shows such as Christmas Actually, Lady Beatle and The Iso Late Show. And, although it prides itself on hosting shows absolutely anywhere around town — which it is currently doing at the moment — Anywhere Festival has also set up shop in the building. The three newcomers to the Judy join the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, Artour, AusDance Queensland, Blak Dance, Circa, Creative Partnerships Australia, Australasian Dance Company, Flying Arts Alliance, Institute of Modern Art, Musica Viva and Carbon Creative, all of which already call the venue home. [caption id="attachment_812487" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Elizabeth Willing, Seppeltsfield, 2021, and Unknown (South Australia), 2019, wine press membranes. Installation view, All my friends are (leaving) returning to Brisbane, Outer Space Gallery. Courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne. Photo: Chris Howlett.[/caption] And, if you're looking for an excuse to stop by, the Judy will be hosting 11 new visual arts, dance, theatre, circus and music works and performancees this year, as part of its First Night Showcase Judith Wright Arts Centre program. Keep an eye on the venue's website for further details. Find the Judith Wright Arts Centre at 420 Brunswick Street, on the corner of Berwick Street, in Fortitude Valley. Top image: Maeve Baker, 'Do Your Chores, Try Not To Think Too Much, And Repeat', 2020, IMA Belltower Façade Projection. Commissioned by the Institute of Modern Art for 'Making ArtWork'. Photo: Charlie Hillhouse.
We were about two hours out of Sydney when the stars started to come out, getting brighter and brighter as we hurtled down the highway, leaving the city and all its pollution behind. It was late, and I was tired, trying desperately to squeeze in a quick nap before it was my turn to drive. And as I turned my head to rest on the seatbelt, my eyes flicked upwards, and caught sight of a shooting star, blazing its way through the middle of the Southern Cross. The Wee Waa Agricultural Show, now in its 79th year, is like Sydney's Easter Show for an audience of a couple of thousand instead of a couple of million. It is a celebration of the local community, acknowledging the wonderful things accomplished by the townspeople, from the produce to the livestock, from homemade jams, soaps and cakes to handmade floral arrangements, quilts and much, much more. For a number of reasons the album launch itself was not what it could have been, not least the fact that Sony had made the album available to stream online three days beforehand, gazumping Wee Waa’s premiere. Estimates from the night suggest that perhaps as many as half the anticipated 4500-strong crowd simply didn't bother to show up, and weeks of feverish speculation meant that whatever was planned for the night wasn't going to satisfy, except perhaps if Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo rode in to the Show on a Blue Ribbon heifer. But the main reason the launch was a bit low-key is that Random Access Memories is the least Daft Punk record yet released. It's an homage to the 1970s, with disco and soft rock the dominant moods, almost the polar opposite of the groundbreaking, apocalyptic, electronic crunch of Discovery. And although the lead single, 'Get Lucky', is as chilled and danceable a groove as you could hope for, there really aren't that many opportunities for getting your boogie on. And those of us who thought that the recent resurgence of electronic music — led by unashamed, brutally heavy party tracks from the likes of Skrillex, Nero and Avicii — would lead Daft Punk to double-down on their trademark sound were sorely disappointed, a fact made clear by the roars that greeted the classic Daft Punk tracks a DJ played after the album to make the moment last longer. But as we left the largest outdoor dancefloor in the world, underlit by thousands of LED lights, and went our separate ways, no one really had any complaints. And judging from the expressions on the faces of the crowd, everyone realised that they had just been part of something unique, and something that they were never likely to experience again. When it was first announced that Daft Punk would be launching their first album in eight years at the Wee Waa Agricultural Show, the resulting explosion of incredulity reached all corners of the internet. After the incredulity came the second-guessing, millions trying to figure out why Wee Waa was chosen over so many other places. All of this had at its heart the same premise: that choosing to hold this event in Wee Waa was inexplicable, and that somewhere, surely, there was an explanation that would make sense. But whether Bangalter, de Homem-Christo, Sony or any of the complainers realise it or not, Wee Waa couldn't have been a more perfect choice. This town is the beating heart of a huge industry — the Australian cotton industry, worth some $2.5 billion annually — producing a product that is exported all over the world. It's a town that is aggressively innovative in its field (and fields), with tremendous advances being made in how much cotton can be grown with limited amounts of water, as well investing heavily in the research and development of natural pesticides that have little to no impact on crops or on consumers. And it's a town, like so many country towns across Australia, where strangers are welcomed with open arms, open hearts and open minds. If Daft Punk can’t see themselves — global superstars of dance music, with their history of audiovisual innovation — reflected in the town and its people, then they clearly lack the imagination we've always ascribed to them. Wee Waa is a wonderful, beautiful, uniquely Australian place, with a strong connection to the land, to the water, and — thanks to the Australia Telescope Compact Array in Narrabri — to the skies. And despite some disappointment caused largely by unrealistic expectations (and a less-than-amazing album), this was a wonderful, beautiful event, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will always be special for how fleeting it was. Much like a shooting star in the country sky, blazing its way through the middle of the Southern Cross.
They're sticky, cinnamon scrolls, drenched in glaze and famous all across the USA. And now, at last, they're headed Down Under. Yep — Seattle-born bakery chain Cinnabon is landing in Australia, with sunny Brisbane marked for the location of its first local outpost. Family-run Queensland company Bansal Foods has announced it's scored the Aussie rights to Cinnabon, with plans to open the first stores here by the end of 2019. If the name sounds familiar, that's because this is the same crew that brought Carl's Jr to our shores, opening six local outposts of the US burger chain in the past 12 months. The plan for Cinnabon is to launch its first two Aussie stores in southeast Queensland this year — one in September and one in October — with another to follow in Sydney later and further expansion slated for 2021. Word is, we could see as many as 50 stores across the country within the next three years. Cue easy access to indulgent treats like the Classic Roll, miniature BonBites, Cinnabon Stix and (hopefully) the super-popular Chocobon. One of Cinnabon's big pulls is the freshness factor, with new batches of scrolls apparently cooked in store every half hour. Cinnabon is slated to open its first two Australian stores in southeast Queensland in September and October 2019. Updated: May 9, 2019.
Make a booking at Stanley for dinner and you're in for a Cantonese and Chinese treat, plus river views either before, during or after your meal — depending on where you sit — thanks to the restaurant's berth at Howard Smith Wharves. Head Chef Louis Tikaram's menu is one of the best in Brisbane, mixing traditional flavours with local ingredients and a global perspective. But for one night only, he's sharing the reins with someone else. That'd be Clayton Wells, who is no culinary slouch himself. If you've heard of Sydney's acclaimed Automata and A1 Canteen, you've heard of Wells. He's heading to the River City on Thursday, March 30 to showcase dishes from MOD. Dining by Clayton Wells, his latest venture, which is part of the Art Gallery of NSW's newly opened Sydney Modern Project expansion. [caption id="attachment_894078" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Clayton Wells by Nikki To[/caption] From 6pm, as part of the Stanley Chef Series, Wells and Tikaram will be whipping up a banquet that highlights both chefs' skills. On the menu: Sydney rock oysters, Hervey Bay scallop siu mai and painted tropical crayfish congee to kick things off, plus a salad of local tomatoes and herbs. There's also Cloudy Bay clams in curry leaf sauce; grilled king prawns with banana blossom, Thai basil and roasted chilli; and Stanley's grilled wagyu with XO butter among the mains. Then, for dessert, diners will tuck into local figs served with long pepper ice cream. Tikaram and Wells aren't stepping into the kitchen together for the first time, either, after working alongside each other more than 15 years ago at Tetsuya's in Sydney. Their set menu collaboration costs $220 per person, with drinks extra from Stanley's usual wine and beverage list. [caption id="attachment_894079" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louis Tikaram[/caption]
It's no surprise the humble banana is a lunchbox staple. After all, they pack in essential vitamins while being ripe to eat on their own or paired with myriad ingredients. What's more, this much-loved fruit can even score you a free workout this Wednesday, October 8, in celebration of National Banana Day. Made possible by Australian Bananas — the national peak body advocating for the potassium-packed powerhouses — the Banana Gym Pass returns for a second year following its 2024 debut. Just show a banana to the team at over 900 participating gyms nationwide to receive a free guest pass for the day. Featuring more than double the gyms included in the first year, the campaign has been embraced with open arms by boutique studios and massive chains like Virgin Active, Fitness First and Anytime Fitness. That means it's likely a nearby gym is ready to peel open its doors so you can get in a session — just check for a participating location. "Bananas have always been one of my go-to snacks," says Australian Bananas ambassador Tim Robards. "They're natural, easy to grab and full of the energy you need for a great workout, to chase after the kids, or just keep on top of a busy day. National Banana Day is a great reminder that looking after your body and keeping it fuelled doesn't have to be complicated."
