Bodysnatchers is a young theatre company formed by playwright Mark Rogers and director Sanja Simic. Their latest show, Blood Pressure at the Old Fitz is an excellent domestic drama that incorporates some fascinating bioethical questions, from euthanasia to the legal status of dismembered body parts (it's finders keepers, in case you were wondering). Two adult brothers, Michael (Alexander Millwood) and Adam (Wade Briggs) meet up after a time apart on the evening of Michael's piano recital. Preparing to leave for the big night, younger brother Adam holds things up with his chronic illness. Susan Sontag's famous quote from Illness as Metaphor about our dual citizenship to the kingdom of the sick and the kingdom of the well is included in the program notes, and under Simic's detailed direction, this production articulates beautifully what those two kingdoms look like. Rogers has created a believable relationship between the brothers, who have the ability unique to siblings to adore and despise each other simultaneously. Millwood and Briggs bounce off each other well, particularly in the comic scenes, although Millwood seems to have some trouble executing the choppier parts of the text. The wider arguments that arise about organ donation and whether foreign tissue in a body can really influence personal tastes are interesting. But the debate about the nature of consciousness in which Adam reveals himself to be a materialist and Michael a more metaphysical type is unnecessary and thankfully brief. Their return to the business of being brothers is welcome. Theoretical arguments on stage are always inadequate because an essay could do it better. But where theatre triumphs is its capacity to move us. The emotional insight imparted by this play is that pathos is not a weak thing. Rogers has written a sick man who is good-humoured and practical, and Briggs embodies him with humility and grace. The only drawback of the piece is the ending. Because it is not well rooted in the preceding play, it doesn't resonate with the story thus far and impact as it should. Nevertheless, the spirit of this production is courageous and tender. Go and see this and then go home and write your living will, dictating the treatment you want when you enter the kingdom of the sick.
Across the last few months of 2021, and spilling into 2022, there'll be something strange happening in Australian cinemas. This'll be the case in places where big screens have still been showing new movies over the past few months, and also in Sydney and Melbourne when they're permitted to reopen following the two cities' respective (and long, and ongoing) lockdowns. The flicks that'll be playing? Many will be films we've been hearing about for a few years now because they were meant to release in 2020, and were then pushed back a few times due to the pandemic. But, there'll be something different going on Down Under, because a heap of these already-delayed movies have just been postponed again — only for Aussie viewers. Been waiting for No Time to Die, Dune, The French Dispatch, Halloween Kills and Ghostbusters: Afterlife? You'll now be waiting a bit longer. They're just some of the movies that've delayed their Aussie releases because cinemas in our two biggest cities have been closed due to lockdowns. Instead of hitting the silver screen in places around the country that are open, then perhaps being fast-tracked to digital — as In the Heights, The Suicide Squad and a range of other titles have lately — these movies have been pushed back nationwide to wait for projectors in Sydney and Melbourne to start whirring. So, if you like your spy movies shaken, not stirred, you'll now be holding out until November 11 to see the latest Bond flick. Fancy sand worms and seeing Timothée Chalamet follow in Kyle MacLachlan's footsteps? Mark December 2 in your diary for your date with Dune. Wes Anderson's suitably star-studded latest movie, The French Dispatch, will now arrive on December 11, while Michael Myers will get slashing again in Halloween Kills on October 28 (because this horror sequel was always going to stay in October, at least). And, wondering when there really will be something strange in your neighbourhood again? That'll come with Ghostbusters: Afterlife on January 1, 2022. Venom: Let There Be Carnage will also releasing later than expected, hitting on November 25 this year — and, like all of the above movies, it'll arrive locally after it releases in the US. So, you might see your social media feeds filled with chatter about flicks that you've been looking forward to, are out overseas, but haven't yet opened in Australia. Aussies will also be waiting longer to see a few films that haven't been pushed around for a year or so — movies that've only dropped their first trailers in past months — such as Malignant (October 21), The Many Saints of Newark (November 4), Last Night in Soho (November 18), The Last Duel (November 18), Dear Evan Hansen (December 9), House of Gucci (December 26), The Matrix Resurrections (January 1) and King Richard (January 18). There's also Zola, which'll now hit on November 18 after being delayed everywhere until 2021, releasing in the US midyear, then having its Australian debut pushed back. And, some long-delayed flicks have kept postponing their releases worldwide, too, such as the Spider-Man-related Morbius, featuring Jared Leto (January 20); The King's Man, the next instalment in the Kingsman franchise; and Top Gun: Maverick (May 26), because it doesn't feel the need for speed just yet. If you're living somewhere where picture palaces have been shut for months, you're probably just keen to see whatever you can whenever you're allowed — understandably. In Sydney, that's due to happen when New South Wales reaches the 70-percent fully vaxxed mark, which is expected in mid-October. In Melbourne, no timeframe has been given for reopening cinemas just yet, or easing out of lockdown in general; however the travel radius will expand to ten kilometres and outdoor exercise will be allowed for three hours once 70 percent of Victorians have had their first jabs. Of course, moving release dates around was a regular part of movie-going life before the pandemic, too. More often than not, big blockbuster titles had been hitting Aussie cinemas at the same time as overseas, though. New films are still releasing in cinemas Down Under each week at the moment, where they're open, and will continue to do so; however, you'll just be waiting longer for some movies, including a number of big-name flicks, in some instances. To check out the new releases screening in Australian cinemas each week, check out our weekly rundown, complete with reviews. Image: Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved
Faces. Faces and fields. They don't always spring straight to mind when you're talking about great art. But they're stomped all over the history of art, obsessed as it was with the human body and the unreal rustic idyll. These are also the ingredients of the Archibald, and Wynne prizes, about to go on show with the Sulman at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The Archibald entrants compete in portrait, the Wynne in landscapes, and the Sulman in paint both big and small. This collection of collections will judged by the non-artist Trustees and the general public, already having been judged by a benign autocracy of art storeman. This year's Archibald finalists include the stunning Klimt-like family portrait of previous winner Kathryn del Barton, a Love and Rockets-styled self portrait by Kate Beynon and Ben Quilty's fine-cut Margaret Olley. The exhibition also has a flm program, featuring Basiquat and The Lady Eve by epic O Brother Where Art Thou influence Preston Sturges. The weighty Archibald is orbited by satirical Bald Archies and more elevated Salon de Refuses exhibitions, too. So there's lots of fodder for you to indulge in an epic day of art, and of judging for yourself. Image: Nicholas Harding, Hugo at Home
UPDATE: DECEMBER 24, 2019 — Turns out muggles are quite keen on leaving their muggle lives behind for a few hours, because The Wizard's Cauldron sessions have been very popular. As such, the event will now continue into next year, until Sunday, January 12. After that, the bar will move onto Melbourne. In recent times, this fine country has seen Harry Potter brunches, dinners, movie marathons and trivia nights. And that's not to mention the Cursed Child mania that's happening down in Melbourne. But are you sick of it? No chance. If there's one thing we know, it's that the demand for Harry Potter will never die — and this latest pop-up, along with the fact that there is a seemingly endless stream of Harry Potter events to come, proves that. The next piece of mainstream Harry Potter fandom to hit Sydney this August will be the Wizard's Cauldron. Inspired by the experiences that the gang had in potions class — and hopefully avoiding the botched polyjuice potion episode — the pop-up bar will mix magic and mixology. That's to say, there will be cocktails. Probably with some dry ice and bubbling substances. It'll be sort of like a science class, except you'll wear robes and mix your drinks with a wand. And drink what you mix, of course. The 'experience' will take 90 minutes and will cost you $49. For that, you'll get a hot mug o' mead and help from a (probably) greasy-haired Potions Master to mix a potion or two for yourself. You may or may not have to take your O.W.L exam after. Either way, there'll be a cash bar so you can celebrate or commiserate your results for further drinks and snacks. The Wizard's Cauldron will run sessions on random days between August 28 and December 8. Session times vary from afternoon right through to 9pm.
Some film festivals whisk you away to far-off countries without leaving your cinema seat, or your home. Others expand your knowledge about the state of the world and what might be to come. Screening both in-person in Melbourne and online nationally from Friday, February 18–Sunday, March 13, Australia's annual Transitions Film Festival does both. And, after more than a decade of pondering the future of the planet, changing technologies and our evolving world, this film fest is showing no signs of stopping — with more than 20 titles on its 2022 lineup. Mostly, you'll be diving into docos, but German drama Ecocide takes a different route, putting world leaders on trial in 2034 for their inaction to combat climate change in our present. Other highlights include A.rtificial I.mmortality, about a life that might extend beyond our bodies; 70/30, following a quest in Denmark to reduce greenhouse gases by 70 percent by 2030; First We Eat, where filmmaker Suzanne Crocker bans grocery shopping for a year; Mountains of Plastic, where plastic pollution still finds its way to some of the earth's most isolated regions. Or, because the list goes on, there's also a movie-length economics lesson via Hot Money; Dear Future Children, about the new generation of global protesters; Forest for the Trees, which focuses on community of 100 tree planters; and Dream On, Yearning For Change, where five people endeavour to make the world better in their own ways. Top image: Dream On, Yearning For Change.
