Feeling worked up about the bushfires currently raging across the country? Perhaps chucking an axe at a target will help. Actually, if you book a session at 11am on Sunday, January 26, we know it will. Hurling hatchets is Lumber Punks' usual gambit, with the venue letting Brisbanites throw bladed weapons — at a target, in controlled circumstances — since it opened back in 2018. On Australia Day, however, it's donating 100-percent of all fees for its 11am session to the Rural Fire Services in New South Wales and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia. That's what Throw for the Firies is all about. For $45, you'll spend 90 minutes flinging axes and assisting a worthy cause. Just remember that you'll need to wear enclosed shoes that cover your toes, because safety is paramount. Lumber Punks is booze-free, but there'll non-alcoholic beverages and snacks available.
Getting up before daylight mightn't be your usual idea of an ace Sunday morning; however some things really are worth shortening your snooze for. Seeing what just might be the best view of the sunrise in the city, for one. Climbing a mountain for the calm and tranquility that can only come from bending and stretching is another. Oh, and then there's the whole taking part in a silent yoga class on Mt Coot-tha, for another. All three combine at Sound Off at the Summit, Urban Bliss Yoga's latest adventurous exercise outing. They've done it before and now they're back to do it again — and this will be the last time before new owners take over the venue. Yes, mountaintop yoga will literally take you to another level. Expect to show off your best mountain pose while you're standing on one, do downward dog as you stare down from a massive land mass, and whip out your liveliest sun salutation as that ball of heat above us ascends over the city. Taking place on Sunday, January 19, eager yogis will climb up to the Brisbane Lookout for this early session, with all of the fun kicking off at 5.15am. And, thanks to the illuminated headphones everyone will be wearing, there'll be quite the glow coming from the class as well. Everyone from yoga first-timers to asana experts are welcome — as long as you BYO yoga mat — but tickets are expected to get snapped up quickly. Images: Urban Bliss.
Browsing for arts and crafts, stopping for a bite to eat, checking out live performances — sounds like quite the itinerary, doesn't it? Forget running around town to fit everything in, however, with this list of activities all on offer at this year's BrisAsia Bazaar. A one-night market within the broader BrisAsia Festival program, the event includes handicraft stalls, roving performances and plenty of food — plus workshops, forums and discussions; other demonstrations; and festive lights, too. That's what Brisbanites will find at Aspley Central from 4–9pm on Saturday, February 15. While the stall lineup is yet to be revealed, this fest doesn't do anything in a small way, so consider your evening plans sorted. Entry is free, although you'll want to bring your wallet so that you can fill your shopping bags (and your stomach).
What do you do when wild weather hits, Brisbanites? Watch the radar to see just when and where it'll strike? Stay glued to your couch? Come up with a new festival of contemporary dance? The latter was Kate Usher and Glyn Roberts's answer in 2017, and after a successful first three outings, their venture is returning for a fourth time in 202p. Yes, things are getting stormy on the stage instead of in the sky again (although, given the time of year and the weather of late, the latter is still likely to happen as well). From Friday, February 21–Saturday, February 29, Supercell: Festival of Contemporary Dance Brisbane is taking over a number of Brisbane locations — such as the Queens Street Mall, Anzac Square, Bunyapa Park, New Farm Bowls Club and Rumpus Room Shed — for a repeat bout of frenetic footsteps. Celebrating Queensland's place in the dance world, the festival brings together local and international artists, performances, workshops and conversations. Highlights include Mine!, a piece that uses dance, Lego and Tonka trucks to respond to Australia's reliance upon coal; City Horses, a participatory piece that encourages audiences to join in and, well, dance through the city like horses; and The People's Dance Party, which is exactly what it sounds like. [caption id="attachment_762387" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Mine! - Australian Dance Party[/caption] And, in a new initiative for 2020, Supercell is completely free to attend.
In case you missed the news, southeast Queensland is now home to its first TGI Fridays, with the American eatery setting up shop in Robina late last year. The chain's mozzarella sticks and potato twisters have probably just rocketed to the top of your must-eat list, which is understandable — but until Friday, March 29, it's the $5 margaritas that'll likely tempt you to make a trip to the Gold Coast. No matter what time of day you drop by, you'll only have to hand over a prawn — and you'll nab a cocktail in your choice of four flavours in return. Classic margs are available, of course; however your tastebuds can also sip down mango, blood orange, and strawberry and coconut varieties. You will need to sign up to TGI Friday's rewards program to score the super-cheap price, which you can do by downloading the app. Otherwise, those vivid-hued margaritas will set you back $10.
Last year, VEND Marketplace added a new space dedicated to plants. Its mission: to help you fill your home with all types of greenery. And to help you do just that, it's hosting another of its regular — and huge — sales. Welcome to the Greenhouse, as the area is aptly known. The place where gardeners' dreams come true, it's upping the ante from 8am on Saturday, February 29. That's when the 250-square-metre indoor garden will be slinging its green babies at a special one-day event — and yes, there'll be succulents, cacti, indoor plants, hanging plants, outdoor plants, pots and more. Plenty of plants will be on sale for less than $12, and there'll also be juice, smoothies, tea, coffee, beer and wine to drink. Plus, if you can find a hidden jungle animal, you'll nab yourself a free piece of greenery. VEND is also doggo-friendly, should you want to bring your four-legged pal with you. Image: VEND Marketplace.
There are few food pairings so delightfully well matched as citrus and seafood. Throw in endless summer sunshine and the ambience of a Mediterranean garden and you've got the makings of a heavenly afternoon. If these vibes sound like just what you're looking for, there's no need to start rummaging through your bag for loose change and saving for a flight to Europe. Instead, pop down to Paddington's Darling & Co, which has gone all out on the dream Euro-chic summer aesthetic, complete with citrus trees, vibrant floral arrangements and a new citrus and seafood lunch special. For just $40, you'll get Moreton Bay bug rolls for two, a huge serving of bottomless fries and a cheeky citrus-infused spritz for each of you. Wanting to level-up your day out? You can keep your glasses topped up for two hours at an additional cost of $20 per person. This deal is available seven days a week for a limited time, so book here to make sure you don't miss out.
In 1997, Christmas changed. With a single episode of Seinfeld, the world became privy to a new form of holiday celebration that eschewed other traditions and denominations. Instead of a tree, an unadorned pole gets pride of place. Rather than share happy stories, everyone gathered airs their grievances. And, instead of settling down on the couch after a hearty meal, attendees compete in feats of strength. Okay, so maybe you still enjoy tinsel, turkey and street cricket with your family on December 25; however Fritzenberger is making sure you can have some Festivus fun as well. It's hosting two trivia nights that are all about Seinfeld's take on the season, with Man vs Bear on hand to ask the questions. The evening quiz takes place at the Petrie Terrace burger joint on Wednesday, December 11, and over at the Wilston abode on Thursday, December 12. Yes, that's a few days before the official Festivus date of December 23 — but hey, if you're not happy about that, add it to your grievance list. We don't know if there really will be a grievances box, but you'll certainly be able to air your unhappiness. Entry is free, and registering in advance is recommended — as is wearing your favourite puffy shirt. Need a Festivus refresher? Let the show itself help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKdnqjnegEs
No strangers to a party, the Treasury Casino is getting into the swing of summer with not just one shindig, or two, but several. On the first three Friday nights in December, the inner-city venue is heading to the adjacent Queen's Park, settling in on the paved area and letting the drinks flow. Taking place from 4.30–7.30pm on Friday, December 6, 13 and 20 — Summertime Drinks is really all about kicking back when the working week is done, enjoying the sunny weather and letting the season wash over you. If you're heading out for a big night to celebrate the weekend or the festive season, it's a way to warm up for the evening. If you're just looking for a few tipples on the way home, consider it your stopover before the bus or train comes calling. Entry is free, and includes live entertainment. And while the beverages aren't free (sorry), you'll be able to knock back Byron Bay Brewing beers and a selection of cocktails. Images: Treasury Brisbane.
