Get ready to chow down on mouthwatering Neil Perry hamburgers, CBD dwellers. Since opening in Sydney's World Square last October, the celebrity chef's high-end fast food joint Burger Project has become a favourite with local foodies, serving up a variation of his iconic Rockpool wagyu beef burger at a fraction of the price. Now, Martin Place has its very own chapter, with the opening of the second Sydney CBD Burger Project in the MLC Centre. Open seven days on the lower ground floor of the centre, Burger Project is sticking to the winning World Square formula. You can expect a variety of tasty burgers including the Magic Mushroom burger, the beloved Chili Cheese burger, The Bacon Project burger, the Spicy Fried Chicken burger and of course the classic American cheeseburger. You can also get a bun-free burger served in a lettuce bowl, at no additional cost. It's all licensed, offering a couple of local wines and Rockpool's own pilsner. And for dessert, dive into one of their decadent ice cream creations such as the Marsh-Cara-Mallow (salted caramel ice cream with hazelnut praline, burnt marshmallow and chocolate sauce) or The Bounty Hunter (vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce, toasted coconut and crushed meringue). Don't act like you're not impressed. After announcing a second Burger Project location in Parramatta in July, Perry revealed the details for not one, not two, but five additional restaurants, including three across the border in Melbourne. He's previously expressed his desire to have as many as 50 stores nationwide, and told Good Food that he's also looking overseas — earmarking New Zealand, Singapore and the United States as possible areas for expansion. Burger Project MLC is now open at Shop 6.22, Lower Ground Floor, MLC Centre, Martin Place. Open seven days, 11am - 9pm.
As Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, Melbourne expat Craig Dermody makes ebullient jangle-pop cut from the same raggedy cloth as Twerps, Witch Hats or Straight Arrows. Lump them all into one category like that and you’d think they were practicing their guitars in the same beer-strewn garage with adjoining sun-drenched backyard, except that Dermody now lives in Williamsburg. Since no one has garages or backyards in Williamsburg one assumes he works out of a bedroom, which is just as fitting when you consider his music's intimacy factor. On the track “Two Weeks” Dermody tackles the issue of physical distance. He sings about the distance across the Williamsburg bridge, and about how he gets awkward on video chat. It’s a suitable follow-up to last year’s “Epping Line”, a ruminative track about a “sad, sad day” on Melbourne’s South Morang railway line. On his return home he’ll be joined by guests and friends Songs and The Friendsters.
Formerly known as Sausage Queen Brewing, Queens of Chaos is housed at The Sausage Factory on New Canterbury Road in Dulwich Hill. Here, you can learn how to make your own snags via an on-site class, or simply opt to feast on your favourites that have been hand-twisting by the experts, while sampling its excellent selection of brews. The beer's ethos is all in its name: it's for the bold, uninhibited, life-of-the-party types. Wondering which brew to choose? We can't go past the deliciously tart Pash Rash Rhubarb Pineapple and Hibiscus Sour.
Now entering its second year, SXSW Sydney is a lightning rod for innovators, trailblazers, trendsetters and paradigm shifters from across Australia and the world. If you're flying in for this year's fest, we've got some suggestions for where you can lay your head after filling it with boundary-breaking ideas all day. Here are the best places to stay in and around SXSW Sydney's major hubs. Recommended reads: The Must-See Conference Events at SXSW Sydney 2024 Whet Your Appetite at the Unmissable SXSW Sydney Food Festival Eight Performances You Won't Want to Miss at This Year's SXSW Music Festival
When Mov'In Bed first launched, it helped solve a problem. Can't choose between hitting up an outdoor cinema or watching a film in bed? Here, you don't have to. Up and running since mid-January, Mov'In Bed's new outdoor beach cinema stacks on another layer to that equation like it's building a sandcastle. Can't pick between flicks under the stars, going to the beach or being cosy? Again, this is the solution. Because getting folks seeing films on a mattress — pillows, blankets and all — beneath the evening sky wasn't enough (or on a boat in Darling Harbour, or a car on Entertainment Quarter's rooftop), Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema's beach stint is taking to the sand at Harbour Park in Barangaroo until Sunday, April 14, 2024. And all those white grains that'll be beneath your feet? There's a huge 280 tonnes of the stuff, which the pop-up's 150 queen-sized beds sit atop. If you haven't had the chance to enjoy the experience, which features a 15-metre 4K screen, as yet, the pop-up outdoor picture palace has just revealed what's showing on its February and March lineup. The last month of summer kicks off with Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, then also boasts Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, John Wick: Chapter 4, Ferrari, Next Goal Wins, Wonka and The Iron Claw. Come autumn, All of Us Strangers, The Holdovers, Past Lives and Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron also feature. Where's the best place to see Sydney-shot Sydney Sweeney-starring rom-com Anyone But You? In Sydney near the water — which plays more than a small part in the movie — obviously. With the 2024 Academy Award nominations freshly announced, Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema at Barangaroo is also showing Killers of the Flower Moon again in the coming months. And on Oscars day itself, it'll screen whatever wins Best Picture (so, likely Oppenheimer). The night will also include champagne to celebrate, and attendees are encouraged to wear red carpet-ready outfits. Before marking Hollywood's night of nights, Mov'In will get into the mid-February spirit with the Mean Girls musical for Galentine's Day, The Notebook on Valentine's Day and Crazy Stupid Love on Singles Awareness Day (aka Thursday, February 15). Other retro titles across the newly unveiled flicks span go-tos such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Notting Hill, When Harry Met Sally and Clueless. And, although it's only a couple of years old, Top Gun: Maverick has already become an outdoor cinema staple. Whatever you select to see, expect company, with January's sessions selling out. Expect DJ-spun tunes, focusing on songs from film soundtracks, upon arrival as well. No one wandering by will hear a thing once the movie starts playing, however, because Mov'In uses noise-cancelling headphones for every attendee. Gates open at 6pm, with movies playing from 8.30pm. And price-wise, tickets will range from $12–75 per person. Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema's beach stint runs until Sunday, April 14, 2024 at Harbour Park, Barangaroo. For further details or to book, head to the Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema website.
An expansive venue open from breakfast until late has opened in the former Jet Cafe site of Sydney's century-old Queen Victoria Building. The historic George Street building constructed in 1898 is a popular thoroughfare for commuters travelling to and from Town Hall Station and is home to boutique retail tenants and a wide range of food and drink offerings ranging from cheap and cheerful takeaway to fine dining. The latest restaurant to take up residence in the QVB is Manon, an all-day European brasserie from Marco Ambrosino (Fratelli Paradiso) and Manny Spinola, the team behind Bondi's new 94-seat Mediterranean restaurant and bar, Lola's Level 1. "I have walked past the site for 24 years, dreaming of opening a grand cafe," Spinola says. "I am so thrilled to be in partnership with Marco to bring a French brasserie to the QVB. Manon will be a place to sit and people-watch while enjoying French cuisine, giving customers a taste of the European lifestyle whether it's at breakfast before work, a long lunch or an ambient dinner." [caption id="attachment_858433" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monon team, Nikki To[/caption] Starting with breakfast, takeaway coffee and pastries are available from 6am. Visitors can also nab a table and enjoy a seated breakfast full of a mix between French and Australian morning favourites. There's a range of viennoiseries and baguettes, including pain au chocolate croissants and croque monsieur — plus breakfast hits like avocado and feta toast, bloody marys, buckwheat crepes or crab on toast with remoulade, avocado and a poached egg. [caption id="attachment_858435" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Come lunchtime, you can choose from The Classics range that includes highlights from the breakfast menu and French bistro standouts like steak frites. There's also a raw bar with oysters, kingfish tartare and scallop carpaccio; and extravagant mains ranging from pan-fried coral trout to whole lobster and one-kilogram rib-on-bone côte de boeuf. From 5pm dinner follows a similar trajectory. The raw bar returns with the addition of caviar service. The array of entrées includes bone marrow tartine, snail meurette and grilled scampi. And the mains add beef wellington and cheesy crab souffle to highlights from lunch. [caption id="attachment_858436" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Each Friday and Saturday, Manon offers up its services to those looking for a late-night feed, with weekend supper on offer following dinner. As expected for a luxe European brasserie in one of the city's most glitzy buildings, the fit-out is a sleek French-inspired design. The interior was a return to collaborator Chris Grinham who also worked on Lola's. "Marco and Manny's vision coupled with this site is a dream for us to work with and create something," Grinham said. "There's an alluring romanticism set within this design — so too a heady dollop of unique 'French' appeal." [caption id="attachment_858434" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Manon is located in the Queen Victoria Building, 55/455 George Street, Sydney. It's open 7am until late Monday–Friday and 8am until late Saturday and Sunday.