Want to be whisked away to another, more fantastic realm? Le Salon Dada is all your surrealist dreams come true. Taking over French restaurant Claire's Kitchen every Sunday, the three-hour dinner-and-show experience promises unpredictable performances and art, plus canapes, heady cocktails and a five-course feast. Best of all? We're giving you the chance to go to this eccentric night out for free. Should you get your mitts on this lavish prize, you and your date will be heading to Le Salon Dada on Sunday, December 15, where you'll be greeted with a cocktail and some snacks. Then, expect a playful French feast, with each course inspired by a famous piece of art, from Dali's Mae West Lips Sofa to René Magritte's The Son of Man. In between dishes, you'll be transported into an alternative world, inspired by the over-the-top costume parties of the Rothschilds in the 70s as well as the art of Dali, Miro, Duchamp and Magritte. There'll be a mixture of circus, cabaret, deviant art and bizarre theatrics, so don't expect to get bored at this dinner party. And, if you're not lucky enough to win tickets, fret not. As a loyal Concrete Playground reader, you'll get $30 off your first Le Salon Dada visit. If you're keen to book for Sunday, December 1 head here. Or, if you want to go on Sunday, December 15, book here. To be in the running, enter your details below. [competition]750414[/competition]
Parramatta locals have scored a brand-new Japanese joint — and it's harbouring major culinary talent. Inside the suburb's long-standing Heritage Lounge precinct you'll now find an elegant Japanese restaurant called Oribu. This sleek addition to Church Street aims to redefine perceptions of Japanese cuisine in the area by offering a lavish dining experience. It also boasts top-notch hospitality talent with Head Chef Harry Cho (ex-Nobu) leading the charge. Chef Cho brings his Korean and Japanese roots, decades of expertise and technical precision to an impressive food offering. Peruse the menu and you'll find highlights like popcorn prawns paired with creamy spicy sauce and a splash of yuzu juice; lamb cutlets with saikyo miso, custard crumbs and grilled cherry tomatoes; and a selection of premium caviar if you're ready to splurge. Each dish is plated with the thought and detail of a minor work of art. "Shaped by the precision and discipline instilled during my military years, Oribu is more than a culinary venture; it's a testament to my story of service to the delicate artistry of cuisine," said Chef Cho. "It's also an opportunity to create something truly special that the community can proudly call its own." Oribu's sophisticated fit-out features black interiors with flashes of greenery, including a humble tree situated at the centre of its dining area. Its moody ambience creates an atmosphere fit for a celebratory dinner or an intimate date night. You'll find Oribu at 215 Church St in Parramatta, open from 5pm–10pm Wednesday–Sunday. Head to the Heritage Lounge website to make a booking.
Today marks the last day of Dark Mofo and, for those of us on the mainland, this means today is the last day our social media news feeds are bombarded with Tasmanian whimsy. Over the past few days you may have asked yourself what this congregation of lights and bearded men actually is. You may have wondered what kind of wizardry has conjured all this neon and Hogwarts-esque feasting, and how you can become a part of it. Well, we've scoured our Instagram feeds and compiled a handy outsiders' guide for you. Organisers may declare the festival a celebration of "large-scale art, food, music, light and noise," but we feel it's best summed up by the following. Here's what went down at Dark Mofo 2014: People spent their time washing ice This was probably the most confusing thing that's popped up in your feed over the past few days. In an act of — let's face it — supreme futility, Mofo-goers have been caught this year scrubbing a large tower of ice (although we guarantee they didn't keep it up for long once the photo had been uploaded). Watching this ice slowly, slowly erode into separate smaller blocks has been like a deeply unsatisfying game of Tetris played in reverse. Explanation: It's actually an artwork by Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen. After freezing water from the Derwent River, Xiuzhen asked festival patrons to scrub the dirty water clean. It's a symbolic act that she terms an artist's solution to pollution. This radioactive bunny made its way down from Sydney Tasmania has stolen Sydney's giant neon bunny rabbit! How rude. You probably recognise this critter from your jaunts down to Vivid Sydney earlier this month. It's the kind of thing that definitely sticks in your mind (and your Instagram feed, for that matter). Because of this, Sydney-siders really can't be too jealous of its presence at Dark Mofo. But, for everyone else across the country, this is the holy grail of public art and the number one cause of jealousy. I maintain that if I got one hug from this amazing bringer of joy, at least half the problems in my life would be solved. Explanation: The bunny is the work of Tassie artist (and Sydney expat) Amanda Parer. We can neither confirm nor deny that it's radioactive, but we can say that it's maybe the greatest thing we've seen for awhile. There was a cat shooting laser beams from its eyes We can't even. This needs all of the explanations. Explanation: Disappointingly, we can't find out much about this little treasure. From the almighty power of hashtags we can deduct it has something to do with Dj Kiti playing at the festival club Faux Mo on Saturday night. We don't know how big the cat was. We don't know how strong its powers are. We don't know what it wants from us. We do however know that it's maybe the most mesmerising thing we've seen since Hypnotoad and we feel strangely compelled to obey it. If you know more, please get in touch! It's a good place to be if you like to feast From all the photos of mood-lit dining halls and opulent dinners, we can only reasonably deduct that Dumbledore and/or representatives from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have made their way to Tasmania. Sure, there are no ghosts flying around, but the twigs cascading from the ceiling do look suspiciously like broomsticks and the feast speaks for itself. Explanation: This is more or less right. The Winter Feast is one of the hallmarks of the festival and consists of a "three-night Bacchanalian banquet of feasting and fire, drinking and celebration, music and performance". Apparently there were some problems with capacity this year, but with the amazing spread on offer it's easy to understand why. Everyone got naked for some reason It's a strange thing to wake up to as you check your phone, but this morning we were treated to the sight of hundreds of bums along a beautiful beach at sunrise. Accompanying them (on what looked like a freezing morning) were a couple of old men in beanies shooting orange smoke into the air because, hell, why not? Explanation: This nude run into the water was in fact to commemorate the winter solstice. It's an annual event at Dark Mofo that's now in its second year. And, despite the unpleasant temperature, this year saw 700 people get on board! We're going next year Confusing art, giant animals, laser beams, opulent feasts, and reckless nudity — why is it that we don't live in Hobart, again? Photo credits in order of appearance: jackjesta, melfiddles, angela__g, katesaunders002, chdaku, rosiehastie.
As any Sydney seafood aficionado should know by now, The Morrison has a constant focus on the not-so-humble oyster. But in August, when the month-long Oyster Festival takes over, that focus turns into an overwhelming obsession. From Tuesday, August 1 through to Thursday, August 31, the Sydney bar will become a shucking shrine to the freshest oysters around, which will be delivered daily. One of the major drawcards is Oyster Hour. Between 6pm and 7pm every single day, you'll be able to eat as many oysters as you can handle at just $1 a pop. Throughout the month, Head Chef Sean Connolly will be conjuring up his favourite oyster dishes, from carpetbag steak, chowder and omelettes to southern fried oyster tacos and a beer battered variety. Plus, there'll be special bevs — like oyster shooters, paired cocktails and Champagne (of course) — as well as masterclasses aplenty for those really looking to further their oyster knowledge. What's the ideal number of times to chew an oyster? Brush up on your knowledge of the mollusc with our Bluffer's Guide to Oysters.
For the past few months, the New South Wales Government has been handing out $25 food and entertainment vouchers as part of its Dine & Discover program. The scheme aims to get the state's residents out of the house and patronising both hospitality businesses and cultural institutions, with four vouchers available to everyone in NSW over the age of 18 — two $25 vouchers to use at restaurants, cafes, clubs and other food venues, and another two $25 vouchers specifically for performing arts, cinemas, amusement parks and the like. After rolling out the scheme statewide from mid-March, Dine & Discover was meant to come to an end on Wednesday, June 30, which gave folks in NSW more than three months to use their vouchers. But with the deadline just a few weeks away, the State Government has announced that it is extending the program for another month — to give NSW residents even more time to apply and then head out. Haven't used any of your vouchers yet? Still have a couple left to redeem? Haven't registered? Either way, you now have until Saturday, July 31. That's the big change — however, you can also now redeem both types of vouchers seven days a week, including on public holidays. The vouchers can be used at a hefty number of participating COVID-safe registered businesses, with the full list available on the Service NSW website. You still can't use them on tobacco, alcohol or gambling, though — and you can only use each voucher once, including if your transaction totals less than $25. You'll also need to use all of your vouchers separately, actually, because the idea is to get NSW folks heading out several times to several different places. And, they have to be redeemed in-person while you're spending time out of the house. No, that doesn't cover takeaway. [caption id="attachment_779831" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] To access the vouchers, you'll need a MyServiceNSW account — and the corresponding Service NSW app, so you can use the vouchers digitally. Wondering where to visit once you've registered? We've put together a rundown of deals that'll help you get the most out of your vouchers. The Dine & Discover program was announced as part of the NSW Government's State Budget 2020–21 in a bid to help NSW's hospitality and entertainment businesses, which have had a rough run during COVID-19. Originally called Out and About, the program is designed to encourage folks to head out of the house, have a meal, and see a movie or show. And, to do so on multiple occasions. The NSW Government's Dine & Discover scheme will now run until Saturday, July 31. For more information, visit the government's website. Top image: Kitti Gould
Like the rest of 2020, New Year's Eve is going to be a little different this year. Well, significantly different. In a bid to contain the northern beaches outbreak, and a new Croydon park cluster, new restrictions have been implemented in Greater Sydney for the final night of the year. For New Year's Eve, Greater Sydney has been broken into five areas: the northern part of the northern beaches; the southern part of the northern beaches; a green zone, which encompasses the main fireworks vantage points in the CBD and North Sydney; a yellow zone, which encompasses more of North Sydney and the CBD; and the rest of Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast. Depending on what zone you're in, you're allowed to do different things. Here, we've broken down exactly how you can watch the fireworks and catch up with friends. HOW CAN I WATCH THE FIREWORKS? All residents of Greater Sydney are encouraged to watch the seven-minute midnight fireworks display on TV, where it will be live streamed on ABC. "My strong message to everyone in Greater Sydney this year is to watch the fireworks on TV," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement. If you're in either of the northern beaches zones, which are both under stay-at-home orders, you'll have no choice but to watch them from home. For the rest of Greater Sydney, those who'd like to go out can watch the fireworks from the designated green zones along the harbour foreshore in Circular Quay and North Sydney (shown in the map below) — but only if you have a permit. You can only get one of these permits if you are a resident of the green zone, are visiting a resident in the green zone or have a reservation at a bar, hotel or restaurant in the green zone. You can apply for a permit over at Service NSW. North Sydney Council has announced that no businesses within the green zone will be open on NYE. You don't need a permit to visit the yellow zone, but the NSW Government has warned that "people gathering in these areas in large numbers may be moved on by police". That said, many councils, including North Sydney, City of Sydney and the Inner West, have closed parks along the foreshore — both inside and outside the yellow and green zones. CAN I HAVE PEOPLE OVER TO MY HOUSE? Yes, but only five. For all of Greater Sydney — including the northern and southern northern beaches zones — you are allowed five visitors in your home (including children and adults) per day. This new limit is down from the previously announced ten for Greater Sydney and the southern part of the northern beaches and will remain in place "until further notice". If you are in the northern beaches, however, you must stay in your zone. So, you can't have visitors from the other northern beaches zone or from other parts of Greater Sydney. You can check out a map of the two zones below. Those located in the remainder of NSW can have up to 50 people in their homes. CAN I CATCH UP WITH PEOPLE OUTDOORS? Yes, but there are different numbers depending whereabouts in the city you are. Those in the northern half of the northern beaches, can have gatherings of up to five people outside, while those in the south can have gatherings of up to ten. Once again, you cannot leave your zone, so outdoor gatherings can only be with people from your area. A reminder here that under the stay-at-home orders, northern beaches residents can leave there homes for four reasons: shop for food or other goods and services; travel for work or education, where you cannot work or learn from home; to get medical care or supplies, or to fulfil carer's responsibilities; and for exercise and outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation includes picnics, golf, tennis, swimming, boating, jet-skiing, fishing and paddle boarding. You can find a full list here. For the rest of Greater Sydney, outdoor gatherings of 30 people are allowed, at places like public parks, reserves, beaches, public gardens and spaces. But, keep in mind, to reduce the risk of large gatherings, some councils have closed certain parks and beaches — including North Sydney, City of Sydney and the Inner West. If you're located in regional NSW — outside of Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong — outdoor public gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed. ARE THERE ANY TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE TO HARBOURSIDE EVENTS? Surprisingly, there are. You can enjoy the fireworks side-by-side with giraffes at the Taronga Zoo's New Year's Eve celebrations, with panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, live entertainment and a visit to see the animals. Some harbourside restaurants still have reservations available, too, including Bar Ombre, which is pairing the fireworks with a five-course Italian feast and free-flowing booze; and Sydney Tower's Bar 83, where you can watch the lights from 83 levels up. O Bar also hosting a sky-high NYE event — and reservations are still available. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW and current restrictions, head to NSW Health.