They're just humble cucumbers left to ferment in vinegar, but pickles certainly get plenty of attention. We love them on sandwiches, and to munch on individually. We love drinking whiskey, then chasing it down with a shot of pickle brine. Sometimes, folks even make beer that showcases the zesty pickle flavour. If you're fond of all of the above, then get your pickle-loving self to Pickle Fest. Hosted by The Woods Bar — in collaboration with Picklehead Pickles and Soapbox Beer — the event celebrates its eponymous ingredient in a whole range of guises. In other words, it's an excuse to eat pickles, drink pickle brine and sip pickle-flavoured brews. And, to eat reuben sandwiches, aka the go-to food when anyone thinks of pickles (and a great way to line your stomach, too). Also on the menu: deep-fried pickled jalapeños, pickle pate and pickled onions, as well as a custom bloody mary selection — including a smokey whiskey version, and another made with tequila, lime and chilli. The one-day festival takes place on Sunday, December 1, with the Mitchelton watering hole getting into the pickled spirit from from 11am. Image: The Woods Bar.
UPDATE, January 5, 2021: Martha: A Picture Story is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Is Martha Cooper the Bill Cunningham of the street art world? That's a big call, we know, but as Martha: A Picture Story shows, it's accurate. What he did for New York street style — immortalising it with obsessive devotion and sharing it with the world — she did for graffiti. And she's still doing so, there and around the world. That dedication has made an impact. Street art was considered a scourge when the Maryland-born Cooper moved to the Big Apple to chase her shutterbug dreams, but, as she traversed the five boroughs taking pics for the New York Post in the 70s, she was drawn to NY's colourful, creative murals. And so she filled reels of film with images, got to know the scene's major players and chased tag-covered trains all over town. As Martha: A Picture Story also documents, her efforts helped shape the medium. Before Banksy became a graffiti phenomenon, Cooper's was the name on every artist's lips. Thanks to her 1984 book Subway Art, co-authored with fellow photographer Henry Chalfant, Cooper gave street art a how-to guide. It initially sold poorly, but made its way through the scene via black-and-white photocopies that were passed around and coloured-in by hand by aspiring taggers. Now, 35 years later, she's considered a rock star due to the seminal text. Brazil's Os Gemeos (twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo) are famous in their own right, but they buzz with excitement when they mention Subway Art. As seen in this Selina Miles-helmed documentary, Cooper's recent book signings — where fans flock for her signature — paint a similar picture. Making her full-length debut, Australian director Miles has found the holy grail of factual filmmaking: a subject with a lengthy and captivating history, in a field with broad appeal, who hasn't been given their due by the wider world. As an overview of Martha: A Picture Story, that's too cynical, though; nothing about this film, its exploration of Cooper's career and influence, and its loving showcase of her photos is anything but authentic. Cooper herself invites genuine fascination and wonder. Her no-nonsense attitude and her evident enthusiasm are contagious, and Miles willingly catches that disease. This is a crowd-pleasing doco, winning the audience award at this year's Sydney Film Festival — but it inspires wide smiles and warm feelings solely because Cooper's pics are so exceptional, her passion so palpable and her impact so immense. Indeed, if a documentary about the now-septuagenarian didn't cause this reaction, it wouldn't be doing its job. Cooper's entrance into the film couldn't underscore the above point better. It's 2018, she's in Germany, and she's eager to snap photos of the 1UP crew in action. Carrying her gear on her back, she follows them into the night as they tag their way around an unnamed city — including in subway stations and by sneaking into train yards. Shot on the ground in a suitably shaky style, these sections of Martha: A Picture Story feel vivid and alive. Clearly, that's how doing her job makes Cooper feel, too. As the film begins to step through the photojournalist's past in a more traditional then-to-now format, these opening scenes mirror events that come later in the doco but occurred earlier, when Cooper did the same in NY with its street art bigwigs of four decades ago. Threading together its absorbing chronicle, Martha: A Picture Story keeps finding riveting details to fill its frames, such as Cooper's early quest to work for National Geographic, her globe-trotting efforts to try to make that a reality and her book on Japanese tattooing. The photographer's tale is also intertwined with both gender and class politics, which gives it added significance — she was the first female intern at Nat Geo, she notes, and she's well aware that she has spent years giving visibility to art, neighbourhoods and people that many would rather overlook. It's an informative and engaging delight to hear Cooper reflect on her experiences, and to listen to her friends, relatives, colleagues and admirers relay their parts of the story. But, in a doco like this, the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words was always going to ring true. Martha: A Picture Story features home-video footage and personal photographs collected over the years, taking viewers through the various stages of Cooper's existence. When it lets the photographer's own snaps take centre stage, however, it makes the case for her greatness one image at a time. Whether she's documenting graffiti on both a broad and intimate scale, focusing on NY children and their makeshift toys, or turning her lens towards the reality of the Baltimore streets, where she grew up, she trades in candid portraits of life, art and personal expression. And, as only the very best pics do, they beam their glory and importance for everyone to witness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMUHQEYsBQ
Round up the Avengers, call all your SHIELD buddies and pick up your mighty mjolnir. It's time to hulk out at Brisbane's latest Marvel Trivia night — and The Flying Cock's last trivia night, actually. So rove your hawk-like eye over plenty of questions about the huge film franchise, snap out answers faster than Thanos can snap his fingers and prepare to say farewell to the venue. If you've caught all 23 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to-date, watched every TV show, basically dedicated the past 11 years to this superhero-filled realm and already signed up for Disney's streaming service, then it's an evening that you've been training for. And if you're down with flerkens, wish you'd visited Wakanda, and know the difference between Peter Parker and Peter Porker, then you'll be in your happy place. Taking place from 6.30pm on Thursday, December 12, the MCU trivia onslaught comes hot on the heels of Phase Three's final flick, Spider-Man: Far From Home — and will help keep you occupied before Phase Four starts with Black Widow next year. The Flying Cock's Marvel Trivia: Endgame is free to play; however registrations are required. And yes, there'll be prizes — for first, second and third place, and last place too. Also, you can nab a special prize for best dressed if you don a costume, so you'd better break out your finest cape and spandex outfit.
Pups and pints: it's a winning combination. And, it never goes out of style. Brisbanites keep going barking mad for downing beers with their doggos, so The Brightside's Barks & Brews sessions just keep coming back. Folks of the two- and four-legged variety, make another date with your pooch and a few pints. With its appropriate name, the canine-centric afternoon doesn't really need to offer up anything more than just that — but, it wouldn't be a Brighty shindig without some extra fun. Those heading to Warner Street from 12pm on Sunday, November 24 can also expect free doggie portraits for maximum cuteness, dog markets, an off-leash area, cocktail specials and live music. So grab your fluffy companion, flock to the beer garden and prepare to sink a few cold ones while enjoying Brissie's finest late spring weather. And, expect to spend time in the company of plenty of other dog lovers and their pooches too. BYO frisbee.