Jonathan Jones is passionate about illuminating Indigenous histories and knowledge systems embedded within the Australian landscape. The artist has been commissioned to create a new project as part of Liveworks, an upcoming festival celebrating experimental art practices. At the heart of Jones’ practice is an attempt to connect and collaborate with local cultures and communities in meaningful ways. Installed at Carriageworks, Guguma Gurin | Black Stump will be an exercise in decolonisation. The artist will be undertaking reclamation of country, repurposing materials marked by white settlement and reviving the Wiradjuri language. The project will explore the cultural inscriptions on the land, unearthing both beauty and violence.
Throughout October, Greece is the word in Australian cinemas. That's right, Hellenic-loving cinephiles — it's Greek Film Festival time. Now in its 24th year, the annual showcase of the European country's film output is set to do the rounds once again, highlighting the best contemporary efforts being made across the Aegean Sea. Accordingly, prepare for the kind of backdrops that'll make you want to book your next holiday, probing insights into the nation's migration situation, and for a few strange and wonderful confusions — they don't call their current spate of movies "the Greek Weird Wave" for nothing, after all. If you're after more, prepare for a snapshot of not only features and documentaries being made in Greece, but a showcase of talent and tales that have spread around the world. To help you whittle down your viewing list, we've picked five must-sees from this year's lineup. https://vimeo.com/192731022#at=0 DOGS OF DEMOCRACY Anything cats can do, dogs can do too, right? If you've ever had both feline and canine four-legged BFFs, you'll know that the latter frequently wants to follow in the former's footsteps. In Dogs of Democracy, that's just what's happening — as anyone who saw and fell in love with Turkish cat doco Kedi will recognise. This time around, it's playful pooches on the streets of Athens that are in the spotlight, in an effort by Greek-Australian philosopher and filmmaker Mary Zournazi. What can the city's strays teach us about tumultuous everyday life? You'd be barking mad not to watch and find out. Dogs of Democracy screens in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=CQFdGfwChtw THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Ever the master of exposing humanity's true nature in unexpected, unnerving and bleakly amusing ways, and of serving up clinical visuals and a commanding tone in the process, Yorgos Lanthimos is up to his usual tricks in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Of course, where the Dogtooth, Alps and The Lobster writer/director is concerned, there's no such thing as usual. Here, in his second successive feature to star a career-best Colin Farrell, he steps inside the struggles of a doctor whose family is forced to cross paths with the son of one of his patients. Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone and Dunkirk's Barry Keoghan round out the cast — the latter in an astonishing performance — as Lanthimos serves up a savagely accurate exploration of self-interest, sacrifice and the horrors of everyday life. The Killing of a Sacred Deer screens in Sydney and Melbourne. https://vimeo.com/211444789 ROZA OF SMYRNA There's a reason that filmmakers keep coming back to Romeo and Juliet, or R+J-like stories. Conflict, love, tragedy, heartbreak — even if real life often has a happier ending, the Bard's story of a star-crossed but ill-fated romance captures its ups and downs. Add Roza of Smyrna to the pile following in its footsteps, in a Greco-Turkish tale that blends its amorous affairs with a portrait of relations between the two country. Greek veteran Leda Protopsalti stars as the titular character, a formidable family matriarch whose youthful exploits drive the movie. Roza of Smyrna screens in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=goJzKqpAdEk AMERIKA SQUARE After making a splash in Chevalier, Greek actor Makis Papadimitriou stars in Amerika Square — and gets immersed in a different kind of battle. Here, he's playing a Greek nationalist in a country still tussling with immigration and refugees, and his character has strong feelings about it. An African singer looking to escape with her tattoo artist boyfriend and a Syrian doctor trying to leave with his daughter also form part of the film's narrative. Exploring the current state of the nation, the powerful drama is Greece's submission for the best foreign-language film category at the 2018 Oscars. Amerika Square screens in Sydney and Melbourne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L98Lc1F7UtA KISSING? Mumblecore, the American low-budget indie movement that gave us Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg, Mark Duplass and more, is going Greek. You won't find any of them in Kissing?, sorry, but you will find a raw, candid effort about the ordinary existence of almost thirtysomethings trying to get by. Yes, Danny (Thanassis Petropoulos) and Stella (Iro Bezou) are navigating the maze of life and love tahat you'd expect; however filmmaker Yannis Korres' feature is made all the more resonant due to his country's economic turmoil. Kissing? screens in Brisbane. The Greek Film Festival runs from October 10 to 22 at Palace Norton Street in Sydney, October 11 to 22 at Palace Como and The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, and October 12 to 15 at Palace Barracks in Brisbane. Head to the festival website for further details.
Party your way into autumn at the third incarnation of Return to Rio, subtitled 'The Ultimate Summer Closing Party'. Held over four days at the Del Rio Riverside Resort, Wiseman's Ferry, the beats-heavy, dress-up music festival returns to see out the final days of daylight savings and balmy evenings. Headlined by The Cuban Brothers, Brandon Block (classics set), LTJ Bukem, M.A.N.D.Y. (Philipp Jung) and Guti (live), closely followed by Mia Lucci, Phil Smart, Simon Caldwell, Ken Cloud, Nick Law and Gabby, Return to Rio has proved itself a go-to for Sydney dance and house fans over the years. In addition to the tunes, there'll be a pool party and a costume extravaganza (seriously, punters go all out for this festival), so if you haven't yet visited the hire shop or got your sewing machine out, you'd best plunge into action. And here's a lovely thing to look forward to: throughout the weekend, to boost the positive vibes, you're asked to engage in random acts of kindness. Nawwww. It's a first-come-first-served camping festival, but to Return to Rio in total comfort, it's not too late to opt for onsite glamping — there are various packages available, from one-person, unfurnished arrangements, to six-person, furnished packages. Plus, there are a significant bunch of kangaroos onsite. Just sayin'.
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 day as possible. More than 15,000 garages are expected to open their doors to bargain hunters, selling two million items, when the event returns for its ninth time across the weekend of October 20 and 21. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the 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.
In a convoluted case of art imitating life, Roman Polanski's latest thriller centres on a man under siege. Novelist and screenwriter Robert Harris' thinly veiled portrait of ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair takes on an extra level of infamy with the film's production halted by convicted pedophile Polanski's arrest and attempted extradition. With two such hulking shadows (ghosts?), it's practically impossible to take this film on its own merits, as you wonder what Polanski might have made of the material under less taxing circumstances (or whether you should support him by seeing the film at all). This polemical context aside, The Ghost Writer is a masterfully constructed, if ultimately lackluster political whodunit. Ewan McGregor capably shoulders the film as its eponymous and nameless protagonist — as a self-confessed 'hack' biographer, he takes on Adam Lang's (Pierce Brosnan) memoirs after the mysterious death of his previous 'ghost'. Relocating to Lang's remote and fiercely modernist (haunted?) house, the ghost steps into a crucible of time and political pressure as an angry public calls for Lang's extradition to the International Criminal Court. Although the plot plays out like a clunky game of chess, The Ghost Writer is worth seeing for Olivia William's flawless performance as Lang's political lioness of a wife, as well as Tom Wilkinson's scene, nay, film-stealing cameo. Alexandre Desplat's noirish score mixes well with the stark production design and crisp cinematography. In all the film is a stylish and capable thriller, but one that somehow ends up being disappointingly less than the sum of its parts. https://youtube.com/watch?v=L_AerBW0EcI
Lovers of artisan produce should make tracks to Blackwattle Deli. A longstanding mainstay of the Sydney Fish Market, it's like something you'd find tucked away in a European market. The full-service deli works with only the best local and international producers and boasts one of the best cheese collections in all of Sydney, including little known varieties like mimolette and Pyengana Dairy's farmhouse cheese. Apart from all that handmade cheese, the shopfront also offers charcuterie, antipasto, coffee, oils and other gourmet goodies. Basically, you can find everything you need for your next dinner party here. Image: Erik Dungan
Crowbar is a family-owned live music venue in the Inner West suburb of Leichhardt. Known for often hosting loads of acts on the heavier side of the music spectrum, the venue owners are actually deeply passionate about showcasing and supporting Australian music from a variety of genres. The majority of the music is programmed on Friday and Saturday nights. Upcoming acts include Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Teenage Joans, Press Club and Dear Seattle. Keep an eye out for secret shows at the venue, too. That's where you'll get to see massive music acts in a rare and intimate setting in the Inner West.
