Most years, the arrival of winter heralds more than just colder weather for Sydney's cinephiles. When June hits, so too does the Sydney Film Festival, unleashing hundreds of movies upon the city's cinemas. By now, we all well and truly know that little has been normal about the past 12 months, so SFF has been adjusting with the times. In 2020, it cancelled its physical event completely, opting for a virtual-only festival instead. This year, it's planning to come back as an in-person fest; however, it'll be doing so a bit later than normal. Movie buffs, you'd best block out the last couple of weeks of August in your diary, because that's when SFF will be starting up the projectors. The 2021 event will now take place from Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29, so you'll be ending winter by running between cinemas and watching as many films as you can, rather than beginning it that way. While Sydney's COVID-19 case numbers have remained under control for the past month or so — on Sunday, February 14, New South Wales marked 28 consecutive days without any locally acquired cases, in fact — that hasn't been the situation overseas. Accordingly, it's hardly business as usual at big international festivals such as Berlinale and Cannes. After completely cancelling last year, the latter has postponed its 2021 dates from May to July. SFF typically programs a number of brand new titles straight from Cannes, so moving to the end of August allows it to keep accessing the kind of big-name flicks that'll premiere at the French event. If you're the type of cinephile who pays attention to Australia's nationwide festival scene — and travels interstate to keep getting your movie fix — you might've noticed that SFF's new dates overlap with the Melbourne International Film Festival's regular August timing. MIFF also hopped online in 2020, and has announced August 5–22 as its 2021 dates. Whether that'll change, or if diehard film fans will find themselves picking which fest to attend (or zipping from one to the other), is obviously yet to be seen. The 2021 Sydney Film Festival is now scheduled to take place from Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29. For further details, head to the festival's website.
There's something rather cool about being ahead of the curve when it comes to cinema; watching the latest and greatest flicks unfold on silver screen well before anyone else. Well, at Flickerfest Short Film Festival you can do just that. Yep, break out the popcorn, the internationally acclaimed festival is back at Bondi Pavilion from Friday, January 11 to Sunday, January 20, and there's a swag of world premieres on the bill. This year, the folks at Flickerfest received 2700 entries from more than 100 countries around the world, making the 2019 program a real doozy. Around 200 creative and inspiring shorts will screen throughout the ten-day festival, with a whopping 47 percent of films directed by women. Standout shorts from the homegrown lineup include Desert Dash — a film written, directed and starring formidable Australian artist Gracie Otto, which questions what life would be like in the Aussie outback if it was all just a game (spoiler: it's slightly twisted) — and the Australian premiere of Ghost Bear, a touching animation for kids by comedic heavyweight and Flickerfest alumnus Paul McDermott (that funny guy from Good News Week). The international program is as equally impressive, featuring a host of humdingers from our overseas friends. See Wes Anderson's favourite frontman Jason Schwartzman in a Norwegian comedy To Plant a Flag or dive into a gripping French drama about a ballerina navigating her dark and complicated life, starring renowned French actress Catherine Deneuve. But it's not all fun and games — the selected films are vying for various Academy-accredited awards, including Best International Film, Best Animation and Best Australian Film. And after the ten-day festival is done and dusted, the top flicks will hit the road, stopping off at more than 50 destinations across Australia, for an annual tour between January and May. To see the full Flickerfest 2019 program and grab tickets, head to the website. Plus, we've got ten double passes to give away. Enter with your details below, cinephiles. [competition]702377[/competition]
Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art might temporarily be closed at present, but it's now streaming one of its most luminous and spectacular installations once a week — and for the entire night. Spectra, by Roiji Ikeda, is a 15-kilometre-tall tower of beaming white light that stands over the city's skyline. The tower is powered by 49 custom-made search lights that illuminate the Hobart sky, accompanied by music specially curated for the exhibit, and can be seen from home up to 100 kilometres away. Every Saturday from sunset, MONA is live streaming the installation, which has been a permanent centrepiece for the museum since 2018. Each weekly stream will run all through the evening, finishing at sunrise on Sunday. Here are all twelve hours of last week's live-stream: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16071&v=QewCcg_E44g&feature=emb_logo[/embed] It might be a while until we can start travelling and witnessing enchanting sights like this one again, but this initiative by MONA will bring some of the magic of Hobart straight to your home in the interim. Image: MONA/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Theatre lovers, prepare for a busy 2017. Belvoir has revealed their next season — and whether you're keen to see the newest productions, witness welcome returns once again treading the company's boards or check out a few old favourites, there's something in the lineup for all stage aficionados. When it comes to the former in Artistic Director Eamon Flack's second year in charge, his own directorial efforts rank among the most exciting announcements. Based on a 1677 play by Aphra Behn, a contemporary of Shakespeare who is widely considered the first woman to make a successful career from playwriting, The Rover is a battle of the sexes comedy that also brings actor Toby Schmitz back to Belvoir. And for something completely different, Ghosts revives Henrik Ibsen's revered work, as well as the creative team behind 2014's acclaimed The Glass Menagerie. Next on the must-see list is Anne Washburn's Mr Burns, a Post-Electric Play — and yes, the title of the post-apocalyptic musical extravaganza is a reference to The Simpsons' character. It follows a troupe of wanderers acting out classic episodes of the animated sitcom we all know and love, and comes to Sydney from New York's Playwrights Horizons, as does performance artist Taylor Mac's new take on a dysfunctional family play, Hir. Falling into the reunions category is Mark Colvin's Kidney, which is set in the world of phone hacking and marks the long-awaited re-teaming of Holding the Man's Tommy Murphy and David Berthold. As far as new stagings of beloved productions are concerned, prepare for an encore of The Dog / The Cat, the rom-com two-parter penned by Brendan Cowell and Lally Katz that's not just for pet owners. And that's not all, with all-ages fave Jasper Jones returns after opening the 2016 season. Given that a film based on Craig Silvery's best-selling novel is also due to hit cinemas next year, the timing couldn't be better. For audiences keen to experience the rest of the program, 2015 Brisbane Festival thriller Prize Fighter aims to knock out crowds down south, actor and playwright Katie Beckett embarks on a road trip in Which Way Home, and Guru of Chai tells the tale of a tea-seller in a story that's loosely based on an Indian fairytale. Tom Ballard will also be stopping by to give a comedic lecture about the history, cost and future of Australia's asylum seeker and immigration policies, former Australian Idol winner Casey Donavan stars in Barbara and the Camp Dogs, and Lally Katz pops up again with the personal exploration Atlantis, as directed by Girl Asleep helmer Rosemary Myers. Yep, expect to spend a whole heap of the next year at Belvoir. To see the full Belvoir 2017 program and to book tickets, visit the Belvoir website. Images: Daniel Boud.
Legendary French choreographer François Chaignaud is coming to Australia for the first time, and he’s bringing with him his whizz-bang work Dumi Moyi, created in collaboration with French fashion designer Romain Brau. The show is inspired by the monumental costumes and transformative power of traditional religious dances performed in Malabar, India. But it also draws on 19th-century dime theatre, various mythologies and contemporary aesthetics. And the music is a giddying multicultural blend of Ukrainian, Filipino and Sephardic rhythms. Despite this ambitious range of influences, Dumi Moyi is intended for intimate performance. So Carriageworks is opening its Elston Room for the occasion, where audiences can stand in proximity to the dancers. Only 40 tickets will be available per show. Since the work premiered at the 2013 Montpellier Danse Festival, it has appeared in galleries, basements and a chapel. At Carriageworks, it’ll be performed several times a day, allowing viewers to make return visits. Chaignaud is renowned all over the world for exciting, innovative choreography. His previous projects include a giant dance party at New York City's The Kitchen, the transformation of the Tate Modern into a live performance museum and a history of grim music performed at London's Sadler's Wells.
Earlier this year, long-time Opera House tenant Guillaume Brahimi announced that he and his team at fine dining restaurant Guillaume at Bennelong would be leaving the Opera House, after 12 years, a three-hat rating and over half a million guests. Now, Brahimi has announced the location of his next venture — a brand new Paddington restaurant set to open around Easter in 2014, simply titled guillaume. Brahimi and his team — which includes head chef Jose Silva and head sommelier Chris Morrison — will say their final goodbyes to the Opera House on New Year's Eve before moving into the site previously occupied by Darcy's restaurant in Paddington. Brahimi’s previous ventures have included Pond in Potts Point, Quay and his two existing Bistro Guillaume restaurants at the Crown Casinos in Melbourne and Perth. guillaume will continue focusing on the type of food Guillaume at Bennelong was famous for — high quality, produce-driven fine dining.
If December to you means luminous festive decorations, then simply driving through your neighbourhood can be a jolly good time. Wherever you look, there just might be a glowing set of Christmas lights sharing its seasonal merriment and brightening up the suburban streets. Of course, these lit-up displays really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But twinkling bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the happiest portion of the calendar. Perhaps you're a casual Christmas lights fan, and you're completely fine just checking out whichever blazing displays you happen to pass in your travels. Maybe you have a few tried-and-tested favourite spots, and you return to them every year. Or, you could want to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards. Whichever category you fall into, an Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest. [caption id="attachment_882324" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Christmas Lights Search is as nifty and handy as its name suggests, covering festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as entering your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Plus, it also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. It's also constantly being updated, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. [caption id="attachment_882325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to potentially peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range and a description of what's on offer. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. To find festive displays near you, head to the Christmas Lights Search website.