If you've been making plans to revamp your style, but haven't been able to rustle up the coin, here's your chance. For five days, Hugo Boss will be hosting a mega sale at its outlet stores. You'll be able to score a further 50 percent off a massive range of premium clothing — from comfy t-shirts and soft sweaters to suave suits and women's dresses. Whether you're after a suit for a special occasion or looking to level-up your wardrobe, Hugo Boss's end-of-year outlet sale will have you sorted for a fraction of the fashion label's usual prices. You'll have to get in quick to score though, with the sale only running from Wednesday, December 11 to Sunday, December 15. The only catch? You'll have to take a trip to the Gold Coast to bag yourself a bargain. Just head to the BOSS Outlet at Harbour Town Premium Outlets to get these quality threads for such a steal. Opening hours are Wednesday, 9am–5.30pm; Thursday, 9am–7pm; Friday–Saturday, 9am–5.30pm; and Sunday, 10am–5pm. Hugo Boss end-of-year outlet sale will run from Wednesday, December 11 to Sunday, December 15. To find your closest outlet, visit the website.
Do you like a certain scary movie that helped revitalise the genre in the mid-90s? Are you keen to revisit it on the big screen? If you also like reptiles that've crawled through radioactive ooze and the film that turned Quentin Tarantino into a superstar director, then prepare to settle in for quite the movie-watching evening. Three films. One night. A huge blast from the past. That's Metro Arts' lineup on Friday, November 22, with Kristian Fletcher presenting a trio of 90s gems in one marathon session. Start with the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, complete with an early-career appearance by Sam Rockwell. Next, try to avoid ghostface thanks to a screening of the original Scream. And, to wrap it all up, revisit Pulp Fiction — after taking part in the pre-movie twist contest first. Tickets cost $12 for one film, $16 for two and $20 for all three. It all kicks off at 5.30pm, because turtle power is a great post-work vibe, before jumping into slasher territory at 7.15pm, then pondering royales with cheese from 9.15pm.
Made Neapolitan style in an oven imported from the Italian region, pizza plays a hefty part on Mister Paganini's menu every day of the week. Come Wednesdays, however, pizza is the main attraction — as you'd expect at the South Bank eatery's all-you-can-eat pizza evening. For $20, you can indeed feast on all the slices that your stomach can handle. You can't choose your flavours — instead, you'll munch through a chef's selection — but you can eat as much as you'd like. And, who doesn't love a surprise when it comes to each serving? With Mister Paganini's range feature everything from four-cheese creations, to anchovy-filled marinara pizzas, to a rustic potato-topped slice, your tastebuds can embrace the variety. $20 All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Wednesdays runs weekly from 5pm. Even better — there's no time limit, so settling in and going at your own pace is completely acceptable. Image: Mister Paganini.
Between Saturday, January 18 and Monday, January 27, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them and have them lost forever. Lifeline Bookfest is back for another round of vintage bargains and startling ranges of everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica. If you're been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from cents to the big bucks — bring a trolley and your glasses, and absorb yourself in books. Bookfest runs from 7.30am–6pm on its opening day, then from 8.30am–6pm afterwards. Image: Bookfest.
Printed on a piece of card and stuffed in many a letterbox, "sorry we missed you" ranks among the most frustrating phrases in the English language. If you're expecting a delivery, it means that you'll need to contact the courier company, book in another day and spend more time waiting, which is never convenient. But for those who dedicate their hours to transporting parcels around town, those four words can also indicate something far worse. To some employers, it can mean that they haven't done their job — and that has far-reaching consequences. Continuing his career-long examination of Britain's working class, Ken Loach's latest social-realist drama steps into this world, and into the punishing expectations that have become normalised in today's gig economy. Everyone has been annoyed about a delayed delivery, but the reality for overstretched couriers saddled with too many parcels, too little time, nowhere near enough pay and restrictive working conditions is much more bleak than simply having to wait an extra day for your latest online purchase. Sorry We Missed You focuses on Ricky Turner (Kris Hitchen), who's new to the courier business; however it could've just as easily followed his path through plenty of other industries. Loach and his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty have chosen wisely, though, picking a field that everyone has had an experience with (even if only on the consumer side). Still, the same principles apply to many service-oriented professions these days — insecure work, no guaranteed hours, round-the-clock demands and an all-round arrangement that puts employers at an enormous advantage to the contractor's detriment. Ricky's wife Abbie (Debbie Honeywood), a nurse and in-home carer, also navigates a similar system. That we live in a world where meeting set targets and sticking to arbitrary timeframes is more important than giving proper medical care sounds like something out of a grim dystopian future, but Sorry We Missed You isn't exaggerating. After losing not only his construction job in the 2008 financial crash, but his chance to buy a house, Ricky gets into courier work as a last resort. Debts are piling up, he wants security for his family's future and there are no other options. On paper, it seems ideal and even easy. Convincing Abbie to sell her car, he uses to money to purchase a van and starts contracting for a big company. Then, under hard-nosed manager Maloney (Ross Brewster), he discovers how the gig operates. He's soon working seven days a week, getting sanctioned when he can't meet KPIs and resorting to peeing in bottles because he doesn't have time for a toilet break. He's also vulnerable to robberies and financially responsible for the cargo he's delivering. And taking any time off — when he's injured, when the equally overworked and exhausted Abbie needs help, and when their adolescent son Seb (Rhys Stone) gets in trouble with the law — comes with severe monetary penalties. Some days, he even takes his pre-teen daughter Liza Jane (Katie Proctor) with him just so he can see her, although that's also frowned upon. Across his more than 50 years behind the lens, Loach has always been drawn to these types of scenarios. His films are fictional, but they're steeped in actuality. That proved true in 1969's Kes, which relayed the story of a downtrodden Yorkshire boy's life-changing friendship with a kestrel, and just might be the finest British movie ever made. It was also true in I, Daniel Blake, his 2016 Palme d'Or-winning drama about government benefits that's a clear companion piece to Sorry We Missed You. That these tales keep needing to be told is heartbreaking and infuriating, of course — but there's no one better at it than Loach. He's an empathetic and humane filmmaker determined to give a voice to ordinary folks, to tackle everyday issues and to show life as it really is. He's also just as passionate about calling out vast societal inequities that, as seen in the Turners' experiences, exploit the masses for corporate gain. As is his trademark, Loach brings all of the above to the screen with a keenly naturalistic eye and a largely non-professional cast, shooting his characters and their lives as though he's recording reality. There's no one better than cinematographer Robbie Ryan to help — the man who not only achieved the same feat on I, Daniel Blake, but on Andrea Arnold's American Honey and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story as well. Under the duo's combined gaze, Sorry We Missed You's images speak a thousand frustrating words, and draw audiences into the film's despairing situation. The feature stares daggers at a system the world has simply accepted, too, and forces audiences to see how it affects average people. And, while the movie's message isn't subtle, this is still a nuanced and astute picture that's exactly as stirring and galvanising at it needs to be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sdnSZ6J6HA
Why should humans get to have all the beer-drinking, bar-attending fun? If you have a pet pooch, you've probably spied the look in its eyes when you head out for a beverage, or the curiosity when you're sipping something at home. This March, booze hounds on all fronts unite for Brewsvegas. From 9am on Sunday, March 23, Newstead Brewing Co is throwing open the doors to its Milton digs to drinkers of the two- and four-legged kind. At Day of the Dog, you can enjoy a few brews with your pupper in tow — and there'll be live tunes, food and coffee stalls, too. You can also get your pooch's pic snapped thanks to the onsite photographer and purchase a pint from the karma keg, which'll be donating funds to Queensland Staffy and Amstaff Rescue. Cheers to that.
