Jurassic Lounge – February-April 2013

Overview

Event curators The Festivalists have a plan, it seems, to take over Sydney's nightlife. They've pulled off an excellent bar and daily program of free events at this year's Sydney Film Festival, taken their Possible Worlds film festival to increasingly immersive levels, and made Goat Island into a Battle Royale for World Movies Secret Cinema. But the jewel in their crown is Jurassic Lounge, one of the breakout hits of the 2011 after-hours scene, now returning for a fifth season from February 12 to April 16 in 2013.

Here's the formula: every Tuesday night, the Australian Museum is swamped with a thousand punters partaking in drinks, live music, games, and performance. The intelligently curated programs combine off-kilter stuff like slam poetry, alternative stand-up comedy, DJs from FBi Radio, palm reading, and storytelling from emerging writers.

The new season is kicking off with an anti-Valentine's Day spectacular that includes burlesque and tango lessons, matchmaking games, Date Roulette hosted by Michael Hing, and screenings of Green Porno, Isabella Rosellini's short film series about the sex lives of the animal kingdom. There'll be a Snake Party to coincide with Chinese New Year, and a Queer Culture Party during Mardi Gras. Expect the return of old favourites such as Dino Wars (the nerf-gun dinosaur shooting gallery, of course), retro arcade games, Silent Disco, dance-offs, and live reptile encounters, and you can also roam the Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures exhibition.

When it works, Jurassic Lounge is a trip to the other side. And at its worst, it's a very trendy singles night for over-educated under-30s frolicking amidst a Gondwanaland of dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and native maritime animals. Either way, it's pretty fun.