Sydney's back in lockdown. This time the Greater Sydney region will be restricted to their houses for at least the next two weeks. As a result, bars, cafes and restaurants are required to shut their doors to dine-in customers — so they're adapting by beefing up their takeaway options, launching new delivery meals and even creating boozy care packages. That means that you can put down that fifth can of Aldi tuna and pick up the phone, knowing you'll be doing a local business a solid while also getting to eating a tasty, fancy, succulent meal. Here, we'll keep you updated on all the restaurant-quality eats you can order takeaway, or have delivered to your doorstep. [caption id="attachment_697657" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bella Brutta by Kitti Smallbone[/caption] TAKEOUT ONLY Al Aseel (Penrith, Castle Hill, Greenacre and Castle Hill) Lebanese eatery Al Aseel is offering Feed the Family meal deals and a special $25 lunch feast across all its stores during lockdown. Th epickup inly deal features shish tawook, laham and kafta mishwi, grilled Lebanese bread, garlic dip, hot chips, salad and a drink. Arthur (Surry Hills) The fine-diner has launched Arthur To-Go, with different meals available each night. The meal comes with a dessert and include the likes of pork and mushroom lasagne with truffle bechamel or black Angus beef short rib tacos. Avi's Kantini (Newtown) The Bank's new Middle Eastern-inspired eatery is launching a new takeaway service with housemade dips, fried kofta and sesame fried chicken pita. The King Street eats are available 5–9pm Wednesday–Friday and midday–9pm Saturday and Sunday. Bar Suze (Surry Hills) Surry Hill's newest spot for a tipple of wine or next-level bar snack, Bar Suze, has transformed into a fish and chip shop over lockdown. On the takeaway menu you'll find beer battered flathead, fried halloumi, crumbed sardines and a crispy fish sandwich. Browse the menu here and call or text 0431 180 389 to preorder. Bella Brutta (Newtown) The inner west spot is now serving up all its pizza, cured meats, tiramisu and coffee via takeaway. To sweeten the deal, its offering specials takeaway specials including two pizzas and four cans of Grifter for $60. Check out the menu and order online over here. Bella Vista Hotel (Bella Vista) This north-west Sydney Hotel is going all out to help out during lockdown. Not only is it offering cocktails and woodfire pizza for pickup daily, it's also launching a drive-thru warehouse with a bunch of food and drink goodies and running a two-day drive-thru food truck festival on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3 with burgers, Greek street food, waffles and chips on a stick. Bibo Wine Bar (Double Bay) The Double Bay bar is now a two-person snack box featuring smoked mackerel pate, mushroom rissois, meats and cheese for $60, as well as a range of mains and desserts takeaway. Pick up only — full menu and details on how to order over here. Bistrot 916 (Potts Point) The French bistro is improving lockdown with the Burger 916. Swing by Potts Point from 4pm each day to grab one, however be quick as the burger is limited to 50 per day. Pre-orders are available by calling 916 766 67. Catalina (Rose Bay) Catalina has brought back its popular at-home seafood boxes, family feasts and cocktails. To order a lobster box, lamb rack or signature Catalina cocktail from home, contact the venue on 9371 0555. Calita, Carbon, Taqiza and Sonora (Bondi and Potts Point) These four Mexican restaurants are all offering the same wild taco and margarita special throughout lockdown. Across all four venues you can order the fiesta for two, four or a bottomless fiesta. Each comes with guac, corn, tacos, quesadillas and between 500m millilitres and five litres of margarita. Chiswick (Woolahra) This Woolahra favourite is offering a selection of its winter menu for takeaway. While the experience isn't the same as sitting in Chiswick's sun-soaked and greenery-filled dining room, you can still make the most of the garden herb roasted chicken or the slow-roasted lamb shoulder with pumpkin and mint from home. Dear Sainte Eloise (Potts Point) This Potts Point wine bar is reinventing itself as a bottle shop and takeaway restaurant with a special lockdown menu available 12–8pm daily. Browse the menu which includes an angus beef burger with blue cheese and truffle, black pepper fried chicken and a whole bunch of discounts of wines. DOC (Surry Hills) Surry Hills' newest kid on the block, DOC is offering its full menu for takeaway 5–9pm, Tuesday–Saturday. You can view the menu and order online. [caption id="attachment_810487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Avi's Kantini[/caption] The Foxtrot Inn (Crows Nest) This Crows Nest cocktail bar is pouring craft beer growlers for $24–30, offering 30 percent off beer and wine, and serving up a takeaway food menu featuring $8 jaffles packed with bolognese or chicken curry. Find all the details on Instagram. Good Fella Coffee (Bella Vista) This north-west Sydney cafe is still serving its best-in-the-west coffee and bagels as well as takeaway Grifter for any craft beer lovers out west. North Bondi Nami (Bondi) North Bondi Fish has transformed into this Japanese pop-up bar and restaurant for winter. During lockdown its offering takeaway including a lockdown pack that includes two bowls of ramen, prawn gyoza and a half-litre bottled cocktail for $88. Suss the menu out here. Nomad (Surry Hills) Surry Hills favourite Nomad is brining fine dining into your home with a series of at-home banquets for two. Think black truffle and three-cheese croquettes or veal meatballs with wood-roasted tomato. Each day there are limited banquets so it's best to preorder. Pub Life Kitchen (Ultimo) After closing down in 2017, Pub Life Kitchen returned this year and it brought its iconic burgers back with it. There's a full menu of favourites available for pickup from the bottom of The Lord Wolseley Hotel. To preorder, call 0467 644 434. Public House Petersham (Petersham) The sunny neighbourhood pub is turning into a pop-up bottle shop for the duration of lockdown, with natty wines, craft beers and bottled cocktails. The pizza oven will also continue to fire and you can pick up a fresh pie. Want the whole lot? You can score two pizzas and a natural wine for $65 or a five-serving bottled cocktail for $85. View the menu and order online. Sample Coffee (St Peters) Whether you're just after your caffeine fix or looking for some brunch, the specialty coffee roaster's St Peters spot is doing takeaway coffee, beans, coffee making gear and food. Totti's (Bondi) Never fear, you can still cave to your Totti's cravings during lockdown as the always-popular Bondi spot is offering its full menu including its famous woodfire bread takeaway. Ume Burger (Barangaroo) Japanese burger joint Ume Burger has shifted to takeaway only from 11.30am–2.30pm on weekdays, so you can enjoy the signature Ume burger or a fish or chicken katsu burger with a side of lotus root chips from the comfort of your couch. Where's Nick (Marrickville) This inner west wine bar may be temporarily closed, but Where's Nick's new bottle shop at 234 Marrickville Rd is open seven days a week. You head in store or order online. Yulli's Brews (Alexandria) Vegan brewery Yulli's Brews is taking online orders for pick-up from its Alexandria warehouse so you can get a carton of Amanda mandarin IPA ($64), sixteen-pack of Dolly Aldrin watermelon and mint Berliner Weisse($64) or a Bloody Mary kit ($25) to help you through lockdown. [caption id="attachment_748494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shwarmama by Kitti Gould[/caption] TAKEAWAY AND DELIVERY Belly Bao (Newtown) King Street's bao haven is running delivery through UberEats and DoorDash, and is offering $5 beers and 40 percent off bottle of wine with all pickup orders. BL Burgers (Darlinghurst and Parramatta) As well as continuing its outrageous weekly specials (and full menu), the team behind the legendary Blame Canada burger is offering its burgers for takeaway and delivery via Deliveroo from both its Darlinghurst and Parramatta stores. Butter (Surry Hills, Chatswood and Parramatta) Butter is cooking up all of its sandwiches, burgers and fan-favourite fried chicken and is continuing its Butter Ramen Club throughout the lockdown. You can order them for pick up or delivery online. Chatkazz (Harris Park and Bella Vista) The vegetarian Indian street food's western Sydney outposts are both offering their full menu for pickup or delivery via UberEats, DoorDash and Deliveroo. Cook and Archies (Surry Hills) This long-running Surry Hills cafe has made its entire menu, including cakes, breakfast wraps, burgers, salads and bowls available for pickup via Hey You or Hungry Hungry, or takeaway on UberEats. Crumpets by Merna and Pepe Saya (online) A visit to Carriageworks Farmers Markets is not complete without a steaming crumpet slathered in butter — and now you can keep up the weekly tradition at home. Pepe Saya and Crumpets by Merna are both offering their entire range 20 percent off when you use the code SYDNEY20, including breakfast boxes featuring buttermilk crumpets, Pepe Saya salted butter, passionfruit curd and creme fraiche. The Duke of Enmore (Enmore) The Duke of Enmore's new food and drink menu is available for pickup or delivery, including the eggplant katsu sandwich, pickleback shots and a range of meal deals to enjoy at home. Also, being the legends they are, The Duke team is offering free meals and drinks to hospitality workers out-of-work due to the lockdown. El Jannah (various locations) The cult Lebanese-style charcoal chicken chain is slinging its full menu including its legendary garlic sauce for takeaway, delivery via several outlets and drive-thru at its Smithfield store. Emma's Snack Bar (Enmore) This much-loved Enmore eatery has made the majority of its menu available for takeaway, including $26 snack boxes — filled with meat or falafel, salad, garlic potatoes and bread — and a bunch of sides. You can also order via UberEats or Deliveroo. Esteban (Sydney) Esteban has launched an at-home menu with a selection of five hearty set menus, as well as a range of bottle cocktails. Think Byron Bay pork belly, grilled carrot, smoked kipfler potatoes and a sweet potato tart all for $65. Fabbrica (Sydney) The pasta and produce shop from the team behind Ragazzi is offering sandwiches and lasagne as well as handmade pasta packs, pasta sauces and high-end pantry items takeaway, on UberEats or with free delivery on orders over $50. Find all the details here. Glebe Point Diner (Glebe) This longstanding local is currently offering a takeaway with 50 percent off house wine. Owner and chef Alex Kearns is also offering a home delivery service. The menu will change daily but includes the choice of three mains ($20), two sides ($12) and a soup ($12). Find more info here. Harvey's Hot Sandwiches (Parramatta) The Parramatta sub experts are offering their full range of sandwiches from pastrami to hot meatball for pickup and delivery via UberEats and Menulog. Henrietta Charcoal Chicken (Surry Hills) This Surry Hills spot is serving up all your charcoal chicken needs for pick up in-store or delivery via UberEats. Treat yourself to burgers, wraps, falafel or roast chook and corn for a family roast without the clean up. [caption id="attachment_694683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rara by Luisa Brimble[/caption] Johnny Bird (Crows Nest) Lower north shore favourite Johnny Bird is available for pickup or deliver via Deliveroo, UberEats or DoorDash. Browse the menu and order online. Madame and Yves (Clovelly) When you're mostly living on pantry staples, a treat is more than deserved — and you can't go past this Clovelly patisserie's insane creations. You can order everything from savoury pies and bread to eclairs and chocolate-dipped croissants online or takeaway in-store. Nakano Darling (CBD) Nakano Darling is available for takeaway and delivery via UberEats and DoorDash including $15 chicken karaage, gyoza or wagyu shingureni bento boxes or take home frozen gyoza and reheatable karaage (both $15 for 15 pieces). The CBD spot is also running a small lockdown bottleshop with beers and yuzu highballs. Nutie (Balmain and Surry Hills) If you've burned through all your supermarket snacks already and need a quick sugar fix, Nutie is now delivering its gluten-free and vegan doughnuts, cakes, cookies (fresh or frozen) and muffins straight to your door with delivery options across Sydney. Plus, both stores are also still open for takeaway, and are baking up an array of limited-time Christmas in July goodies. Maiz (Newtown) Maiz is serving up its full menu of Mexican Street Food 11am–3pm and 5–8pm for takeaway and delivery via UberEats and Doordash during Sydney's lockdown. Those that pick up their order can also treat themselves to a section of Mexican beers, wines and boozy aguas frescas. Rara (Redfern and Randwick) and Lonely Mouth (Newtown) This super-popular ramen joint has just started delivery from its two stores and its Newtown sibling, so you can slurp the piping hot tonkotsu with black garlic and chilli or vegan shio ramen from the comfort of your living room. Rara Chan South Eveleigh is closed for the time being, but Eveleigh dwellers can head to the Redfern store to satisfy any cravings. You can place and order for pick-up here for Rara and here for Lonely Mouth, or delivery via UberEats. Saint Peter (Paddington) Oxford Street's seafood-focused diner is open with a limited takeaway menu including tarts and natural wine, and is cooking a dish a day available to pre-order via fishbutchery.com.au. A bunch of this weeks meals are already sold out so jump online quick if you want to secure one. Keep an eye on Instagram to see what dishes are announced next. Shaffa (Surry Hills) Surry Hill's latest Middle Eastern eatery is launching takeaway and delivery so inner city dwellers can enjoy its pitas from home. You can check out the menu and all the details at Shaffa's Instagram. Shwarmama (Surry Hills) The shawarma spot is doing all its sabich, kebabs, snack packs and beer available for pick up and delivery on UberEats and Deliveroo. Sonoma (multiple) You may have learnt how to bake sourdough last lockdown, but this time around its fair enough you just want to pick some up. Sonoma has you covered on that front. The artisanal bakery is offering both click and collect pickup and takeaway across every store. Timbah (Glebe) This neighbourhood bar has launched a lockdown takeaway menu available for pickup or drive thru. To order, ring the shop on 02 9571 7005. Head to Instagram to see the full menu, including caramalised charcoal pork skewers, pad kee mao and kaeng phet green curry with apple eggplant. [caption id="attachment_817101" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maiz by Debbie Gallulo[/caption] Have you come across one we've missed? Let us know at hello@concreteplayground.com Top image: Chiswick
Tucked away from the bustle of Hall Street is this excellent local butcher. The guys from Field to Fork love to chat about all things meat — whether it's about what you're going to be cooking up at home, or about the meat in the fridges, much of which is grass-fed, cage-free and raised without hormones. Alongside its selection of raw meat and poultry, are hot, cooked meals like sticky lamb ribs and slow-braised lamb shanks. The butchers is also known for its South African-style dried meats — the biltong is legendary, spicy and moreish, while the droëwors (a traditional dried coriander-seed spiced boerewors sausage) is meaty, tender and addictive. [caption id="attachment_776595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Images: Yael Stempler[/caption]
When Vivid rolls around, there aren't many square metres of the city that aren't covered in illuminated installations. This year, we've already been promised a 'robot spaceland' in Darling Harbour, 300 large-scale animal sculptures in Taronga Zoo, and an immersive field of 500 fireflies in the Royal Botanic Garden. But you'll have to find time in your winter schedule to sneak in a visit to the big neon playground that's set to pop-up in Circular Quay throughout the festival. If Vivid lets you indulge your inner child, The Samsung Electric Playground will let you unleash it. The glowing all-ages play pen — which will pop up in First Fleet Park next to the MCA — will feature a range of light, sound and physical interactions for you to ogle, climb on and interact with. Inside, you'll find an interactive 'field' of 320 light poles, a reactive LED dance floor, a neon hula-hooping station and a custom-built 'sky walk' that will let you take selfies with the sweeping Vivid views. And that's not to mention the 6.5-metre-tall slide that you can launch yourself down if you so desire. If it sounds like this is shamelessly made for Instagram, it is. Samsung will have a heap of its Galaxy S10s roaming around and staff will apparently be on-hand to snap pics of you interacting with the installations. Nonetheless, it sounds like it could be a fun stop on your Vivid itinerary. The brand will also set up a second studio-style installation inside the MCA, which will include Instagram workshops alongside with two custom-built interactive installations: one that creates an installation out of your heartbeat, and another creates a "kaleidoscopic experience" from the details in your eyes. Both installations will be open throughout Vivid and 100 percent free to attend. The Samsung Electric Playground will pop up at First Fleet Park (next to the MCA) for the duration of Vivid Sydney 2019, from May 24 until June 15. It will be open from 6–11pm each night and entry will be free.