It's true of every great arts festival lineup: pick three highlights from the program at random and a clear snapshot of the event's diverse array of experiences emerges. For a trio of picks from Sydney Festival's just-announced 2025 bill that does exactly that, turning the Harbour City's Town Hall into the wild west, exploring a true-crime case in an IRL courthouse, then getting Avatar, Titanic, The Terminator and Aliens filmmaker James Cameron chatting about shipwrecks all paint a clear picture. As it has done for 49 years now, this fest adores having something for everyone on offer. Just two years after Sydney Town Hall became an indoor beach complete with 26 tonnes of sand for the festival, the venue will transform into a pioneer settlement for Dark Noon, which builds its setting in real time as the audience watches on. A hit at Edinburgh Fringe, playing Australia exclusive to Sydney Festival and heading Down Under after a run in New York, the production from Danish director Tue Biering explores the power dynamics, race relations and colonial impacts inherent in its chosen chapter of history, all by subverting the wild west tropes established by cinema over the years — and with a South African cast. [caption id="attachment_977489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Teddy Wolff[/caption] Also a standout on the full program, which'll pack Sydney with more than 130 shows and events from Saturday, January 4–Sunday, January 26, 2025: A Model Murder at the Darlinghurst Courthouse. Playwright Melanie Tait (The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race) and director Sheridan Harbridge (44 Sex Acts in One Week) aren't just recreating model Shirley Beiger's trial for shooting her cheating boyfriend — they're staging it at the same spot where it took place seven decades ago. For something completely different, one of the biggest names in blockbuster cinema is also on the Sydney Festival lineup, with James Cameron's experience in the water — including diving to earth's deepest point — the topic of conversation on the talks section of the bill. Or, still thinking about the sea, a giant whale is popping up in Bondi, courtesy of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. The fest's 23-day run has a date with 43 different locations around town, ensuring that every corner of Sydney gets in on the action. One such location: Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, where The Thirsty Mile is returning as a hub featuring much to see by day and night. Think: free live music across 12 evenings, yoga classes, a heap of productions, public art and, for a beverage, the Moonshine Bar, where artist Telly Tuita is decking out the joint — as he's also doing with the SS John Oxley and via ten-room 'Tongpop' installation Colour Maze. Blak Out joins the favourites making a comeback, this time with Sydney Festival's Creative Artist in Residence Jake Nash curating the program. With Barangaroo Reserve as its base, this pivotal part of the fest includes Belvoir Theatre's Jacky, album launches for DOBBY and Radical Son, a woven canopy that'll host conversations, a celebration of Redfern's 70s-era National Black Theatre and more. [caption id="attachment_977492" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tashi Hall[/caption] From there, the world premiere of Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, Sophocles' Antigone reimagined on the edge of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and a twist on Shakespeare via Cliff Cardinal's As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement should get your eyes glued to the stage. Also in the same category: Back to Back Theatre's Multiple Bad Things at Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia taking on Cendrillon (Cinderella), Christie Whelan Browne exploring her childhood. First Nations drag performer Miss Ellaneous honouring a simply-the-best icon with Tina — A Tropical Love Story and Greek mythology-inspired dance piece AFTERWORLD. Elsewhere on the bill, Rufus Wainwright is heading to town, William Yang's Milestone marks his 80th birthday, Katie Noonan is paying tribute to Jeff Buckley's Grace for its 30th anniversary, Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden is hosting five gigs, the Future Frequencies bill is all about music up and comers such as Yaya Bey and Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, Sydney Symphony Under the Stars is back and audiences can take part in interactive dance piece Cowboy. [caption id="attachment_977485" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dahlia Katz[/caption] "Sydney Festival has long held summer's cultural pulse and this year is quite the heartbeat. Stories of Oceania, destiny and what we leave behind through to bold explorations of utopia and dystopia, Sydney Festival 2025 promises an exhilarating and thought-provoking journey through the arts with exceptional talent at the reins," said Festival Director Olivia Ansell, announcing her fourth — and final — program. "This January, immerse yourself in a summer of unforgettable performances, groundbreaking new works, and exclusive experiences that reimagine the world around us." There's clearly a wealth of reasons to head along, whether you're a Sydneysider making the most of your own town or you're planning an interstate trip to kick off 2025 — and the fact that the fest is also doing $49 early-bird tickets across the entire program until early December is yet another. [caption id="attachment_977488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Lindberg[/caption] [caption id="attachment_977486" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jeff Busby[/caption] [caption id="attachment_977487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bill Cooper / Royal Opera House / ArenaPAL[/caption] Sydney Festival 2025 runs from Saturday, January 4–Sunday, January 26 at venues across the city. For further details and to buy tickets from 9am AEDT on Wednesday, October 30, visit the Sydney Festival website.
This year has been one of the most challenging faced by Sydney's hospitality industry in decades, eclipsing even the turbulent and uncertain periods during the COVID-19 shutdowns and the gruelling months of trading restrictions that followed. The industry has been rocked by a drastic downturn in revenue driven by a number of factors, but chiefly the soaring cost of living, which has forced many consumers to give up dining out regularly. Josh and Julie Niland, the hospitality heavyweights behind celebrated low-to-no waste seafood venues including Saint Peter and Fish Butchery, have already lost two venues to the closure crisis: the OG Fish Butchery in Paddington and their fast-casual concept Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay, which both closed in April. Now, another Niland restaurant has been forced to close permanently. [caption id="attachment_983665" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Petermen[/caption] Petermen, which opened in St Leonards on the North Shore in February of 2023, will serve its last service on Sunday, December 15. In a statement, Josh and Julie Niland cited the challenging economic conditions hammering the hospitality sector as the main reason for shuttering the business. "Our time on Chandos St, St Leonards, has brought a lot of joy to us and our team, and we have welcomed the most incredible guests. However, the past 12 months have been extremely challenging for independent businesses within the hospitality industry." the statement reads. [caption id="attachment_826356" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay[/caption] "Sadly, Julie and I have had to make the decision to close Petermen. Our last day of trading will be Sunday, December 15. We wish to thank the local community for all their support. We are incredibly grateful to our team, who will continue with us at Saint Peter and Fish Butchery. A big thanks to our suppliers, incredible guests, and everyone who has assisted in making Petermen a special restaurant to dine in." While this is no doubt a disappointing outcome for the Nilands, 2024 hasn't been all bad for these leading lights of Australian dining. In August, the couple's flagship restaurant, Saint Peter, relocated to The Grand National Hotel, expanding its dining room substantially. In November, the pair also announced the opening of a new restaurant at the new luxury Hamilton Island resort The Sundays, expanding the Niland's Australian footprint beyond NSW for the first time. [caption id="attachment_739656" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fish Butchery. Image by Cody Duncan[/caption] Petermen will open for its last service on Sunday, December 15. For more details and to make a booking, visit the Petermen website.
After collaborating with The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, nabbing a Coachella spot and spinning her way to international success over the past year, Sydney's Alison Wonderland is embarking on her second tour of industrial warehouse parties. Wonderland Warehouse Project 2.0 is set to hit the road nationwide from late May, the highly anticipated sequel to her wildly successful 2014 tour of the same name. Armed with a fresh set of tracks from debut album RUN, Wonderland will be popping up in secret locations across the country for what's pinned to be some seriously huge shows. Bringing electronica out of the clubs and into a string of mystery warehouses, this powerhouse Sydney DJ is going to run some rather unconventional, mega-scale dancefloors. Set to make her first appearance at Coachella in the States in April, off the back of casually working with Wayne Coyne for her latest record, Wonderland appears to have quite the 2015 in store. After last year's sell-out tour, get in quick to secure your spot at these epic warehouse shindigs. Tickets are only $40-45, so they sell quicker than you can fall down a rabbit hole. WONDERLAND WAREHOUSE PROJECT 2.0 DATES Brisbane — Friday May 22 Melbourne — Saturday May 30 Sydney — Saturday June 6 For tickets and more info, head to wonderlandwarehouseproject.com.