If you're looking for a way to extend your summer this year, there is no better place to escape to than the Great Barrier Reef. From first-time snorkellers to diehard divers, everyone will find an experience off the shores of Tropical North Queensland to get pumped about. You can meet green turtles and manta rays, peep an abundance of mesmerising coral and give a little wave to Nemo in his natural habitat. So, consider this your sign to finally tick off this bucket list trip to witness the magic of the reef this autumn. [caption id="attachment_830381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] GO DEEP INTO THE SEA WITH FIRST NATIONS GUIDES If your idea of a perfect day in the ocean is seeing beautiful reefs and getting an insightful connection to the sea, put Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel on your itinerary. Offering a unique experience, this local team will invite you to step into the Great Barrier Reef's Dreamtime. Visiting an array of reefs unique to Tropical North Queensland, you'll be accompanied by First Nations sea rangers who are passionate marine lovers, prioritising reef preservation and sustainable tourism. With Dreamtime, you'll spend the day snorkelling in some of the world's best reefs and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island traditions and cultural connections to the region. [caption id="attachment_829681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] BLAST OFF TO VLASOFF CAY FOR AN EXCLUSIVE REEF ENCOUNTER An exclusive experience awaits with this lush trip to Vlasoff Cay — a jewel in the crown of the Great Barrier Reef. This sandy cay, with 360-degree views of the world famous reef, is also accessible via boat, but the luxe experience is from the air. To see the sights from above, book a full-day return helicopter trip with eco-certified reef lovers Nautilus Aviation. You'll get to spend hours with the sand between your toes, snorkelling and indulging in a gourmet picnic hamper as you drip-dry in the balmy tropical air. The cay is a popular destination, so take advantage of the off-peak months and beat the crowds. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE WITH AROONA LUXURY BOAT CHARTERS Grab eight of your closest mates and jump aboard Aroona for a totally luxurious reef experience. Whether you're exploring the reef on a day trip, or escaping the mainland for a seven-day soiree, Aroona Luxury Boat Charters is the choose-your-own-adventure experience of your dreams. Want a jam-packed escape featuring fishing and kite-surfing, or a calmer pace with snorkelling and sipping cocktails on the top deck? Thankfully, Aroona boasts flexibility and an abundance of options that is synonymous with the area. And there's no better way to watch tropical rainfall over the rainforest than from the deck as you cruise towards Fitzroy Island. [caption id="attachment_830344" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] SET SAIL TO GREEN ISLAND Green Island is the quintessential destination for the rainforest and ocean combo for which Tropical North Queensland is famous. As the name suggests, it's the only cay in the Great Barrier Reef that boasts a rainforest as well as pristine sands. Plus, Ocean Free is the only tour operator in Cairns that offers a personal sailing reef and island tour. Ocean Free provide a tour with an exclusive reef mooring at the island. Taking a highly personalised approach, Ocean Free lets you decide how to spend your day. Snorkel straight off the boat, try your hand at an introductory dive or spend the day exploring the island's rainforest. Then, return aboard Ocean Free to relax and marvel at Green Island over a smorgasbord lunch. EXPLORE THE REEF FROM TROPICAL ISLAND SHORES A day tour on the Frankland Islands Reef Cruises will take you to more places in one day than you could visit in a week anywhere else in the world. And, its tour features the shortest open water crossing to the reef in Cairns — ideal for those who are prone to seasickness. Start the day with a quick coach trip from Cairns through UNESCO World Heritage-listed rainforest mountains to the Mulgrave River. Here, the luxurious riverboat will carry you downriver and across the sea to your base at Normanby Island. Then the day is yours to explore this secluded National Park island. You can snorkel right off the beach or explore the reef and marine life a little further afield on a guided snorkel safari experience. Be sure to take a walk around the island with the tour's marine biologist who'll help you discover the diverse wildlife that flourishes in the island's rainforest and rock pools. [caption id="attachment_829683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] STAY DRY AT CAIRNS AQUARIUM If it's childhood wonder and extensive marine knowledge you're after, then the Cairns Aquarium is ideal. Home to more than 16,000 specimens and ten different ecosystems, the aquarium is a window into the flora and fauna that call the Great Barrier Reef home — and it's only a stroll from the bustling Cairns Esplanade. Get inspired by daily ecosystem talks, animal presentations, live diver feeds and marine touch 'n' talk shows. Or, if a day of underwater wonder sets your stomach rumbling, head to the aquarium's Dundee's Restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal on the Daintree Deck and watch the warm tropical rain fall in an afternoon shower. [caption id="attachment_830353" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] CATCH COLOURFUL SEA CREATURES OFF THE COAST OF PORT DOUGLAS If you're a diehard snorkelling fan, jump onboard Calypso Reef Cruises for an unforgettable and environmentally friendly experience off the coast of Port Douglas. Relax on Calypso's dedicated snorkelling vessel, offering comfortable day beds and spacious decks, before popping on your gear and meeting some of the most exquisite marine life in the world. The vibrant coral gardens and diverse marine life at Opal Reef are visible within a couple of metres from the water surface making it accessible for most levels of swimming skill. The trickiest part will be keeping count of how many giant clams, stingrays, green turtles and clownfish you'll spot. SPLURGE ON A MULTI-DAY DIVING TRIP This multi-day live-aboard experience is the ideal ocean getaway for accredited open water divers. Offering three-, four- and seven-day trips, Spirit of Freedom will whisk you away to Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs and Osprey Reef — some of the most impressive dive destinations in the world. Experience shark dives, sheer walls laced with soft corals, manta rays, and bright, abundant tropical reefs rich with biodiversity paired with hotel quality amenities and first-class meals on this lush escape. And, did we mention the boat's three decks you can relax on? They're perfect for an afternoon kip before heading out for a twilight dive. Ready to dive deep into the reef? For more information and to discover more about a holiday in Tropical North Queensland this autumn, visit the website. Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Football fans, Christmas has arrived — the soccer version that comes around twice every four years, that is. The Men's World Cup took place in 2022, and now it's time for the Women's World Cup from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20, right here in Australia (and also New Zealand). If you're fond of the round ball, there's really not much that could improve the next month. Actually, one thing could make your Women's World Cup-watching and Matildas-barracking couch sessions even better. We have two words for you: free pizza. They're two of the best words that exist, especially when used together — and they describe exactly what Pizza Hut is offering Aussies during this year's tournament. In total, the fast food chain could hand out $2 million in pizzas. Exactly how many it'll dole out depends on one big thing: how many goals are scored across the entire competition. Pizza Hut will give away 200 pizzas to celebrate each and every single goal, and it'll also triple that number when it's Sam Kerr and the Matildas hitting the back of the net. That means you'll have multiple chances to grab a freebie. And, numbers-wise, all other teams scored 138 goals in the 2019 Women's World Cup, while Australia kicked eight — so if that's repeated, there'll be 32,400 free pizzas up for grabs this time. To score your 'za without spending a cent, you'll need to head to Pizza Hut's 'pizzas for goals' website at 4pm AEST each day, with the number up for grabs based on the previous day's matches. Unsurprisingly, you'll want to get in quick as it's a first in, first served affair. You can only enter once per day — and, if you win, you'll be sent a voucher code for a large pizza with a pan base. You'll be able to choose from super supreme, barbecue meatlovers, pepperoni lovers, Hawaiian and cheese lovers, and you'll need to redeem within 21 days of issue via a pick-up order. Also, you can't combine the voucher with other meal deals — but a free pizza is a free pizza. Pizza Hut will be giving away free pizzas from Friday, July 21–Monday, August 21 during the 2023 Women's World Cup. For further information, head to the chain's website.