This editorial is sponsored by our partners, The Rocks. The Rocks Village Bizarre has become a success story in the rejuvenation of the area. The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority event has reclaimed the cobblestone laneways and heritage-listed haunts with an ever-changing program of events that continues to inspire curiosity. It is returning from November 1 until December 20, and every Friday night the tourists will ship out and Sydneysiders will reclaiming their own, expecting the unexpected. Two events that will allow the public to involve themselves are the Magnificent Revolution YouTube Battle, taking place at 8.30pm on Friday, November 1, and the inaugural Bike Shorts Film Competition, hosted by Magnificent Revolution on Friday December 6. Anyone can enter and there are two categories: Standard Shorts that can be up to five minutes long and Micro Shorts, where Instagrammers can submit 15-second cycle-themed clips. Just make sure to hashtag them with #bikeshorts and #villagebizarre. If the satisfaction of your work being presented on a projector powered by bicycle is not enough to tempt you, perhaps the prize pool is. With $1,000 cash, a mentorship with Emmy and AACTA award-winning Firelight Productions, a Go-Pro camera and accommodation in The Rocks up for grabs, be sure to get filming. It is free to enter the competition and more information can be found here, with entries closing November 25. You can find Bike Shorts on 'Revolutionary Road' at the intersection of George and Playfair Streets. Why not cycle down there and make it a whole evening of two-wheel power. Lycra bike shorts are in no way required but feel free to wear some to give the crowd something extra to enjoy. Want to win a Go Pro HD camera? They're accepting entries to the Micro Shorts competition right up until 3pm on Friday December 6. To enter, take a video around the theme of 'cycle' and upload to Instagram with the hashtags #bikeshorts and #villagebizarre. To watch the teaser video, click here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nv9-R9V7Uoo
When you lick a scoop of gelato, do you take a moment to let the flavour settle onto your tastebuds? Do you stop to contemplate the creaminess, try to pick out all of the different ingredients and, in the process, ponder how it feels on your tongue? Perhaps you spend too long thinking not only about how your dessert tastes, but how it smells. Or, maybe you're obsessed with how it looks, because a good ice cream is a truly glorious sight. If we've just described your usual thought processes every time you step inside a gelato joint, then you might want to throw your name in the ring for this Gelatissimo gig. As the dessert chain first did back in 2019, it has put out a call for a dream job — but only for a single four-hour shift. For one morning — from 9am–1pm on the morning of Tuesday, May 10, to be exact — the dessert chain will pay one ice cream-loving person $500 to taste-test its newest gelato flavours. That's it, that's the gig. Go on, try to find a more delicious way to spend four hours. Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has been responsible for frosé sorbet, ginger beer gelato and even a gelato for dogs, so you won't be licking your way through plain ol' vanilla or the usual mint choc-chip combination (not that there's anything wrong with those two stone-cold classics). Other special varieties that it has come up with in the past include Weet-Bix, fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge, Biscoff, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses, gingerbread cookie dough, Caramilk and bubble tea. Yes, you should be getting a sugar rush just thinking about it. Just what flavours the lucky taste-tester will be munching on hasn't yet been revealed, but whoever gets the gig will play a crucial part in evaluating them. As well as being mouth-wateringly appetising, this is serious business, requiring the utmost focus on the task at hand. That means first assessing the gelato's appearance, then enjoying a couple of scoops to get a feel for the flavour and texture. Then, after cleansing your palate with water, you'll do it all over again (and then again). If you're keen, as most people with tastebuds will be, just head to the Gelatissimo website to explain why you're the ideal candidate for the job. While the competition is open nationally, the winner will be required to get themselves to Gelatissimo's Sydney office in Rydalmere on Tuesday, May 10. If that still suits you, you have until midnight AEST on Friday, April 22 to enter. And, if you need any extra incentive, you'll also get to fill your freezer with gelato for your troubles. For more information, or to apply for the Gelatissimo gelato-tasting gig, visit the dessert chain's website.
Ippudo, the beloved international Japanese ramen chain, has opened a new Sydney restaurant in World Square. World Square will sit alongside Ippudo's other noodle-slinging outputs in Sydney's CBD, Circular Quay, Chippendale and North Ryde. The latest Ippudo restaurant, like all 277 locations worldwide, is made to resemble both an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) and a traditional ramen house. It's been the same since Ippudo opened its first ramen joint in Japan in 1985. Its famous bowls of ramen take centre stage — the classic shiromaru ($19), a Hakata-style ramen with juicy pork loin, crunchy bean sprouts and silky black mushrooms is the speciality that put Ippudo on the map — but there are stacks of a la carte dishes designed to be eaten like tapas too. Grab some beers, wine or sake after work (or during a long boozy lunch) and nosh on a bunch of Japanese classics that are made for sharing. First off, there are the bao buns ($6.50) — fluffy clouds of dough filled with either fried chicken, prawn katsu, BBQ pork or braised pork. Get a bunch of these for the table and add a few gyoza ($11) and Takoyaki octopus balls ($10) for good measure. Ippudo is one of our favourite ramen houses in Sydney, so we are stoked to see yet another spot open up in World Square. Tuck a napkin into your shirt and slurp up these ramen noodles with great abandon. Images: Leigh Griffiths
Already in its 24th year, the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest never ceases to amaze and excite with its stunning displays of photography from around the world. With the current increase in popularity of amateur photography and the pervasion of social media, this year's competition already has a whopping 12,400 entries. Flick through the entries at the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012 website and experience some of the most incredible and awe-inspiring sights, people and moments this Earth has to offer. This year's contest has four categories - Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, Travel Portraits and Spontaneous Moments - to cover a wide range of spectacular photo opportunities. Here we've collated just a sample of what we find to be some of the most remarkable shots from the 2012 contest. Keep a lookout for the winners, which will be announced in August. Northern Lights by Christine Peterson Location: Northern Iceland Monsoon by Enrique Lopez-Tapia Location: Sundarbands, Bangladesh The Rise by James Davies Location: Lizard Point, the UK's most Southerly location, Cornwall African Queen - Madagascar by Lisa Labinjoh Location: North West Madagascar Sun-Kissed Faces by Erwin Choachuy Location: San Remigio, Cebu, Philippines Tamblingan Lake by Agung Krisprimandoyo Location: Gubug Temple, Tamblingan Lake, Bali, Indonesia Up in the Air by Martin Fietkiewicz Location: Wreck Beach, Vancouver, BC, Canada Fox in the Grass by Kathryn Triplett Location: Kodiak Island, Alaska Butts by Laysa Quintero Location: Samburu National Reserve, Kenya Outside Pandora's Box by Johnathan Bareng Location: Ubud, Bali. Indonesia The Great off Isla Damas by Esteban Delgado Location: Puntarenas, Quepos, Isla Damas, Costa Rica
Heading to the beach is all about sun, sand and taking a dip in the sea — and for Queenslanders this summer, it's now about two types of surfing. Selected spots across the state will be trialling a new system called Life-Fi, which enables sunbathers to connect to the internet for free while they're lazing about between the flags. The real aim of Life-Fi is actually to save lives. It gives beachgoers an incentive to keep close to lifeguards, with nearly 80 percent of the more than 5000 rescues that have taken place since January 2017 occurring outside of the red and yellow flags. The system also allows surf lifesaving clubs to communicate directly with folks sunning themselves by the shore — sending alerts from lifeguards on duty about ocean conditions, currents and marine creatures; conveying weather updates and live UV ratings; and offering general surf safety tips. Spearheaded by Surf Life Saving Queensland, Life-Fi has already been trialled at the Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, and will now roll out to ten other clubs along the coastline. Four mobile units will also be dispatched throughout the state as they're needed. Exact locations have yet to be announced, although you can expect popular beaches on the Gold and Sunshine coasts to feature. The portable self-contained wireless network is available in six languages (English, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese and Thai), ensuring that overseas tourists making the most of Queensland beaches can still receive safety warnings. Announcing the expanded trial, Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones noted that tourism was a key motivator. "If we can make people feel safe, we know we'll lure more people to the beach." For more information, visit the Life-Fi website. You can also use NetShare Pro.
Finding a cafe that does brunch is easy. So is finding a restaurant for dinner. But finding a place for all those awkward in-between times — you know, when you have to walk into a cafe and ask: 'are you still open?' — can be surprisingly difficult. Sometimes you need a 5.30pm coffee, or you need somewhere low-key to do some work over dinner. Luckily, not everywhere is closed between the hours of 4 and 6pm. These diners are open all day, from breakfast and lunch right through until dinner (and, in some cases, maybe even later) — so you don't have to worry about rocking up just after the coffee machine's been cleaned.
