Welcome to the new Concrete Playground

It's that fun time of year again, when the rising mercury sends us outdoors en masse, pumping our Concrete Playground with an energy of revelry and renewal. But with so many pop-up events, newly-opened eateries and citywide activities to choose from, it can be a little hard to know where to begin. To help you get the most out of your city, we've totally redesigned Concrete Playground, rethinking the online experience for our readers from the ground up so you'll never be without access to the best of everything Sydney has to offer (regardless of the season).

Launched in 2009, Concrete Playground now connects with 400,000 monthly readers and 40,000 subscribers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington. Each day and night, our collective of editors and contributors find, taste, try, watch and listen to city's best offerings, constantly updating the site with the highest standard of critically selected cultural content for you. We handpick the newest, most inspiring experiences — sorting the signal from the noise — so that you can fill your days and nights with top tier exhibitions, festivals, food, gigs, parties, films and happenings.

This beta version of the new Concrete Playground site has been designed with reader feedback in mind, and with urban exploration as its core function. We wanted to create a go-to place for you to easily browse through our meticulously curated shortlists of the best restaurants, bars, shops and events to help you discover your new favourite places. We hope that every day, and on any occasion, Concrete Playground has you covered.

Just below you'll find details on what we consider to be the most interesting new features of the Concrete Playground redesign; the best bits we can't wait to share with you. Over the coming few months, we'll continue to unveil new updates and enhancements — there's too many to throw at you in one go. But we're still wearing in these brand new threads, so we'd love to hear your feedback and ideas on how to make Concrete Playground even better. You can leave your comments at the bottom of this page or email me directly with your thoughts.

A project of this magnitude only comes together with the help of great people and partners. Thanks to our launch partners James Squire and Appleton Estate. We're greatly indebted to Jorge, Zoe, Vani and Rendian at Canvas Group, and to Morris and Ruben at Sparro. And of course our brilliant team here at Concrete Playground — Rima, Shannon, John, Kyle, Laetitia, Meg, Lauren and Daniela.

Thanks for taking the time to read — whether you're a longtime user or have just found your way here. We hope you like the new Concrete Playground.

Rich Fogarty
Founder & Director
[email protected]

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Seamless navigation on all devices and screens

We've redesigned the site with a new responsive interface that allows for fast, seamless navigation across your phone, tablet, laptop and desktop. Designed to be used while you’re on-the-go, finding news, reviews, features and recommendations now takes just a click, swipe or tap. We've also updated fonts, colour palettes, wayfinding icons and the CP identity to make your online experience as rich as possible.

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The best of the city on one big map

Locate your city’s best restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, shops and events in one spot. Explore the map and you’ll find new and noteworthy places and events loading as you move. Narrow your search to find the places and events that are open now, near you and popular — and we've flagged our favourites to bring you straight to the good stuff.

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Search the new Directory

Feel like a long lunch at a beachfront restaurant that’s nearby and open now? Find new restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, shops and events with this powerful new search tool. With a few simple clicks, we can pinpoint the perfect place for you. You’ll find the Directory in the menu bar on every page, so you’re never more than a click, swipe or tap away from your city’s most unique venues and happenings.

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Find events using the dynamic new Calendar

Feeling spontaneous, or do you prefer to plan ahead? Either way, our slick new event calendar will help you unearth the city's most hypeworthy new events, from pop-up shops and parties, to local fashion markets, temporary bars, special edition dinners, art openings and underground gigs. Just click the calendar button in the menu bar to launch your search, then get out there and experience the best culture the city has to offer.

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Make it yours with My Playground

Save and share your favourite CP picks and make plans with friends using the new My Playground feature, presented in partnership with James Squire. Registration is fast and free, and you’ll also be the first to know about upcoming Concrete Playground events, ticket giveaways and special offers.

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