In 2022, Sydneysiders were hit with a devastating development: the closure of longtime Enmore Road favourite Stanbuli. With that sad news, however, came the exciting announcement that beloved chef Ibrahim Kasif would be at the helm of a new venue, a wine bar and manoush restaurant that NOMAD Group had first announced back in 2021. Beau is a multi-faceted 100-seat venue divided into two sections. The first, Beau & Dough, opens its doors on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills on Tuesday, February 7, while Beau Bar will officially launch on February 24. Open from 7am till late seven days a week, Beau & Dough is all about manoush all day every day. Kasif has created a menu that champions this form of Lebanese flatbread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you arrive in the morning, pair a carby treat in the form of a breakfast manoush with a cup of joe made using Beau's signature house blend of Single O coffee. "I can't wait to see people walking down the street with a manoush in their hands," says Kasif. When lunchtime rolls around, you can still opt for flatbread, topped with the likes of za'atar and cheese, spicy lamb, or sujuk and egg. Alternatively, you can dive further into the all-day offerings, which is where you'll find a crumbed blue-eye trevalla burger topped with yoghurt and tahini remoulade, achiote-spiced spatchcock, twice-cooked lamb neck and a Middle Eastern-style chopped salad. "Beau has your whole day sorted, from manoush to go, a sit-down breakfast or lunch in the laneway, or dinner and a glass of wine from our expansive and ever-changing list that focuses on unique and interesting Australian wines," NOMAD Group co-owner Rebecca Yazbek says. Once Beau Bar swings its doors open, you can expect an impressive 300-strong vino list offering different varieties and price points, plus a more lavish selection of eats featuring chilled seafood platters, lobster thermidor, flank steak, and an ox tongue bun with Moreton Bay bug and Russian sauce. Beau will be located just down the road from NOMAD. The manoush restaurant is housed in a bright sunlit street-level building, while the wine bar will have a more secluded, moody atmosphere, with private use of Fracks Lane which connects Reservoir Street to NOMAD's Foster Street. The opening of the Beau Bar will, in fact, reinstate the laneway for the first time in a century. Find Beau at 52 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills. Beau & Dough is open 7am–late seven days a week from Tuesday, February 7. Beau Bar will open on Friday, February 24 and will be open from midday for lunch and 5pm for dinner seven days a week.
Another historic Sydney boozer has been given the makeover treatment. With more than 140 years under its belt, Surry Hills' Keg & Brew Hotel reopens its doors this week, launching into the sunny season with a brand-new look (and rooftop) courtesy of a $10 million revamp. At the hands of owners The Good Beer Company (who also own Paddo's Four In Hand Hotel, Randwick's Duke of Gloucester (DOG) Hotel and The Commodore Hotel on the lower north shore), the former Foveaux Street terrace house has copped a complete overhaul, however a few heritage touches and its historic facade kept intact. It's the second time the group has renovated the venue, having also given it a spruce when it took over the pub in 2014. Head in from today — Thursday, October 3 — and you'll be first met by the ground floor public bar, which still has a solid pub menu of burgers, parmas and steaks, and over 30 taps with rotating craft and mainstream beers. Another 20 beer taps feature throughout the rest of the pub. One level up, the former guest rooms have been transformed into a new 70-seat restaurant and second bar (which will open next month), while above that lies a series of function spaces with room for up to 120 punters. [caption id="attachment_744424" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The new rooftop.[/caption] But perhaps the biggest pull for the impending summer months is the Keg & Brew's new openair rooftop, which not only has its own bar and pizza oven, but some ripper city views, too. Surprisingly, Surry Hills doesn't have too many rooftop bars — save the ones at The Dolphin and The Horse — so we're sure this will become a go-to for cocktail jugs on balmy days and nights to come. This is the second The Keg & Brew is just the latest in a string of recent big-dollar pub revamps in Sydney. Lower north shore gem The Oaks is reopening this month following an ambitious top-to-bottom makeover and in Erskineville, the pub formerly known as The Swanson was recently reincarnated as The Kurrajong. The new-look Keg & Brew Hotel is now open at 26 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills from 10am each day.
Before Michael Crichton conjured up an island theme park filled with cloned dinosaurs as seen in Jurassic Park, he took audiences to a different but just as eerie attraction. The year was 1973. The film was Westworld. And it was not only written by the author, but it was also directed by him as well. That's where HBO's futuristic show of the same name starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Liam Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Aaron Paul first started. Yes, life really does find a way. Series creators Jonathan Nolan (brother of Christopher Nolan) and Lisa Joy have taken the central idea and expanded it, though, as Westworld's first three gripping TV seasons have shown since 2016. When it comes to tales about a technologically advanced amusement park where people pay to experience Wild West times, and where androids play the park's roles but don't realise that they aren't human, there are oh-so-many stories to tell, after all.
Some TV shows start with a wild and wonderful premise, such as strange things happening in a small town, teenage girls fighting to survive in the wilderness and solving mysteries across America because you're a human lie detector. Others stick with everyday scenarios, which is what Beef has chosen. So, if you've ever been involved in a road-rage incident, or witnessed one — if you've ever held a grudge against a stranger for a petty reason, too — you'll instantly empathise with this newcomer's concept. In the ten-episode Netflix and A24 dramedy — which marks the latest show from A24 after everything from Ramy and Euphoria to Mo and Irma Vep — Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong, Paper Girls) get in a fender bender, and neither handles it well. Cue a feud that they can't shake, infiltrating their lives and relationships. If their quest for revenge each other just fizzled out, there obviously wouldn't be a series. Part of Beef's ongoing beef stems from a comedy staple: putting opposites together and seeing what springs. Danny is struggling as a contractor and isn't happy about it, while Amy lives a seemingly idyllic life thanks to her success as an entrepreneur. They both share a need to get back at each other, though, as the just-dropped first trailer for the show makes clear. The series premiered at this year's SXSW — the OG version in the US, not Sydney's offshoot to come later in 2023 — before plunging streaming viewers into its faceoff on Netflix from Thursday, April 6. Yeun and Wong also executive produce, while Beef hails from creator and showrunner Lee Sung Jin (a veteran of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dave and Silicon Valley). On-screen, as well as Minari Oscar-nominee Yeun and Always Be My Maybe's Wong, the series features Joseph Lee (Searching), Young Mazino (Prodigal Son), David Choe (The Mandalorian) and Patti Yasutake (Pretty Little Liars) — plus Maria Bello (NCIS), Ashley Park (Girls5eva), Justin H Min (After Yang), Mia Serafino (iCarly) and Remy Holt (The Afterparty). Check out the trailer for Beef below: Beef streams via Netflix from Thursday, April 6. Images: Netflix.
The Opera Centre is essentially the operations headquarters for Sydney's world-class opera scene. Setting foot inside is entering another world — all manner of artisan crafts and trades are on display here. The creation of an opera employs professionals from many different areas. You've got milliners (hat makers), wig makers, carpenters, scenic designers, cobblers and costumiers setting the scene. Then there are the performers and trainers — choreographers, language coaches, musicians, stage managers, conductors and singers — who all coming together to produce a live, visually and audibly spectacular production. For a crash course in all things opera, The Opera Centre offers guided tours of their workshops and rehearsal studios so you can get an intimate look at all that goes into putting a show on the big stage. Tours run every weekday at 10am and 2pm for groups of two and up to 40 people. It's recommended you book two weeks in advance so a knowledgeable guide can be assigned to your group.
Whether you've actually feasted at a bountiful Thanksgiving table surrounded by your friends, or the experience exclusively lives in holiday-themed American rom coms, we're all familiar with the setting: warm lighting, roast turkey at centre of table, overflowing bowls of accompanying dishes. It's a feast that the team at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar know well — and are offering for the first time this year in its luxe Barangaroo digs. On Thursday, November 24, the New Orleans-inspired venue is hosting an exclusive Thanksgiving Feast. Holding the spotlight to all the Americana classics, there will be mac 'n' cheese, devilled eggs and charred corn, as well as pillow-soft potato bread and Brussels sprouts topped with maple bacon. The main attraction? A barbecued turkey, Creole style, that's been smoked in-house. The feast is $130 per person, and you'll have to find room for both a slice of pumpkin pie and bite of choc-chip snickerdoodle. You'll also have your pick from the spot's vast whiskey bar and drinks list, as well as the option to sip two cocktails that are pouring for November only: the Southern Belle Spritz (a fizzy flute that's an optimal way to start your Thanksgiving celebration) and the Banana Ballroom (a dark, sweet sip that's a stand-out finisher). Can't make it on the 24th? Head in any time throughout November to taste the bespoke cocktails and pumpkin pie. Book in to the Thanksgiving Feast at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar on Thursday, November 24, via the website.