What a year it's been for Violent Soho. The Brisbane lads' sold-out national tours in July and December went gangbusters, and they've stolen the show at many of Australia’s leading festivals including Splendour in the Grass, Groovin' the Moo and triple j's One Night Stand. They've dominated the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards, with four nominations — more than any other artist nominated — and two awards for their critically-acclaimed album, Hungry Ghost: Best Independent Album and Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album. Just this weekend, they've slayed their final festival before Christmas; the foursome headlined Festival of the Sun on Saturday. When we called guitarist James Tidswell to catch up on this year thus far, he's sitting in his backyard eating strewed apple and quinoa, and hanging out with his baby girl who was born in May this year. Bless. But back to the rock and roll stuff — here are five reasons why Violent Soho are a top bunch of blokes for the Australian market. THEY'RE GREAT MATES WITH OTHER BANDS During their Hungry Ghost national tour this past July, Violent Soho played to massive crowds all over the country. While there was plenty of fun to be had on stage, Tidswell was at his happiest watching the support bands do their thing. "I watched every band every night," says Tidswell. "Highlights were Sounds Like Sunset — they opened the Friday Sydney show. Every night Luca Brasi and Smith Street Band ruled. White Walls were awesome. Ceres were awesome. A whole bunch of bands really, they were the highlights." On a side note, the band also loved how rowdy their fans got, even on a school night. "The show in Sydney on the Tuesday night was surprisingly good, I guess that's only because it was a Tuesday and I didn't expect it to go off quite like that, but that was awesome." THEY'RE A DEMOCRACY Violent Soho had the great honour of programming RAGE in August, and the show was inevitably what can only described as rad. The lads included the likes of Frenzal Rhomb, Sandpit, The Drones and Dune Rats on their video playlist. Anyone who has ever tried to compile a party playlist with your mates knows that you can't always get what you want. But it doesn't have to be that way, at least not for the Violent Soho guys. "We got 16 songs each, we just went up and did our own thing," explains Tidswell. "We all chose things for different reasons. I know that Mikey went for videos that you'd want to see late at night, so he chose The Ramones' Pet Cemetery, which has a rad video, and stuff like that. Everyone went for different things." Tidswell chose songs he loves, and thinks you should love too. "I went for songs that I really like and wanted other people to like, or at least hear. I think it was heaps of friend's bands." THEY WOULD RIP A GUMBOOT BONG GIVEN THE CHANCE A couple of truly awesome things happened during Violent Soho's set at Splendour this year. Firstly, bassist Luke Henery's three-year-old son Oscar came out on stage with the band and won the hearts of thousands. Secondly, a dude ripped a gumboot bong. When asked if he would do the same thing if the opportunity ever arose, Tidswell didn’t hesitate with a response. "Ha! Yeah I would! When I saw it I thought it was so cool. I didn't see it happening, I saw the photo later on. What a legend. I'd definitely do that, I think it’s the smartest move." If it's good enough for their fans, it's good enough for Violent Soho. FACT. THEY TAKE IT ALL IN THEIR STRIDE Hungry Ghost was released in the States at the end of September and while the record itself wasn't be harmed, their single 'Covered In Chrome' had to undergo a radio edit for the famous catch cry "Hell Fuck Yeah". Instead of this being a major bummer, Tidswell shrugs it off with ease. "It's just for the radio release. We knew we had to do that anyway. We released a song there in 2010 called 'Muscle Junkie' and the lyrics go 'fuck you fuck you I hate your face' over and over again. We knew you couldn't just put fuck on a song on the radio over there." In other band news, Violent Soho have also completed their second vinyl pressing for Hungry Ghost, which sold out in less than 24 hours. When asked if the widespread appreciation for their third record felt overwhelming, his response is simple. "Yeah. That's the only way to describe it, for sure." THEY JUST NAILED FESTIVAL OF THE SUN The final stop for this year’s festival circuit for Violent Soho was Festival Of The Sun’s 10th anniversary in Port Macquarie. Joined by the Jezabels, Shihad, Dune Rats and Jackie Onassis for the two-day festival, the guys were, true to form, keen to see some music as well as playing it. "There's tons of good bands playing, so that will be good." There's plenty to be happy about playing at Festival Of The Sun according to Tidswell, as he explains, "It’s just in a good area, a real good spot... Good bands, good people in that area, I like it." What's next then? For the rest of the year, Tidswell will continue to enjoy his downtime of hangouts in Brissy, skating, having breakfast in the backyard at 1pm, and hanging out with his little lady. Delightful. Image credits: AP Photography, Stephen Booth.
When Sydney's first Harry Potter-themed boozy brunches were announced, the city couldn't say "accio butterbeer" fast enough, with the first two stints selling out quickly. Due to massive muggle demand, a third round of feasts is now occurring on July 21 and 22 — across four sessions, spanning both brunch and dinner. Camperdown's MacLaurin Hall is the location that'll be turned into the Great Hall for the occasion, complete with an enchanted meal (Pixie Puffs, please), bottomless butterbeer (obviously), 'magic' potions (aka cocktails, we're assuming) and other wizard-themed beverages. There'll also be quidditch, a couple of sorting ceremonies and wand lessons — and Harry Potter characters mingling with attendees, if that's your idea of some perfect HP fun. Tickets are currently on sale, but they're not likely to stay that way for long, even though you'll need a bag full of galleons to head along. At $231 per head, you'll be hoping for a Yule Ball-type experience. Find more information about The Wizard's Brunch here. Tickets for the July 21 and 22 Sydney events are currently on sale.
We've all heard of the saying 'the older you are, the wiser you are' — and in this case it stands true. It is common knowledge that we can learn so much from our elders with their breadth of experience. So when it comes time to learn about experiences pertaining to love, romance and sex, who better to ask than the ones with the most expertise? Strap in — or on — for a wild ride, as All The Sex I've Ever Had returns to Sydney completely revamped for WorldPride 2023. The Darlinghurst Production Company has teamed up with Canada's Mammalian Diving to bring an LGBTQIA+ edition of the hugely successful, 90-minute tell-all production back to Sydney. From 7pm Tuesday to Friday or 5pm on Sunday, you can draw upon the wisdom of queer local senior citizens at the Eternity Playhouse Theatre and experience the climaxes of truly raw storytelling as these generous elders recount some of the highest highs and lowest lows of navigating their way through dating, relationships and sexuality. Take the opportunity to hear or ask questions about the panel's escapades, spanning from first crushes and casual flings to unplanned pregnancies and tumultuous love affairs — nothing is off the table. As these sex-perts bear their chests in a spoken memoir of heart-warming and heartbreaking accounts, the courage to share personal stories on stage emphasises the importance of being unapologetically open and fearless. This WorldPride event re-establishes our elders as the ones to turn to for advice and life lessons, while breaking the stigma around the taboo nature of enjoying life's pleasures to the fullest in your twilight years. This must-attend event will be one for the books.
Clear your culinary calendar, Merivale’s epic food and wine festival March into Merivale is back for the eighth year in a row. For five glorious weeks, you’ll be treated to pop-up feasts, international DJs, a laneway festival, dining specials, masterclasses and mystery banquets. Altogether, it’s more deliciousness and fun than we can handle — but we'll try. Very last release tickets are on sale now for the epic March into Merivale Launch Party this Wednesday, February 10. Tickets are just 45 bucks a pop, which buys you entry, along with eight food and drink tokens. Plus, the weather's expected to be glorious (28 degrees and sunny) so it's set to be a pretty perfect summer evening. By Jasmine Crittenden with Shannon Connellan.
MCA's tradition of after-hours schmoozing with art, music and glass of wine in hand, ARTBAR, is back for another year. They're always a fun way to spend a Friday night, thanks to the rotating cast of curators who continuously find fresh, eclectic ways for audiences to interact with what's on show. Artist Tom Polo fills the January 30 edition with an evening promising all manner of jokes, gags and lols — including a TV Tunes Dance-Off and stand-up from Dayne Rathbone. As a visual comedian of sorts, Polo's work frequently draws from vignettes of the everyday, whether its collaging hilarious tidbits from eavesdropped public transport exchanges or his paintings of abstract portraiture. Speaking of portraits, for an extra $10, visitors can also view MCA's latest exhibition on American painter Chuck Close.
Whisky buffs of Sydney, it's time to clear those calendars, because Glenmorangie is hosting an exclusive pop-up bar for one weekend only. From Thursday October 20, until Saturday October 22, the single malt Scotch whisky label will transform Market Street's Parlour Lane into a swanky speakeasy called After Hours. Here, punters will be transported to the Scottish Highlands, enjoying live-cross tastings run by the distillers at Glenmorangie House and guided tours led by local whisky experts. A curated cocktail list will feature whisky-infused creations from bartenders at Pocket Bar and Melbourne's Katuk, promising something for connoisseurs and rookies alike. Meanwhile, grazing feasts of freshly shucked oysters and charcuterie have been designed to perfectly complement the flavour profile of Glenmorangie Original. Keep your ear out for a few surprises, too, like a secret password that might just score you a sample of something rare and luxurious from the bar. Glenmorangie's After Hours pop-up bar will run from 6pm-midnight, on Thursday October 20 – Saturday October 22. Find it at 49 Market Street, Sydney. Entry is free and walk ins are welcome. Tickets are available on the door, or here.
Add this to the list of top-notch summer traditions: watching movies under the stars, and being spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a viewing spot. When the weather is warm, Sydney definitely isn't short on openair cinemas — but a trip to Hunters Hill Open Air Cinema includes checking out new releases and classic flicks with water views as a backdrop. Running every night throughout January at Bedlam Bay, Hunters Hill's setup also includes wine, beer, tapped cocktails and food truck eats — so you can say cheers to your movie of choice, and also add pizza, hot dogs and waffles to your film-viewing snacks. And as for what you'll be seeing, the lineup spans the Timothée Chalamet-starring Dune and The French Dispatch, horror flicks Last Night in Soho and Antlers, sing-along sessions of The Sound of Music and Mamma Mia!, and also everything from The Matrix Resurrections and West Side Story to House of Gucci and Eternals. Plus, in excellent news for your wallet, tickets are just $9 per person.
Mooncakes, ramen, fried ice cream, taiyaki, DJs and a live acrobatic lion dance performance. These are all part of the Darling Square Moon Festival that's taking over the Haymarket precinct from Friday, September 15, until Sunday, October 1. The traditional Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival will be celebrated over two weeks of festivities, with a huge program of Darling Square's beloved restaurants and bars whipping up special celebrations for the festival. From Friday, September 15, mooncakes will be all the rage at this fest. The Gong Grocer mooncake stall will pop up outside Maker's Dozen, boasting special mooncake flavours like peach oolong, jasmine, pandan, mango pomelo, and the famed custard lava series. Golden Century's XOPP will also be rolling out an array of its popular mooncakes, including its golden egg custard and red bean lotus root flavours, alongside its famous XO sauce. Region-specific flavours, including Teochew flakey pastry variants, Vietnamese mooncakes, and mochi-adjacent ice-cream 'snow skin' mooncakes, will be available. Elsewhere, IIKO Mazesoba is offering its Tsukimi Mazesoba ramen, mochi taiyaki, milk pudding with peach puree, and a snow skin bunny mooncake. Dopa by Devon will be offering chicken teriyaki, chicken karaage and veggie mini dons for $10, Ume Burger is doing crispy Moon Festival lotus chips, and Chinta Ria has crafted three celebratory set menus dubbed Love, Peace and Happiness. To accompany the various eats on offer, Hello Auntie will be serving up two specially-curated cocktails for the festival period. Sip on Moon Light (a pandan rum with green Chartreuse, pineapple and mango puree) or the 15-08 (gin, dragon fruit, and St. Germain). The Hello Auntie crew will also be slinging an XO tiger prawn dish paired with thyme, XO sauce, lime gel, shiso and nori. Along with the wide variety of eats, there will be a bunch of live music from the likes of Flygirl Tee and Mark Matthews through to DJ Aycuz spinning tracks every weekend. Rounding out the massive program of festivities is an exclusive live acrobatic lion dance performance from Jin Wu Koon on Friday, September 29, as well as an on-site calligraphy bar and lantern retailers — so you can personalise your glowing lanterns with a special message in English or Chinese. There will also be traditional Chinese makeup and face painting artists popping up from Friday, September 29, to Sunday, October 1. Check out the full program at the Darling Square website.