For the month of May, things are getting spooky, creepy, unnerving and unsettling at the Gallery of Modern Art's Australian Cinematheque. And downright old school, too. Between Friday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 29, one of the venue's big screens will be paying tribute to B movies of the kind they really don't make any more. First, a bit of history. Going to the cinema was usually a two-for-one affair between the 30s and 50s, with the main attraction paired with a second flick. And while the A movie could've been anything big, shiny and glossy, the B movie was typically some low-budget genre delight. As a result, when double features stopped being the norm, the term was still used to describe horror movies, sci-fi fare, creature features and the like. Instead of playing with other, higher-profile films, come the 60s they played at drive-ins and on TV late at night. All of the above should put you in the right frame of mind for GOMA's Beauty in the B Grade program, which is screening a heap of retro treasures. Among the notable names featured are icon Vincent Price, acting legend Steve McQueen, and filmmakers James Whale, Jacques Tourneur, William Castle and Roger Corman — with movies such as Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Blob, It Came From Beneath the Sea and Tarantula on the lineup, as well as House of Usher, Carnival of Souls and the original The Little Shop of Horrors. Films play on Wednesday and Friday nights, as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Even better — they're free, and some are showing on imported 35mm prints.
The Williennium might've hit a whopping twenty years ago, but there's never a bad time to get jiggy wit' the Fresh Prince. And when you walk into this shindig, you just know there'll be plenty of party starters — and the room will shake, shake, shake, too. For one huge night, The Foundry is paying tribute to the music career of Will Smith, all thanks to a party it's fittingly calling Big Willie Style. Summertime might be over, but this event will be more than just cruisin' as it celebrates the three-time man in black. If you consider yourself a good guy, there's your dress code sorted. Entry is free, whether you're bringing the gang or just heading in with your bestie — and singing 'Just the Two Of Us' or Aladdin's 'Friend Like Me' in the process. The tunes start from 9pm, and expect the full spectrum of Smith's tracks, from his days with Jazzy Jeff to his solo hits.
If a trip to the markets is part of your regular Sunday routine, then this Brewsvegas event is for you — and, yes, the Sunday Brewer's Market comes with beverages. From 12pm on March 24, Ploughman Bar in Alderley is opening its doors to local craft brewers. Beer markets really are the best kind of markets, after all. When you're not browsing through a range of both home brewers and commercial breweries — including some top homegrown talent — you can also grab a few bites, peruse the arts and crafts offerings, and listen to live tunes. Entry is free, but bring your wallet for whatever you want to eat, drink and take home with you.
Brewsvegas is a time for drinking, eating and being merry. But if you don't partake in animal products, you might be apprehensive about joining the fun. Boozy meals, especially those focused around beers, often feature plenty of meat — which is what makes Eat No Evil stand out. Actually, it's just one highlight of the one-night dinner, which takes place from 7pm on Tuesday, March 19. The other big drawcard is that you won't simply be sitting in one spot and tucking into vegan dishes with matched brews. Instead, each of your four courses (and their accompanying drinks) will take you to a different venue. Start with canapes at Bosc, then head to Catchment Brewing Co for your entree, before moseying on over your Brisbane Brewing Co for mains. As for dessert, it'll take you to Archive Beer Boutique — and this West End walking tour, complete with vegan meals and beers, will set you back $80 per person.
Why drink at one watering hole, when you can head to two, three, six or more? That's always been the motivation behind everyone's favourite boozy journey, aka a pub crawl. And, it's the exact same type of thinking behind the Urban Wine Walk. Taking another wander around Brisbane, it's the bar-hopping excuse every vino lover needs — if you need an excuse, that is. From midday until 4.30pm on Saturday, May 11, you'll saunter around Fortitude Valley — and between the likes of Cloudland, Proud Henry, Gerard's Bar, Bloodhound Bar, Mr Chester, TSO Lounge and Dining, City Winery and more — sampling wines and having a mighty fine time. As for the tipples, they'll be taken care of by a heap of top wineries, so prepare to get supping. Tickets cost $65, go on sale from 12pm on Tuesday, March 12, and places are limited. This moving cellar door will not only serve up more than 35 wine tastings, but also your own tasting glass — plus a voucher for another beverage, and a guide to help you plan your mosey between bars.
Can you solve a good mystery? Or spark one? Channel your inner Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard or Mrs Peacock, roam around a bar looking for the conservatory, cellar and billiard room, and be wary of candlesticks, lead pipes and spanners. That's what Cluedo! The Interactive Game is all about when it sets heads to Baedeker for a month-long run, and we mean that literally. Held on select dates between Wednesday, April 17 and Saturday, May 25, each night will double as a lavish 1930s dinner and cocktail party complete with hidden rooms, enigmatic guests and plenty of secrets. In a theatrical reimagining of the ace board game, you'll solve puzzles, find clues and try to work out who did the deed all while you're eating and drinking. Previous seasons have proven mighty popular, because everyone loves a Cluedo-themed shows. We'll call it a case of murder mystery board game fever. Image: Baedeker.
For their latest excuse to eat, drink and be merry, the Treasury Casino is taking inspiration from Australia's south. Over one cheese and wine-filled evening, the CBD hotspot will be serving up the best dairy and vino that Victoria and South Australia have to offer. Yep, between 5pm and 8pm on Friday, March 8, your tastebuds will think they've ventured to the other end of the country, thanks to a lineup of wares from the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and more. Your wallet, however, will thank you — sip and sample away for three hours for $59 per person. The tastiness takes place in the Treasury's courtyard, so expect a starry backdrop and some live music as well. And if you're feeling extra peckish, there'll be antipasto, charcuterie, assorted dips and artisan breads too — or, you could just dive deep into as much cheese as you can.
Once, not that long ago, Brisbane had never played host to a gin festival. Now, that's definitely no longer the case. They seem to pop up every few months, alongside plenty of other regular gin-focused nights, gatherings and parties. We do have several bars solely focused on gin in this city of ours, after all. They all have one thing in common, of course: oh-so-many juniper spirits. And another: oh-so-many G&Ts. That's exactly what's on the menu at the latest gin-fuelled addition to the fold, aka Pig 'n' Whistle Brunswick Street's Ginfused Festival. Originally scheduled to take place in February, but rescheduled to 11am–6pm on Saturday, March 30 thanks to bad weather, this patch of the Valley will become a gin mecca — complete with plenty of artisanal gins, a heap of cheese and charcuterie to help soak up the botanical booze, free cocktail masterclasses and live music. Distilleries including Tanqueray, Nosferatau, Jinzu, Gordon's Pink, Ink and more will be slinging drinks, and entry is free. You can also purchase a $35 package in advance, which includes a drink token and a charcuterie board.