To feel perplexed is to feel completely baffled by something complicated or unaccountable. Aptly titled, Perplex, is a fantastically absurdist German play by Marius von Mayenburg that delves into all the bourgeois contemporary problems a Sydney Theatre Company audience could ask for. Paying bills, dealing with stifling relationships, exploring sexuality, quitting work, renting holiday apartments, employing au pairs and cleaning ladies, being a bit racist and dealing with weird friends at parties is all subject matter ripe for farcical unpicking, and Mayenburg digs in with no holds barred. Directed deftly by Sarah Giles (Mrs Warren's Profession), this is theatre beyond theatre — a highly self-conscious meta work with existentialist philosophy centre stage, wreaking havoc for the four actors and dishing out humour as if it were going out of style. It's a laugh a minute. Nobody and nowhere is what you thought it was, is or will be. Is anything even here or there or anywhere at all? The performances, particularly Andrea Demetriades' realness (even in an outrageous volcano costume) are a highlight. Glenn Hazeldine is also hilarious as a tantrum-throwing 11-year-old-turned-Nazi. The hour and a half is packed with good old-fashioned slapstick, full frontal nudity, fancy dress costumes, a mysterious smell and an unopened package. The setting is a simply furnished apartment living room, which serves as a generic background for the overlapping scenes. The actors keep their same names throughout, though slip into different characters and situations at the seemingly skittish whim of the writer. One character is often left momentarily in the previous scene, a sort of glitch that incites confused questions of identity and truth before he or she adapts to the new truths insisted upon by the newly transformed characters. Tiny fragments — from props to phrases — are woven through the work, another tactic to prompt the residual feeling that everything is, in the end, all the same as everything else. By and large, the writing is intelligent, quick-paced and unpredictable. At its best, the dialogue is sharp and minimal. But this drops off towards the end as the fourth wall breaks down and the actors descend into long, heavy-handed existential musings that kill off a bit of the charm and slow it down. It's saved again though, by the sheer weirdness of the ending. And after all that, you can't help but laugh. Image by Lisa Tomasetti.
Blooming gardens, citrus fruits and delicious local food and wine are on the lineup of the annual Griffith Spring Fest. Headlining the event — which will run between Sunday, 8 October and Sunday, 22 October — is the Garden Festival where green thumbs can wander through six delightful landscaped sites, created and nurtured by local gardeners. If you can make it to the official launch party on Friday 13 October, we highly recommend you do. If for no reason other than to tuck into the super-sized communal paella that will be whipped up on the day (it's served in a very covid-safe and hygienic way, just in case you had concerns). Other standout activations include over 50 unique citrus sculptures which will line Banna Avenue for two weeks. Made from more than 100,000 locally grown oranges and grapefruit, these displays are proof that when life gives you lemons in Griffith, you transform them into robots, reclining chooks or a giant giraffe. Go old-school and join a guided bus tour, or DIY and discover the best that Griffith has to offer all by yourself. The only non-negotiable is that you squeeze the day. (Sorry). Griffith Spring Fest will run from Sunday, 8 October till Sunday, 22 October 2023. For the full event program visit their website.
Cheese cubes, cabanossi, crackers, a couple of dips and some packets of chips emptied into plastic bowls — it was the food table spread at many the Aussie gathering when we were younger. Nowadays, events of all kinds — weddings, backyard barbecues, baby showers and even kids parties — opt for a more elegant snack setup: the grazing table. And if you're ready to wade into the waters of designing your very own aesthetically pleasing grazing table, board or platter for an upcoming do, then Panetta Mercato is where to shop. The Marrickville Metro store, which is primarily a grocer, has a pretty epic deli setup that is chockers with imported cheeses, cured meats, olives, sundried tomatoes and more. Not confident enough to build your own yet? You can order a ready-made platter from the deli instead. Elsewhere in the store, you'll find meat, gelato, pantry staples, dips and more. Panetta Mercato has also outposts in Leichhardt, Baulkham Hills, Kirrawee and Macquarie Centre. Plus, it has set boxes packed with fresh produce and other essentials starting from just $15 available for delivery from its website.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said that "a bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking". Gleebooks on Glebe Point Road, the original of a small forty-year franchise with stores also in Dulwich Hill and Blackheath, captures the serious and delightful business of buying a new book in a elegant well-tended store. It's right next door to second-hand book shop Sappho, so visit back-to-back. Apart from selling books, Gleebooks also holds various talks, events and book launches which take place in an upstairs room. Forget "that new car smell", it's the scent of freshly printed pages that truly piques your interest. Images: Kieran Gilfeather
A Smart Dollar shop on Marrickville Road has been reimagined as a retro pub by a team of hospitality veterans. The Marrickville Hotel boasts an old-school Aussie pub vibe, and was created by some of the people behind Arcadia Liquors, Redfern Continental, GDR and Ron's Upstairs — namely Pascale Crouche-McDonald, John Archinal, Kim Fasher and David Jank — all of whom live in Marrickville. It's a pub by locals, for locals. The pub's fit-out is laid-back and a little eclectic — exactly what you'd expect from a classic Aussie pub. There's space for big groups, casual dates or solo drinks at the bar, and the outdoor courtyard is ready to go for the summer. It even features a shiny new disco ball for upcoming party nights. Elsewhere, you'll spot a large photo of a young Anthony Albanese, now Leader of the Opposition, knick-knacks and fairy lights behind the bar, and a painted slogan proclaiming "Marrickville — The Greatest Country on Earth!". The space also has a noticeable industrial feel, which is thanks to its history. "After we started the build, we found out it used to be an industrial paint shop [before it was a Smart Dollar shop]," says Crouche-McDonald. "And we were able to utilise some of the existing elements to revive its industrial feel." Old paint samples adorn the ceiling in the main bar, and the atrium showcases the building's original support beams. [caption id="attachment_742145" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] Behind the bar, expect Aussie mainstays VB and Reschs, as well as Marrickville's own Grifter on tap at all times. The remaining taps will rotate regularly and feature local talent — at the moment, that includes Batch's milk stout on nitro and 4 Pines kolsch. For wine lovers, the drops are mostly minimal intervention Australian labels, along with some international numbers. A classic cocktail list is best enjoyed during one of the daily specials, which include $10 margaritas all-night on Monday, $10 spritzes until 6pm on Saturday and $10 bloody marys until 6pm on Sunday. For spring, the bar is serving up a special Poor Toms spritz, too. The simple food offering is reminiscent of Arcadia Liquors and includes antipasto and cheese boards, along with a regularly changing menu of toasties. For more substantial eats, the team has partnered with neighbouring Vietnamese shop Pho Phd to offer the likes of salt and pepper eggplant and a range of vermicelli salads. The Marrickville Hotel is now open at 244 Marrickville Road, Marrickville. Opening hours are Monday–Thursday 4pm–midnight, Friday 2pm–1am, Saturday midday–1am and Sunday midday–10pm. Venue images: Kimberley Low. Food images: Kitti Gould.
Bulletin Place — the street — is quite the anomaly. Not only is it one of the more aesthetically pleasing side streets in the CBD, with its Victorian pastel-coloured building facades, but it also harbours some of the best beverages Sydney has to offer. By night, Bulletin Place — the bar — is the place to be. But during the day, crowds flock to Cabrito Coffee Traders to get their caffeine fix. The team here takes the bean business very seriously. Produce is ethically sourced from the global coffee capitals and house-roasted to perfection. Blends are on constant rotation and the old-school felt menu is a cheat sheet to nailing the tasting notes. Coffee geeks are also spoilt for choice in serving options: filter, cold drip, batch brew or plain ol' espresso. With coffee as the main affair, things are kept simple food-wise. 'Something between bread' is the general theme; there's toasties for breakfast and burgers for lunch. If you're after something sweet, the unconventional lamingtons from LusciousKiki are unmissable. In a jungle of poor coffee choices, it is clear to see why this small laneway shop generates such a buzz — and not just from the caffeine.
There are so many incredible vistas to enjoy throughout the Northern Rivers region, but you don't have to bust a gut to experience some of the best. The easygoing North Head walking track, located on the edge of town in the Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve, is a 30-minute trail guiding you through the coastal rainforest. As you break through the canopy and look down upon the Brunswick River, you'll find several spots perfect for unfurling a picnic rug and basket. Once you're back on your feet, the trail leads you through fascinating wildlife habitats and eventually out to the ocean beach. Head to the website for visitor info. Image: Elliot Kramer
Mamak in Haymarket is one of the best places in Sydney to get exceptional Malaysian hawker food offered at an authentic hawker price. It's no surprise that this place still has lines of eager customers stretching down the street. And the wait is consistently worth it. Walk in past the chefs, on full display, and bathe in the aroma of curries and fried roti. It's a long room, crammed full with wooden tables, and service is courteous but necessarily efficient. The menu is divided into Roti, variations on the warm bread served with curry dips and spicy sambal sauce. Satay, available in chicken or beef, is among the most complex and moreish you'll try. For those who want to dig a little deeper and really test their appetite, the selection of mains — including luscious curries and fried chicken, and noodle and rice dishes — is well worth some serious exploration. You'll order up, get through your meal in 40 minutes, then leave dazed and satisfied. This is some of the best Malaysian food that Sydney has to offer. It won't be long before we're lining up all over again. And one of the best things about Mamak? For a very small fee it's completely BYO.
