Woollahra Festival 2011

Overview

Strung out like a bowstring between Oxford and Ocean Street, the main drag of Woollahra has a gentle vibe. Last year, though, it experimented with opening its quiet arms to more antic visits for the inaugural Woollahra Festival. This new festival mixed performance, food and some very literary talks to show off how much activity, and celebrity, you can squeeze happily into just a few suburban blocks. This year, it has returned with a familiar mix and some new ingredients, making a weekend in Woollahra a slicker proposition than the usual lure of lazy weekend breakfasting.

This year the mantle of roaming entertainment passes to the waterheads and touchable menageries from Erth. A want for words will be filled by war artists Wendy Sharpe and Lewis Miller, meeting the briefly Venitian Hany Armanious, discussions about privacy and a bevy of high profile public speakers. Some talks weave in and out of lunchtime, and interspersed between the dining words will be demos and classes from leading Sydney chefs. The Suara Indonesian Dance Group's limber choreography forms part of the musical action on Saturday, and Sunday the music continues on stage while Queen Street is closed and converted into a Village Green.

*Many talks are free, but all need to be booked in advance.

Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Woollahra Festival to give away two double passes to its Brave New Chefs sessions. To be in the running, check out our Facebook page the Friday before the festival.