Few suburbs sell the ideals of inner city living as well as Surry Hills. The area has everything you'd expect — top-notch coffee spots, trendy boutiques, buzzing watering holes and eateries for every budget. It's very easy to spend an entire day exploring the area, strolling down the main streets and weaving through the laneways. In fact, there's so much to see and so many shops, restaurants, bars and parks to visit, you may need a helping hand on where to check out first. So, we teamed up with City of Sydney to ask Concrete Playground readers what businesses they love to visit and support in Surry Hills. Here are some of the most popular spots. Read on to discover some of the most popular picks to visit during the day. Then, flick the switch above and we'll dim the lights to show your favourite things to do once the sun goes down.
Orange's annual culinary fest starts this week with its beloved night market kicking everything off on Friday night. Orange FOOD Week prides itself on being one of the best food festivals in Australia and maintaining strong community support, which is all reflected at this popular market focusing on locally grown and harvested produce. Run by the true blue locals of Orange, the markets exude a cosy vibe and give the area's producers and providores a chance to showcase their fresh fruit and veg, artisanal goods and award-winning wines, beers and ciders. With great eats, drinks and live music, the outdoor autumnal atmosphere in Robertson Park is exactly the setting you'd have in mind for a communal harvest dinner under the stars. Orange FOOD Week Night Market takes place in Robertson Park on Friday, April 6 from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.
Put down that after-work wine, and get your hands dirty at The Pottery Shed. Across three two-hour lessons, the experts at this Surry Hills workshop will teach you the foundations of pottery; throwing, trimming, glazing. It might not be the sexy Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore Ghost situation you're imagining, but it is surprisingly cathartic and a good way to switch off. The work is messy and tricky to master, but the hard slog will be worth it when you have a beautiful bowl or two to show off to your mates. Once you've nailed the basic techniques, you can return to The Pottery Shed and create more masterpieces at your own pace.
While he's never been a traditional leading man, actor Crispin Glover is one of Hollywood's most recognisable faces. With a host of famous roles behind him, including the Thin Man in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and George McFly in Back to the Future, he's earned himself quite the cult following. On Friday July 20 and Sunday July 21, Glover will join with Chauvel cinema for a two-part performance of his Big Slide Show — one-hour narrations of eight copiously illustrated books, the images from which will be projected behind him during these dramatic readings. They'll be followed by screenings of films he's produced. Whether you're a fan of this grossly underappreciated treasure or a lover of all things wacky, this is not to be missed.
"You're to come away at once, out of danger. I've got a motor-car and a basket of strawberries and a bottle of Château Peyraguey — which isn't a wine you've ever tasted, so don't pretend. It's heaven with strawberries." Lord Sebastian Flyte also has loads of charm and country-house, smart London and Oxford clothes, which he wears lazily, rumpled and unselfconscious in his "epicene beauty". With the sense of both obviousness and frivolity in his dress, he makes a most wonderful subject for dress-ups — something about which bams & ted know no little amount. This peripatetic dress-up party and pop-up vintage store have been running character-themed events at spaces with character over this year, decorating the venue and visitors in period and personal styles. They are now turning their hand to Sebastian (from Evelyn Waugh's classic Brideshead Revisited) — a lovely figure of well-mannered pleasure-seeking and a sad one of escapism from the pressures of 1920s British aristocracy. This figure is draped in bespoke tweeds, "postbox-red pyjamas", pink hunting jackets and white flannels, and is more than lissom enough for these to be laid out for the ladies. The opening night party is from 6 to 9pm on June 3. Consult Locksmith or "Aloysius, that pompous old bear", for subsequent opening hours.