Located in an ordinary stretch of shops in Jindalee, Piggy Back Cafe mightn't look like it stands out; however its vibrantly coloured menu ensures that's not actually the case. The daytime eatery has fast become the suburb's worst-kept secret thanks to a particular offering that has taken over every Instagram feed in city: rainbow foam-topped coffees. At the first west-side venture from the folks behind Picnic and Pawpaw on the other side of town, there's no such thing as a boring old cuppa; instead, their caffeinated hits will brighten up your cup and your day. That extends to a red velvet variety, though you don't have to be a coffee fiend to jump on that trend. Red velvet shake or red velvet French toast with bacon, anyone? Yep, you'll be too busy taking pics to actually eat and drink anything you order, with Piggy Back's snap-worth selections only continuing. The eggs Benny comes with pulled pork, smashed avo gets the matcha treatment, every acai bowl features an explosion of different tones and textures — and here, breakfast salad is most definitely a thing. Plus, cakes, doughnuts and special dessert nights take care of any cravings for morsels that both look and taste sweet.
If there's one thing no one ever gets sick of, it's burgers, which suits the trend currently sweeping Brisbane rather nicely. Taking over the space where the Villager used to be, Miss Kay's is the latest place to offer a menu overflowing with meat and bread products (and veggie patties, too, a significant proportion of you will be pleased to hear). If this is your idea of a tasty meal, then you'll want to stop by. Open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, the city's newest burger bar boasts all the usual suspects, from good ol' fashioned cheeseburgers to sides of fries and onion rings. They also offer a few options you'll want to try just based on their names alone. Who wouldn't want to eat a Ludakrisp (a burger with crispy fried chicken) or a Mac Daddy (a burger with mac and cheese — yes really). As always, the food is only part of the fun, with Miss Kay's an ideal spot for an after-work drink or several. Live entertainment helps set the mood, and they even have alcoholic ginger beer on tap, plus a range of 'jartinis' in flavours like spiced bacon maple sour. Yum.
Finding a host of tasty Indian dishes in Brisbane isn't hard to do, but finding healthy yet hearty meals is another matter. Boasting vegan as well as gluten-, nut- and dairy-free options, that's the gap It's Mirchi Healthy Indian Restaurant hopes to fill from its base on Paddington's busy Given Terrace. Even a quick glance at their menu shows that they're on the right track. Dining wise, whether eating in or taking away, that includes nutritious takes on all the usual curries, complete with a choice of free-range chicken and organic lamb. Salad and vegetarian concoctions comprise a substantial portion of their offerings, alongside snacks such as roasted — rather than fried — poppadoms, and the delicious delight that is their avocado milkshake. It's not all about the food at It's Mirchi, though, with the figure behind the feast just as important as what she's cooking up. One of Australia's finest female Indian chefs, Urvashi, heads up the restaurant's kitchen in a departure from the typically male-oriented profession — and she's not just defying convention but sharing recipes handed down from her mother. That sounds like boundary-breaking, wellbeing-friendly yumminess.
Mark your calendar: if you like free ice cream, as everyone should, then you have a date with a Ben & Jerry's store in April. Each year, the dessert brand chooses one day per year to give everyone a treat without paying a cent. In 2024, that day is Tuesday, April 16. If there's one thing this chain loves above all else, it's the obvious: ice cream in a huge array of ridiculously named flavours. It's the brand behind Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, Phish Food and The Tonight Dough — and has been responsible for Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yoghurt, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream and Schweddy Balls, too. But, to the delight of your sweet treat-loving tastebuds, on Free Cone Day it loves giving away free scoops just as much. The occasion is exactly what it sounds like: a day where your ice cream is on the house. It ran annually since 1979 until the pandemic, then took a break for obvious reasons — returning in 2023 for the first time since 2019, and now backing it up in 2024. Here's how it works: if you adore ice cream as much as Ben & Jerry's adores ice cream, then you just need to hit up your local participating store (which is most stores) between 12–8pm. You can choose whichever flavour you like, and you can also line up for a free cone as many times as you like within that eight-hour period. Free Cone Day is happening Australia-wide — worldwide, too, in more than 35 countries — at both Ben & Jerry's Scoop Stores and its Hoyts outlets. In Queensland, head to South Brisbane for starters — as well as Burleigh Heads, Mooloolaba, Noosa Heads and Hoyts Sunnybank.
If summer screams ice cream to you, then there's only one way to start the season: indulging in your favourite frosty treat. That's great advice in general, but gelato chain Gelatissimo has an even better spin on it. Hit up one of its 48 stores around the country from 5pm until closing time and you'll nab $3 scoops. The date: Friday, December 1. The place: at all Brisbane Gelatissimo shops. The offer: creamy gelato for just a couple of gold coins, all to celebrate the official start of the warm weather and indulge in a dessert staple. The deal stacks, too, so you can get a double scoop for $6. Friday, December 1 also happens to be the day that Gelatissimo is releasing its latest limited-edition flavours, which you can try for just $3 a pop as well. Get ready for cookies and cream made with Milkybar, a mint version but made with KitKat and a blue take.
In 2022, theatre production company Prospero Arts gave Brisbane a song-filled tribute to one of the best movie musicals ever made, bringing Singin' in the Rain to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre as an onstage concert. How does anyone manage to back that up? With another huge show for 2023, also offering up an ode to a big-screen favourite overflowing with beloved and well-known songs: The Wizard of Oz. This winter, consider QPAC's Concert Hall somewhere over the rainbow. You'll be off to see the wizard there, too. There's never a bad time to pop on your ruby slippers, and hasn't been for the past 84 years since the page-to-screen hit first reached cinemas — but this instance is all about the music. No one will be acting out the storyline, but you will hear all of the tracks that everyone has stuck in their head forever, including Oscar-winner 'Over the Rainbow', 'We're Off to See the Wizard', 'Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead', 'If I Only Had a Brain' and 'The Merry Old Land of Oz'. As The Wizard of Oz — In Concert's talents sing under the direction of Amy Campbell, an onstage orchestra will play the film's score — which also won an Academy Award. For those who've somehow missed the 1939 classic flick so far, it adapts the 1900 novel The Wonderful World of Oz by L Frank Baum. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale (played by Judy Garland in the movie) and her little dog Toto are whisked off from her Kansas farm to the titular realm, where she needs to avoid the Wicked Witch of the West — and find the eponymous wizard to make it home. To locate the latter, a stroll down the yellow brick road with the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion is on the agenda. Running from Friday, June 30–Sunday, July 2, The Wizard of Oz — In Concert will put on five shows across its three-day season.
Since February, Brisbane Powerhouse has been home to the River City's latest festival: ΩHM (pronounced "ohm"). Filled with music and art, it's all about pushing the boundaries while celebrating sound, tunes and performance — a "festival of other music" is what the New Farm venue has badged it, too, and fittingly. Thanks to a program curated by Room40's Lawrence English alongside Brisbane Powerhouse Arts Program Director Brad Spolding, ΩHM hasn't been lacking in highlights; however, its triple bill on Friday, March 31 with Robin Fox, Yann Novak and mHz promises something truly special. Audiovisual artist Fox, Los Angeles-based composer Novak and Iranian sound artist mHz are teaming up for a night showcasing three stunning large-scale audiovisual creations. [caption id="attachment_880278" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yann Novak[/caption] Accordingly, the evening will host the Australian premiere of Fox's Triptych straight from UNSOUND KRAKOW, featuring three RGB laser projectors working in synchronicity. If you've seen his past works — Night Sky for Brisbane Festival, Aqua Luma for Mona Foma 2021, BEACON for Mona Foma 2022 and MONOCHORD for Rising Festival 2022, for instance — you'll know you're in for something special. As for Novak, he'll be using sound and light to explore how both can focus one's awareness on their experiences, as informed by his partial colour blindness and dyslexia. And, the New Zealand-based mHz will take inspiration from material and architecture to hone in on sound and light production. [caption id="attachment_895200" align="alignnone" width="1920"] mHz[/caption] Top image: Robin Fox, Single Origin, Diego Figueroa.