If you're a fan of LGBTQIA+ flicks, don't say that you don't have anything to watch between Friday, February 28–Monday, March 10, 2025. You're not just stuck with usual couch-viewing options, either. The return of Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney also means the return of the event's online component, which is great news no matter where you live in Australia. As always, the roster of movies that Sydneysiders can catch at MGFF's in-person sessions is far larger than its online program — but joining in from home is still filled with highlights. Movie buffs eager to check out the online picks from their couch can look forward to the Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!)-starring Drive Back Home; Aussie effort Heart of a Man, about a closeted Indigenous boxer; a doco about activist Sally Gearhart; Unusually Normal's factual portrait of a family that includes two lesbian grandmothers, four lesbian mothers and one lesbian granddaughter; and a blend of fiction and reality with 2024 Sundance Special Jury Award-winner Desire Lines, among other titles. A number of shorts programs will be available to stream, too, with packages devoted to Asia Pacific, transgender and gender diverse, queer horror, queer documentaries, sapphic and more. Black Doves' Ben Whishaw pops up in one of the gay shorts, while Hacks' Megan Stalter appears in one of the films in the comedy lineup.
A brand-new event is coming to Bondi Pavilion this winter, with the inaugural Bondi Wellness Festival taking over the historic beachfront venue on Sunday, July 27. The one-day event will bring together some of Australia's most respected wellness leaders to explore movement and mindfulness in a high-energy, community-focused setting. Across three streams — Movement, Connection and Expansion — festival-goers can take part in everything from high-intensity boxing sessions and cardio-dance workouts to sound healing, guided meditation and breathwork led by Bondi lifeguard Dean Gladstone. The day also features panels, talks and live podcast recordings tackling topics ranging from fertility to biohacking. Whether you're chasing a post-workout high, taking a closer look into self-awareness or seeking renewed motivation, the festival is designed to uplift and inspire. With facilitators and keynote speakers like Gina Chick, Sinead Hegarty, Trent Knox and Sandor Earl, you'll be able to nourish your mind and body, right by the sea. Add in delicious eats from Glory Days and Surfish, as well as tarot readings, massages and a pop-up bookstore by Gertrude & Alice, and you've got yourself a dreamy Bondi Sunday.
When blissed out, soon-to-be-married American couple Nica (Hani Furstenberg) and Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal), set off on a hiking adventure in Georgia's remote Caucasus Mountains, they have little idea that their seemingly idealistic world is about to be profoundly challenged. To all appearances, the two share an unshakeable connection — spiritually at ease yet sexually charged. Nica is spirited and independent, and Alex adores her. They toy with language games, compete playfully over who is fastest or strongest, and are in free pursuit of their mutual wanderlust. Local guide Dato (Georgian actor and real-life expert mountaineer Bidzina Gujabidze) leads them through one breathtaking scene after another. Then, halfway through the film, a single event (not to be delineated here, for fear of giving too much away), corrupts the couple's bond, raising questions of trust, betrayal, and guilt. The Loneliest Planet, loosely based on Tom Bissell's short story Expensive Trips Nowhere, continues the minimalist style established in Russian-born, American-raised director Julia Loktev's second feature, Day Night Day Night(2006). Dialogue is sparse and we learn next to nothing of the specific details that conventionally define character — history, family, education, career, values and so forth. Nearly everything that we do know, we discover through action and we interpret through the camera's positioning. Loktev is a big fan of the long shot. Numerous scenes portray Nica, Alex and Dato "together alone", united by their common journey yet divided, both spatially and emotionally. The deeper the trio move into Georgia's rugged, unpredictable wilderness, the more vulnerable and exposed they appear. Cinematographer Inti Briones successfully captures the striking undulations of the landscape, contrasting shadowy valleys with verdant grassy hills and creating ominous campfire scenes through single source lighting. Loktev's intention is to carry us into the film's mental and physical world, one in which time seems to stretch on forever and all conviction has been thrown into doubt. We identify Nica and Alex as representative of a 'type' — the earnest backpacker, keen to escape insular Western existence but overwhelmed when 'the wild' presents them with more than they'd bargained for. Nica demonstrates the behaviour of a self-sufficient, modern woman, yet Alex's failure to meet her expectations causes bitter disappointment. The film explores some of the grey areas arising from the breakdown of traditional dichotomies: West versus Other, male versus female, impulse versus duty. However, while Loktev's aims are admirable, her approach is risky. The limited development of the characters threatens to undermine our emotional engagement and the snail-paced tempo can seem laboured at times. Just as lovers ensconced in a romantic affair might potentially struggle with the vagaries of reality, a filmmaker engrossed in a concept may run the risk of occasionally losing sight of the viewer's experience at the point of reception. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SIIMFHcC1Fc
Are you the kind of person who starts plotting your next meal before you've even finished the last? Love eating more than anything else? Well, you can get right to the guts of our global food obsession when culinary legend Nigella Lawson returns to Aussie shores for her new show, An Evening with Nigella Lawson. One of the most successful food writers of all time, cooking up more than ten million book sales worldwide with her 11 culinary bibles, Lawson was in the country last December for a series of talks discussing the concept of food and its link to pleasure, creativity and belonging, and now she's back — direct from London's West End. An Evening with Nigella Lawson is a new show where the celebrity chef shares her own culinary story, live on stage. The show has been floated as interactive and intimate. Culinary questions will be taken from the audience, while Nigella shares her thoughts about the role food plays in life, plus what she is eating and cooking. Before becoming a household name, Nigella worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, going on to become the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times. She is responsible for numerous award-winning books, including How to Eat, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, Nigella Bites and At My Table. AN EVENING WITH NIGELLA LAWSON 2019 DATES Perth — Riverside Theatre, January 29 Sydney — Sydney Opera House, February 2 Canberra — Royal Theatre, February 4 Melbourne — Hamer Hall, February 9 Brisbane — QPAC Concert Hall, February 10 An Evening with Nigella Lawson tickets go on sale Monday, October 29. You can signup to be notified when they're released here.
Sydney is filled with excellent live music venues, so standing out among the plethora of stellar spots can be tough. But the brains behind the city's latest large-scale music program have managed to make their mark by unlocking a completely underused cliffside venue for their venture: The Barracks Precinct in North Head. From Friday, September 9 till Sunday, October 9, you and your crew can experience incredible live shows just up the road from Manly CBD at Night at The Barracks. The music program is broad and includes much-loved artists such as Jessica Mauboy, Josh Pyke, Emma Donovan and The Putbacks, Something for Kate, Winston Surfshirt, The Rubens, parody tribute stars Björn Again and more. Plus, Sydney Dance Company will take to the stage in an impressive night of contemporary dance including a performance of its sell-out show Impermanence on Saturday, September 24. There'll be local food and beverage legends keeping you refreshed on site, as well as exclusive deals for Night at the Barracks guests at nearby restaurants. Make the most of your night in the north with a delicious dinner in Manly before a 20-minute walk to the venue. Or, take the shuttle bus direct to the digs from Manly Wharf and save your energy for grooving instead. Keen to catch a gig at this impressive venue? Night at The Barracks will take place from Friday, September 9 till Sunday, October 9. To see the full lineup and to book tickets, visit the website.