Tarts Anon and Koko Black are both huge names in Melbourne's food scene, as are the folks who dream up all their delicious creations. Pastry Chef Gareth Whitton built Tarts Anon into one of the city's top cake shops, won Dessert Masters, is working on a new cookbook and even created a pressure test for MasterChef Australia. He's a household name, having also worked with teams at Mill Brewery, Gelato Messina, Al Dente Enoteca and Kori Ice Cream. Koko Black's Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou has been working in the world of chocolate since the age of 18, and has been an innovative tour de force at Koko Black for nearly eight years. He's also no stranger to partnering with other chefs, having worked with Lune, Connoisseur, Black Star Pastry and Tokyo Lamington. Now, these two giants in the sweet-toothed sphere of Melbourne's hospitality industry have come together for World Chocolate Day, creating a limited-edition chocolate and leatherwood honey tart. This decadent treat is only available from Friday, July 5–Sunday, July 7, at a few Koko Black stores across Melbourne and Sydney, and at both of Tarts Anon's Melbourne locations. We chatted with both Whitton and Brigou about collaborating on the new tart, and how valuable that these partnerships can be for both chefs' personal growth and the success of their businesses. We also touched upon the role that collaborations can play in helping hospitality companies stay afloat during these incredibly difficult times. On Coming Together to Create a Limited-Edition Chocolate Leatherwood Honey Tart Brigou: "World Chocolate Day is a very important day for us at Koko Black. It is the day that truly celebrates what we do, and for this special occasion we like to work with like-minded brands to create something amazing. The entire Koko Black team, myself included, have always been big fans of Tarts Anon — we'd often discuss how amazing the tarts are and how we would love to work with Gareth and the team one day. So, this was the perfect opportunity, and we reached out. After the first introduction call, we knew straight away that both our brands share the same values, beliefs and spirit for innovation and excellence. We knew straight away that this was going to be a great collaboration." Whitton: "We were asked to join forces with the team at Koko Black as part of their annual celebration of World Chocolate Day. After being such big fans of theirs as well as seeing the elite execution of their previous WCD activations, we were thrilled with the opportunity to work together. Remco and I got together after piecing together a few rough ideas, and chatted out some of these napkin sketches and how we could bring them to life. I had a format that I had in mind, we knew it had to involve chocolate, and we then fell on the idea of using the leatherwood honey honeycomb as inspiration. We also pulled from Remco's Belgian heritage with the peperkoek, plus a couple of textures and recipes that we use quite regularly at Tarts Anon." [caption id="attachment_925594" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitton's previous collaboration with Gelato Messina[/caption] On Why It's So Great to Work with Other Chefs Brigou: "For me personally, I love working on collaborations. It is a great way to meet amazing like-minded people in the industry, but it is also a great way to stay inspired. The richness that comes from sharing knowledge and ideas is very valuable to me, and it is something that I will always be thankful for." Whitton: "I always try to work with people who are either very similar to us, or completely opposite. Kinda like matching colours of clothing. Not similar enough, and it's hard to find a connecting point, but if it's either easily interchangeable or very complimentary, then it doesn't seem forced. It opens you up to new environments where you perhaps aren't as confined with your creativity, and also allows you to explore things that you wouldn't see day to day." On the Power of Partnerships to Help Businesses Get Through These Tough Times Brigou: "I think it is important for brands to work together, not only so we can all leverage from each other, but more importantly so we can create an experience to both our customers and maybe introduce our customers to a different brand that they maybe never heard from before." Whitton: "[Collaborations] are a (relatively) low-cost way of exploring new ventures, and keeping outgoings low is of the utmost importance in times like these. Particularly in branches of the industry that rely on seasonal trade (like ice cream, for example) it helps to collaborate with brands that thrive in cooler months to keep revenue coming in. The underlying issue that the industry faces is that the market is becoming so unbelievably saturated right now, which feeds the staffing crisis and the high turnover of businesses. There's a new competitor emerging every other week, so the revolving door of what's 'hot' is moving faster than ever. Collaborating is a good way to stay relevant and be ahead of the game." [caption id="attachment_833241" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brigou's previous collaboration with Connoisseur. Image by Julia Sansone.[/caption] On What's Holding the Industry Back Right Now Whitton: "It's hard to be too optimistic in times like these, there are too many motivated and passionate people trying to grab a hold of a dwindling number of opportunities. The emergence and prevalence of the food blogger is giving a platform that previously only the passionate and culinarily educated had access to, to anyone with an opinion. Now Google reviews and social media are rife with ill-informed and sharp-tongued critics single-handedly destroying businesses, and politics are creeping deeper and deeper into our dining rooms. It seems nihilistic to say, but I fear that most people are too concerned about staying afloat themselves that we're all treading water right now. The amount of tax that small businesses pay is frankly obscene. This is the big killer — wages will always take the biggest chunk, but that is an investment in people. When significant amounts of money are routinely taken from you and continually hinder any opportunity to grow, you are faced with the grim reality of choosing between success in your business or compromising your values to solely chase revenue." On the Best Advice That Brigou and Whitton Have Ever Received From a Collaborator Brigou: "I have had the privilege to work with a lot of amazing people and all of them have taught me so much, whether it is techniques, flavour combinations, or the passion and determination to deliver a beautiful product. I also like to think I have inspired them as well and maybe even taught them something, because that is the beauty of collaborations. It is a two-way street and I feel that sharing knowledge and letting people discover new things is the heart of our industry." Whitton: "The best thing I have learnt from someone I've collaborated with is to understand what it is you want to get out of the partnership. Having a game plan instead of trying to just feature two representations of your brand side by side will always triumph. Quality over quantity." Gareth Whitton and Remco Brigou's limited-edition chocolate and leatherwood honey tart is only available from Friday, July 5–Sunday, July 7 at a few Koko Black stores across Melbourne and Sydney, and at both of Tarts Anon's Melbourne locations. For more information on where to get the tart, visit the collaborations's website.
Another week, another round of free rides for bus patrons. Yes, it's becoming a common occurrence. Brisbane's bus drivers are still fighting for better conditions, and they're still not getting anywhere — so they're going to help the city's commuters get to their destinations for free. The city's buses aren't fleeing from the roads this time, but they will be refusing to collect fares once again. If catching a bus is on the cards between Wednesday, August 9 and Friday, August 11, then your trip may very well cost you nothing. As happened on July 27 and August 4, some drivers won't be taking your money or checking that you're using your Go Card. The key word there is some, of course, so hopping on board without a method of payment in your wallet isn't recommended. The latest stint marks the fourth consecutive week of industrial action as part of a continuing campaign by the RTBU's Queensland Branch for safer buses, a fair wage increase and modern rostering practices. Image: Andrew Thomas via Flickr.
Fish Lane's Town Square is putting its patch of pavement to good use, with markets now popping up in the South Brisbane spot. While bars and eateries line the laneway, and festivals have taken it over as well, Fish Lane only started hosting its own stalls back in 2021 — and in 2022, it's again giving you a chance to browse and buy locally made art, ceramics and other goods. Taking place on Sunday, May 29 and Sunday, October 16, the markets close down the road between Hope and Grey streets, and go big on showcasing local independent makers and designers. On offer: wares spanning everything from fashion, plants and jewellery to natural skincare and accessories for your dog as well. Obviously, you can also bring your four-legged friend with you as you browse the stalls. Food-wise, Fish Lane's existing cafes and eateries will keep you feed and caffeinated, so you can add a visit to Cups on Melbourne or Lune Croissanterie to your itinerary. For lunch, the likes of Julius, Southside, La Lune Wine Co, Chu The Phat, Big Roddy's and Grassfed will all be tempting your tastebuds The Fish Lane Markets run from 9am–1pm. If you haven't been to the precinct's Town Square yet, head for the rail bridge — you'll find it underneath. Updated September 26.