Film festivals seem to be coming thick and fast at the moment, and the 2013 Spanish Film Festival is joining the party this June. In its 16th year, it will fill 23 days with more than 20 films. In true festival style, you can expect a little from column A and a little from column B: comedy, romance, horror, political tales, triller and coming-of-age stories. Some of the highlights include the winner of 10 Argentinian Academy Awards, Clandestine Childhood, a tale of a boy finding his place in the world; A Gun in Each Hand, a witty look at gender roles and growing up; and the Spanish box office hit I Want You, a love story filled with new beginnings and a rocking soundtrack. The Spanish Film Festival is set to entertain and get you thinking. The question is, how many will you see?
Sydney Festival kicks off this week, and while we've been pouring over the events for months now, there's been one section of the program that's been hanging like a question mark over our hungry little heads: what food will we be eating? Or, more specifically, what ice cream creations will those crazy kids at Messina put together this time? Well, we've got out answer, and it includes doughnuts, fairy floss and those gelato hot dogs. Yes, the gelato gods are once again gifting us with the goods for the duration of the 20-day festival, creating a seven-piece menu of stupidly creative (and delicious) ice creamery. Dubbed Il Carnivale di Gelato Messina, this year is all about carnie food — which means that tooth-rotting candy and deep-fried food on a stick features heavily. Those who went along to the festival last year, will be happy to see the return of the Messinawiener (a Pluto Pup-like stick of maple syrup gelato coated in batter, deep fried, and dipped in plum sauce), and the milk gelato hot dog served in a brioche bun with all the 'condiments'. This thing looks so much like a real hot dog that some poor guy returned his last year saying it wasn't cooked properly. Bless. New additions will include a gelato 'toffee apple' and The Bearded Lady: a cream cheese gelato paddle pop with a chocolate coating, red velvet cake crunch and red fairy floss floating around the outside. There'll also be a doughnut bar, serving up ice cream doughnut sandwiches like the Five Million Dough-Lars (a doughnut version of their Magic Mushroom cake), and The Biggest Gainer: a doughie with peanut butter gelato, fresh banana, a milk chocolate glaze, peanuts and bacon sprinkles. If you're not already heading to Sydney Festival, this is good enough reason to get down there and check it out. Il Carnivale di Gelato Messina will be open every day of the festival from 12pm at the Festival Village in Hyde Park. Sydney Festival kicks off this Thursday, January 7 and run until Tuesday, January 26. Check out our top ten gigs of the festival, and picks for the best bang-for-your-buck events.
It may not end with a fade to black, with questions hanging over its characters' fates, or the revelation that it's all been a dream — but, however it happens, Atlanta is definitely wrapping up. Since 2016, the Donald Glover-created series has been one of the best things on TV; however, it's about to say farewell with a fourth and final batch of episodes. That isn't new news — Atlanta's end was revealed earlier this year — but that last go-around now has a trailer. In typical Atlanta style, it's cruisy and a tad surreal, and also still full of anxious and probing situations. This is the show that just had Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman) pop up and masturbate furiously, ventured into cannibalism and also delivered a wild Amelie parody in its third season, after all. That last round of instalments only arrived earlier this year, airing from March–May, after a four-year wait since season two. Clearly, the gap this time is vastly shorter — so if you're sad about the series ending, at least it's going out with a huge double dose. Exactly what creator and star Glover, who frequently writes and directs the series as well, has in store for his on-screen alter ego Earnest 'Earn' Marks isn't revealed in this first sneak peek at Atlanta's endgame — but Earn says he's in a good place, work-wise. Along with his ex Vanessa (Zazie Beetz, The Harder They Fall), rapper cousin Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles (Brian Tyree Henry, Eternals) and Nigerian American pal Darius (Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah), he's back in the titular US city after the last season followed the group around Europe. But, being the show it is, coming home won't be simple. Exactly how Atlanta follows up each and every season — all of them insightful, exceptional and unafraid to take big leaps — is always a thrill to discover. As it ventured around Europe, the show's third season went all in on white bullshit, and also on the way that the white-centric world will forever be haunted by how it still treats and has historically treated people of colour. What comes next will arrive for the final time in mid-September, with the show due to start its last run on Thursday, September 15 in the US. It streams via SBS On Demand in Australia and Neon in New Zealand, and will hopefully hit day and date Down Under, so on Friday, September 16, as season three did. Check out the trailer for Atlanta's fourth season below: The fourth season of Atlanta will release in the US on Thursday, September 15 — with the series streaming via SBS On Demand in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. We'll update you with an exact date Down Under when it comes to hand. Read our full review of Atlanta season three.
If brutal honesty, passionate angst and extraordinarily affecting personal songwriting is your jam, rejoice the return of Martha Wainwright to Australia for a massive, 12-date national tour. Part of a large, fractured musical family, it was perhaps fitting that Martha made her first big splash with 'Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole', a song at once heartbreaking and defiant, laying bare her difficult relationship with her father in an extraordinarily public way. And her forthcoming album, Come Home to Mama, continues this deeply personal approach to music, inspired by the six-month period in which she gave birth to her first child and lost her mother — legendary Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle — to cancer. But it's not all doom and gloom. Over the years Wainwright has established herself as a compelling and engaging performer with an extraordinary voice, one that will have you in tears one moment and tapping your feet the next. It won't be an easy night, but it could be an amazing one. 31 May – The Tivoli, Brisbane 1-2 June – Byron Theatre, Byron Bay 6 June – Sydney Opera House 8-9 June – Live n Cookin' @ Lizotte's, Newcastle 13 June – Theatre Royal, Hobart 14-15 June – Recital Centre, Melbourne 16 June – Memorial Hall, Leongatha (VIC) 20 June – Dunston Playhouse, Adelaide 22 June – Astor Theatre, Perth Tickets for the Sydney Opera House show are on sale on Friday, April 12, at 9am. More ticketing information here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pX-bIr8dr6U
These days, there are plenty of places to find cheesy dishes and elaborate cheese boards — but there's nothing quite like purchasing a few quality wedges of hand-picked fromage, freshly sliced charcuterie and a matching bottle of wine to take away and dig into. Home to some of the largest cheese selections in the country, Sydney's cheese shops are defined by honest, passionate owners, an appreciation for Australian-made products and exceptional cheese options. From long-running historic operations in the CBD to small artisan cheese shops in Manly, we've put together a list of the best shops to pick up a slice or two — whether you're just after your go-to favourite or something fancy and new.
Miranda Devine. Yeah, you've heard of her. Maybe you connect her with the profile shot that gazes smugly at you from the pages of the Telegraph somebody's discarded on the seat of the bus, or then again, maybe you're picturing the scenes of speechless, apoplectic rage with which your friends and loved ones are occasionally wont to speak of her. But make no mistake, there's nothing wrong with Miranda Devine's opinions per se. She just likes things clean, white, middle-class, conservative and heterosexual. Nothing wrong with that, she's entitled to her opinion. In fact, she's so entitled to it that she is the "leading columnist" with the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, who gift her an entire page in Australia's most popular tabloids in which to exercise her right to free speech. Which is all well and good until you get crazy-eyed hysterics ringing up talk-back radio and using her articles to back up what are often reactionary and evidence-free arguments. On Sunday, August 14, The Daily Telegraph published her column entitled 'It's a Myth Conception: The problem of a fatherless society.' While ostensibly about the pregnancy announced last week of Senator Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache, Devine manages to complete some truly spectacular logical acrobatics to take us from a pregnant lesbian couple to the seemingly connected statement, "You only had to see the burning streets of London last week to see the manifestation of a fatherless society." Makes sense, right? To a lot of people it doesn't, and one of the people it rubbed up the wrong way was Tom Ballard, Triple J breakfast presenter, comedian and self-described "professional homosexual". Check out Tom's measured, yet whimsical, response below. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KkMv_GzhETk
Eight days of free festivities are coming to Darling Harbour as part of SXSW Sydney. Whether you're a Platinum Badge-holder, just heading along to the music or screen festival, or sans-SXSW tickets entirely, you're invited to head down to Tumbalong Park between Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 for the festival's huge program of free events. Sydneysiders and visitors will be given the chance to dip their toes in the many different aspects of SXSW at the vibrant inner-city hub. Leading the program is Adam Spencer's Big Questions panel with special guest Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Yiying Lu and Chef Martin Yan will also be appearing on stage, teaming up on World Food Day to conduct a live cooking class. Young Henrys is the official sponsor of SXSW Sydney's music festival, and the beloved Sydney brewery is getting involved in the Tumbalong Park activation in a couple of different ways. Firstly, you'll be able to get your hands on a Newtowner at the Young Henrys pop-up bar. Plus, the YH crew is pulling some strings with a few acts on the festival lineup, running the Rock n Roll Circus where mystery artists will be appearing on stage to cover iconic rock songs. [caption id="attachment_918603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vivid 2023, Destination NSW[/caption] The first day of the festival, Sunday, October 15, will feature a jam-packed program featuring an opening ceremony, a presentation from the music festival featuring performances from artists on the lineup, an augmented reality demonstration, a break-dancing activation and an opening night party for SXSW Sydney's screen festival. Elsewhere on the lineup: an outdoor cinema screening classic films that have premiered at SXSW Austin over the years, an afternoon of esports, a live broadcast of FBi Radio's Arvos with Jaimee Taylor-Nielsen, a robotics demonstration and a live playthrough of the murder-mystery game Blood on the Clocktower. On top of all of this, there will also be food trucks, plus pop-up activations from Suntory -196, CommBank, Channel Seven, Snapchat and Uber. [caption id="attachment_912030" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tumbalong Park during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Destination NSW[/caption] SXSW Sydney is the first time that the world-famous festival is popping up anywhere outside the US. The festival will boast a 700-plus strong bill of talent, covering over 300 sessions. The event will feature more than 300 gigs across 25 venues, too, and has been dropping its music highlights and must-attend parties since earlier in 2023. Its dedicated gaming strand will include a tabletop game expo. And, the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival will open with The Royal Hotel, and host the world premiere of Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles. The entire event — the festivals within the bigger fest, exhibitions, talks, networking opportunities and streetside activations — will happen within a walkable precinct in the Sydney CBD, Haymarket, Darling Harbour, Ultimo, Chippendale and more, with the SXSW Sydney's footprint operating as a huge hub. Other venues named so far include Powerhouse Museum, ICC Sydney, UTS, Central Park Mall, the Goods Line Walk, The Abercrombie and Lansdowne Hotel. View this post on Instagram A post shared by sxswsydney (@sxswsydney) SXSW Sydney's free festival hub will take over Tumbalong Park, 11 Harbour Street, Sydney between Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 Top image: Tumbalong Park, Vivid, Destination NSW. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
