The Five Best Long Weekend Parties in Sydney

The Queen would want you to celebrate her birthday with flair. Here's how.

The Jake Stone Breakdance Spectacular

Unsurprisingly, the Vic Hotel is promising one of the Queen’s birthday’s biggest, longest and most energetic shindigs: the Jake Stone Breakdance Spectacular. Yes, it’s that Jake Stone, of Bluejuice and assorted fame, and he’s putting together an eight-hour-long affair. You’ll be treated to non-stop dance moves, a revolving program of special guest DJs, a smokehouse barbecue straight out of the United States of America, and beverages from the Batch Brewing Company, served in a beer shack in the car park.

Sunday, June 8 at 2pm. Free.

Strictly Vinyl

In Jack White’s eyes, “Vinyl is the real deal. I’ve always felt like, until you buy the vinyl record, you don’t really own the album. And it’s not just me or a little pet thing or some kind of retro romantic thing from the past. It is still alive.” a href="http://www.undrctrl.com">UNDR ctrl thinks so too. That’s why they’ll be ushering in the Queen’s Birthday in style, with Strictly Vinyl 002, the B-Side to the inaugural event, held at Easter. Crowds at The Cliff Dive, Darlinghurst, will be treated to six hours of vinyl spinning — not a CD, laptop, USB or touch screen in sight.

Sunday, June 8 from 9pm. Free.

The Norfolk's Puerto Rico Day Party

It’s time to brush up on your espanol and start memorising the lyrics to early '00s reggaeton, because The Norfolk are holding their Puerto Rico Day Party on Sunday, June 8. The Norfolk corner of Surry Hills will turn into a mini San Juan, where you can forget about the realities of Sydney’s winter and drink $5 copal tinnies, $10 pina coladas and bloody ricos and $15 gasolinas until your heart is content.

Sunday, June 8, from noon. Free entry.

No Good: Winter Festival

The new Sydney label/collective/party No Good have been killing it so far this year. Off the back of their monthly sessions comes the boutique festival No Good: Winter, the first in a series of quarterly events from the people who promise to bring you sounds you’ve never heard before — and all of them local. Bands, DJs, rappers and producers will come together for the full-day affair, headed up by Rainbow Chan and Maatzi. It's all happening this Queen's Birthday long weekend at the Petersham Bowling Club, and, contrary to the name, it’s a pretty good excuse to get down on a Sunday.

Sunday, June 8, from 12.30pm.

Colour3 at Vivid

We don't mean to alarm you, but Vivid ends this Monday. Make the most of the long weekend and get to all the light works you haven't seen throughout the CBD and Darling Harbour. Your pitstop is Colour 3, a pop-up by Finely Tuned (creators of SOH’s Garden Bar by the Corner House), who have transformed Martin Place into an illuminated culinary maze that’s part fairyland, part sci-fi cityscape. An array of Sydney’s favourite street food providers will be onsite — including Eat Art Truck, Agape Organic, Poklol, Jafe Jaffles, Woofys, Cantina Mobil, Bite Size Delights and Gelato Messina — and, for drinks of the alcoholic variety, Bondi’s Panama House.

Ends Monday, June 9.

By the Concrete Playground team.