Spring is here, the sun is out, and everything is 500 times more whimsical. Now times that whimsy by infinity. Studio Ghibli is bringing a showcase to our shores in October and it's touring all over the nation's cinemas. Celebrating renowned filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the Tale of Studio Ghibli showcase will feature four films and two documentaries that explore the intricacies and beauty of their craft. If you haven't had a chance to get acquainted with the work of these two cult favourites before, this will be the perfect opportunity to get up to date. Work your way through much-loved classics with screenings of both My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. Then explore new terrain with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and the critically acclaimed historical anime feature The Wind Rises. Though the Japanese animation studio has 20 feature films to its name, the Australian showcase will feature just these four — a refined look at the old versus the new. But this won't just be for the newbies. Seasoned anime pros can get an inside look into the craft with screenings of both Isao Takahta and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. Though the documentaries have had separate screenings at local film festivals this year, this will be their first standalone showing on Australian screens. Either way, whether you're a diehard anime fanatic or have never even seen Spirited Away, there's always room in your life for a little whimsy and wonder. Get lost in the cinema for a few hours and discover an exciting new world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9lDrkokymLQ
Yet another ridesharing service threw its hat into the ring in Sydney when China's DiDi platform launched across the city in February. Now, as many Sydneysiders are beginning to swap WFH to working in the office, the company is offering half-price rides every weekday – for the rest of July. With reduced capacity on the city's public transport network (to allow for social distancing), the NSW Government is encouraging commuters to walk, bike (on one of the new pop-up bike lanes, if you want) or drive if they can. But, if you don't have a car — and you don't fancy riding your bike in the wintry cold — another option is ridesharing. You can, of course, choose from Ola, Uber or DiDi. If you go with the latter, though, you'll get a much cheaper trip. The newer of the three, DiDi is offering every Sydneysider five half-price trips (up to $20 a trip) every week in July. You just need to jump onto the app at the start of the week and use the code DIDIWORK, which will give you five discounted trips (you can then do this each week). Trips must be used between 6–9am Monday–Friday, so, you will need to find another way — or pay full price — to get home. According to DiDi, lots of Sydneysiders have already been using the app as part of their commute, with the ten most popular destinations in June being nine Sydney train stations, as well as Broadway Shopping Centre. DiDi Chuxing launched in China in 2012 and has quickly become a huge player in the global ridesharing game — it has since bought out Uber's Chinese operations and has stakes in numerous companies, including Ola, Taxify, Lyft and Grab. To get your half-price weekday DiDi trips, download the app (for iOS or Android) and use the code DIDIWORK.
We've all been there. You've just finished off a delicious meal at a restaurant or bar and the waiter asks if you can be tempted by dessert or a digestif. But why not have both? We're big believers in treating ourselves guilt-free, which is why Glenmorangie's latest collaboration with Smoke caught our attention. The scotch label has partnered with Barangaroo House rooftop bar to celebrate the launch of its new cake-inspired whisky, A Tale of Cake. Designed by Glenmorangie's Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, A Tale of Cake is aged in dessert wine casks, which gives it a distinct, candy-like flavour. To prove how well this new tipple would pair with a dessert, Glenmorangie had world-famous pastry chef Dominique Ansel (creator of the legendary cronut) design a special dessert to be enjoyed with A Tale of Cake cocktails, dubbed a Caketail. Now, to launch the spirit Down Under, Glenmorangie has done the same here, by teaming up with Smoke Bar to create its very own Caketail. The cocktail, designed by Smoke's bartender Pauric Kennedy, pairs the whisky with sweet vermouth, chocolate bitters and orgeat syrup for a rich cocktail with notes of marzipan and spice. The dessert, created by Chef Tom Haynes, explores those flavours, too. It consists of a hard chocolate shell filled with a chocolate almond mousse that's been spiked with coffee and marzipan liquor, and it's served with hazelnut ice cream (infused with Tale of Cake) and a nut crumble. The end result is an extremely decadent cocktail and cake pairing that's perfect for the festive season. Smoke's Caketail cocktail and dessert pairing is available from Monday, November 23 to Monday, December 21. To make a booking, head this way. Images: Kimberley Low
After just over one year in operation, the Lotus Dining Group's Fujisaki in Barangaroo shut up shop back in February. But, opening in its place is the group's brand new concept, Bund: a Chinese eatery and bar serving up Shanghai-style street food. And it's slated to open in early-July. Hong Kong-born head chef Kennedy Wong and sous chef Chris Chen have created a menu of chargrilled barbecue dishes, share plates and bar snacks, which they're serving up from an open kitchen. Chinese staples will be given a modern spin, like in the kung pao chicken schnitzel topped with peanuts, shallots and chopped chilli; tofu, mustard green and sweetcorn arancini served with chilli dipping sauce; and pork belly bao with slaw and coriander, drizzled with honey mustard sauce. [caption id="attachment_725675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kung pao chicken schnitzel[/caption] As is the group's signature, there will also be plenty of dumplings on the menu, including the (especially tasty sounding) xiao long bao stuffed with Singaporean chilli crab. To match the eats, the group's bar manager Charles Cheng has created an Asian-inspired cocktail menu, which will be accompanied by a varied wine list by Annette Lacey (director of wine and beverage). The revamped fit-out is courtesy of Sydney's Studio Hiyaku and will feature neon lighting and street art-style murals by local artist Alex Lehours — along with lots of deep blue, red and golden hues. It's all meant to emulate the waterfront Bund area of Shanghai, a popular tourist destination jam-packed with historical buildings of various architectural styles. The 100-seat restaurant will also boast a central bar and bench seating, both meant to entice after-work drinkers. Fujisaki's swift closure was a bit of an anomaly for the Lotus Dining Group, which is responsible for plenty of successful venues — including the longstanding Walsh Bay favourite Lotus Dumpling Bar, along with newer iterations in The Gardens by Lotus and Madame Shanghai. So, we're hoping its newest spot sticks around for a bit longer. Bund will open early July at Shop 2, 100 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo. Opening hours will be Monday through Friday 11:30am–late and Saturday 5:50pm–late. First image: Fujisaki by Brett Stevens.
Bundanon Trust's annual Siteworks is back, bringing together a motley crew of environmentalists, scientists and contemporary artists for an unusual weekend. Held over a full day and night on Saturday, September 29 at Bundanon Homestead (former home and studio of iconic Australian artist Arthur Boyd), you can spend the daylight hours exploring the festivities on offer and then camp overnight on the historic property. So what exactly will you be doing? This year's theme is 'micro', so select artists have created site-specific works exploring the miniature and microscopic, turning the Homestead into a giant hive filled with audio installations, dance works, artworks made with rocks from the Shoalhaven River and an installation made with Turkish sugar cubes. If science is more your thing, head to one of the talks hosted by ABC broadcaster Robbie Buck, where you'll hear talks from farmers, archaeologists, Indigenous artists and a computational biomolecular modeller. There'll also be live music, miniature painting workshops, food stalls and bars. Entry is $12 and an extra $10 per person for camping. If you don't have a car, there will be a shuttle running to and from Nowra bus terminal and Bomaderry Station for five bucks return. It's eccentric but guaranteed to be one of the most original weekends this year.
At the end of a long, arduous day, is there any meal more satisfying than a big hunk of steak, charred on the outside, rosy in the middle, swimming in a pool of its own delicious juices? For those nights when you can't be bothered shopping, cooking, cleaning or fiddling around with a meat thermometer, it's good to know that somewhere in Sydney a steak night is happening. Whether it's Monday, Tuesday, Friday or Sunday, someone, somewhere, is tucking into a rump, downing a craft ale and getting change from a twenty. If this sounds like where you'd like to be in life, we've teamed up with the folks from American Express to round up seven top steak nights happening in the city. What's more, you can even tap your American Express® Card to cover the bill so you can up that point balance while you slowly descend into a beef coma. So, tuck in your napkin and sharpen the serrated knives, here's where to find A-grade steaks every day of the week. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
Life has been a cabaret for one of the world's inimitable designers since 2018, when Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show first premiered in Paris. Couture, colour, flair, excess, passion, a larger-than-life attitude: they're all channelled into this fashion show-meets-musical revue that steps through its namesake's career and promises a time at the theatre like nothing else. More than 200 original Gaultier pieces feature. His 50 years making threads are in the spotlight. Unsurprisingly, the whole thing also plays out like a party. So far, London, Tokyo, Munich, Porto, Lisbon, Milan, Barcelona and Osaka have also revelled in the Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show experience. Next, it's Brisbane's turn. The River City will welcome the Australian debut of the show — and the Aussie-exclusive season, too — during Brisbane Festival 2024. Donning attire that Gaultier would approve of isn't a prerequisite of attending the production, but you know that you want to dress the part if you're heading along. Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show will kick off with Brisbane Festival itself, starting on Friday, August 30. The Australian season runs until Sunday, September 15, taking over the South Bank Piazza — which forms part of the Festival Garden for the duration of Brisbane Festival. Of course Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show emphasises its titular figure's boundary-pushing work, his focus on individual expression, and his championing of queer aesthetics and LGBTQIA+ causes. Alongside the hefty range of outfits, it also features a suitable genre-defying soundtrack of disco, funk, pop, rock, new wave and punk tunes as actors and dancers — plus circus artists as well — take to the stage. The diverse cast of faces bringing the show to life spans even further, too, with celebrities and other special guests filming cameos that play during the production.