As a kid, your idea of the perfect getaway probably would have included only a few simple things, like proximity to the closest milk bar and easy access to the nearest beach or lake. But as you've matured, so have your tastes and expectations. Now you want only the best, don't you? Luckily, Australia has no shortage of lavish retreats to discover in every corner of the country. From safari-style glamping along Western Australia's vibrant Ningaloo Reef to a rugged private island off the Tasmanian coast, there are ways you can seriously treat yourself — and see some of Australia's most stunning scenes at the same time. With that in mind, we've hunted down seven luxury locations that will have you refreshed and rejuvenated. Everyone deserves a little five-star escape every now and then. [caption id="attachment_720489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] SAL SALIS NINGALOO REEF SAFARI CAMP, WA Hidden between sand dunes in the Cape Range National Park, Sal Salis is a beachside eco safari camp like no other. The 15 luxury wilderness tents take glamping to a whole new level, with breezy openair bathrooms, handmade timber beds and absolutely unbeatable views of the Indian Ocean, which is conveniently located only a few steps away from your sleeping quarters. There are outdoor activities aplenty, though swimming with whale sharks, manta rays and dolphins would certainly be at the top of our list. The main lodge also offers the perfect place to unwind with fantastic regional wines, WA seafood, and a rustic wooden outdoor deck that offers the ultimate vantage point to see the Milky Way in all its glory. Ningaloo Reef is one of our top places to visit in Australia in 2023, and Sal Salis would have to be the greatest place to stay in the region. THE CAPE AT WATEGOS, BYRON BAY If you're after a laidback luxury stay with uninterrupted sea views, then these Byron Bay lodges should more than do the trick. The Cape at Wategos sits above the area's much-loved Wategos Beach (backed by a national park) and is super close to a bunch of great restaurants and bars. It has the ideal blend of feeling totally remote but still close to Byron Bay's fun stuff. Choose from one of the two-bedroom suites — each with massive private decks overlooking the beach — or go for the large Residence that sleeps up to six guests. Expect stark white interiors, Hampton-style furnishings, spacious kitchens and living areas, an infinity swimming pool and comfy king-sized beds. Either spend all your days up at the lodges or take a short walk down for afternoons of swimming and surfing with mates. LONGITUDE 131, YULARA, NT No matter where you're standing, the mammoth form of Uluru is always an incredible sight to behold. But some vantage points are better than others — and if we had to pick, we'd say Longitude 131 has the best. Luxury tents (if you can even call them that) sprawl across the red desert in the shadow of the ancient Kata Tjuṯa. Every one comes with indulgent elements like floor-to-ceiling windows, a soft daybed, a rain shower and a coffee machine — not to mention the free-standing tub in the sprawling Dune Pavilion that we would definitely try to take home with us if it was remotely possible. The best part? There are no televisions and no radios, so you'll be in complete quiet and solitude. It is clear to see why it's one of the best glamping spots in all of Australia. [caption id="attachment_557208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elise Hassey[/caption] SATELLITE ISLAND, TASMANIA If you've ever read Journey to the End of the Earth and thought 'that sounds like fun' then you're going to love Satellite Island. Lined with rugged cliffs that dip into clear blue waters and teeming with native wildlife, the 34-hectare landmass is located along the southeastern coast of Tasmania in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and is only accessible by private boat. Whether you're catching your own fish off of the island's single jetty, foraging for ingredients in the veggie patch or learning how to shuck your own oysters, you'll probably try to set up a makeshift cabin so you never have to leave this tranquil paradise. PS EMMYLOU, MURRAY RIVER According to the PS Emmylou team, this is the world's only accommodated woodfire paddle steamer. You'll slowly float along the Murray River in this newly kitted-out boat, stopping off at small towns and natural sites to do some light exploring. Grab one of the eight luxe cabins, dine on the back of the boat (with food and drinks included in the ticket price) and take part in a series of tours around the Murray River region. This will include leisurely hikes, winery tours and special dinners on the banks of the river. But the best thing to do is simply grab a seat on your balcony — if you get the luxury suite — and spend the day reading and drinking in the sunshine. It has to be the best way to see this marvellous part of Australia. JACKALOPE, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA Situated in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula wine region, Jackalope Hotel has raised the bar for luxury retreats in the area. The first thing that greets you on arrival is a grandiose seven-metre-tall sculpture of a jackalope — the mythical horned rabbit after which the surrealist hotel is named — and things only get more extravagant from there. From the 30-metre-long infinity pool with lush vineyard views to the hotel's extensive art collection, opulent spa and two top-quality restaurants, you won't have to leave the grounds if you don't want to. [caption id="attachment_720481" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Aitchison and Baille Lodge via Destination NSW[/caption] CAPELLA LODGE, LORD HOWE ISLAND Operating for over a decade now, Capella Lodge is one of Australia's most well-known hotels — and, thanks to a cheeky $4 million makeover a few years ago, it's also one of the country's most lavish. Visitors are treated to inspiring views of the island's twin peaks, Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, as well as the world's southernmost coral reef in the Pacific Ocean. The beach is only a stone's throw away when you feel like a swim, though the plunge pool is just as refreshing. Plus, you can do this epic hike and then head straight to the spa for a hot stone massage that'll have you feeling stress-free for weeks. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Longitude 131.
It took 30 years, plus a warp pipe from live-action to animation, but Super Mario Bros finally gained a cinematic mushroom. While these are peak product-to-screen times — see also: The Last of Us, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Tetris and Air, plus the upcoming Barbie, BlackBerry and latest Transformers flick — Nintendo's plumber siblings were long flushed out of movies thanks to their underperforming first outing. 1993's Bob Hoskins (Snow White and the Huntsman) and John Leguizamo (Violent Night)-starring film, the first-ever live-action video game film, isn't terrible. It followed its own dark path and hit its own wild blocks, something that stands out even more now that slavish obsession to intellectual property and franchise-building is king. If 2023's The Super Mario Bros Movie is a response to its predecessor, it's a happily dutiful one, doing its utmost to copy the video game. The strongest feeling it inspires: making viewers want to bust out their old NES or SNES or Game Boy, or emulators of any of them, or Nintendo's current Switch, and mash buttons as the red-capped, moustachioed, overalls-wearing Mario. These are also peak product-to-screen-to-purchase times; selling more Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros games is a clear and obvious aim of The Super Mario Bros Movie. To do that, the film truly is as enthusiastic about recreating its various source materials as Mario has been about collecting coins, completing levels and saving Princess Peach since way back in his 8-bit days. Under directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators of Teen Titans Go!, the animation looks like it's been ported straight from the console — a feat that's hardly unexpected given that it's all shiny pixels. It's also unsurprising due to Nintendo's recent success in mirroring the games IRL in Universal's Osaka and Hollywood theme parks. The Super Mario Bros Movie will help sell more tickets to those, too. In those impressive images, Italian Americans Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt, Thor: Love and Thunder) and Luigi (Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) essentially find themselves in the Super Mario Bros version of The Wizard of Oz. Like the 90s flick, they're also transported to another realm where a villainous creature lusts for power— Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) here, with an army of the turtle-like koopas doing his bidding. A sewer flood whisks Mario and Luigi out of their own world, after they try to fix it to drum up customers for their plumbing business. On the other side of the tunnel, Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi ends up Bowser's prisoner. Cue a quest, including along the rainbow road, to reunite the brothers, stop Bowser and keep him away from Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu) — who definitely isn't a damsel in distress, but the target of Bowser's obsessive affections. Screenwriter Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru) has kept The Super Mario Bros Movie's story slight, just as Horvath and Jelenic ensure that the tone stays light. Still, while it might star Pratt, there's no The Lego Movie-level smarts, satire and hilarity on offer. Instead, the fun-enough picture is packed with as many nods to the games as it can possibly fit in — and to as many games as it can manage. It's been four decades since Mario Bros initially hit arcades, spinning off from Mario's 1981 introduction in the first Donkey Kong, so there's much to reference. The film brings in the big gorilla (Seth Rogen, The Fabelmans) and his simian pals (Wednesday's Fred Armisen voices Cranky Kong). It gets speeding along that beloved rainbow road, with shells flying and Mad Max: Fury Road coming to mind. The list goes on and cuts far deeper than the obvious; it isn't accurate to say it's full of Easter eggs, though, because it's simply a Super Mario Bros movie stacked with attention to Super Mario Bros detail. Released beforehand, but still a sight to see within the complete flick, Mario's arrival in the Mushroom Kingdom and his introductory tour by the mushroom-headed Toad (Keegan-Michael Key, Schmigadoon!) is a visual treasure trove. When Peach has him prove he's up to the Bowser-battling mission by hopping through an obstacle course that mirrors Super Mario Bros' levels, it's also spot on. Before that in Brooklyn, rushing to a job gets the side-scrolling treatment — and it's an entertainingly playful touch. Nintendo composer Koji Kondo's famous tunes are worked and interpreted by composer Brian Tyler (Scream VI), too, and well. Of course, a game-to-movie effort can't just splash around familiar sights and sounds, actively court nostalgia, and call it all a film. This one doesn't, but the plot remains noticeably thin, including in its siblings-stick-together theme. It's also indebted to the Minions franchise in much of Bowser and the Koopas' storyline. That's animation house Illumination cribbing from itself, given it's behind Despicable Me and its sequels and continues, and now this. If the bright, bouncy, vivid and immersive imagery is The Super Mario Bros Movie's main power-up, which it is, it's still no invincibility star. Neither is the fast pace, aka the default mode for most family-friendly animated fare that isn't made by Pixar, Studio Ghibli or Wolfwalkers' Cartoon Saloon, and where the key focus is on throwing constant chaos at kids so that they don't get distracted. And when the stock-standard needle-drops start, because every all-ages-friendly movie has to jam in recognisable songs like 'Holding Out for a Hero' and 'Take on Me' like it's a jukebox musical — a lazy and grating genre staple that won't go away — there's basic Spotify playlist vibes. It might've sparked the Gentleminions fad among cinemagoers who grew up watching yellow babbling critters, but Minions: The Rise of Gru did the same. Cosplaying in red or green outfits to The Super Mario Bros Movie, which'll happen seeing that all things Mario are that adored, won't patch over the template at work here either. Although it doesn't seem like it when the picture presses start, Horvath and Jelenic are well-aware that they can't have Pratt let's-a-going his way through the film with a stereotypical accent, and don't. They're also comically knowing about it. That said, his casting is neither a coin box nor a banana peel — but his co-stars are winningly chosen. The expressive and energetic Day helps make the case for a big-screen Luigi's Mansion outing to come next. Taylor-Joy gives Peach pluck and determination, on par with the script's commitment to make the character anything but someone who needs rescuing. Key is lively and squeaky, Black growls and pines for Peach with Tenacious D-style glee and Rogan is audibly having a ball. And, while this can't be said about the bulk of this endearingly loving but supremely by-the-numbers film, that's something that The Super Mario Bros Movie delivers but the games can't.
While New South Wales started moving out of lockdown a few months back, life definitely hasn't returned to pre-COVID-19 normality just yet. Slowly, however, more and more restrictions are continuing to relax — including, as just announced today, Wednesday, December 2, very significant changes to venue and event capacity restrictions. As revealed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, from Monday, December 7, major outdoor events with a crowd are back on the agenda. Regional areas had already been given the go-ahead to host events, such as shows, with 5000 people this summer. Now that bigger cap applies to Sydney as well. Again, the events have to be outside and they must be ticketed — in other words, they must be 'controlled'. Otherwise, outdoor events can only have up to 3000 people. Also changing, as flagged in the most recent eased restrictions announced back on Wednesday, November 25: the in-venue capacity cap. Last week, it was revealed that venues with up to 200 square metres of space could welcome in more customers, with a one-person-per-two-square-metres limit in place from December 1 — and with no limit on the total number of patrons. From December 7, the same will apply to all venues both indoors and outdoors, except for gyms and nightclubs. And, it'll be in place for events as well. At hospitality venues, you'll also be allowed to stand outside. You will need to remain seated indoors, however. Indoor dance floors will be able to welcome 50 people at a time, too, so you can start showing off your fancy footwork again. Seated outdoor stadiums and theatres can move to 100-percent capacity as well, if they're outdoors, ticketed and seated. Indoors, stadiums and theatres can move to 75-percent capacity. [caption id="attachment_720223" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Vivid, Proudence Upton[/caption] For outdoor gatherings — so you and your mates or family having a picnic or barbecue — you can now get together with up to 100 people, too. Also relevant: there'll also be no upper caps for weddings and funerals, either. Premier Berejiklian called the news "a major easing of restrictions" — and noted that the announcement came as NSW clocks up 25 days without community transmission. As previously revealed, another big change will come into effect on Monday, December 14, and it applies to working from home. The NSW Government will remove the public health order that covers the topic, so you can expect more people returning to the office. In line with that shift, NSW residents are also asked to wear masks on public transport as there'll be more people using the network. As always, the usual rules regarding hygiene, social distancing and getting tested if you display any possible COVID-19 symptoms all still apply as restrictions keep easing. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Vivid, Jordan Munns.