The Eddy Avenue Plaza at the northern exit of Central Station is set to be transformed into Sydney's latest food and entertainment precinct featuring a slew of new art, restaurants, bars and shops. Named EDDY, the initiative to revitalise this section of the train station was announced by Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes as an additional element to Central Station's huge renovation and refurbishment which will include a massive tech hub and the southern hemisphere's longest escalators. The Eddy Avenue Plaza currently plays home to a few cafes and takeaway restaurants but has remained largely under-utilised. The EDDY precinct will bring an array of new openings to the busy inner-city thoroughfare, which will add to the trend of new dining precincts emerging across Sydney. Stokes compared the Central Station innovation to the nearby Spice Alley in Chippendale and the new western Sydney precinct Parramatta Square. "Central Station will no longer be just a thoroughfare," said Stokes. "The rebranded EDDY marks a new era for the Tech Central Precinct as it becomes a world-class interchange with innovative and diverse businesses that attracts thousands of new jobs to the CBD." [caption id="attachment_652632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spice Alley via Destination NSW.[/caption] Over the past two years, the city has welcomed new food, drink, art and entertainment precincts in South Eveleigh, the York, Clarence and Kent Street laneways, Circular Quay, Parramatta and Mascot. Neither the vendors nor an opening date has been announced yet, however NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres promises that more information is on the horizon. "We expect to be able to announce an opening date within the coming weeks as we forge ahead with this project which will bring new life to the area surrounding Central Station," said Ayres. Head to the NSW Government website to stay up-to-date with the Central Station renovations. Top image: Simon_sees
Proof that good food doesn't need to be complicated, Waterloo's newest culinary hot-spot, Danks Street Produce Merchants, is a throwback to the way fresh food markets used to be. Launching this Thursday, October 27, the precinct is the brainchild of Fourth Village Providore owners, the Quattroville family, who've curated a cracking lineup of artisan producers to set up shop in the Danks Street space previously occupied by Fratelli Fresh. It's a wink to those rustic European markets, with a friendly, community buzz (and not unlike Rosebery's Saporium), and a vibrant food offering spanning six indoor stalls, which will be providing everything from bread and imported cheeses, to charcuterie and fresh pasta. Quality goods from the likes of Brookvale's Berkelo bakery, Hurstville's Oregano Bakery (you know the scrolls), The Free Range Butcher, and Bondi Road's The One That Got Away fishmonger are set to inspire kitchen adventures seven days a week. Plus, a weekend trestle market will play host to producers like Blue Mountains Honey and The Little Wine Company on Saturdays and Sundays. Meanwhile, a 100-seat bar and restaurant called Mezzanino will take over the sprawling, light-filled first floor — which will be perfect for a mid-shop snack, or those evenings when you'd rather bypass the shopping and cooking part. Here, produce-driven small plates, or piattini, will roam the restaurant atop trolleys, showcasing the day's best haul from the market below. The Danks Street Produce Market will open on Thursday, October 28 at 3 Danks Street, Waterloo. For more information, visit producemerchants.com.au.
Cast your mind back to the Winter Olympics earlier this year. Aside from all of the mind-boggling feats that you'd never dare to try, you may also remember watching in envy as the pros celebrated victory with loads of Champagne. And soon you too can get a taste of this feeling after a day on the slopes — no placing necessary. The master of après festivities is back for its fifth poolside party to make you feel as golden as the experts do. On August 10 and 11, Mumm Champagne will transform the Thredbo Poolside Terrace into a confetti-clad party place for Red Sash Sets. You'll be grooving the afternoon away with the finest entertainment, as multi-faceted Sweet Mix Kids kicks off festivities at 4.30pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday. After the DJ duo's Saturday set, Adelaidean producer Motez will take the stage at 5pm, followed by electro-dance act Hayden James at 6pm. If you do want to watch the masters of the trails do their thing, start your day at Thredbo's Top 2 Bottom downhill ski competition (with Champagne, of course) before heading to the Saturday session. Bus rides to and from Jindabyne will be provided for party-goers for $5 — we recommend pre-booking.
It was an ill-designed defence mechanism at the time of the first white settlers, then a pretty awful place for convicts. Now, one of Sydney's most historic harbour spots and recently a pretty fancy schmancy dining destination, Fort Denison has announced the return of its summer drinks and dining series, Sunday Sunsets. That's right, Sundays from now on? Fortress parties y'all. You'll be able to sail on out to Fort Denison Restaurant for Sunday afternoons of cocktails, food, nature walks and live music every Sunday from November 6 until the end of January 2017. Sides and mains for a two-course sit-down sunset dinner are included in the ticket, so prepare to load up on kingfish carpaccio, lamb short ribs with pomegranate and mint, crispy skin Humpty Doo Barramundi, roast Hunter Valley pork belly, Wagyu beef cheeks and Muscovy duck breasts. Chuck in a National Parks tour of the heritage site, as well as a little acid jazz and R&B from resident DJ and saxophonist Zak (a multitalented, multitasking dude is Zak), and you've got yourself a supremo Sydney date. There'll be water taxis from Circular Quay included in the ticket price, with the last service departing from CQ at 6.30pm — so you can make it a pretty long lazy Sunday. You'll have book though, to ensure your spot on the fortress, so check out the session times and prices on the website and lock in your spot. Fort Denison's Sunday Sunsets run every Sunday from November 6 to January 2017. For more information, check out their website.
While many Sydneysiders are still working from home, some of us have recommenced our daily commute over the Harbour Bridge to the city. If you're one of them, your journey today may take a little longer than usual today. As of 7.40am on Thursday, August 27, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is closed in both directions and a helicopter is on site, in response to a serious two-car crash. Transport for NSW says there is no forecast for when all northbound and southbound lanes will reopen and is telling Sydneysiders to avoid the area, reconsider non-essential travel and consider working from home (if they're not already). https://twitter.com/LiveTrafficSyd/status/1298745028295249922 The Sydney Harbour Tunnel is still open, but, because of the crash, traffic is currently backed up to Artarmon in the north and across to Kings Cross in the east. Buses are terminating at North Sydney Station, Milsons Point and McMahons Point and while trains are still running, Transport for NSW has warned that there may be increased patronage on trains and to continue to social distance as much as possible. For more information about the status of the Harbour Bridge and current traffic, head over to the Live Traffic website. To stay up-to-date with trains and buses, check the Transport for NSW website and real-time apps. Image: Jorge Lascar
Press pause on Red Dead Redemption 2, relinquish the Playstation or Xbox controller and head to a Tokyo-style gaming mecca instead. Situated in the heart of Haymarket, the Capitol Square gaming arcade is one of Australia's largest entertainment centres based on the Purikura games machines of Japan. The arcade, all bright lights and flashing screens, looks as though it belongs on the neon-lit streets of Akihabara (a technopolis in Tokyo famous for its many electronics shops). Try your hand at the claw machines and score a plush Pikachu or coveted Gundam figurine. If skill testers aren't your thing, head to the photobooths of Photoland and spend the arvo taking selfies with friends. Print your pics on stickers and walk away with a super kawaii souvenir. Once you've had your gaming fill and worked up an appetite, make a b-line for the eateries which sit below. Keep the Japanese theme in full swing and hit up Yumei Japanese Restaurant for some top-notch okonomiyaki ($16.50) and beef tataki salad ($15).
On Sunday, March 25, Public House Petersham will team up with day party crew One Day to transform its car park into a booming afternoon party with live music and pop-up bars. A new mural will be painted in real-time, too — lookers-on will have a chance to watch some of the best artists in action as they spray artworks onto the car park walls. DJ sets will be played by Spit Syndicate's Nick Lupi, party hero Levins, FBi's FlexMami and other local legends. And if hip hop isn't your thing, get involved in the 20-strong female Bad Bitch Choir which will be performing twice throughout the afternoon. This event will differ slightly from other One Day parties, in that it's explicitly family friendly. Because parents need to party too. Public House Petersham is known for being a good spot for families in the inner west, and, as well as the above, it'll have bubble machines, face painting and other activities to keep little ones entertained. And pups are welcome too.
Two hours' journey west from Bathurst lands you in the 12,000-strong town of Parkes, another gold rush settlement. Before you ask, yes, the place is named after Federation's daddy, Henry Parkes. Apart from hosting the annual Elvis Festival, it's home to the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope, as seen in Rob Sitch's 2000 flick, The Dish. Drive 20 kilometres north through farmlands to see the 64-metre telescope that helped broadcast man's first moonwalk and has since found more than half of the known 2000 pulsars (spinning neutron stars). Entry is free for the telescope viewing area and the astronomy and space science exhibition. But, you'll have to pay $7.50 to access the 3D Theatre, where you'll catch a variety of three-dimensional short animated flicks. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope is open seven days a week, from 8.30am–4.15pm and has an onsite cafe with glass walls, so you can keep looking for signs of alien life while you're eating. Image: Destination NSW
Christmas markets are always excellent for those of us who tend to leave gift purchasing until the last minute — and, thankfully, Etsy is setting up their markets all over Australia in the final weekend of November. Etsy Made Local is a grassroots initiative that celebrates crafters, collectors and artisans in local communities, and provides them with the opportunity to sell their creations both online and in a physical space. So whether you're on the hunt for handmade wares or vintage goods, these guys have got you covered. The markets will be held in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. Because each market focuses on the best local talent, each market will be filled with different stallholders and unique creations. Supporting creative small businesses and scoring a killer Christmas gift is a win for everyone involved, so head to the Seymour Centre on Saturday, November 28 and get your festive shopping done early, for once.
Is it possible to inspire awe without fear? Beastman's solo show Cosmic Nature says yes. Painting inconceivably large and dangerous creatures, he renders them comprehensible by the action of his brush, taking you briefly to a world where awe and terror part company. The creatures are frozen at the moment of dark revelation — Beastman has taken his inspiration from the work of H.P. Lovecraft, whose Cthulu mythos intimated a world of unspeakable inhuman creatures. Beastman brings this leviathan scale to his canvases in a verdant style, and mosaic of organic colours which combine to tug you to the edge of an awful, spiritual space. The show is divided in two along the gallery's two facing walls. The left-hand wall presents the nameless creatures in a kind of triptych: striding, observing and absorbed at ritual. A central somber face takes up the middle image. Either side, its companions face outward in Babylonian profile, their figures at play with radiating collections of limb and heavenly symbols. To one side, a creature takes a casual moment to fill his bowl with the drops of water ever present across all three canvases. It is a mix of the sacred and a trip to the shops. On the other side, a figure with one eye and too many teeth solemnly approaches a bare tree, a ritual moment at once awful and comforting. Between them are symbols of their observance: the tree, water drops and mountains of madness. Along the right-hand wall are the creature's faces in close up. These idly malevolent, jack-of-the-green countenances look like harsh adornments to the doors of some ancient temple. The portraits are massive, requiring you to stride across the room to see them properly. They sit contently, their thoughts drifting away from you. Headed nowhere benign. Kind of Gallery is open afternoons, Thursday to Sunday. Image 'The Descendent of Cosmic Nature' by Beastman
When a French store slashed the price of Nutella a couple of years ago, customers went wild. Brawling and rioting was reported. So, yes, it's safe to say the chocolate hazelnut spread has more than a few fans. Here in Australia, we've had a Nutella food truck, a Nutella festival and a Nutella dessert bar. And, from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, a dedicated Nutella menu at Salt Meats Cheese as well. Available for delivery from the chain's Drummoyne and Cronulla stores in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead stores in Queensland, the seven Nutella-filled items are here just in time for the Easter long weekend (which most of us will be spending predominantly indoors eating Nutella, it seems). Fancy a Nutella calzone, in both peanut butter ($14) and Oreo ($18) varieties? Nutella and banana-topped pizza? Nutella panna cotta ($14)? Nutella Toblerone cocktails? A half-litre ($30) of Nutella espresso martini? Of course you do. To order, you'll need to download Salt Meats Cheese's new app and pray you're in the delivery zone. The Nutella menu is available for delivery from Salt Meats Cheese stores in Cronulla and Drummoyne in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead in Queensland.