The Pride opens with a good murder, and spends the rest of its running time waiting for the next. It plays out a cruel dining-room drama about failure, usurpation and suburban masculinity, wrapped in the absurd, animal tension that its actors are all in lion onesies. Lion Bruce (Brendan Ewing) is a murderer. And at the same time, clumsy, inadequate, unsuccessful and living in the suburbs. He seems to start the play by usurping a previous alpha male lion's place in the affections of fellow lion Linda (Adriane Daff). The two bounce around an '80s-era domestic kitchen, excited at their newfound domesticity and new, joint answering machine message. But his pride of place doesn't look like it will last for long. The play's miniature world of creepy domesticity and big-cat dynamics blur as a litter of cubs brings with it the prospect of Linda's sisters moving in for child-minding duties. Linda demands Bruce renovate the house. And he, in turn, constantly demurs from this blokey duty, in a show of both ineffectiveness and reluctance. Enter James (Russell Leonard), new lion in the neighbourhood. He sees himself at first as the enthusiastic new apprentice to this elder lion. But Bruce seems to know what happens with old male lions, and feels more and more threatened as the play rolls on and he himself begins to age. James is merely needy, but Linda's disappointment feeds Bruce's resentment of the new interloper. Despite their posturing and enthusiasm, none of these lions are particularly cool. Social climbers at best — the 'pride'; in the title isn't about collective nouns — each draws a sense of importance from the others to try to fit in their lion world. These are dork lions, obsessed with consumer products, like clap-on light fittings. And what starts as a dorky comedy gets its sense of foreboding from its lion suits and the constant tension around when their animal instincts will re-emerge. As you wait, director Zoe Pepper seems to favour the identities the characters project a bit more than what they're feeling, while Nathan Nisbet's sound and Lucy Birkinshaw's lighting sit neatly with the production in simple yet effective understatement. Esther Sandler has also created some appropriately expressive onesies. In fact, what would be a darker play is by turns sad or funny because: lions. But, given this story's darker theme, with its protagonists' posturing and suffering played more for comedy than for sympathy, it would have been great to get to more murder in a little earlier in the evening. Photo by Skye Sobejko. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1zbvgR2H5Y0
White Rabbit Gallery has announced its new show, and it's looking like a cracker. Titled Ritual Spirit, the exhibition is promising to transport you to a world that's half-godly and half-human — that in-between place where the afterlife and the spiritual meet the earthly. The works of more than 20 artists from China and Taiwan, both young and old, will feature. Among them is Geng Xue, who was shortlisted for Young Artist of the Year 2017 in China. She sculpts in bronze and ceramics, among other materials, and her recent solo show explored Mount Sumeru, which, for Buddhists, is the centre of the universe: physically and spiritually. In addition, there's Yu Hong, who's known for her powerful, intimate figurative paintings; Tianzhuo Chen, whose multimedia works combine colour and kitsch to comment on celebrity, fashion, drugs, hip hop, New York vogue, Japanese Butoh and London raves; Cheng Ran, who explores philosophical issues, such as identity and dying, through video; and Xu Bing, whose installations and print mix images with text. Ritual Spirit will show at White Rabbit Gallery from 30 August 2017 through to 28 January 2018.
In the spirit of celebrating inspirational ladies — and because it was such a massive hit in Melbourne — the Emerging Writers' Festival are bringing their storytelling event Amazing Babes to Sydney for a one-night celebration of women who inspire, either in a wordy way, or in a general good-human-being kind of way. Amazing Babes was originally inspired by the Amazing Babes book — Eliza Sarlos' "picture book for kids and adults". It's a compilation of stories about the lives of impressive, intelligent, game-changing women, from Audre Lorde to Tavi Gevinson. The Sydney event will feature a swoon-worthy lineup of super cool and talented Australian writers. The list includes poet and Penguin Plays Rough storyteller, Pip Smith; founder of Canberra literary collective Scissors Paper Pen and author of this (pretty incredible) essay about menstruation, Rosanna Stevens; and novelist and founding member of SWEATSHOP collective, Tamar Chnorhokian. On the night, they'll all be reading about an equally swoon-worthy batch of babes they admire. Can I get a hell yeah for sisterhood and solidarity? This event is running as part of the Emerging Writers' Festival Roadshow. Read more about that over here.
ARTBAR is the MCA's after-hours offering for those who like their art with a soundtrack and a bar. It had its second birthday in May, celebrating two years of Friday night art, music and performance with a fancy display of bright lights and projections curated by Ross Manning. August's ARTBAR is a Primavera edition, presaging the exhibition of new Australian voices in art that will open in September. Primavera artists Nick Dorey and Hossein Ghaemi are curating a night of video works, performance, workshops and a dedicated rave space. The MCA has definitely got a good thing going with ARTBAR. There's a general consensus that art is cool, but doing it all with a glass of red in hand and a DJ in the background is that little bit cooler. Fortunately, everyone's favourite cultured night out since Jurassic Lounge ended isn't going anywhere, with monthly happenings planned for the rest of the year.
Does New Year's Eve find you torn between wanting some rollicking festivities and retaining at least a shred of personal space? Well this year, you can have it all, thanks to The Old Clare's fuss-free NYE shindig. Promising the vibe of a rocking house party, with none of the clean-up, the Chippendale hotel's Clare Bar has a whole array of options to help launch you into 2019 in style. At $200, the Impeccable Standard ticket will sort you out with a bottle of prosecco or house wine to start, followed by a $200 bar tab. Or, there's the more manageable $100 Bang For Buck ticket, which gets you two starter cocktails and a neat $100 tab. Not bad if you're planning on spending that money on drinks anyway. If your party posse is after a slightly more intimate affair, opt for a Fancy One ticket — it'll set you back $400, but score you a reserved area for a maximum of four, a bottle of wine on arrival and a cool $400 to spend at the bar.
Thanks to Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Isaiah, Jessica Mauboy, Montaigne, Sheldon Riley, Voyager and Electric Fields, Australia is no stranger to heading to Eurovision. In November 2024, the iconic song contest is coming to us instead. For the first time ever since beginning in 1956, Eurovision is touring, with an Aussie show now locked in for Sydney before spring is out. London, Paris, Stockholm, Madrid, Warsaw and Amsterdam are also on the itinerary before and after Eurovision on Tour's Down Under gigs, but its visit to Australia is different. This is the only country receiving multiple concerts, spreading Europop across the nation's east coast — in Melbourne and Brisbane as well. The concept dates back to 2019, but the pandemic initially got in the way. After that, it took two years of negotiating to lock in the setup. Now that Eurovision on Tour is officially happening, it'll play The Enmore in Sydney on Sunday, November 17 with 18 performers. On the lineup: Australia's own Im and Silia Kapsis, with the latter competing for Cyprus this year. Attendees can also look forward to 1991 winner Carola from Sweden, 2013 winner Emmelie de Forest from Denmark, and everyone from the UK's Nicki French, Portugal's Suzy and Malta's Destiny to Efendi from Azerbaijan, Ovi & Ilinca Bacila from Romania, and both Rosa López and Soraya from Spain — plus Italian African pop star Senhit. Eurovision on Tour Australian Lineup 2024 Senhit (San Marino) Dami Im (Australia) Carola (Sweden) Destiny (Malta) Efendi (Azerbaijan) Emmelie de Forest (Denmark) Esther Hart (Netherlands) Jalisse (Italy) Linda Martin (Ireland) Nicki French (United Kingdom) Ovi & Ilinca Bacila (Romania) Rosa López (Spain) Silia Kapsis (Cyprus) Soraya (Spain) Sunstroke Project (Moldova) Suzy (Portugal) The Roop (Lithuania) Theo Evan (Cyprus)
Stay tuned. More info coming soon. Image: Trent Van der jagt.
