Merivale Has Launched a Summer Program of Free Gigs, Half-Price Eats and Weekly Disco Parties

It's not like we need much more of an excuse than a couple of balmy, sun-drenched days to get out there and enjoy Sydney summer. But if you could use a little extra push, Merivale has it sorted. The hospitality heavyweight — behind venues like The Newport, Felix and Totti's — has launched a new initiative, called This Is Sydney, encouraging locals to head out and enjoy an extra tasty program of discos, free gigs and half-price food.

The free gigs will kick off, immediately, with The Preatures and Thandi Phoenix performing at Palings from 6–8pm tonight, Thursday, November 21. Other free shows to come will see Kira Piru play waterside at Pool Club and Brendan Maclean perform alongside a grand piano at Establishment.

All that dancing will likely leave you pretty peckish, so it's handy that Merivale is also offering a sweet 50-percent-off all bar snacks in all its CBD bars — available right now until the end of summer. Grab those half-price bites between 11pm and 12am from Tuesday to Saturday, at venues like Little Felix, Palmer & Co, Bar Topa, Pool Club, Charlie Parker's and the soon-to-launch Bar Totti's and Jimmy's Falafel.

Some of the discounted snacks you'll be able to dig into include $8 three-cheese toasties at Palmer & Co, $5 patatas bravas and $2.5 gildas skewers at Bar Topa, and $6 sweet potato hummas and $9 burrata at Charlie Parker's.

Little Felix by Nikki To

This Is Sydney will also see George Street's pint-sized 50-person Will & Co transformed into a miniature party for Disco Espresso, every Thursday and Friday afternoon. Roll by from 5pm each week for wines, beers and tap cocktails, served alongside a sparkly soundtrack from The Dollar Bin Darlings.

Melbourne's legendary LGBTQI+ party-starters Poof Doof have also jumped on board.They'll be dishing up a new weekly dance-heavy experience at Ivy, launching this Saturday, November 23. Expect a fierce festival of grooves descending on the venue's Courtyard, Terrace and Den each weekend, starring sounds from the likes of Sveta, James Alexandr and Charlie Villas.

All of this coincides quite nicely with the promised rolling back of the lockout laws in the CBD, which will supposedly happen before the year's out. So, you've got quite a few excuses to party, eat and drink around the city this summer.

This Is Sydney will run right through summer, with different offers and events at each Merivale venue.

Top images: Felix, Bar Topa by Nikki To and Ivy Pool Club.