The music industry has spent a long time moving toward favouring the live performance over the recording to make their money. But Sydney Artists have also started going the way of the live performance, with while-you-wait graffiti wars and the seemingly inexorable rise of the Brown Council. Fresh from a series of water-based performances, Artspace is bringing you artists who put themselves back into their work for Nothing Like Performance. Artist Paul Donald will be spanning the space with ramshackle bridge, as frequent auto-portraiter Lauren Brincat gets on and off camera to satisfy her urge for art. Matthew Bradley renews his drive to make a windmill-like set of giant wheels, building it live as the next element in his Monster Bike, a project last exhibited as a Borgesian 1:1 model in his Victorian show Storm Machine. Will French likes big public statements with his art, having once driven a car through the wall of Firstdraft for art's sake, and here will elaborate on elements from his travels. Body-shaping performance artist Yiorgos Zafiriou will bring beginnings from Damien Minton's annex to conclusion at Artspace, painting classical German sculptures out in marble, while the Brown Council dot three shows over the course of the exhibition, honing in on a particular Aussie performance artist. The Brown Council perform opening night and December 4 and 18. Image: This Time Tomorrow: Tempelhof by Lauren Brincat.
When Parrtjima — A Festival in Light announced its 2025 program, the numbers were impressive, with the event's tenth edition featuring works by 20-plus First Nations artists, plus more than 100 performers and special guests. But nothing sells this Australian celebration of Indigenous arts more than the spectacular end results each year, when the fest lights up the Northern Territory. For 2025, that time is now, and it's once again a dazzling sight to behold. Parrtjima — A Festival in Light has so firmly established itself as a highlight of Alice Springs, the Red Centre and Australia's cultural scene that it's hard to imagine a time before it. Getting a 2.5-kilometre stretch of 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges glowing every evening is the reliable star of the show; however, that's just the beginning. Heading along this year also means being welcomed by The Gateway at Parrtjima's entrance, for instance, where towering poles by artists from Antulye, Irlpme, and Mparntwe groups are greeting guests. Also, Balanggarra and Yolŋu artist Molly Hunt's Three Generations of Station Women is an animated comic strip that honours Aboriginal stockwomen, with actor Mark Coles Smith (Apple Cider Vinegar) on soundtrack duties. Then there's Bobby West Tjupurrula's Hypnotic Reverberations, creating a moving dreamscape out of beams of light, mist and reflections on a shallow pool. From Lyall Giles, Transforming Light & Country isn't just about sand dune patterns — it gets festivalgoers playing with them, using drums to create rings of light. 2025's Parrtjima kicked off on Friday, April 4, and runs until Sunday, April 13. The MacDonnell Ranges Light Show is among past favourites on the bill, again pairing its eye-catching display with classical music and Arrernte language. Another: Grounded, asking attendees to look down instead of up. A festival of lights in the NT was always going to incorporate the red earth, too, which is where large-scale projections turn the soil into a canvas. This year's version features six artworks. Budgerigar Dreaming Ngatijirri Jukurrpa is also back, using shapes from Wirliyajarrayi artist Myra Nungarrayi Herbert Patrick's paintings in neon-hued abstract bird sculptures — and so is Johnny Young and David Wallace's four-metre-tall The Language of Stockmen. While the fest's first weekend has been and gone, the program still has the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to come, in what'll be Parrtjima's first-ever orchestral performance. Gigs by Dem Mob, Dobby, Desert Divas and Warren H Williams & Western Wind are also part of the upcoming lineup, as is the festival's debut comedy night, with Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra sparking laughs. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until Sunday, April 13, 2025, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light / Che-Chorley. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
There's no such thing as an ordinary art fair. No matter which galleries descend on any particular space, where that is or when it takes place, the creative pieces on display are never the same — and, so, neither is the event as a result. That's true at Sydney Contemporary, of course, but this Harbour City excuse to appreciate art also comes stacked with live performances and music. And, thanks to the just-announced lineup, 2023's iteration promises quite the memorable time. Returning to Carriageworks from Thursday, September 7–Sunday, September 10 for its seventh event, this year's Sydney Contemporary will feature more than 95 galleries filling the multi-arts centre. If it's an emerging or established venue for art in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore, odds are that it'll make a showing. The focus right now, however, is on the performances that'll go along with all of those galleries showcasing all that art, which is where the Performance Contemporary and Art Night bills comes in. Performance Contemporary will focus on four artists: Amala Groom, Riana Head-Toussaint, Morgan Hogg and Fetu Taku. Groom, Head-Toussaint and Taku's contributions will take place on Art Night, Sydney Contemporary's big Thursday evening party, with DJ pair Stereogamous — aka Paul Mac and Jonny Seymour — also on hand to soundtrack the evening. From Wiradyuri creative Groom, audiences will experience RED TAPE, which features the artist singing in language while she wraps herself in 44 metres of red tape — to represent 44 years of negotiating bureaucracy — and literally jumping through hoops. As for Head-Toussaint, her video work Animate Loading will be projected, as paired with a live performance that includes surveillance-style cinematography, drone work and bodycams, as part of her ongoing interrogation of her experience as a wheelchair user, her legal training and her Afro-Caribbean heritage. Then, Taku will draw upon hip hop and vogue training, and deploy sound design just for the space and piece, in a newly commissioned work about community and spaces that provide equality for diverse bodies. "This year's Performance Contemporary explores the relationship between the body and place. Through play, projection, song and dance, these artists use the incredible architecture of Carriageworks as a starting point to guide both the audience and the performer through time and space," said Performance Contemporary co-curators Samantha Watson-Wood and Katie Winten, announcing the lineup. On the Friday night, with the Sydney-based DJ Sveta on the decks with a special music showcase, emerging Cook Island and Australian artist Morgan Hogg will unveil an installation and performance work. Through costumed dance, and with help from oral exchanges between her mother and family, she'll ponder cultural displacement and identity, as specifically influenced by her Kūki Airani heritage. Whichever parts of the Performance Contemporary and Art Night lineups you're now keen see, expect to have company. More than 112,000 visitors have attended Sydney Contemporary in past years, and more than AU$85 million in art sales have been notched up. Sydney Contemporary 2023 runs from Thursday, September 7–Sunday, September 10 at Carriageworks. For further information and to buy tickets, head to the art fair's website. Top image: Zan Wimberley.
Gymnasts and circus-people are freaky. So are beatboxers. And drummers. It's all that weird coordination that they have going on. The Tom Tom Crew out-freaky the freaky by combining all of the aforementioned into a single show. It's Aussie hip-hop meets Aussie circus minus the mopey-looking elephants and bearded ladies. The crew - world renowned percussionist Ben Walsh, mix-master Sampology, beat-boxing whiz-kid Tom Thum, graduates of Australia's famous Flying Fruit Fly Circus - Ben Lewis, Daniel Catlow, Shane Witt - and elite gymnast Karl Stock - are fresh from an international tour, including an off Broadway debut and 21 sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. If you didn't catch Tom Tom Crew during their run at the Opera House, they will be performing alongside some of Australia's best hip-hop, street art and skate talent at the Dulwich Hill hybrid retail/art space, Westsyde Connection, at a subcultural extravaganza this Friday.
When Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush) celebrates his birthday, he does so dining alone in a high-end restaurant, staring disconsolately at a special cake baked in his honour as other patrons titter at the pitiful spectacle. Lonely as he is, Virgil has carved out a fine career as an art auctioneer and is widely respected as the best at what he does and valued for his fine eye and penchant for detail. In his fastidiously maintained home, he keeps a whole wardrobe full of top-end designer gloves, the perfect accessory for a man who likes to keep life at arm's length. The wardrobe leads into a sanctuary of his most treasured possessions, a secret stash of portraits of women. He has secured these valuable gems in league with his only real friend, Billy (Donald Sutherland), an art collector who conspires with Virgil to win valuable works at auction, sold under value to 'the best offer'. When he is engaged to value the collection of antique furniture owned by Claire (Sylvia Hoeks), a young woman whose parents have died, he goes to the spectacular but run-down old property but finds to his frustration that Claire is not there. He continues to visit the property to attend to his work, but Claire is a ghost, always finding excuses not to meet him. Eventually, he finds that a young woman has in fact been in the house all along, but is in hiding. Concealed behind a wall, she tells him she has not left the house since she a traumatic experience she had as a teenager. Sensing a kindred spirit, Virgil gets drawn into her life, against his better judgement. As Virgil becomes more familiar with the house, he finds scattered wheels and cogs of a mysterious machine, which he takes to Robert (Jim Sturgess), a twinkle-eyed, raffish young man with a busy love life and a flair for repairing old things. Increasingly Virgil comes to confide in Robert and seeks the younger man's advice on the twin mysteries of the contraption and the elusive Claire. Becoming entranced by Claire's ethereal beauty and isolation, Virgil's usually perfect work performance begins slipping, the sign of a man losing control of his ordered life as he grapples with the foreign emotional landscape of human connection. Writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore has made an exquisitely told story with a cruel sting in its tale. Rush delivers a beautifully judged and involving performance as a man whose austere and detached approach to life is thrown into disarray, while Sylia Hoeks is ideal as the mysterious Claire. While some elements of the story's final act probably don't stand up to closer scrutiny, the overriding impression as the credits roll is one of complete heartbreak, making The Best Offer one of the best feel-bad films in recent memory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WCfXq3nFDUM
We've all been there at one time or another — in front of that iconic view, the one we've seen a thousand times or more in encyclopaedias, atlases, on the back of postcards, on the television and in our wildest dreams. When it happens, you feel a flutter in your heart and you remember what it felt like to make mud pies as a child; you're elated, carefree and enraptured, all for the most fleeting moment. That's when it happens. You reach into your pocket/handbag/knapsack and pull out your camera. You must remember this moment (that feeling!) forever and ever. The flash goes off once, twice, three times. No, no, that one's blurry. Delete. Take it again! You stand over there. Jump on the count of three! Yes, all of you! At once! OK, here we go one, two... Corinne Vionnet, in an astute observation into the perception of the 'tourist' experience, has made some amazing art out of that moment - that second of pure happiness that is superseded by crazed, paparazzi style photography, leading the sanest of us into a blinding, bulb flashing fury. Sourcing images of some of the world's most iconic sights from the internet, Vionnet's project Photo Opportunities layers hundreds of such images upon each other to create haunting landscapes of profoundly significant earthly wonders. Drawing on the abject, the images appear almost painted, begging questions about reality of experience and perception and our collective cultural consciousness.