More than 18 months after the Australian Government introduced an indefinite ban on international travel, holidaying overseas will be back on the agenda in some parts of the country in mere weeks. From November, when each state hits the 80-percent doubled-vaccinated threshold, they'll be permitted to reopen to overseas trips — but, if you're now eyeing off a jaunt to the UK, one popular route to London is undergoing a considerable change. Back in September, Qantas announced that its direct Perth-to-London route probably wouldn't be able to return until April 2022 due to Western Australia's strict border rules. Now, the Aussie carrier has confirmed that that's the case, and that it'll be temporarily heading non-stop from Australia to the UK out of Darwin instead. Accordingly, if you're the kind of traveller who likes fewer stopovers, and can also cope with spending almost a whole day on a plane non-stop, you might have a visit to the Northern Territory in your future. The flight from Darwin to London will take 17 hours and 20 minutes to travel 13,800 kilometres, and will actually initially originate in Sydney — departing from New South Wales five times a week from Sunday, November 14. "The Kangaroo route is one of the most iconic on the Qantas international network and we are delighted that Darwin will play a vital role in Australia's post pandemic reopening to the world," said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a statement. "Qantas has been flying repatriation services from London to Darwin as part of the airline's efforts to help bring Australians home over the past 12 months, so our pilots already have extensive experience operating this particular route," he continued. The super-long flights are slated to run out of Darwin until April, when it's expected that the direct route from Perth to London will be able to resume. That said, the airline's statement does also flag that "while this is a temporary change to the route, Qantas will watch how it performs and is open-minded about what it could lead to down the track." Also, travellers will have a different experience flying in and out of Darwin depending on whether they're keen to jet off as soon as the international travel restarts, or if they wait until a bit later. The arrangement is being rolled out in two stages, with the first step allowing transiting passengers from all Aussie states, or returning from London, to visit the international lounge and shops at Darwin Airport. It isn't till the second phase that transiting passengers will also have the option to leave the terminal and visit Darwin, however. When the Perth-to-London flights first launched back in 2018, they were obviously a big deal. Taking one is certainly an experience, from the layover time spent in the Perth airport if you're starting out from another city, through to what it feels like to sit on a plane (or get up and walk the aisles every now and then, for exercise) for that very lengthy spell. You might remember that, pre-pandemic, Qantas was contemplating starting non-stop routes from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to both London and New York, too. In fact, it had even run two trial journeys, and was poised to announce whether it was feasible in March 2020. We all know what happened to international travel then, though, so clearly the topic hasn't been a priority since. Qantas' direct flights from Darwin to London will take to the air in the week beginning Sunday, November 14. For more information, head to the Qantas website. Images: Qantas
Brisbane's pizza superstars come in the legions. From West End's The Burrow to Bulimba's Sugo Mi, we're not short on Italian-grade crusts and toppings. And now, to the list of Brisbane's best pizzas, add Brewski. It may not have an Italian name, or offer stuffed crusts, but it truly deserves a spot on the noble lineup of Brisbane's most delicious. Situated on Caxton Street, between New York Slice (funnily enough) and Black Hide Steakhouse, Brewski is a bar that delivers in everything from craft beer to truly nostalgic beats to the crispest, most blistered pizzas in the Paddington area. Firstly, let's talk food. The food cannot even mentioned without wild gushes for the pizza. It's the price, it's the range, it's the artisanal execution of each and every one that gets delivered to the table on a wooden serving board. Their topping options range from the basic and delicious, such as classic prosciutto ($10-$15) to a few that are a little fancier, such as the pulled pork, mushrooms, olives, red onion, smokey BBQ sauce and mozzarella combo that is the Will Ferrell ($18). If you perchance see a grown man crying while on your visit to Brewski, the reason inevitably will be the third pizza from the bottom of the menu. You can't help feel a little dared by the Mad Man Chilli Spank XXX, but even Brewski give the warning, "it's bloody hot, no really". It's topped with hot salami, mushroom, olives, chilli, mozzarella and ultra death sauce, a name that leaves little to the imagination. This sauce is hot. Painfully so. It throws a heat that destroys any threshold, and should really be served with a pitcher of milk. Try it. They've also got a killer selection of hearty, Seinfield-themed toasted sandwiches, and a succulent selection of sticky glazed free-range BBQ wings (check out the full menu here). Plus, if you're strapped for cash, they have great bargains for each day of the week: food is two for 1one on Mondays, all pizzas are $10 Tuesday, and grab a $10 wings and rings deal on Wednesday. Don't come for a drink here without eating, and vice versa. The beer range contains of 120 bottles, with beer on tap constantly switching up between fresh, local, national and international brews. That got a keen taste for our local favourites Bacchus, Newstead Brewing and Green Beacon, as well as Little Creatures, Bridge Road, Holgate, Four Pines and a few imports from New Zealand and the States. Ask for a recommendation on what to sip on, and the friendly bar staff will lend a hand, with a little taste of each. Or if you're keen to do a little of your own research, check out their Facebook page to keep updated with the week's tap specials. Brisbane has seen an influx of America-eats-meets-craft-beer bars in the last few years, but few surpass what Brewski has on show. The atmosphere is always vibrant, they brilliantly curate beers and food doesn't skimp on size or quality. Go with a friend or grab a group, because this might be the best reason you've had yet to head to Caxton Street and chow down. Images: Hennessy Trill
Floor-to-ceiling views of one of the world's most infamous barriers, sleeping in sight of an Israeli watchtower and bunking down on abandoned army supplies aren't usually listed among a hotel's features. Nor is a rooftop that no one can set foot upon without prior permission from the Israeli military, everything getting locked down at 11pm each night or buying graffiti supplies to make your mark on an adjacent structure — but, of course, The Walled Off Hotel (not to be confused with the Waldorf Hotel) isn't any ordinary accommodation establishment. Set up in secret over the last 14 months and set to open on March 11, the Bethlehem guesthouse is the latest project from Banksy. "Enough said," you might be thinking — and yes, in keeping with the artist's usual modus operandi, the hotel is designed to attract attention. You don't just unveil a new place to stay not only in the West Bank, but with a clear vantage of the barrier that separates Palestine and Israel, without making a statement. The site follows in the footsteps of his Gaza tourism ad and theme park Dismaland in giving a dark, topical twist to the holiday trappings most of us take for granted. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMFoDzDbGl/?taken-by=thewalledoffhotelbethlehem Once inside The Walled Off Hotel, visitors can expect to be greeted by "the worst view of any hotel in the world", as Banksy explained in a statement reported by The Guardian. "Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before [Donald] Trump made it cool," he continued. Converted from a pottery workshop, the venue's ten rooms will definitely feel the impact of their close proximity to so many vertical slabs of concrete, with none receiving more than 25 minutes of direct sunlight each day. Anyone keen to book a stay — and given Banksy's involvement, expect there to be plenty — can choose between four levels of accommodation. Perhaps you'd like to kip in one of the rooms customised by different artists, including Banksy, Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin, or scenic lodgings with those not-quite-million-dollar views? Money conscious travellers can opt for budget digs that come with a locker, personal safe, shared bathroom and complimentary earplugs, while the palatial presidential suite will suit those with plenty of spare cash. It boasts a four-person plunge bath, home cinema, Dead Sea bath minerals and water feature made from a bullet-riddled water tank (or, "everything a corrupt head of state would need"). https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMHvSvBo5_/?tagged=walledoffhotel Throughout the building, Banksy-vandalised oil paintings and statues choking on tear gas fumes line the walls, setting a distinctive tone, but tea and scones are still served daily. Both a gallery and a museum will be open to the public, the former curated by historian and critic Ismal Duddera to showcase many of the most notable Palestinian artists from the past 20 years, and the latter providing a biography of the wall. In case you're wondering, no, this isn't a joke. As made clear on Banksy's website — which has been revamped to showcase the new venture — The Walled Off Hotel is a genuine establishment. The site is expected to run for a year to mark one hundred years since the British became involved in Palestine. Via The Guardian. Images: www.banksy.co.uk.
Winter may still have a couple of weeks left for 2023, but summer is well and truly on the Australian festival scene's minds already. In the space of mere days, Beyond The Valley, Field Day, Good Things and Meredith have each dropped lineups, while Heaps Good has announced expansion plans. Now, Wildlands has confirmed its return with 2023–24 dates and venues. It's been four years since Brisbane welcomed Wildlands to the city, with the teams behind Victoria's Beyond The Valley and Perth's Origin Fields fests giving the Sunshine State a big new summer party. Fast-forward to 2023, and the event will return again to see out another hectic 12-month period and welcome in a new one. And, after expanding to Perth and Adelaide over the summer of 2022–23 as well, it's heading back to Western Australia and South Australia, too. This year's party will get started on the biggest night there is for celebrations: New Year's Eve. That's when Wildlands will kick off its latest run at Brisbane Showgrounds, before embracing 2024 on Saturday, January 6 at Claremont Showgrounds and Sunday, January 7 at Ellis Park. Wildlands boasts a focus on dance music, electronic beats and hip hop, but it hasn't announced its new lineup as yet. That said, it has been teasing his year's fests with a video set to RÜFÜS DU SOL — and RÜFÜS DU SOL are also playing Beyond The Valley and Field Day around the same time. Wildlands' last tour featured Diplo, Denzel Curry and Dom Dolla, plus Yeat, Aitch, Kaytranada, Tkay Maidza, Honey Dijon and BENE — and Yung Lean, Shygirl, Remi Wolf, Kanine and SG Lewis, too — which should give you an idea of the kind of bill that's in store. The fest does like going big — its first-ever event back in 2019 featured Tyler, The Creator, after all, as well as RÜFÜS DU SOL. In 2021, The Veronicas, Spacey Jane, Cosmo's Midnight and more did the honours. WILDLANDS 2023–24 DATES AND VENUES: Sunday, December 31, 2023 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Saturday, January 6, 2024 — Claremont Showgrounds, Perth Sunday, January 7, 2024 — Ellis Park, Adelaide Wildlands will hit Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide across December 2023–January 2024. We'll update you with lineup details when they're announced — and you can register for ticket pre sales via the festival website in the interim. Images: Jordan Munn / Mitch Lowe.