Here's something unusual to try out after dark: a walking tour of Parramatta's lost disco days. Disco Dome is your chance to travel back in time with friends in tow. Enjoy cocktails and supper before taking to the streets, grooving through the music and history of the mirror-ball era. Multimedia artworks will be on display throughout the suburb's streets and laneways, featuring mind-bending installations by the likes of Justene Williams, Khaled Sabsabi and Liam Benson. The project is led by ICE (Information and Cultural Exchange), heroes of the west. Disco Dome is on at 8pm on January 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24.
This Sunday, November 12, one of Melbourne's most celebrated artisan bakeries is heading to Sydney's eastern suburbs. Betwen 11am and 2pm, South Yarra's Tivoli Road Bakery will take over the kitchen of Woolloomooloo's Flour and Stone. Along with giving Sydneysiders the chance to try some impeccable Melbourne goods without having to take time off work and fly interstate, husband-and-wife team Pippa and Michael James will be launching their new book, The Tivoli Road Baker: Recipes and Notes from a Chef Who Chose Baking. Potts Point Bookshop will be on-hand to sell signed copies. In terms of food, expect sumptuous lemon curd, salted caramel and lamington doughnuts, pork and apple sausage rolls, rye brownies, and pickled carrot, walnut and chicken sandwiches on Tivoli Road's sourdough made using the bakery's long fermentation process.
This year there's a great opportunity to compare the low with the high brow at the Sydney Festival. While Dublin's Pan Pan thrusts the mother-loving king into the 21st century, acclaimed US director Peter Sellars will team with Portugeuse conductor Joana Carneiro to present Igor Stravinsky's tragic opera, Oedipus Rex. Joining the growing list of involved nationalities, this epic tragedy features a striking set design by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime, the Sydney Symphony and Philharmonia Choir and an Australian cast that includes the brilliant Paula Arundell. Obviously such a multicultural production will be performed in that great, still relevant lingua franca known as the Latin language. Image by Gary Friedman
If your idea of trifle is Aeroplane Jelly, Madeira cake from the nearest supermarket, tinned peaches and cheap rum, think again. Pastry chef and owner of Alexandria's Textbook Boulangerie Patisserie John Ralley — whose extravagant stuffed croissants have been creating waves on social media since the patisserie opened in 2015 — has reinvented the dessert, especially for Christmas. In Ralley's words: "We wanted to try something new in addition to our usual Christmas range of cakes and baked treats, and what better way to celebrate the holiday season than with a flamboyant fruity and boozy trifle. These trifles combine the best of the Christmas traditions and our signature Textbook flair of putting a modern twist on traditional flavours." If you've ever sampled his pastries, you'll take that as good tidings. Exceptionally good tidings. These trifles are not just cakes, but OTT masterpieces, loaded with all kinds of goodies, like Jack Daniel's, champagne, peach custard, whipped chocolate ganache and mirror glaze. On Textbook's inaugural Christmas trifle menu this year are two options. First up, there's the champagne and strawberry trifle with champagne-soaked sponge, panna cotta and strawberry custard and jelly, topped with berries and intricate white chocolate decorations. It's a mouthful. The second option is slightly less traditional, with chocolate sponges soaked in smoky Jack Daniel's syrup, smoked peach custard and chocolate mousse. Feast your eyes on both of them right 'ere: Each cake is $190, feeds 18–22 people, and comes in a lovely four-litre glass trifle bowl that is yours to keep, so you can endeavour to recreate the magic throughout the year. Textbook's Christmas trifles can be ordered online now and collected from 274 Botany Road, Alexandria, from December 12–24.
In New York City the afterparty for the World's 50 Best Restaurants award ceremony is wrapping up. We can only imagine (and dream of) how delicious the canapés would have been, how many recipes were swapped with slurred handwriting, and how cheery (read: boozy) all those chefs are right now. But perhaps one of cheeriest is Ben Shewry — his restaurant Attica was just named a very respectable number 33 in the world. The ranking is pretty consistent with last year's results, with the Melbourne restaurant dropping only one spot from 2015. It's a very good position for an Australian restaurant to be — and perhaps why the awards yesterday announced they'll be holding the 2017 ceremony in its hometown. Brae, which is located in regional Victoria, moved up to number 65, while Sydney's Quay went from 58 to 98. Taking back the number one spot is Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana — and if you've watched Chef's Table, you'll be nothing but stoked for the guy. He's swapped places with last year's victor, Spain's El Celler de Can Roca, which has moved back into second place, while Noma has slipped from third down to number five. Probably because it's been on sabbatical in Sydney for the last few months.
Watching a man painstakingly recreate an oil painting doesn't exactly sound like the basis for a winning documentary. Yet in the hands of popular TV double act Penn and Teller, that's exactly what it turns out to be. Told in clear, accessible terms that laymen can understand, Tim's Vermeer is a lively, intriguing look at the line between artist and inventor, one that challenges the very notion that the distinction should be made at all. Johannes Vermeer was a 17th-century Dutch artist, best known these days for Girl with a Pearl Earring. His paintings have been lauded for their photorealistic look. Various theories exist as to how he was able to achieve such detail, one of which suggests that he made use of optical aids — mirrors, curved lens and so on. One subscriber to this theory is San Antonian inventor Tim Jenison. Despite having no artistic training, Jenison believes that by following what he thinks were the Dutchman's methods, he'll be able to produce similar results. An unassuming project about an unassuming man, this film is an ode to quiet determination. Jenison pours years into his hobby, teaching himself the skills to build a life-size replica of Vermeer's studio, and even finagling a private viewing in Buckingham Palace of the piece he wishes to recreate. His painting technique, which involves matching colour to an image reflected in an elevated mirror, is rather difficult to do justice in writing. Rest assured though that it's fascinating to behold. Penn provides the narration — his verbosity and humour helping viewers follow the science behind the art. Teller, meanwhile, does solid work in the director's chair, keeping the movie moving at a reasonably rapid pace. If the film has an issue, it's that it leaves little room for viewpoints other than its own. Apparently the optics theory is quite controversial in the art world, but everyone in the movie dismisses the sceptics out of hand. Then again, it's rather hard not to be convinced by Jenison's hypothesis, particularly when you see what he's able to put on the canvas. Whether or not his was the same technique that Vermeer used, the final product is certainly remarkable. At the end of the day, that may be more important. This film doesn't work because you care about Vermeer. It works because you care about Tim. https://youtube.com/watch?v=cxVxti5Fnf8
UPDATE, May 29, 2021: Baby Done is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. A relic of a time when women were considered wives, mothers and little else, the public need to comment on whether someone has a baby or is planning to have a baby is flat-out garbage behaviour. In your twenties or thirties, and in a couple? Yet to procreate? If so, the world at large apparently thinks that it's completely acceptable to ask questions, make its judgement known and demand answers. Baby Done offers a great take on this kind of situation. Surrounded by proud new parents and parents-to-be at a baby shower, Zoe (Rose Matafeo) refuses to smile and nod along with all the polite cooing over infants — existing and yet to make their way into the world — and smug discussions about the joys of creating life. An arborist more interested in scaling trees at both the national and world championships than starting a family, she simply refuses to temper who she is to fit society's cookie-cutter expectations. Her partner Tim (Matthew Lewis) is on the same wavelength, and they visibly have more fun than everyone else at the party. With a title such as Baby Done, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when this New Zealand comedy soon upsets Zoe and Tim's status quo. She discovers that she's expecting and, while he starts dutifully preparing to an almost unnervingly sensible extent, she also struggles to face the change that's coming their way. At the forefront of Zoe's mind is a phenomenon she has noticed with most of her friends, other than the still single and child-free Molly (Emily Barclay) — who just might be more pregnancy-phobic than she is. When women become mothers, that's often the only way they're seen by the world and themselves. Zoe is also concerned about being forced to put her own dreams on hold. In fact, even as her bump expands and everyone from her doctor to her parents tells her otherwise, she's adamant that she's still heading overseas to climb as many branches in the pursuit of arboriculture glory as she can. Comedies about the trials and tribulations of parenthood, and of the journey to become parents, are almost as common as people asking "when are you two having kids?" without prompting at parties. But this addition to the genre from director Curtis Vowell and screenwriter Sophie Henderson (both veterans of 2013 film Fantail) approaches a well-worn topic from a savvy angle. Zoe clearly isn't a stereotypical mother-to-be, and doesn't experience the stereotypical feelings women have been told they're supposed to feel about having children — and Baby Done leans into that fact. The role-reversal at the movie's centre really shouldn't feel so refreshing. Neither should depicting a women daring to think that, even though she wants to have a baby, she doesn't want her entire life as she currently knows it to disappear. It also shouldn't stand out that, instead of depicting an impending father who's less than fussed about taking on that responsibility as plenty of previous flicks have, Baby Done focuses on an expectant mother who'd rather carry on as if nothing big is happening — but it does. In her first lead big-screen role, comedian Matafeo stands out, too. Indeed, it's easy to wonder whether Baby Done would've worked so engagingly and thoughtfully with someone else