When Bong Joon-ho's Parasite won Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or in 2019, it became the second movie in as many years to nab the coveted prize for exploring class and wealth inequality through a tale of family. The year prior, when Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters scored the same gong, it too examined the ties that bind, plus the societal circumstances that conspire against and complicate such bonds. Indeed, that's the Japanese filmmaker's favourite subject. In a career spanning over three decades, he keeps being drawn to people who are drawn together, sometimes by biology and sometimes because that's simply the hand that fate has played in shaping a makeshift brood. It's fitting, then, that Kore-eda's latest Broker — his second feature since that big win — stays true to his go-to topic while also starring Parasite's Song Kang-ho. This is Kore-eda's first South Korean film, following 2019's French and English The Truth, which was his first non-Japanese picture. This is vintage Kore-eda, in fact, and it's warm, wise, wonderful, canny and complex. No matter how his on-screen families come to be, if there's any actual blood between them, whether they're grifting in some way or where in the world they're located, the Japanese writer/director's work has become so beloved — so magnificent, too — due to his care and sincerity. A Kore-eda film is a film of immense empathy and, like Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm and The Third Murder also in the prolific talent's past decade, Broker is no different. The setup here is one of the filmmaker's murkiest, with the feature's name referring to the baby trade. But showing compassion and humanity isn't up for debate in Kore-eda's approach. He judges the reality of modern-day life that leads his characters to their actions, but doesn't judge his central figures. In the process, he makes poignant melodramas that are also deep and thoughtful character studies, and that get to the heart of the globe's ills like the most cutting slices of social realism. It isn't just to make a buck that debt-ridden laundromat owner Sang-hyun (Song, Emergency Declaration) and orphanage-raised Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won, Peninsula) take infants abandoned to the Busan Family Church's 'baby box' — a chute that's exactly what it sounds like, available to mothers who know they can't embrace that part for whatever reason — then find good families to sell them to. There's a cash component, of course, but they're convinced that their gambit is better than letting children languish in the state system. In Kore-eda's usual kindhearted manner, Broker sees them with sensitivity. Even if blue hues didn't wash through the film's frames, nothing is ever black and white in the director's movies. The same understanding and tenderness flows towards mothers like So-young (Lee Ji-eun, Hotel Del Luna, aka K-Pop star IU), whose decision to leave Woo-sung (debutant Park Ji-yong) isn't easily made but puts Broker on its course. It's on a rainy night that So-young farewells Woo-sung, placing him gently in the hatch packed with blankets and soundtracked by lullabies, and leaving a note to say that she'll be back to claim him. She's nervous and tentative, peering around to see if anyone is watching — astutely so, because two groups are waiting on her significant choice. The traffickers have their plan to enact, while detectives Su-jin (Doona Bae, The Silent Sea) and Lee (Lee Joo-young, Rose Mansion) are keen to catch them. Muddying matters for both: unlike what usually happens in this situation, So-young does genuinely return for her baby. So sparks a road trip with Sang-hyun, Dong-soo and football-loving seven-year-old Hae-jin (first-timer Seung-soo Im), a runaway orphan, to meet Woo-sung's prospective adoptive parents, all with the cops on their trail as part of a six-month investigation. Broker's plot is never straightforward, nor are the questions it incites — questions about what family truly means, what governments say it's supposed to and why a ragtag group of outsiders can find a greater sense of belonging together on the run than anywhere else. Without offering any simple justifications, answers or solutions, Kore-eda ensures that the factors that lead So-young to the baby box, and Sang-hyun and Dong-soo to the illicit adoption market, constantly demand the audience's attention. "This car is filled with liars," Dong-soo says mid-trip, but it's the why behind that statement that sits at Broker's core. Like in Shoplifters before it, Kore-eda queries the forces that've made his characters who they are, brought them to this juncture and meant that the choices they're making feel like the only ones they can. Here, that includes pondering expectations placed upon women whether or not they're mums, the baggage attached to motherhood, the alternatives to baby boxes, and the stark truth that bringing life into the world and having a family aren't the same things. If he'd decided that literature rather than cinema was his medium of choice, there's no doubting that Kore-eda would've made an excellent novelist. His plots are that layered, perceptive, generous, emotional and involving. Also, in his TV adaptation The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, one of 2023's streaming delights, he showed that he's equally as skilled at bringing tales from the page to the screen. But filmmaking is clearly Kore-eda's calling — and he's such a masterful visual storyteller, not to mention an affectionate movie craftsman, that it's forever plain to see why. Enlisting the great South Korean cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, a veteran not just of the aforementioned Parasite but also Bong's Snowpiercer and Mother, Na Hong-jin's 2016 standout The Wailing and Lee Chang-dong's sublime Burning from 2018, he gives Broker an earthy, lived-in, clear-eyed and yet eternally hopeful look. Falling rain, cramped rooms, cosy car rides, sprawling countryside, everyday phone calls: this film, and Kore-eda and Hong, make each one stun and say, well, everything. Broker's score by Jung Jae-il (another Parasite alum, and also Squid Game's composer) — plus the movie's spectacular use of Amy Mann's 'Wise Up' on its soundtrack, nods to Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia and all — are just as impressively and attentively fashioned. Nothing quite makes a Kore-eda feature what it is like his way with casting, though, pairing his empathetic stories with actors who gracefully live and breathe the same trait under his gaze. Accordingly, Kore-eda and the always-exceptional Song are a match made in cinematic heaven; it's no wonder that the latter deservedly earned Cannes' 2022 Best Actor prize for his latest phenomenal performance as a complex patriarch-type. Kore-eda and Bae is just as sterling a duo, too, especially when it comes to conveying yearning within this already bittersweet tale. Every heartfelt portrayal in Broker gets its audience feeling, however, including the scene-stealing Lee as a woman facing impossible choices, and pivotal baby Park.
If you're serious about bacon, then there's only one place to be over the weekend of Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20. That's the town of Kingaroy, about two-and-a-half hours north-west of Brisbane. As it does every year, it's dedicating three whole days to one glorious type of foodstuff. Whether you're keen on eating it or buying a heap of it, if there's bacon involved, it's on offer during Kingaroy BaconFest. Browse the bacon market, watch bacon cooking demonstrations, catch pork masterclasses or try your hand at the tastiest eating contest there is. Yes, it's about bacon, obviously. Getting cooking: headlining chef Miguel Maestre, plus Alastair McLeod leading the Ready, Steady... Bacon food series. There'll also be a big bacon breakfast and a wine-and-swine party. Live music is also on the bill, plus bacon ice cream. And, you can get jogging at the running event called Rasher's Fun Run, then have your tastebuds tempted again a barbecue pork smoke-off competition. [caption id="attachment_854893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nancy Jayde Photography[/caption] Updated June 19.