Few actors have splashed into Hollywood like Maria Bakalova. Few actors have had Sacha Baron Cohen completely change their lives, too. Jump back to 2020 and the Bulgarian talent was 24, working since she was 12, but a fresh face internationally. Then, mere months into 2021, she was the Oscar-nominated breakout star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan — for playing Borat's teenage daughter Tutar Sagdiyev with fierce comic commitment that upstaged everyone around her, even Baron Cohen. How do you follow up that kind of whirlwind? For Bakalova, the challenge is seeking out interesting approaches, "because at the end of the day, all of the scripts, all of the stories have been written back in the day," she tells Concrete Playground from a hotel room in New York. "It's only the way that this production company, this director of photography, this filmmaker are going to share the story that's the difference between stories that have been the same over and over and over," Bakalova notes. Cue Bodies Bodies Bodies. Bakalova is spot on; there's much that's familiar about the latest horror gem from audience-darling studio A24. It brings together a group of wealthy twentysomethings in an empty mansion, where a party naturally ensues. It strands them with an encroaching hurricane, but that's the whole reason they're drinking tequila by the pool anyway. As the Halina Reijn (Instinct)-directed film's name makes plain, there are soon bodies, bodies, bodies, starting when the gang play the Mafia- and Werewolf-style game that also shares the movie's moniker. Avoiding becoming the next victim, pointing fingers among themselves while looking for the culprit, working through their Gen Z baggage: if you've seen a slasher flick, a whodunnit or Euphoria, you've seen plenty of Bodies Bodies Bodies' components before. Bodies Bodies Bodies isn't the film that audiences expect from there, though. It's savage, hilarious, playful, twisty, raucous and chaotic all at once — and it makes the utmost of a cast that enlists Bakalova as Bee, the quiet, working-class girlfriend to Amandla Stenberg's (Dear Evan Hansen) Sophie, and the outsider in the group of rich kids played by Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad), Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby), Chase Sui Wonders (Generation) and Myha'la Herrold (Industry). It's another movie-stealing performance and, with Bodies Bodies Bodies opening in Australian cinemas on September 15, Bakalova chatted us through fangirling over A24, seeking out a character far removed from Tutar and, yes, playing Bodies Bodies Bodies with her costars. ON DECIDING WHAT TO DO AFTER BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM "To be honest, I believe that most of the actors I like and most of the people that I look up to — I have been acting for a while, because I started when I was 12, it's been 14 years so far — most of the people that I admire in their work have always wanted to have longevity. That's pretty relevant to me as well. So that's why I always try to find something that is different than what I did before, something that is completely the opposite of my last character. Reading the script of Bodies Bodies Bodies and seeing that there is a character like Bee — somebody that is exactly the opposite of Tutar in Borat, the role that took me to America and made people somehow relate to me and root for the character — was challenging and interesting to approach and try to work on. Because she has nothing in common with Tutar, and she has nothing in common with myself. And I wanted to work with A24 as well — a lot. I love most of their movies, if not all of them. I believe they're all of them, but to not sound like a creeper, I will say most of them. Plus, I loved Halina's work. She's also a theatrically trained actress, as I am, and I was interested to work with her. I always like to work with women in charge, because every time you see a movie that has been led by a woman, there is this specific sensitivity that somehow triggers you in a different way. So with this script, with Halina in charge, with all of these female characters involved, I was excited to explore what's happening." ON GETTING DRAWN INTO BODIES BODIES BODIES' TWISTS "I was very happy to read a script where people are speaking the way that we're speaking. Bee is not the most outspoken person in the script, but the dialogue itself is just beautifully written, so all my respect towards Sarah DeLappe [Bodies Bodies Bodies' screenwriter]. You see these people, you hear them, you feel them. You see a real person in front of you. So I was excited while I was reading it, and I was questioning myself: 'Who is it? Who is it? You have to know! You have to feel it! You have to sense it!'. And at the end of the script when I get to the point that, 'oh my god, it's this!'. It's quite relevant to the decade that we live in, because we're all a little bit manipulated by some of the tools that we have access to. And we often forget to communicate, and just sit down and discuss what's happening — 'who are you, why are we friends, why are we a couple, what are we doing now?'. You just jump and judge and start blaming each other because the trust doesn't exist and you're not honest with each other. I was very thrilled by the script and the twist at the end, because that's what's the most exciting part of every single script that you're reading — you cannot wait to get to the end and see how this mystery will be solved." ON PLAYING THE OUTSIDER OF THE GROUP — AND FINDING AUTHENTICITY "I respect Bee's decisions — some of her decisions… She's way smarter than people think she is, and way stronger than their perception of her. The only similarity between me and Bee is that we're both from different countries, but that can be universal as well, because every one of us has felt sometimes where you're in a place and around people that you do not really know, do not really relate to, and you try to belong. So as much as she's similar to people like me, like Halina, as newcomers to this new big beautiful country dreamland, it's also a universal feeling of the desire to belong somewhere with someone. The process of Bodies Bodies Bodies has been really interesting because we got to work, to experiment, to think, and then shoot for a very quick period of time — and work with one location and a lot of settings, a lot of physical blocking. That's difficult for a theatrical play, which of course came from Halina and her desire to make this as authentically as possible — and with as long takes as possible. And Jasper Wolf, our director of photography, has just been a dream because he was following every single movement and every single decision we make in the moment. He captured things that haven't been written, haven't been rehearsed, they just happen in this moment, because Halina never said — not never, but a lot of times — she didn't say cut or stop, and we just kept going." ON PLAYING BODIES BODIES BODIES WITH THE CAST OF BODIES BODIES BODIES "We were shooting in this humongous, tremendous villa in the middle of Chappaqua [in upstate New York] in the woods, and we were staying at this very scary hotel around Chappaqua. Every single night, we wanted to spend time together rehearsing — and just hold hands and tell each other that we're worth it, we're loved and we're good, we're not bad people, because we were traumatised by the movie we were shooting somehow, and by the horrible people that we had to play. One of the nights we wanted to play Bodies Bodies Bodies, or as we call it, Mafia or Werewolf. And if was very interesting. I think it made us more into the game. And it was one of the first nights we were together, so it was interesting to explore what happens there." ON HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED SINCE BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM "It became more bicoastal, universal. I've been working like crazy ever since I was a child, and trying to do as many things as possible — if they're good quality — but I just want to keep working, it makes me happy. It makes me happy to have the chance to portray all of these different people and try to think like them. And maybe somehow, it makes me understand people more, because I have to read the lines of this character, create their backstory and believe them. When you get the chance to explore different characters and their reasons, you are not so judgemental when you meet people in real life. That's why I'm passionate about acting and working. But the biggest change is that I hope people will pay more attention to people from my region of the world, people like me, people who haven't been in the spotlight yet and haven't been given a chance." Bodies Bodies Bodies screens in Australian cinemas from September 15. Read our full review. Images:Erik Chakeen / Gwen Capistran / The cast and crew of Bodies Bodies Bodies / A24.
You've gotta love the way the folks behind Woolloongabba's Canvas think. Not content with serving up some of the inner east's best bites and beverages, they're doubling their output by brightening up a second spot just across the road. Prepare to rock down to Electric Avenue (and have a catchy, cheesy '80s song stuck in your head as well). Thankfully, that's not an indication of what the bar and bistro will be like when it opens its doors at 23 Logan Road. Taking over the space formerly occupied by the Crosstown Public House, Canvas owners Daniel Rodriguez and Bodie Schofield, their former head bartender Nick Royds and carpenter Adam Pykett will launch what they're calling "a fun, intimate venue with a few secrets to discover" within the fortnight. Designed to be the kind of place you could kick-start your evening, drop by late or hang around all night, Electric Avenue boasts ex-Sourced Grocer chef Will Quartel in the kitchen, whipping up more than just your usual bar food. Whole grilled kimchi-glazed fish, blackened duck breast and black garlic crepes — yes, that's a dessert — are just some of the menu standouts. Lunch will also include the "fish and bush" combo of crispy fish and tempura saltbush, while snacks range from pork crackling with pecan salt and pepper and corn husk aioli to crispy cockscomb (that's the top 'waddle' on the chicken, in case you didn't know) with spicy remoulade. Patrons can expect to wash all of that down with their choice of more than 70 wines, or a range of cocktails that twist the classics. Yes, one is called And Then We'll Take It Higher in honour of the track you're still humming as you read this, and will feature dark rum, sherry, dark chocolate liqueur, house pimento bitters and espresso in an absinthe misted glass. As for those surprises, you'll have to head upstairs to find out the answers when the place opens — for the time being, the Electric Avenue crew are keeping that revelation close to their chest. Electric Avenue will open at 23 Logan Road, Woolloongabba within the next two weeks. Keep an eye on the Canvas Facebook page in the interim. Image: Canvas.