Usually, IKEA's food game is as unmistakably Scandinavian as its hard-to-pronounce furniture names — headlined, of course, by those iconic Swedish meatballs. But come Wednesday, January 22, the retailer's Tempe store is shaking things up and taking a jaunt to the other side of the globe, dishing up a Chinese street food buffet in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Alongside a program of cultural entertainment and traditional workshops, the all-you-can-eat dinner is set to run from 5.30–7.30pm, transforming the store's restaurant space into a colourful Asian feasting hall. On the menu, you'll find classic dishes like steamed dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and sweet potatoes in a teriyaki glaze. There's both combination and vegetarian hot pot soup, hoisin slow-roasted pork shoulder, and even sweet offerings like fruit platters and mango rice pudding. [caption id="attachment_757260" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Maksym Kozlenko via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Adult tickets to the buffet feast are $29.95, though IKEA Family members can nab theirs for just $25.95. And since the store's open until 9pm each night, you could even squeeze in a spot of post-dinner flatpack shopping while you're there. Images: Maksym Kozlenko via Wikimedia Commons.
At first glance, mid-week raving and healthy living don’t seem to go hand in hand. The energetic people behind Morning Gloryville are here to turn that preconception on its head with their ingenious way to start your day in style. From 6.30 to 10.30am on the last Wednesday of the month at Paddington Uniting Church, Morning Gloryville will host a monthly all-ages, drug and alcohol free rave to kickstart your day. Music will be pumping with an eclectic mix of '90s dance to jungle beats and soul tunes; you’re encouraged to jump around and shake those cobwebs loose before heading to work. Local DJs Klue, DJ Tricky and Person Three will be storming the decks, along with a dance team to get the party going. But it’s not just the furious dancing that's helping you start your day off on the right foot. The Morning Gloryville sessions will also include yoga, massage, fresh smoothies and healthy food. The recommended dress code is simply 'dress to sweat', but loads of colour and festivalwear is also encouraged — anything to help you seize the day. The only real rule is sobriety; let your inner dance monster show the world what it’s made of unimpeded by plonk. The Morning Glory rave started in London’s Shoreditch — where else — by Sam Moyo and Nico Thoemmes. "We’ve noticed the habit that when people start getting really serious jobs or have a family, or if they want to live free of alcohol and drugs, then they almost stop partying and stop dancing in that way. We thought that was a shame," says Thoemmes. "Morning Glory is a revolution of conscious clubbing. For us it’s really important to get people embodied and dancing and moving freely." It has since gathered a global following with offshoots in Barcelona, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam and now Sydney. Morning Gloryville is a great alternative for those who truly dread climbing out of bed during the chilly winter months to head to the gym. If you’re looking down the barrel of 8-12 hours at a desk or in an office environment, this is one sure fire way of getting an endorphins hit. The first Morning Gloryville event will be launched on July 23 and entry is $20 for adults and children under 12 rave for free. Via BBC and Fresh 92.7.
Alright, people of Sydney, we get it. Y'all love a tight rooftop. You love to drink bevs under the open sky and in line with your demands, venues countrywide are opening up rooftop bars. It's a glorious new era with a skyline of rooftop bars extending into the horizon and, happily, Paddington's Light Brigade Hotel is the latest place to jump on the bandwagon. It's one of many recent changes for Woollahra's beloved Oxford Street hotel. In November, they reopened after an extensive renovation and came out the other side a whole lot fancier. And since October 7, Brigade Rooftop joined Brigade Bar and Brigade Dining as part of the four-storey hangout, offering pub-goers a lush space with views of the Paddington rooftops and Sydney harbour skyline. The rooftop functions as a combination space for drinking and dining, and is designed to feel "as casual as a neighbour's terrace," according to Jonathan Richards, director of interior design company SJB (the design wizards who executed the renovation). "We have designed a circular bar that fans around the terrace to enable the visitor full access to the horizon." Executive chef Marco Adler has also developed an accompanying wood-fired pizza menu available on the rooftop and in the Brigade Bar. Pizza and drinks on the rooftop? It's like they read our mind. At the same time, the Brigade Lounge also opened downstairs. It's a 1920s-themed cocktail bar that blends right into the art-deco vibe of the building, aka the perfect spot for a post-rooftop-pizza tipple. Brigade Rooftop is now open on the corner of Oxford Street and Jersey Road. Check out their Facebook page for further information.
Fusing thousands of EDM lovers, raveheads waiting for the bass to drop and a formidable amount of hot sauce can't possibly go wrong right? Face-melting dance and tastebud-destroying chili will combine their unlikely party powers for the first ever Electronic Sriracha Festival in San Jose, California. There'd better be some solid water stations in the production budget. Staking a spicy claim over San Jose's St. James Park on August 30, the hot sauce-inspired festival is making David Tran's beloved Sriracha rooster the poster boy for build ups, bass drops and breakdowns. Taking over two city blocks, three stages of electronic music, four bars and 120 sriracha-infused dishes, ESF is keeping food at $6 and the amps to 11. Seems it's all about endorphins, with EDM generating the same rush as a mouthful of hot sauce (the secret's in the capsaicin). Seems the moment before the bass drops parallels the waiting game before the Sriracha heat seeps in. Goes without saying, punters to both types of caps[aicin]-fuelled adventures do often display the same facial reaction: Could be one of the most unlikely Nailed It festivals yet, more innovative than your regular phone company sponsor with only corporate tents and handouts to add to the vibe. Sriracha held their first food-focused festival in LA last year, seems the team want to take things next level. The line-up will be released Monday, July 21 at 9am. Via Grub Street.
Let's face it — you don't necessarily expect to walk out of a bar feeling smarter. But the global initiative Raising the Bar looks to do just that, pulling education out of classrooms and injecting it into unexpected locations with talks on all things wacky, sustainable and scientific — including addiction, cybercrime, manufactured blood vessels and climate change. Hailing from New York then annually touring Hong Kong, London and beyond, Raising the Bar returns to Aussie shores in partnership with the University of Sydney and City of Sydney, to take over Sydney bars for one night only. Fifteen Sydney haunts — including The Abercrombie, Brix Distillers, Atomic Brewery, Soultrap and the Ace Hotel —are getting involved in this free event, with each venue hosting talks at 6pm and 8pm. The venues will be open for business, too, so you can grab a drink and some food to snack on while you try to wrap your head around the game-changing, boundary-pushing subject matter. Some of Sydney's brightest minds will come together to discuss research findings and specialist areas — from CEOs and up-and-coming visionaries to local professors and lecturers. And the conversation topics are about as varied as you can get, so it's unlikely you won't find something to sink your brain into. Speakers include Prof. Stefan Williams on his years of experience in underwater exploration, Josh Ismin on the therapeutic potential of magic mushrooms, Paul Millett on the vertical future of farming and Barbara Stephen on Sydney's growing role in the global entertainment industry. Registration for each individual event is a must, so to check out the full program and nab your free ticket, visit the website.
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do you want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia-wide to get as many trash-and-treasure troves happening on the same few days as possible. Last year, more than 300,000 Aussies took part at this festival of pre-loved stuff, holding more than 15,000 sales. Will this year's Garage Sale Trail top those hefty numbers? It'll certainly try via a huge array of events that will open their doors to bargain hunters, selling millions items across two big spring weekends: between Saturday, November 11–Sunday, November 12, and then again from Saturday, November 18–Sunday, November 19. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Garage Sale Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year. There'll be a right slew of sales happening all around Sydney, so keep your eyes on the event website — or register online to make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood.
UPDATE, March 15, 2021: Skate Kitchen is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Skate Kitchen begins with a board, a banged-up pelvis and blood gushing down a leg. But stacking it once isn't going to keep Camille (Rachelle Vinberg) from shredding, grinding and nosesliding. Nor are stitches in her nether regions, or her mother's (Elizabeth Rodriguez) insistence that she give up her hobby. Instead, the film takes Camille gliding from the parks and pavements of Long Island to the streets of Manhattan, where a gang of girls skate like the city is their playground. They're the Skate Kitchen of Skate Kitchen. An all-female collective, they air, ollie and amble around town. They hang out, smoke joints, and shoot the breeze about anything and everything. They snap and record their tricks and kickflips, immortalising their antics on Instagram. And when they welcome Camille into the fold, it changes everything for the reserved, quiet 18-year-old. Early in what proves a laidback but layered movie, filmmaker Crystal Moselle captures Skate Kitchen's leisurely vibe and the effect it has on her picture's teenage protagonist. The irrepressibly catchy beats of Junior Senior's 'Move Your Feet' take over the soundtrack as the girls walk, dance and skate their way through New York City, and Camille couldn't look happier. As well as sending the film's frames freewheeling along with the group, cinematographer Shabier Kirchner cloaks his images in a warm glow — the kind that exists in your mind when you're simply content, regardless of what your eyes actually see. It's an ethereal sequence, and yet it's also grounded in naturalism. Sunny, carefree, comforting, vibrant: that's just how being part of Skate Kitchen feels. That's how watching Skate Kitchen feels as well, although Moselle's isn't a rosy coming-of-age portrait devoid of drama. Narrative-wise, the movie charts the push-and-pull that characterises Camille's life — first between the freedom of skating and the scolding of her overprotective mum, then between friends and family, and later between her new buddies and the wannabe photographer Devon (a flame-haired Jaden Smith) who they try to warn her away from. And, while the film marks Moselle's first fictional movie, Skate Kitchen itself is real. The endlessly fascinating Vinberg is one of its crew members. So is the scene-stealing Nina Moran, who plays the joker of the gang, as well as the affectionate Ardelia Lovelace, who becomes Camille's closest friend. Here, art both imitates life and does its utmost best to represent it accurately — even when sometimes packaged with a visual sheen that'd do Sofia Coppola proud. It's unmistakably rare to see a film featuring such authentic and candid conversations between teen girls. Such a diverse yet nuanced female group, spanning different races, sexualities and personalities, is hardly regular screen fodder either. And that's before noting the obvious: that depicting young women as skateboarders, letting them carve out a place in a male-dominated domain, and spending time with them just kicking around is so uncommon that it's almost revolutionary. Indeed, that's exactly why the movie's dreamy aesthetic is such a fitting choice. Until now, a film set in this world — that's intent on fighting back against gendered expectations, and that seems so achingly real — was basically a dream. Moselle knows a thing or two about stepping into an overlooked or undiscovered realm and revealing it to the masses. In 2015, her documentary The Wolfpack was a festival circuit hit, centring on seven home-schooled New York siblings — six boys and their sister — who were virtually forbidden to leave the house by their strict father. To experience the outside world, the factual flick's subjects escaped into movies, which they not only devoured on DVD but re-enacted and re-staged in an elaborate fashion. Skate Kitchen is The Wolfpack's fictionalised female-focused counterpart in many ways, and it also sees Moselle take her doco's core idea to the next level. There, cinema helped a sheltered family feel like they existed. Here, skateboarding does just that for a lonely soul, while the overall film will provide the same sensation for anyone who has ever been a teenage girl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VTFLvLtdYw
Chardonnay has come a long way since a certain couple of foxy ladies hilariously revised its pronunciation. Just ask the crew at Handpicked Wines, who'll be reacquainting Aussies with this oft-misunderstood wine variety at their inaugural chardonnay festival, Buttered. The Sydney cellar door and wine label has pulled together a lineup of local labels to help shakeup old-school perceptions and celebrate the best of the country's new-world chardonnays. It's out with Kath and Kim's favourite big, oaky drops and in with a more refined style of cool climate vino. The Buttered Aussie Chard Fest takes over the Handpicked Cellar Door on Tuesday, October 22, to showcase over 20 different wines from legends like Oakridge, Giant Steps, Savaterre and Tyrrell's, alongside a few award-winning vintages from Handpicked. Some of the winemakers will be on hand to chat all things chardonnay — or, cardonnay, as Kim would say — while the DJ throws down a soundtrack filled with old-school Aussie gold. Also in a nod to the grape's retro reputation, there'll be a menu of nostalgic Australiana fare — expect a sausage sizzle and Iced VoVos, as well as plenty of cheese — plus, the punters with the foxiest old-school Aussie fashion on the night will win a private sommelier-led tasting for four, courtesy of Handpicked. Tickets are $35, which includes all your tastings and a selection of snacks, with more wines, beers and cheese plates available to purchase after 8pm. All the wineries will be selling take-home bottles as well.