Talk about a perfect name: if you're going to start a new music festival that revolves around The Smashing Pumpkins, then calling it The World Is a Vampire is a no-brainer. This exciting addition to Australia's festival scene is being sent to drain all of your attention this autumn, when it heads around the country with one helluva bill. Billy Corgan and his band members will be there, of course, and so will fellow alt-rock legends Jane's Addiction. Naturally, you can expect the rollicking classic that is 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings' to get a spin. As well as hearing fellow Pumpkins greats such as 'Disarm', '1979', 'Tonight, Tonight', 'Today' and 'Zero', the Perry Farrell-led Jane's Addiction will be on hand to bust out 'Been Caught Stealing', 'Jane Says' and the likes. How many 'Zero' shirts will you see at the fest? Oh so many, as at every Pumpkins gig. Also on the bill: Australia's own Amyl and The Sniffers, RedHook and Battlesnake, plus yet-to-be-announced local acts opening each stop. And this fest has stops. It'll be singing about rage and rats in cages at Eatons Hill Hotel on Saturday, April 15 and at Bribie Island's Sandstone Point Hotel on Sunday, April 16 — and also heading to the Gold Coast as well. Each show also features professional wrestling, including matches between Billy Corgan's NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) and the WAOA (Wrestling Alliance of Australia). Wrestlers will take to the ring in-between the bands — and yes, Corgan does own the alliance that bears his name.
There's never a bad time to stick your nose in a book or several at the University of Queensland; however, when the UQ Alumni Book Fair pops up, it's a better time than most. That's on the agenda from Friday, April 28–Monday, May 1, and it isn't just an excuse to fill your shelves with future reading material — from Wednesday, April 26–Friday, April 28, it's also a reason to tuck into an impressive meal. For three days only, to celebrate UQ's Rare Book Auction — which takes place as part of the book fair — St Lucia restaurant Patina at Alumni Court is whipping up a few special dishes. Executive Chef John Offenhauser is picking from two of the best-selling cookbooks of the 18th and 19th centuries: Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cooking, Made Plain and Easy from 1747 and Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management from 1861. On the menu is a 276-year-old caramelised rice pudding recipe found in Glasse's tome, as well as a 162-year-old salmon recipe — which features caper sauce and asparagus — from Beeton. Tuck in and you'll be tasting history, with the dishes available from 11.30am–2pm each day. Keen on making them yourself? Those two books are up for grabs themselves at the auction. You might need deep pockets to add them to your kitchen shelves, but you will be helping raise money for scholarships to support UQ students.
Marco Pierre White is a star of kitchens and screens alike. He was the first British chef — and the youngest chef at the time — to be awarded three Michelin stars. He's popped up on everything from Hell's Kitchen to MasterChef, including in Australia. Back in 2019, he was one of Melbourne Good Food Month's huge headliners. He's also the culinary force behind cookbook White Heat, the 1990 tome that played up his "bad boy" image. He's been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" as well. And, he's trained fellow famed food figures such as Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone. That's a brief run through White's resume, but you're best to hear the full details — and the ups and downs that've come with being White — from the chef himself. So, in May, the culinary whiz is touring Australia's east coast capitals with his first-ever live theatre show. Heading to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, May 23, White's Out of the Kitchen gigs will chat through his beginnings, his training and his stardom, plus the kind of success that led to his "enfant terrible" label. That means hearing about his arrival in London with just "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes", and his tutelage under Albert and Michael Roux at renowned French fine-diner Le Gavroche. And, there's nabbing those three Michelin stars at the age of 33, of course.
Once a year, Monster Fest treats cinemagoers to a weird and wonderful film festival filled with genre and cult movies — but that's obviously not often enough. So, behold Monster Fest Weekender, aka the fest that the Monster team hosts midyear when it's not rolling out the full shindig. Hitting Sydney's Event Cinemas Myer Centre from Friday, July 14–Sunday, July 16, this three-day affair has an added focus in 2023. Get ready to peer out of blue and red lenses, because every movie on the lineup is showing in 3D. No, none of them are Avatar. Yes, they're all horror flicks. As well as being the first time Monster Fest has focused on giving every title it's screening an extra dimension, it's also the first time that the event has solely programmed classics. The fun starts with a tenth-anniversary session of Texas Chainsaw 3D, which is playing Aussie cinemas for the first time. After that Amityville 3D celebrates its 40th anniversary, while the Vincent Price-starring House of Wax — the first colour 3D film from a major studio — notches up 70 years. Monster Fest Weekender's 3D lineup also includes Andy Warhol's Flesh for Frankenstein 3D, remake My Bloody Valentine 3D and direct-to-video 1984 effort Silent Madness 3D — the latter of which is similarly making its big-screen Australian debut.
If you're a dog person, being surrounded by wagging tails and beaming pooch faces is one of the happiest feelings in the world. Here's another: doing your part to assist animals in need. Each year — a pandemic hiatus aside — the RSPCA's Million Paws Walk combines the two, asking Brisbanites and their puppers to go for a stroll to help raise funds for an obviously extremely worth cause. Come Sunday, May 28, this endorphin-sparking mosey returns for 2023, taking over the Forgan Smith Lawn at the University of Queensland in St Lucia. Whether you're keen to dress up for the occasion — in a matching outfit to your four-legged bestie, of course — or just pop on your sneakers and usual workout attire, then join in from 10am (with registrations from 8.30am). Entry costs $35 for adults and $30 for concessions, with the money raised going towards RSPCA Queensland's work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals. In addition to the exercise, you and Rover can browse a heap stalls afterwards, listen to live tunes and grab a bite to eat from food trucks. There's also dog competitions and games as well. Can't make it to UQ? Check out the full list of venues around Queensland. Top image: Call of the Wild Pet Photography.
Ever wanted to see your favourite bands kick a few goals, and help support a good cause at the same time? For more than a quarter-century, the Reclink Community Cup has been turning musos into footy players for an annual charity Aussie rules match. Before the pandemic, the Melbourne game would draw more than 10,000 people and raise over $100,000 each year. Sydney's match had been going strong for years too — and the cup finally came to Brisbane in 2016 (if you're wondering, the musos took it out). Now, for Brisbanites, the Reclink Community Cup is back again for another round. Come Sunday, July 30, the city's music community will descend upon Enoggera Memorial Park to put their sporting prowess to the test. Two teams will take to the field: The Rocking Horses, featuring players from an array of Brissie acts; and the Brisbane Lines, filled with a crew of journos, industry staff general music-related folks. The complete list of exactly who'll be donning guernseys for both groups hasn't yet been revealed, but members of Powderfinger and The Church, Dead Letter Circus, WAAX, CLEA, Shag Rock, Melaleuca, Whalehouse, Tape/Off and Flangipanis played for the musos in 2022. Usually, staff from 4ZZZ, the ABC, street press, Oztix and QMusic make up the opposition team. [caption id="attachment_856675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Allan Allport[/caption] The Community Cup isn't just about getting another dose of the live AFL action, though (as ace as the prospect of more footy always is). Given that rock stars are involved, live music is part of the proceedings as well, with the bill also set to be announced. And, food-wise, expect food trucks ready to fill your ravenous stomachs, plus bars to quench your thirst. Watching bands play both music and footy is hungry work, after all — and goes down well with a cold one. Every dollar raised from ticketing goes towards Reclink's efforts to improve the lives of Queenslanders suffering from disability, homelessness, substance abuse and economic hardship through participation in sport and the arts. Yep, whoever emerges victorious from the game, a heap of deserving folks will be the real winners. Images: Allan Allport.