as its star. In her hands, Zoe instantly feels like a fully realised character that has walked off the street and into the camera's sights — because, even in an obvious comedy that's constantly trying to evoke laughs, its protagonist is always relatable, fleshed out, and the sum of both her clear strengths and overt struggles. That's the kind of balance that the leads in the last female-led, Taika Waititi-produced New Zealand comedy that touched on motherhood, The Breaker Upperers, also perfected. Matafeo has her own presence, however; playing plucky, outgoing and friendly, but also stubborn and wilfully in denial about what she's going through, she could easily (and will hopefully) step out of Baby Done and into a host of other affable and amusing movies. Understanding that motherhood means different things to different women and subverting the usual gender roles in the process doesn't stop the brightly shot, breezily toned Baby Done from sticking to a largely, sweetly predictable narrative, though. Or, from serving up just as easy-to-anticipate jokes amongst a particularly awkward threesome and a series of encounters with a pregnophile. Neither does Matafeo's excellent efforts, or her also likeable co-stars Lewis and Browning — with the former worlds away from his time as the Harry Potter franchise's Neville Longbottom, and the latter in her second offbeat supporting part this year after Babyteeth. And yet, as the likes of Knocked Up and Juno have shown entertainingly (especially in comparison to tripe like What to Expect When You're Expecting), finding an astute way to tackle a familiar topic really can't be underestimated. Again, Baby Done shouldn't feel like an outlier in its genre. In many ways, it really isn't, in fact. But charting one woman's pregnancy experience, and her backlash to the widely accepted notion that motherhood is the pinnacle of a woman's life, proves poignant and charming more often than not here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbIxi2VHTTk
Back in 2015, Rosebery's was still on the cusp of being considered a foodie hub. Arguably, it was two venues that really cemented it. And the first of those was the sweet, sweet addition of the ever newsworthy, unfailingly novelty and perpetually popular Gelato Messina. The latter was Three Blue Ducks, in case you were wondering. Sitting on Mentmore Avenue, Messina's Rosebery venture is the HQ for the ever-popular gelateria brand and it makes good use of the huge space. Of course, it pumps out the gelato and cakes Sydney knows, loves and Instagrams well. You can it all happening with your own eyes here, too, thanks to the glass walls that show the sweet masters at work. But you can also step behind the curtain by signing up for one of the Gelato Appreciation Classes — you'll get to meet the chefs, get some industry secrets and participate in making some of the delicious stuff. Meanwhile, Messina makes use of the car park, too, hosting food trucks and collaboration events most months.
UPDATE: Originally scheduled for Saturday, November 25, 2023, Hot Jazz Picnic has been postponed until Saturday, February 10, 2024. Gather any jazz fans in your life to join you for the debut of Sydney's latest live music offering — Hot Jazz Picnic. Picture a spread of vibey musicians playing throughout the afternoon, attendees dressed in vibrant summer outfits and a wide range of luxe food and drink options, all with the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. That's the essence of Hot Jazz Picnic, which comes to Lyne Park in Rose Bay on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 12pm—8pm. The jazz comes to play with Harry James Angus, Dan Barnett Big Band with special guest Emma Pask, Katie Thorne, The Vampires, Brekky Boy, Kate Wadey, The Morrisons, Ruby Jackson, all hosted by comedy duo Sketchshe. [caption id="attachment_926238" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anton Rehrl[/caption] Spread out across the park and enjoy the jazz alongside lawn games, a gin garden, a pop-up bar from Pommery Champagne and an artisanal food market. On the food front, look for Mary's, Sonoma Bakery, Ta Ta Ta pizza, Rock Oyster Depot, Tuckerbox and the famous Mapo Gelato truck on site. To up the luxury, pre-purchase a premium (and exclusive) 'Keep Picnic' pack from Business and Pleasure, or book VIP tickets to access the Pommery Champagne bar and bar-to-blanket food and drink service throughout the day. And perhaps most importantly, the dress code is 'colour-block chic', and the best dressed get some extra goodies to take home. Hot Jazz Picnic comes to Lyne Park on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 12pm to 8pm. The event is supported by Create NSW and Woollahra Council, and $1 from every ticket goes to support OzHarvest. Kids under 12 come free. For more information and to book tickets, visit the website.
Every year, Refugee Week sees thousands of refugee-inspired events take place around the world, to raise awareness of refugees' experiences and celebrate their contributions to society. Taking over Australia from Sunday, June 16 to Saturday, June 22, the 2019 festival is offering a myriad of film screenings, feasts, gigs, art exhibitions, theatre shows and more. The theme is #withrefugees and, more specifically, "share a meal, share a story". While Randwick's Ritz Cinema's free screening of Ai Wei Wei's documentary Human Flow has already sold out, you can still combine arts and immigration by heading along to Gymea's Hazlehurst Regional Gallery at 6.30pm on Wednesday, June 19 to see Robyn Hughan's documentary Journey Beyond Fear. Meanwhile, in the city, Lower Town Hall will host Stronger Together on Thursday, June 20, featuring talks from Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General, Amnesty International; Dr Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator, Amnesty International Australia; Frances Rush, CEO, Asylum Seekers Centre; and Clover Moore, Lord Mayor City of Sydney. And, if you want to learn to weave a tapestry rug like an Afghani master artist does, book your free spot at Finding Your Feet, a series of workshops happening at the Australian National Maritime Museum. They're being held at 10am and 12.30pm every day from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21. In Australia, Refugee Week is coordinated by the Refugee Council. Image: Human Flow.
2021 has been a year for seconds. It's the second year in a row that Sydneysiders have spent months under lockdown. It's the second year of the pandemic, obviously. It's also the second year that Bluesfest and Splendour in the Grass were forced to completely skip their festivals. And, it's now the second year that Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks will only brighten up the sky once on December 31, with the City of Sydney announcing that they'll only be set off at midnight. So, just like when 2020 turned to 2021, this year's NYE fireworks won't be bursting with colour at 9pm. While that time slot is understandably popular with families, the City of Sydney has advised that the 9pm fireworks have been cancelled "to ensure the safety of residents, businesses, visitors and staff." "The fireworks always generate very large crowds and the two separate displays result in the crossover of large numbers of people leaving for one show and arriving for the next," the City of Sydney's statement continued. "In the current climate, limiting this mixing of crowds will ensure the event can be managed in the most COVID-safe way for all attendees and staff." When last year's 9pm fireworks were scrapped, it was in line with the Public Health Orders in place at the time, with restrictions in effect regarding travel and crowds. At present, it's unknown what rules Sydney will be under come NYE; however, with the city only set to come out of its nearly four-month lockdown in mid-October — when New South Wales hits the 70-percent fully vaccinated thresholds — it's safe to assume there'll still be restrictions in effect come Friday, December 31. (At this stage, the NSW Government has only outlined the first stage of post-lockdown conditions.) And if you're wondering why the announcement has been made now, the City of Sydney noted that "for an event the scale of Sydney New Year's Eve, contracts are signed and money spent months in advance. The difficult decision had to be made to follow the State Government's 2020 event for a limited, Covid-safe New Year's Eve." "We are advised that it is likely the delta virus will still be circulating in the community to some extent come the end of the year, so our plans will allow the event to remain resilient in the face of the changing health situation and Public Health Orders." Sydney's 2021 New Year's Eve fireworks won't light up the sky at 9pm on Friday, December 31; however, they'll still take place at midnight that evening. For further information, head to the City of Sydney website. Top image: City of Sydney
2019 is nowhere near over, but it has already been a standout year for South Korean cinema. Not only is Bong Joon-ho's Parasite one of the best films of the year — and one of the most talked about — but it earned the Asian nation its first Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival. No wonder director Bong was greeted by a crowd at the airport when he arrived back from the south of France after the glitzy event. Parasite is also one of the movies on this year's Korean Film Festival in Australia lineup; however the smash hit isn't the only great flick on offer between Thursday, August 22 and Saturday, August 31. If you're keen to dive deep into the exciting and eclectic films produced by the country — which celebrates 100 years in the movie business this year — then you're in the right spot. Screening at Dendy Opera Quays, this year's KOFFIA features everything from blockbusters to indies, dramas to comedies, and not only brand new movies, but recent favourites you might've missed elsewhere. Step into the action-infused political thrills of Take Point, about a plot to abduct North Korea's supreme leader; catch cop flick The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil before it's remade in the US; head back in time with period zombie effort Rampart; and enjoy Hong Sang-soo's latest melancholic drama, Hotel by the River. Or, you can laugh at body-swap comedy The Dude in Me, revel in Korean War tap-dance musical Swing Kids, giggle at the undead with The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale and see the lighter side of law and order with Extreme Job. While you're feasting your eyes on all of the above, you'll also help commemorate KOFFIA's huge 10th year. In Sydney only, the festival will also add a few days at the end for something both timely and special. One Bong Joon-ho movie isn't enough, so KOFFIA is screening a retrospective of his films from Sunday, September 1 to Tuesday, September 3.