They're the pieces of plastic no one can leave home without — if you want to catch a bus, train, tram or ferry. Sydney has Opal, Melbourne has Myki and Brisbane has the Go Card, aka the main way to pay for public transport in today's increasingly cash-less society. For now, that is. News Corp's Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane papers are all reporting the looming end of the current ticketing cards, in favour of smartphone, smartwatch and tap-and-go bank card payments. It's one of those obvious leaps in technology that was always going to happen at some point soon. If there's a more convenient, contactless way to pay that don't rely upon everyone remembering to stuff yet another card into their wallet, then it's hardly surprising that the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland governments are looking into it. In Sydney, a trial began on the Manly ferry last year, with patrons tapping their Mastercards instead. It's expected to expand to other forms of transport according to The Daily Telegraph, although it's worth noting that Opal multi-trip benefits don't apply to other payment systems. Melburnians can expect to scan on with a credit or debit card in trials due to start this year, focusing on Routes 11, 86 or 96, The Sunday Herald Sun notes. And in Brisbane, The Sunday Mail reports that a trial will commence either later in 2018 or sometime in early 2019, starting with the Airtrain. Moving away from dedicated transport cards — or adding other payment options — will make things easier for tourists and travellers, who shouldn't have to buy a new piece of plastic just to catch a bus or train (or pay extra for a paper ticket if they don't) when they're visiting. Ensuring the new system remains accessible for anyone that doesn't have a smartphone, smartwatch or bank card remains a concern, however. And, there'll always need to be a backup option in case someone forgets their phone, watch or wallet. Via The Sunday Mail / The Sunday Herald Sun / The Daily Telegraph. Images: Beau Giles / Binayak Dasgupta / Andrew Thomas.
UPDATE, April 9, 2021: Ready or Not is available to stream via Disney+, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. "In-laws". It's such an ordinary, everyday term, and yet it's usually uttered with such exasperation. Embodying the flipside of deciding to spend your life with someone, it's a reminder that even the happiest of romances always come with considerable baggage. It also sums up Ready or Not perfectly. At its most basic, this twisty and gory horror flick rests on one simple idea: having in-laws is hell. Of course, there's the minor annoyance that arises when your parents-in-law have too many opinions, or your siblings-in-law are obnoxious, or your uncle-in-law gets embarrassingly drunk at Christmas — and then there's discovering that your new family is plotting to kill you on your wedding night. First seen dressed for her big day, smoking a cigarette and pondering taking the plunge, Grace (Samara Weaving) is initially worried that her soon-to-be husband's family won't accept her. Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien) been estranged from his parents for years, but the couple is getting married on their sprawling estate anyway — it's tradition — and unease lingers in the air. While matriarch Becky (Andie MacDowell) is welcoming, she's more concerned about bringing Alex back into the fold. Grace's new brother-in-law Daniel (Adam Brody) seems like he's joking when he says she doesn't belong; however his tone has a clear edge. Other relatives, such as Alex's dad Tony (Henry Czerny), are barely polite. As for eccentric Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni), her permanent scowl says everything. So far, so standard. That's how tales of regular folks marrying into obscenely rich dynasties often go. But, as an ex-foster kid who's never had much of a family, Grace is determined to win over the Le Domas brood. Accordingly, when she's told they all have to play a game at midnight, she goes along with it. The family made their money in board games, so it's another tradition. It's not what most couples do after they've just gotten hitched, but there are worse ways to spend an evening than playing hide and seek in a lavish mansion — unless weapons, murder and devilish secrets are involved. Arrows start flying, guns keep firing and avoiding the dumbwaiter is plain common sense, with Grace forced to battle for her life while still wearing her wedding dress. Working with a witty script by Guy Busick (Stan Against Evil) and Ryan Murphy, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Devil's Due) ramp up the chaos and layer in plenty of commentary — and, yes, Ready or Not has much to say. As steeped as the movie is in oh-so-relatable family stresses, it also finds a wealth of subversive and perceptive material in gender roles and class warfare. When Grace's willingness to please and desire to belong sees her treated like prey, the film revels in her transformation from eager and accommodating to plucky and fearsome. And while there's no missing the many digs at the well-off, privileged and entitled, they're no less astute or accurate just because they're obvious. The result: a horror-comedy with bumps, jumps, laughs and vicious satire all in one gleefully manic slash 'n' stalk package. The concept of hunting humans is hardly new (see: The Most Dangerous Game, Turkey Shoot, Series 7 and Bacurau), and neither are family dysfunction nor just-married jitters (see: too many pictures to mention), but it makes a smart and amusing combination. Ready or Not's setting helps immensely, with the film trading on the mystery and intrigue that bubbles in all whodunnits and horror flicks in a stately home — and making ample use of secret corridors and endless rooms as well. Also assisting nicely is the playful You're Next-style vibe and Heathers-esque attitude; if can't have some ferocious fun with this premise, when can you? While Ready or Not holds nearly a full deck of winning cards, two other elements stand out. As the cast flings axes and slings snappy dialogue, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett always ensure that Grace's actions and choices feel realistic, rather than convenient, exaggerated or implausible; she's trying to fight, flee and survive, after all, and the situation is over-the-top enough as it is. Led by Australian talent Weaving, the film's cast is also excellent in general. MacDowell rarely dallies with her dark side, and she's a delight to watch in villainous mode. Brody, when he toys with his usual nice-guy image, is in sparkling form too. Naturally, though, Ready or Not belongs to its fierce bride and the actor behind her. After working her way from Home and Away to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to this, Weaving is a formidable and engaging presence — and, as this savagely entertaining flick demands, she's also one hell of a horror movie hero. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtYTwUxhAoI
Need to get around Sydney during WorldPride, and want your trip around town to be as entertaining as the entire festival? Enter Uber Pride Ride, a party bus that's hitting the Harbour City across three weekends. From Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26 and Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 5, operating from 6.30–10pm daily, it'll will loop around the CBD — with a heap of drag queen stars on hosting duties. Each night's trips will feature different talents busting out onboard activities — so you might be in for a ride filled with drag bingo, karaoke or an inner-city disco on wheels with Jojo Zaho, Carla From Bankstown, Coco Jumbo, Cassandra Queen, Karen From Finance, Annie Mation and more. The Uber Pride Ride is also hosting educational talks from First Nations LGBQTIA+SB advocacy organisation Black Rainbow. Like to party on the way to the party? This is the hop-on-hop-off — and free — bus for you. It'll take an hour-long City Circle loop, departing at 6.30pm, 7.45pm and 9pm each evening, starting at Australian Museum on William Street. From there, it'll head to St James Station, Powerhouse Museum, Central Station, Albion Street in Surry Hills, Flinders Street in Darlinghurst, Oxford Street in Paddington, then via Craigend and William streets back to the beginning. Like free Uber Pool trips as well? On one weekend, from 12–10pm Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, the rideshare company is also doing $100 off trips.
Since the first sign was erected promoting a tasty cola, we have had a love/hate relationship with the ubiquitous advertising monsters. Where we were once outraged at subliminal advertising, now we enjoy analysing the topic on a weekly basis. But how much do we really know about the influencing power of advertising? Morgan Spurlock is going to find out. The documentary filmmaker has noticed that all the supersized Hollywood blockbusters like Iron Man and Transformers are made so successful by being paired with the biggest brands using brand integration. So in an effort to create the first 'docbuster', Spurlock is selling the entire 90 minutes of his latest film, and taking us on his journey. For most of the film Spurlock straddles the line between 'selling-out' and making us laugh so hard we won't notice the money he's making in the process. But the tag line of the film assures us he's "not selling out, but buying-in". To do this he teams up with a number of companies that amazingly trust they won't come up second best in an area ripe for criticism, and it is reassuring to know that Spurlock is making this whole process transparent. As opposed to the sneaky tactics of subliminal advertising or product placement, it is remarkably comforting to be warned and indeed thrust toward all the paid features in this film. Along the way he is joined by experts (Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader), directors (Quentin Tarantino, Peter Berg, JJ Abrams) and musicians (OK Go) for an in-depth look at modern advertising, all while trying to sell his new-found 'love' of pomegranate juice. The film relies on Spurlock's wit and ability to poke fun at the industry he is buying into. It leads to some genuine laugh-out-loud moments yet eventually fails to deliver any sort of conclusions. Everybody knows about product placement, so what more does Spurlock tell us? Well, not a lot. Ultimately, he acknowledges that unless you would like to live a hermit existence or move to Sao Paulo there is little we can do about the constant amount of advertising we are exposed to daily. We may be stuck with it, but at least now we can have a good laugh at the situation, thanks to Morgan Spurlock. Morgan Spurlock will appear at a special screening of POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold complete with Q&A on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at 6.45pm. The movie opens nationwide on August 11. https://youtube.com/watch?v=T4Ng2P3zxfM
If you think 'the quarter acre block' and 'Sydney' are about as laughable a pairing as 'affordable housing' and 'the inner west', then think again. Art & About is upon us, and to kick off the three-week festival of public art is the Quarter Acre Block Party in Martin Place, a new incarnation of launch event Friday Night Live. This year's program for Art & About focuses on things that are 'at risk' or endangered. And what better way to reminisce about the surely extinct Australian dream of the quarter-acre block than to spend an afternoon soaking up the ole fashioned neighbourhood barbecue vibe as you drink up thanks to Cake Wines and dig into a spread by Barrel and Beast owner and sustainable chef extraordinaire Jared Ingersoll. With free entry, it all takes place in one of the CBD's most stunning acreages, Martin Place. Shaun Parker & Company's brilliant new work Trolleys will keep BBQ-goers entertained with performances at 5.30pm and 7pm. Expect breezy tunes from The Morrisons, Bustamento and Hot Potato Band. Even Double J is helping a neighbour out with a special mixtape — cue the awwws. And when the smell of slightly burnt-but-still-good sausages is no more, art can be your dessert, with the City of Sydney providing free 'vintage' shuttle buses from Martin Places to various galleries, who are also staying up past their bedtime. You can duck into the Art Gallery of NSW to finally check out the Archibald Prize, buy some locally crafted knick-knacks at the Artists Market at the State Library of NSW or drop in to the Late Night Library at Customs House for some tactile, architectural learning. The Quarter Acre Block Party is on Friday, September 19, from 5pm - 10pm. The festival continues in Sydney's public spaces until October 12.