Take a Brisbane pub, spruce it up, get the beverages and bites flowing: it worked for Australian Venue Co at The Wickham, the Cleveland Sands, Salisbury Hotel, the Crown Hotel in Lutwyche, Bribie Island Hotel and Capalaba's Koala Tavern, and now that tried-and-tested plan has been put into action at the Royal Hotel, too. Earlier in 2023, AVC announced that it was revamping the Nundah pub, giving it a $1.1-million refurbishment. The results have just been unveiled, complete with a 200-person entertainment space upstairs that can host everything from bands to comedy, plus a refreshed bistro that's slinging brisket burgers and doughnut fries. Before its makeover, this watering hole was known as The Royal; however, that hasn't always been its name. A pub has sat at the Sandgate Road location in Nundah since 1888, pouring brews for Brisbane's northsiders. Back when it first swung open its doors 135 years ago, the site was also known as — you guessed it — Royal Hotel. Reclaiming its original moniker, adding that 200-person first-floor entertainment venue, refreshing the food range and outdoor terrace: that's all part of this do-over. The heritage-listed pub's facade remains the same, of course, as designed by the same architect as Crown Hotel all those years back. Now, Mel Porter Design has taken care to blend the pub's heritage features with modern details. The upstairs space has been dubbed Royal Quarters, and will cycle through different entertainment options on different nights. Head along on Thursdays to get giggling, Friday nights for piano bar sessions, Saturday evenings for live gigs and Sundays for bingo. Downstairs, the public bar is also doing trivia on Tuesdays. As for Royal Hotel's bistro and terrace, that revamp spans greenery aplenty, marble-look tables, checkerboard floors and wooden accents, giving the pub a 120-seater — and family-friendly — dining space. The new menu covers pub classics and seasonal dishes, with other highlights including Moreton Bay bug rolls, pressed lamb shoulder, pan-seared barramundi, Stone & Wood-battered fish and chips, and four types of pizzas. Pasta marinara, mini fish ceviche tacos and baked brie cheesecake also feature. And yes, both chicken schnitzel and chicken parmi are on offer, too, plus three steak options. The front bar and al fresco area have also received a new lease on life. Here, five big TV screens show sports t0 80 folks if you're just keen to catch whichever game you prefer over a pint. "Royal Hotel is a Nundah institution, and we are thrilled to open the doors again to our community. It is a historic pub and a space for the entire family to enjoy no matter the occasion, with weekly entertainment and an exciting new menu and interiors," said Venue Manager Naomi Franklin. Find the Royal Hotel at 1259 Sandgate Road, Nundah — open 10am–3.30am seven days a week.
Fancy moseying through wetlands, kayaking and canoeing in a lake, riding along rainforest mountain-bike trails, peering out from a tree house lookout and climbing a high ropes course — all on the edge of Brisbane's CBD? In the near future, a trip to Herston is going to involve all of the above. They're all features initially slated and now confirmed for the revamped Victoria Park, with a huge new public park set to replace the current Victoria Park Golf Course. First announced in mid-2019, the new vision for Victoria Park will completely transform the current space — and Brisbane City Council has just released its final plan for what that'll entail. If some of these inclusions sound familiar, that's because the council has been contemplating them over the past year or so. It first undertook a months-long community consultation process, with more than 5400 people tendering submissions and over 3500 folks showing up to an open day back in September 2019. Then, it announced an overview of the best suggestions in December last year, which it combined with advice from local and international design experts to come up with a new draft proposal that it also asked for feedback on. And now, after all of the above, it's detailing exactly what's in store. Worth noting first up: while BCC was originally calling the space a 45-hectare park, that has now gone up to 64 hectares. Just how that change has come about hasn't been outlined, but the park is specifically increasing the area dedicated to green space and reducing the room taken up by new buildings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9QzyOabzb4 Also on the agenda: a cultural hub, artwork and trails paying tribute to Australia's Indigenous heritage, plus plenty of shady foliage including revegetated forests and pockets of native bushland. There'll be dining areas and picnic spots, too, and community gardens — or perhaps even a small urban farm or urban orchard. Multipurpose spaces such as a green amphitheatre will be designed to host events year-round as well, including performances and exhibitions. In addition to the aforementioned Lake Barrambin — where you'll be kayaking and canoeing — the site will feature lagoons and wetlands, a 'nature and water play gully' for kids, restored waterholes for wildlife, and waterside boardwalks to mosey along. And the existing Centenary Pool will be part of the park, if you're keen for a dip. All of the above will comprise Brisbane's biggest new park in five decades, and one that'll change the face of the inner city. An opening date for the revamped park is yet to be set, though — but community engagement on the final plan is mooted for 2021, and the golf course is expected to shut down mid-year in the same year. And if you've noticed that mini-golf isn't listed among the huge number of features above, don't worry. While the existing full-size golf course is saying goodbye, Vic Park's current putt-putt and driving range facilities are earmarked to stay. The revamped Victoria Park doesn't currently have an opening date — but for more information about the project, visit the Brisbane City Council website.
After a sold-out season in Sydney and a current run in Melbourne, Muriel's Wedding the Musical is coming to Brisbane in 2019. A co-production between Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures, the musical adaptation of Muriel's Wedding is like a perfect high school reunion — maximum 80s nostalgia without having to tell any of your old friends you're in HR now. When Muriel Heslop realises that the small town of Porpoise Spit has nothing in store but grim futures, she decides to take off, with only her parents' chequebook, a couple of ABBA albums memorised note for note and a vague sense that the wider world has something that she is hungry for. PJ Hogan, who wrote and directed Muriel's cinematic adventure, has adapted and updated the script for the stage, while Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall have built the music around ABBA's towering back catalogue. There's a real buzz around Muriel. Sure, it's a chance to re-immerse yourself in the unadulterated joy of Muriel's hijinks, but it's also because Muriel hasn't stopped holding the mirror up to our desperate, fame-hungry society since she first hit the screen. As director Simon Phillips points out: "Muriel's governing delusion is becoming a celebrity and becoming famously married. The world has caught up with Muriel." Running at QPAC's Lyric Theatre from September 19, the Brisbane season comes after the show won a slew of awards at last year's Helpmann Awards, Australia's annual awards for live entertainment and performing arts. Muriel's Wedding the Musical picked up five gongs across the two nights of awards, including Best Original Score, Best Music Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and Best Choreography in a Musical. Muriel's Wedding the Musical will play a limited season at QPAC, South Brisbane from September 19, with tickets on sale now. Image: Christine Messinesi.
Masters of late night snack fuel Ben & Jerry's have been dishing out pop culture-riffing flavours like Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yoghurt, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream and, of course, Schweddy Balls for years. Then the masters of frozen confection go and create something called 'Free Cone Day', an annual event which defies haters. You can score an ice cream on the house, as part of the company's yearly, worldwide tradition thanking its fanbase for all the gluttonous support. On Tuesday, April 9, Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops around Australia are hosting the eighth annual Free Cone Day — scooping out free ice cream from 12pm until 8pm. Suss out your nearest Scoop Shop purveyor of frozen dairy heaven here, and rock up on April 9 to claim your cone. Check out Ben & Jerry's Facebook page for updates.
Acclaimed New Zealand artist, Shane Cotton, is recognised as one of the most provocative and influential painters of his time. As a Maori artist who has been active on the art scene for over twenty years, Cotton's work has played a pivotal role in the debate about place and bicentennial belonging. Often combining Maori iconography and culture with European ideas and symbols, Cotton's paintings had long been based on sepia-toned landscapes, earthy influences and intricate inscriptions. However, in the mid 2000s, Cotton headed in a new and unpredicted direction, employing a more sombre palette of black and blue and focusing on vast, nocturnal skyscapes. Through such direction, Cotton has crafted his latest haunting collection, The Hanging Sky. The Hanging Sky brings together the highlights of Cotton's work, including these provocative and complex skyscapes, a spectacular suite of 'target' prints and a line-up of painted baseball bats. Venture into the unknown and bare witness to art that steers through an ambiguous territory between the familiar and unknown.