Stepping inside any Greek eatery should conjure up the sights, tastes and sensations of dining in the Mediterranean; however there's the usual Greece-inspired food and flourishes, and then there's 1821's epic, eye-poppingly opulent addition to the fold. That's what happens when you design and build the entire restaurant in the country in question, then ship it to Australia. No wonder it took longer than expected to come to fruition. 1821 opens more than a year after its initial planned launch in 2015, and reportedly cost more than $3 million, but it looks like it was worth the wait. Inside the Pitt Street spot you'll find three levels of architect-crafted eating and drinking luxury, as designed by hospitality specialist Dimitris Economou. That includes the main dining room, a private dining area upstairs, and a high-end vodka bar that's set to start serving beverages later this year. When it comes to meals and drinks, the indulgence keeps on coming thanks to chef David Tsirekas. Think lobster pasta, Greek san choy bow, white chocolate feta cheesecake, and caramel baklava ice-cream, plus a Aphrodite Bellini with solitaire sparkling Greek wine, and the Ouzotini with ouzo 'mini', mint infused vodka, peach schnapps and lime. And if you're wondering about the name, it commemorates the the first year of the Greek War of Independence, with 1821 specifically inspired by the Odessa bunker where a group of ambitious Greeks started the Greek Liberation Movement. Plus, in a restaurant that proudly champions the fact that it really is made in Greece, it also represents the venue's hopes to unite people fond of Greek culture. Find 1821 at 122 Pitt Street, Sydney. Visit their website and Facebook page for more information.
It's been a big couple of days in Sydney. Regional travel was given the green light, beauty salons and cultural institutions were allowed to reopen and the city's hospitality venues could welcome up to 50 patrons through their doors from yesterday. Because of the latter, a lot more venues have been opening said doors — as 50 customers is a bit more financially viable than ten — and one of those is Bondi Beach Public Bar. The Campbell Parade pub isn't simply reopening, either. It's reopening and offering a whopping 50 percent off all food and a range of beer, wine and cocktails — all day, every day until the end of June. This means, when you head in from 5pm on Wednesday, June 3, you'll be able to dig into $5 tacos, $10 burgers and $15 steaks, as well as $5 select wines and beers and $10 margaritas and espresso martinis. BBPB is also bringing back the tunes. While you can't get up and dance — no mingling allowed at hospo venues just yet — you can sit and shimmy along to DJ Levins on Fridays and Public Affection on Saturdays. The inaugural party on Saturday, June 6, will see DJs Charlie Chuxx, Parihaka and Pink Lloyd will be spinning the decks from 6pm You can either book a table or walk in, with 50 seats available in each of the Public Bar, dining area and heated outdoor area (150 in total), which is in line with current regulations. Bondi Beach Public Bar is reopening from 5pm on Wednesday, June 3 and is offering 50 percent off all food and some booze until the end of June.
Cleveland Street's Norfolk Hotel might not be Sydney's oldest pub, but it's got a case to make as the city's most consistently evolving. In just the past decade, the Redfern watering hole — which poured its first beer in 1921 — has passed through the hands of no less than three different hospo groups. And now, its latest iteration has been unveiled. After being taken over earlier this year by local hospo juggernaut Solotel (the group behind the likes of The Abercrombie, Chiswick and Oxford House), the new Norfolk is leaning into its long-held reputation as an easygoing, no-nonsense local, complete with trivia, spin the wheel and a badge draw. The opening follows a months-long restoration, which sees the century-old institution return with a new look and mission as it embarks on its next chapter. Helming this next chapter are GM Marcella Guilfoyle and Executive Chef Toby Wilson (pictured below), whose buzzy taqueria Ricos Tacos is still holding down the fort in the pub's courtyard, while the upstairs Club Ricos also remains intact. Wilson has also turned his attention to the Norfolk's new pub menu, which champions local suppliers — Good Ways Deli is both providing the focaccia and teaming up with Ciccone & Sons for a lamington ice cream sandwich — while showcasing pub classics with a thoroughly contemporary remix. On the menu, you'll find the likes of house-made pork and fennel sausage roll sold by the inch, beef and VB party pies, a roast chicken and sage roll with a side of dipping gravy, and those lamington ice cream sandwiches. "The new menu keeps it classic, but everything's made with heart," says Wilson. "It's a team effort to bring the best of the 'burb to the table." At the bar, you'll also find a bit of the surrounding 'burbs (and slightly further beyond) with boutique local wines available by the glass and a dark lager collab with Alexandria brewers Yulli's. There's also a selection of aperitivo-style cocktails, with some available on tap. "The Norfolk has always stood for good times, great food and that sense of belonging you only get from your local," says Guilfoyle. "We're proud to be back, collaborating with some of the neighbourhood's greatest success stories and creating a space where everyone's welcome." The Norfolk is now open at 305 Cleveland Street, Redfern. For more information, head to the venue's website. Images: Steven Woodburn.
First, it was a popular 80s comedy starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Then, it became a five-season television sitcom led by Parton's real-life younger sister. In 2009, 9 to 5 made the leap to the stage too, because you just can't stop a good story about female empowerment in the workplace. Revived in the West End back in 2019, it's still a huge hit — and now, after being delayed by the pandemic, the stage production will make its Australian premiere in Sydney in February next year. Just by reading the show's title, we know that you already have Parton's catchy song of the same name stuck in your head. Pour yourself a cup of ambition, because that tune isn't going away anytime soon. Indeed, you'd best get ready to exclaim "what a way to make a living" more than once when 9 to 5 The Musical plays its Aussie debut season, hitting the Capitol Theatre in Haymarket from February 16, 2022. Ahead of its time when it first reached cinemas, this tale of three women who take on their sexist, egotistical and all-round despicable male boss is obviously still highly relevant today. Before #TimesUp and #MeToo, workmates Doralee, Violet and Judy decided to turn the tables by kidnapping their supervisor and reforming their office. Expect the same story in 9 to 5 The Musical, as penned by the original film's screenwriter Patricia Resnick — just with more songs. The Australian version will star Caroline O'Connor (a veteran of the movie version of Moulin Rouge!), as well as Eddie Perfect as the workplace's controlling boss. With Parton herself writing the score — and earning Tony and Grammy nominations for her efforts — expect plenty of feel-good music as well. Although she doesn't appear on stage, the famous country star is still involved with the show, and with bringing it to Australia. Images: Pamela Raith Photography. Updated February 14, 2022.
A multi-level dining and party space has arrived on Little Hunter Street, adding to Sydney's current late-night revival. Joining the likes of The Abercrombie, Club 77 and the soon-to-open Pleasure Club on the list of new and revamped venues pushing Sydney's nightlife into the early hours of the morning, Zaffi is a versatile space boasting a 42-seat ground-floor restaurant and a 122-capacity basement bar that's committed to keeping the party rolling until 4am on weekends. "The name 'Zaffi' means 'celebration' in Arabic, so we wanted to create a space where people not only come to celebrate but also where people know you're going to have a good time. For me, those spontaneous nights are the best kind of nights!" says Zaffi owner Chady Khouzame. Khouzame has enlisted the help of ex-Chin Chin and Rockpool chef Graeme Hunt to create a refined Australian-Lebanese menu for the street-level dining room. It's a sharing affair at Zaffi, with plenty of mezze options including dips and veggies paired with mains like Aleppo pepper roast prawns and char-grilled spatchcock. "We want our menu to be big on flavours and sharing, so the food isn't very complicated," Hunt says. "Some light raw dishes to begin with, moving onto your mezze options, then some larger mains that have been designed to share." The two banquets menus are highly affordable, with the $60 option bringing a table-covering feast of saj, hummus, baba ganoush, eggplant fatteh, labneh, haloumi, kofta, cauliflower, spatchcock, pickles and chips — or, for an extra $29 per person, you can basically sample the entire array of eats on offer, with the addition of pan-fried snapper, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, panna cotta and cheesecake. Downstairs in Zaffi's party bunker, you'll find pink velvet-cushioned booths, neon lighting, communal tables and upbeat tunes encouraging late-night revellers to stay well past midnight. "We literally raised the roof to allow people to dance on tabletops," continues Khouzame. The snacks also keep coming, with highlights from upstairs including kofta, dips, chips and grilled honey and za'atar haloumi all available on the after-hours menu. Zaffi is open at 10–14 Little Hunter Street, Sydney, from 5pm–late Tuesday, 12pm–late Wednesday–Thursday, 12pm–4am Friday and 5pm–4am Saturday.