In a single day in western Sydney, it's possible to travel halfway across the world with just your tastebuds. Start with authentic Vietnamese pho in Cabramatta, move onto a Sri Lankan feast in Toongabbie and taste your way through an array of Indian sweets in Harris Park. Each and every neighbourhood contains a world of tastes, smells and sounds. To celebrate this rich culinary and cultural diversity, West Fest will take over western Sydney for two colourful weeks. Until Sunday, October 21, venture up the Parramatta River for an extravaganza of food, song, dance and live music with tours, forums, workshops, performances and loads more on offer. Among the stand-out events is the West Fest Forum, Western Sydney's answer to the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (but it's free). This evening of chats, to be held in the luxe Skye Hotel on Thursday, October 18, is all about who we are and how we relate to our diverse identities through architecture and culture. Speakers include Africultures Festival director Fatma Isir and Sydney Living Museums' Jacqui Newling. Look out, too, for the pop-up VR cinema at Daisy's Milkbar during Parramatta Lanes, the Western Sydney Final of the Australian Poetry Slam on Thursday, October 11; a Taste of the World food tour in Liverpool on Saturday, October 13; and a guided tour of the Badu mangroves through the eyes of the Wangal people on Sunday, October 21. For more information on the West Fest program, visit the website. Image: Australian Poetry Slam, Clare Hawley, courtesy of NSW Government.
Make new friends and get a good feed while you're doing it. That's the basic premise behind SocialTable, an intriguing new service inviting you to share a meal with a group of gastronomically compatible strangers. Starting in September, SocialTable will team up with a number of carefully selected restaurants around Sydney. They'll work in partnership with the venues on specially designed set menus, the details of which will then be posted to the SocialTable website. "For example, we might have a booking at a restaurant on a Thursday night for eight people," explains SocialTable co-founder Tom England. "We release that onto the website and as a diner you can see that table, you can get an idea of the menu, and book your seat." "When you sign up you create a brief profile, including a photograph, your likes and dislikes around food, and interests outside of that," adds his business partner Ben Stokes. "You'll also get a brief snapshot of the person who might be sitting at the table with you." Users will also be able to list any allergies, and buy drinks packages to go with their food. The whole meal will be paid for ahead of time via the SocialTable website (and eventually an app), with Stokes estimating an average bill of "around $50 to $60 for the food, and then drinks on top". Initially the plan is to work with around ten medium-to-high-end restaurants in areas like Bondi, Manly, Newtown and the CBD, providing what England calls "a cross section of locations and a cross section of cuisines that really show what Sydney dining is all about." They're coy about exactly which restaurants they've struck deals with so far, although they plan on releasing the details of their launch event in the new few weeks. In the long run, SocialTable hope to be hosting upwards of 20 dinners a week, and have already talked about expanding to Melbourne and potentially Perth. "Perth has a huge fly-in fly-out market," says Stokes, adding that they see the service as something not just for locals, but also tourists and business travellers. Of course, the danger with a service like this is that you could end up on a table with people you don't have anything in common with. Then again, with all this talk about social bubbles we've been hearing recently, perhaps that's not such a bad thing. And hey, either way, at least you get dinner out of it. SocialTable will launch in September, but you can submit your interest via their website now. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For locals and tourists alike, Mt Coot-tha is one of Brisbane's must-see spots, particularly if you like peering down on cities from a great height. As first approved in 2017, then confirmed in 2018, visitors will soon be able to do more than drive up to the lookout to enjoy the view, walk along its trails or picnic in its parklands — by the end of 2020, they'll also be able to glide through the treetops and soar down from the summit via a zipline. Given the official go-ahead by the Brisbane City Council this week after a public consultation period late last year, the Mt Coot-tha zipline is set to start construction later in 2019. It'll consist of three parts, each of which will open in stages. Actual ziplines comprise two of the components — and yes, there'll be more than one piece of wire for you to zoom along, with nearly three kilometres of zipline included in the entire project. Firstly, a treetop canopy tour will span 1.5 kilometres between multiple platforms, starting at the west of the summit and finishing to the west of JC Slaughter Falls. As its name suggests, it'll zip through the trees to take riders on a tour of the site's flora, fauna and indigenous cultural heritage. It'll be the first to open to the public, from sometime towards the end of 2019. In 2020, it'll be joined by a two-stage 'megazip' tour that features six parallel lines between the summit and the Mt Coot-tha botanic gardens. As well as that 1.1-kilometre stretch — all in a single span, without any platforms along the way, and with users reaching speeds of around 60 kilometres per hour — there'll also be a second 340-metre run within the gardens, taking patrons zooming over the Melaleuca Lake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjjtLfALN48 The final section of the project will involve a guided indigenous experience across a new 335-metre suspension bridge that'll be built above JC Slaughter Falls, connecting to the treetop canopy tour and the new arrival centre on Sir Samuel Griffith Drive. And, so that everyone can get between destinations other than via zipline, there'll also be a shuttle bus linking various points. Brisbane City Council will put $1 million towards the zipline, which will be built by Zipline Australia — and, once it's finished, it'll be the longest zipline in the country. Both before and during the public consultation period, the project has also attracted substantial criticism about its potential environmental and noise impacts, especially throughout Mt Coot-tha's vegetation-heavy area — which will likely require some amount of clearing. In response to concerns, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk advised The Courier-Mail that "extensive independent expert studies have been undertaken as part of the project to ensure the Mt Coot-tha zipline design is sensitive to the environment, including the natural habitat and Botanic Gardens". Images: Brisbane City Council.
In the face of the increasing cynicism and self-self-self-referentialness of art, thank god for the Italians. They still like romance in their films the way they insist on full fat milk in their coffee. Now in its 14th season, the Italian FIlm Festival promises to return "like the lingering embrace of a cherished lover". Twenty-seven films will deliver stories in which uncontrolled passions run high. Highlights include A Five Star Life (Viaggio Sola), the tale of a jetsetting hotel critic who knows her five stars from her four but whose analytical faculties let her down when it comes to her own life; A Perfect Family (Una famiglia perfetta), a comedy about a rich but lonely man who 'rents' a family for Christmas and even writes a script for each member; and Ali Blue Eyes, a Romeo and Juliet-esque drama driven by a taboo love affair and a stabbing. Both opening and closing nights will feature films that'll make you want to go to Rome: Paolo Sorrentino's The Great Beauty, starring Toni Servillo as a renowned journalist and ladies man who once dreamed of becoming a novelist, and Fellini's 1972 classic Roma. Young European star Clara Ponsot will be making guest appearances in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, presenting her new film, Cosimo and Nicole. Image: The Great Beauty https://youtube.com/watch?v=m2bcwSwNgOQ