Music lovers, here's news you've been waiting for for quite some time: pilgrimages to the Supernatural Amphitheatre for Golden Plains are back on. Keen? Oh-so-eager to make the trip after a few Golden Plains-free years? Then mark Saturday, March 11–Monday, March 13, 2023 in your diaries and go enter the just-opened ticket ballot right this second. "The space-time continuum wobbles our way once again. A panoramic long weekend in the greatest of outdoors. Afternoon all day, sun like honey on the trees, back in the Amphitheatre Supernaturale. Night falls, and giant spikes of excitement send everything everywhere," the Aunty team advised, announcing the news to its email list. The online ballot for Golden Plains XV will remain open until 10.15pm AEDT on Monday, October 17, which means that clicking ASAP is recommended. Catering to 12,000 punters each year across three days and two nights, the fest has long proven a favourite for its one-stage setup, which skips the need for frantic timetabling. And, like Meredith Music Festival, its sibling, Golden Plains is also known for the Aunty crew's star-studded bills. There's no signs of that lineup just yet, but watch this space — in past years, it has been announced in October. Back in 2021, Golden Plains revealed that it wouldn't return in 2022, shifting focus to 2023 instead; however, now those big comeback dates are locked in. Meredith is also returning, as announced in August, with Caribou, Yothu Yindi and Courtney Barnett leading the lineup from Friday, December 9–Sunday, December 11, 2022. Golden Plains will return to the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre from Saturday, March 11–Monday, March 13, 2023. Head to the festival's website for further details, or to enter the ballot before 10.15pm AEDT on Monday, October 17. Images: Steve Benn / Theresa Harrison
Whisky fiends, here's an event to give a dram about, especially if you like sampling and tasting spirits from distilleries around the globe. Across three sessions from Friday, June 20–Saturday, June 21, Whisky Live Brisbane returns to the River City to celebrate fermented grain mash. New, inventive, classic, rare: they're all on the whisky menu. Hosting three-hour sessions — from 6–9pm on the Friday, and from 12–3pm and 5–8pm on the Saturday — this whisky fair groups its tipples by brand, and has experts onsite to chat you through each. You'll sip, you'll learn, and you'll also get a printed whisky guide to use as a roadmap. If upping your whisky knowledge has always been on your bucket list, Whisky Live includes classes about various aspects of whisky as well. You'll find out what's on offer on the day, and no bookings are required. Your $155 ticket to this whisky-sampling event covers tastings from distilleries around the world, bites to eat and access to the classes, with everything taking place at W Brisbane. And, if you'd like to try the rare and old sips, there'll be an entire bar dedicated to them, including releases from years and years back, and from now-closed distilleries. These tipples aren't included in your ticket, however, so you'll be paying for them as you go. [caption id="attachment_831071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] W Brisbane[/caption]
They grabbed our attention with their New Yorker waffle sandwich, a layered concoction made with everyone’s favourite breakfast dessert, maple-glazed bacon, gruyere cheese and an egg. Then, they kept our interest with their haloumi burger, because we all know that a tasty, salty slab of cheese deserves to be the main attraction, not a side dish. So, who might the purveyors of such yumminess be? Milton residents, meet Whisk & Ladle. Inside their modern surroundings, the inner-west's latest breakfast, brunch and lunch spot is the perfect place to start the day — and, they're pet friendly, so bring your furry best friend along with you. Plus, to answer the question you've all been pondering: the rest of their menu sounds delicious as well. All the cafe staples you know and love are on offer, of course. To eat, think avocado on toast, acai bowls or a big brekkie, and then salads and burgers once the clock hits 11.30am. Drinks-wise, Colombian Reserve and Byron Bay Blue coffee will take care of your caffeine fix. And, those after a cold beverage can slurp up a frappe, smoothie or milkshake straight from heavy-handled jar — aka a sweet burst of liquid bliss.
If, like Twin Peaks' Agent Dale Cooper, you believe there's few things better than a great slice of pie, then you've probably already acquainted yourself with Brisbane's Pie Hole. Sweet, savoury — it does them all, including everything from sweet cherry, banoffee and matcha custard pies through to Guinness-braised lamb, kimchi-braised chicken and red wine-braised brisket varieties. And, it'll soon be serving them up at a brand new location. Brisbanites who love cakes will be just as familiar with Lady Bouchon, and their baked goods will be on the menu as well. Head to Brass Tacks when it opens — sometime before 2021 is out — and you'll find Pie Hole's Isaac Hull and Lady Bouchon's Catherine Marot joining forces on their new culinary endeavour. The two chefs are teaming up on a bakery and deli that'll sit within Albion's new Craft'd Grounds precinct. Due to launch this summer — before Christmas, for all your festive sweet treat needs — it joins a venue that'll also be home to coffee roastery Seven Miles, brewery Brewtide, street food, a craft bottle shop, a wine and cocktail bar, and more. And, it'll be combining everything that Pie Hole and Lady Bouchon do best with cheese and charcuterie, salads and sandwiches, and croissants and other provisions. Yes, Lady Bouchon's lemonade and elderflower cake will be on the menu. "Our name 'Brass Tacks' was drawn from an American saying, meaning 'the essentials' — the very ethos of what we do," says Marot. "Brass Tacks is everything you need for experiencing some of the best regional epicurean produce and treats — whether you're indulging at Craft'd Grounds, enjoying every day at home, or celebrating special occasions with loved ones." The pair will be focusing on local goods, and making all of their own wares onsite. "We wanted to do things differently — curating a selection of local, regional and Australian-only products, alongside our in-house made baked goods," explains Hull. As well as sharing a love of pastries and baked sweets, Marot and Hull share a history dating back 14 years. The friends travelled through France, then both came home to score jobs at Jocelyn's Provisions. From there, work overseas beckoned, before again returning to Brisbane to set up their own businesses. Find Brass Tacks at Craft'd Grounds, Collingwood Street, Albion, at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime late in 2021. We'll update you when exact opening details are announced.
If you, like us, have a deep pang of disappointment every time you open a shoebox to find not a skerrick of fried chicken within, prepare to have your weird fetish satisfied at Sydney's newest venue, Butter. Butter, as the name does not at all suggest, is a fried chicken eatery and sneaker store rolled into one that’s about to open in Sydney's Surry Hills (where else would a peak-hipster fried chicken-meets-sneaker dispensary possibly open?). This vibe is inspired by New York City’s hip hop culture, a vibe which is articulated by the inclusion of fancy-ass champagne-based drinks menu, you know, to wash down your fried chicken. They've actually done pairings. And your meal will be served in a shoebox, to make up for all those other there’s-no-fried-chicken-in-here box opening disappointments. The name Butter is actually a reference to the secret hero ingredient of the menu: butter (what, no way!). Buttermilk in the fried chicken, dashi butter in the waffle sandwich and the soft serve with flavour choices like buttery croissant, burnt butter and chocolate peanut butter cup (Lord have mercy on our arteries). At Butter, butter is king and we intend to rip through the menu like a… wait for it… hot knife through butter (zinggg). The fried chicken keeps it simple for four spice levels: naked, OG, fire and hot AF and the menu is organised into packs and sides. And the team behind the operation boast some impressive resumes, including the 2015 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year winner Julian Cincotta (of Sydney's kickass restaurant Nomad and Rockpool) and bar manager Paul Flynn (who is responsible for the sparkling-heavy drinks menu list). And yes, if you're wondering, there is a butter based cocktail: a butter-washed vodka. What does that even mean? Who knows — but it's probably worth planning a trip to Sydney to find out. Butter will open at 6 Hunt Street, Surry Hills, Sydney on February 11.
In the next few years, Brisbane will score its own sprawling 45-hectare park in the middle of the city — something that, according to the Brisbane City Council, will become our own version of New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park. But there's a bit of work to be done before that's the case, including a public consultation period. As part of the latter, there's also a party. You can offer your thoughts on the revamp of Victoria Park any time you like by heading online before Sunday, September 29 — or, you can mosey along to the Victoria Park Party on Sunday, September 22 to find out more. The free shindig runs from 10am–3pm, and will include plenty of opportunities to chat to the team behind the project, and to share your own ideas. Also on the agenda: the chance to explore the entire site, plus live tunes, talks, food trucks and activities for kids.