Maybe you really love Patrick Swayze. Perhaps you just need some more terracotta or ceramics in your life. Or, the idea of pottering around a clay-based showcase and finding pottery pieces — for yourself or as gifts — could just be your idea of a great Saturday. Whichever category you fall into, coast on over to Clayschool's Winter Show. Browse, buy, support local artists — it's the ultimate exhibition-slash-market. Indeed, while we're talking multi-tasking, Clayschool's students are hoping to show off their unique, handcrafted designs, and sell some as ace one-off wares. Christmas might be quite a few months away, but you can start planning already — or pick up something special for someone special, just because. (Yes, that includes for yourself). Plus, given that it's all taking place at West Village from 11am on Saturday, June 18, that means food and drinks will be in the vicinity as well. No one likes shopping on an empty stomach, after all — or while thirsty.
Remember those younger days sat in front of the television, watching your beloved Disney flicks and shows over and over? Of course you do. While you were binging on High School Musical and Hannah Montana on repeat, you probably weren't thinking about your future adult self partying to their tunes, though — but Kickons is about to blow your inner kid's mind. From Beauty and The Beast to Aladdin to Frozen, if it's a piece of music from a Disney movie or television series, you'll likely hear it on Friday, June 17. The soundtrack will also span a heap of former Disney stars; think: Hilary Duff, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and more. Kicking off at 8pm, this When We Were Disney party will take over two dance floors across two levels, including a courtyard — because Disney fandom sprawls far and wide. Also included: a $100 prize for the best Disney outfit, Disney-themed visuals and drink specials (such as High School Musical shots and Hannah Montana-tinis), a ball pit and free lollipops.
What's better than one indulgent pop-up serving lobster, truffles and champagne in southeast Queensland? Two, obviously. After hitting up the Gold Coast, Lobster & Co is heading north for a stop at the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival from Friday, August 19–Sunday, August 21. Clearly, there's a specific kind of thinking behind this food event: sometimes, your tastebuds just crave something special. They hanker for the kind of dish you're not going to eat every day, aka a treat yo'self type of culinary experience. If that sounds like your idea of an indulgent meal, Lobster & Co is doing what it does best at Apex Park in Woody Point, with the pop-up van serving lobster rolls with truffle fries and flutes of Pommery champagne. You'll pay $50 for the food combo, which features a whole confit lobster tail served warm on a caramelised brioche bun with buttermilk fennel slaw, plus a side of parmesan truffle fries. A chilled glass of the champers will cost you $20 extra. Also on offer: a second roll, a Thai fusion number, which includes cabbage, green papaya and sriracha mayo — and lobster, obviously — on a brioche bun. Images: Karon Photography.
In two locations around Brisbane throughout August, familiar spaces have been transformed by Japanese artists. In both, labyrinths of art have sprung up, too. By now, you should well and truly know about the Gallery of Modern Art's stunning Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles exhibition. You should've already visited it, in fact. But over at Brisbane Quarter, there's another showcase worth your attention. Brisbane-based talents Mabina Alaka, Ken Kikkawa and Hiroaki Eba have turned Brisbane Quarter into a forest filled with floral, clay and fabric creations, all to celebrate the beauty of nature. You'll find their work, dubbed The Love of Life, on the podium level one at the George Street spot — and it's free to see from 7am–8pm daily until Wednesday, August 31. Alaka's contributions use vintage Kimono fabrics, Japanese cotton and traditional Japanese paper, while ceramic artist Kikkawa has created three different trees — a wish tree, an octopus tree and a green dragon tree. Thanks to Eba, you'll also peer at floral pieces and three other trees, including one with orchids, another inspired by Australian native plants and a third decked out with clay frogs. Fancy grabbing a drink while you're there? Tenya Japanese Restaurant is doing Love of Life cocktails for the month, too, as made with white rum, watermelon and violet liqueur. Images: Claudia Baxter.
A lot can happen in five years. Two people can meet, fall in love, get married and then see their wedded bliss come to an end. That's the tale of budding writer Jamie and rising actress Cathy in The Last Five Years, which sees him share their story from the beginning, her start at the end and work backwards, and both sing about it. And, their individual accounts only intersect once. Of course, a lot can happen in 21 years as well. That's how long it has been since the show premiered in Chicago, and then made its way to off-Broadway the next year. In 2015, it became a film starring Anna Kendrick. Now, Aussie Danielle Remulta and the UK's Robert Tripolino are stepping onto La Boite's stage and stepping into the narrative. Catch their efforts between Monday, May 30–Saturday, June 18 — and catch a powerful tale about love, life and sharing an existence with someone but still feeling like strangers, too. You'll also be seeing a classic penned by Tony-winning playwright Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County), and a show that's kept treading the boards for more than two decades now for a reason. Images: Morgan Roberts.
Time travel doesn't yet exist, sadly, so no one can step inside a phone booth or a DeLorean and zip back into the past. But if you've always wanted to see what happened when trailblazing French actress Sarah Bernhardt took on Shakespeare's Hamlet at the turn of the 20th century — playing the Danish prince herself, too — you can come as close as possible at Queensland Theatre's Bernhardt/Hamlet between Saturday, May 28–Sunday, June 19. Stacking icons upon icons, this play by American playwright Theresa Rebeck tells that tale, with Brisbane-born actor Angie Milliken (Death of a Salesman, Passengers) slipping into Bernhardt's shoes. Here, it's Paris in 1899, and Bernhardt faces a question: to be or not to be the scandal-courting woman who dares take on such a famed — and, as penned by the Bard, male — role. Bringing the real-life backstage story front and centre on the Bille Brown Theatre stage, this show may hark back more than a century; however, its account of a bold woman challenging the status quo and helping cement her place in history in the process will never stop being timely. Top image: Brett Boardman.
This winter, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them. After being forced to shake up its usual schedule over the past few years due to the pandemic, Lifeline Bookfest is coming back for another round of vintage bargains between Saturday, June 4–Sunday, June 12. It's where you'll find everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica, as well as games, DVDs and puzzles. If you've been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. In fact, over this year's nine-day winter run, more than one million items will be up for grabs. Prices tend to range from $2.50 to the big bucks — and when it last unleashed its treasure trove in mid-2021, the $1 selection got the axe so that the sale could spread out in these social-distancing times. Don't go thinking you won't have plenty to choose from, though. Whenever Bookfest hits Brisbane, it always brings hundreds of crates of reading materials with it. You'll still want to bring a trolley and your glasses, obviously, and to clear some space on your shelves at home. And, you'll want to bring your cards, because this Bookfest is cashless. Also, you'll need your own bags, as books won't be wrapped for you this year. Head along from 7.30am–6pm on Saturday, June 4; 8.30am–6pm between Sunday, June 5–Thursday, June, 8; 8.30am–9pm on Friday, June 10; and 8.30am–6pm between Saturday, June 11–Sunday, June 12. Images: Bookfest.
A trip to Northshore Hamilton usually means taking in the scenery, whether you're staring at the river, the grassy surroundings right there on its banks or both. But until Sunday, July 10, there's something else to look at that you won't see all-year-round: sculptures big and small. Presented by Sculptors Queensland, two-month-long exhibition Northshore Sculpture by the River is showcasing works by its members, featuring pieces on display both indoors and out — and in all shapes and sizes, too. Peer at sculpted animals, people, fantastical critters, abstract forms, shapes and more, all for free. There are two parts to the event. Kicking things off, the indoor portion runs from Friday, May 6–Tuesday, May 24, open 10am–4pm Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with Monday, Tuesday and Thursday viewings by appointment, all in The Shed at the Hamilton precinct. Or, wander around outdoors from Friday, May 13–Sunday, July 10 to spot sculptures around Northshore's Maritime Green.