If Alanis Morissette was to describe this piece of news, she might say that it's like rain on your wedding day. She could note that it resembles finding a black fly in your chardonnay. Or, she might explain that it resembles hitting a traffic jam when you're already late, too. We all know where those lines come from, because we're all acquainted with her famed track 'Ironic'; however, if you were hoping to hear that song as part of 15-time Tony Award-nominated musical Jagged Little Pill in Sydney in September, there's been an unwelcome but unsurprising development. The acclaimed production was due to make its first trip beyond Broadway and head to our shores, locking in a run at the Theatre Royal Sydney — and reopening the venue five years after it closed its doors in 2016, in fact. But, due to Sydney's current COVID-19 outbreak and corresponding lockdown, that's no longer happening. Accordingly, instead of raising its curtains on Thursday, September 23, Jagged Little Pill has postponed its premiere Aussie season. New dates haven't yet been announced, though. "The decision to delay the Australian premiere of Jagged Little Pill was not taken lightly. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have caused havoc in the live entertainment industry in Australia. Jagged Little Pill will directly engage over 100 performers, musicians and crew; consequently, we are tirelessly working to minimise the impact of the delay on the production to get those talented people back to work and audiences back to enjoying live theatre as soon as possible," said the show's producers in a statement. Jagged Little Pill the Musical Broadway opening night curtain call, Bruce Glikas When it does reschedule its Sydney dates, Jagged Little Pill the Musical will weave a story around songs from Morissette's 1995 album of the same name. So yes, it's a jukebox musical like Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You and Rock of Ages. Beloved tunes 'Ironic', 'You Oughta Know', 'Hand in My Pocket', 'Head Over Feet' and 'You Learn' all feature, in a production that boasts music by Morissette and her album co-writer and producer Glen Ballard, lyrics by Morissette, and a book by Juno Oscar-winner Diablo Cody. Songs such as 'Thank U', 'So Pure', 'That I Would Be Good', 'So Unsexy' and 'Hands Clean' all pop up as well, even though they hail from the musician's subsequent albums. And, narrative-wise, Jagged Little Pill the Musical tells the tale of the Healy family. They struggle their seemingly idyllic suburban lives after a troubling event in their community. Expect to hear Morissette's tunes — including two new songs written just for the show — used in a tale about social issues relevant to today, but with an overall message of hope, healing and togetherness. Jagged Little Pill the Musical's Australian premiere season will no longer play the Theatre Royal Sydney at 108 King Street, Sydney, from Thursday, September 23 — we'll update you when new dates are announced. For further details, head to the musical's website. Top image: Jagged Little Pill the Musical original Broadway cast, Matthew Murphy.
Right now, we're navigating the weird — and often glitchy — world of digital drinks. Instead of clocking off, going down to our local and ordering a pint with some colleagues, we're on Zoom calls and dancing at online nightclubs. But what to drink? By now, we're sure your kitchen either looks like a full-blown saloon or you've at least got some supplies stashed away. So, instead of reaching for the wine, why not take things up a notch with a cocktail? And not just any cocktail, but one worthy of a celebrity. Thankfully, the world has recently been blessed with a fair bit of celeb cocktail content of late — from cosmopolitan queen Ina Garten to suave Stanley Tucci and the ever-classy Meryl Streep. And, unlike Paris Hilton and her lasagne, you can trust these three celebs in the kitchen. So, if you're wondering what concoction to make this afternoon, look no further. INA GARTEN'S GIANT COSMOPOLITAN (SUITABLE AT ALMOST ANY HOUR) Serves one Ina Garten or a household Keeping cocktail hour alive — even though "nobody's stopping by" — is Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). And while her catchcry "it's always cocktail hour in a crisis" may not be advisable, it's pretty relatable. Plus, this is coming from a culinary icon. Her drink of choice during iso is the sophisticated cosmo, naturally. If you want to take a page out of the cocktail queen's cookbook, you'll need top-shelf vodka, Cointreau (or any orange liqueur), cranberry juice, limes and ice, plus a jug, novelty-sized cocktail shaker (with strainer) and an extra-large martini glass. Ingredients 2 cups vodka 1 cup Cointreau 1 cup cranberry juice 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime Ice Method Pour vodka, cointreau, cranberry juice and lime into jug. Stir. Half fill shaker with ice and add in the cocktail mix. Depending on the size of your shaker, you may have to do this in batches. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into martini glass(es). In the wise words of Garten: "During a crisis, you know, cocktail hour can be almost any hour." So, bottoms up. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-cJUwUpxbM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link STANLEY TUCCI'S UNLAWFUL — BUT INTRIGUING — NEGRONI UP Serves one If you can look past the incredibly sculpted biceps, you'll see The Devil Wears Prada actor shaking a negroni. Yes, shaking. While most like their negronis as they should be — on the rocks, with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari — Tucci's twist is intriguing. But again, it could be the arms. For what Tucci calls a Negroni Up, you'll need gin, sweet vermouth (good sweet vermouth, not that Martini brand he has such disdain for), Campari, an orange, and ice, plus a cocktail shaker (with strainer) and a glass, preferably a coupe. Now, throw whatever negroni-making knowledge you have aside. Ingredients 2 shots gin 1 shot sweet vermouth 1 shot Campari 1 orange slice Ice Method Half fill shaker with ice and add gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Shake it up, as Tucci does so well. Pour into a coupe, martini glass, or whatever you want. Garnish with an orange slice. Really, a negroni is a simple drink, relying on balance and good liquor. Although Tucci's breaks all the rules, his confidence has us convinced. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_NkcbTgVfy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link MERYL STREEP'S MARTINI (WITH A SIDE OF SHOW TUNES AND SCOTCH) Serves one Even Meryl Streep is getting around the quarantini — shaken, not stirred. But she doesn't just make a stiff drink and tell you how to do it, no. The award-winning actor takes her cocktail making to the next level — of course she does — leaving a little guesswork to the recipe. So, you can get creative with this one. As part of Stephen Sondheim's birthday celebrations, which saw celebrities the world over celebrate with a virtual concert, Streep shakes up a martini while singing Sondheim's show tune 'The Ladies Who Lunch'. She's joined by a red wine-drinking Christine Baranski and a bourbon-swigging Audra McDonald and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favour and watch it here, immediately. For Meryl's martini, you'll need gin, vermouth, lemon, ice, plus a cocktail shaker (with strainer) and martini glass. And a chic robe to wear while shaking and singing. Ingredients 50 millilitres gin 10 millilitres dry vermouth lemon twist Ice Method Half fill shaker with ice and add gin and dry vermouth. Shake for about 30 seconds — or the duration of singing: 'Here's to the girls that stay smart / Aren't they a gas?/ Rushing to their classes / In optical art / Wishing it would pass'. Pour into a martini glass theatrically and garnish with lemon twist while belting out 'I'll drink to that'. Once you've sung a bit more and polished off that martini, take a large sip of scotch straight from the bottle — be sure to do it with equal parts class and sass. Then, pour yourself another martini. https://twitter.com/michcoll/status/1254609437492461569
In Brisbane, back in 2017, a simple idea was born: gathering a heap of beer and music-loving folks in a pub, teaching them the lyrics to a well-known song over the course of one night, and then communally crooning the tune in question the same evening. It's karaoke, but in a group. It's your school choir, but boozy. And it's little wonder that Pub Choir soon became not just a local but a national and international success. Of course, as Australia responds to COVID-19, mass groups of folks can't all spend time together in one room — even if they are drinking and singing a tune. So, Pub Choir has evolved into Couch Choir. It's the same basic concept, except everyone is giving their vocal cords a workout from their own homes. Running across Tuesday, March 19–Thursday, March 21, here's how it works. Firstly, at 7pm AEST on Tuesday, three videos will be released on the event's Facebook page. They'll show Pub Choir's organisers singing three different harmonies, and then hand things over to you at home. Next, you'll have two days to watch, listen and learn everything you need to know about your chosen part — or all three if you want — and record yourself singing it. Submit your video by 7pm on Thursday, and they'll all be mixed into one big compilation that'll be released for everyone to enjoy. Beer is usually a big part of Pub Choir so if you need a dash of liquid courage at home, prepare accordingly.
One of Sydney's favourite Italian food emporiums is hitting the road, literally. After spreading around the New South Wales capital since 2012, Salt Meats Cheese brought their cheesy delights, delicious pizzas and more to Queensland back in 2015, and they're currently cooking up a new Brisbane eatery. In the interim, however, they're going mobile with their first food truck. Meet Fuel, a pizzeria-on-wheels that started driving through the streets of Brissie on May 5. Serving up the expected array of artisan cured meats, cheeses and other items featuring the two, the custom-made vehicle was designed by Salt Meats Cheese co-owner Stefano De Blasi, and has been brought to life by Brisbane food truck experts Van Demons. Planning to do the rounds of markets and mobile foodie gatherings, Fuel features quite the taste of Salt Meats Cheese's favourites mixed with a few fresh creations: a Truffle Mortadella pizza; mixed plates of cheese, charcuterie or both; and mouthwatering Nutella pizzas and Oreo calzones for dessert, for example. The truck will also be serving up wood-fired breakfast offerings, including bacon and egg rolls, Turkish pide with egg, spinach and parmesan, and smoked salmon on focaccia. It's great news for Brisbanites keen on grabbing a bite before their new Gasworks digs opens later this year, though Sydneysiders will have to let their stomachs grumble with envy. Or, they can head to one of Salt Meats Cheese's five locations and get their fix from a store, rather than a vehicle. Fuel will be stopping by the Milton Markets on May 7 from 6am to 3pm, as well as Gasworks Newstead from 5pm until late. To keep an eye on the truck's future whereabouts, head to the Salt Meats Cheese Facebook page.