For us device-addicted youths, consuming content on non-back-lit material (otherwise known as paper) has become somewhat of a novelty. So, Australian publisher Pantera Press has decided to help change that by dedicating themselves to getting the digitised back into analogue. Its newest imprint, Lost the Plot, is aimed at publishing titles by millennials for millennials. Launching with a curated but diverse selection of books, Lost the Plot instils Pantera Press's longstanding mission to support the next generation of writers and readers. And with titles like The Quit Smoking Colouring Book and Space is Cool as Fuck, they've also found that the book series even appeals to those who were way into adulthood when the popularity of books on good ol' fashioned paper began to decline. Along with helping smokers quit mindfully and admiring the amazing 'AF' properties of the next frontier, the series brings writings on being #single: Dating in the 21st Century, as well as the complementary Just the Tip: Sex Tips for Chicks by Gay Dudes. They've got modern 21st-century living covered. To celebrate the series' launch, we're giving away five book sets with all four titles included, so you can get back into the papery-stuff (without forgetting your friends at Concrete Playground, of course) and live your best millennial life. For your chance to win (and give your phone a break), see entry details below. [competition]645082[/competition]
Over the past year and a half, A.P Bakery has built a cult following among Sydneysiders through its renowned bake sales. Initially popping up across Sydney before finding a home on the rooftop of Paramount House Hotel with A.P House, the team has been winning over locals for 18 months with its bread, pastries, pies and egg rolls. Now, A.P. has arrived in Newtown with its inaugural standalone venue, A.P Town. The bakery and cafe is tucked away behind north King Street on Bucknell Street in a quaint red-brick inner west building. Open 8am–2.30pm Wednesday–Sunday, the new outpost is sure to be a hit with inner west residents heading down for their morning coffee, a mid-week baked treat or weekend breakfast. The response has already been huge, with A.P Town selling out before midday on its first day of operation. The menu is simple. There are pies filled with pastrami, pork belly or native Warrigal greens. There are two toasties, too, a tuna melt and a next-level cheese toastie filled with onion, tomato, mustard, gruyere, asiago and cheddar. And there's an Aleppo and chickpea soup served with a buttered A.P. baguette. [caption id="attachment_858741" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chimichurri Choripán[/caption] Then there's the Baked Today section of the menu, featuring pastries like buttermilk croissants or Aleppo pepper and asiago cheese scrolls; cakes including a chocolate and liquorice tart; and bread ranging from seeded rye loaf and baguettes through to chimichurri choripán and hazelnut, fig and apricot fruit loaf. As for the drinks, you'll find coffee supplied by Reuben Hills, tea is by Teacraft, Strange Love sodas and West End's juices and smoothies. With lines out the door expected, it's best to keep up to date with how things are selling and what new creations the A.P team is cooking up over at the A.P Bread Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by A.P Bakery (@a.p.bread) A.P Town is located at 1a Bucknell Street, Newtown. It's open 8am–2.30pm Wednesday–Sunday.
Zipping around the city running errands can be difficult without a bicycle accessory to hold all your belongings — backpacks get heavy and bags hanging off handlebars get caught in wheels. So counter this, Yeong Keun Jeong and Aareum Jong have created Reel, an invention that attaches to your bike frame using woven elastic and adhesive silicone buttons. This simple yet effective design comes in two parts: one long piece of elastic and a sheet of clear plastic buttons. By attaching the buttons evenly along the bike frame, Reel stops the elastic from sliding to the bottom of the frame by looping the elastic in a diamond shape. Acting as a woven basket, the elastic holds your items in place along the triangle frame so you can ride off into the sunset or down the street with whatever tickles your fancy in tow.
A shadowy old house. A strange little boy. An unexplained object that won't go away. There's nothing particularly revolutionary about The Babadook; it's simply a matter of execution. Taking time-honoured plot points that in lesser hands would seem cliched, Queensland director Jennifer Kent has managed to craft a film that feels both entirely original and utterly terrifying. Featuring both a gripping lead performance by Essie Davis and one of the most creepifying monsters to ever stalk your dreams, The Babadook sets a bar by which future local horror films will be measured. Davis plays Amelia, the overwhelmed, widowed mother of a seven-year-old problem child named Samuel (newcomer Noah Wiseman). A maladjusted and volatile lad with a penchant for producing homemade weapons, Sammy is quite the handful for his mum, who's still haunted by the trauma of losing her husband in a car-wreck while driving to the hospital on the night of her Samuel's birth. One evening, while putting Samuel to bed, Amelia finds a mysterious new book on the boy's bookshelf. Written in Dr Seuss-style rhymes, the story it tells is of a strange, spindly-fingered creature named Mr Babadook. Although innocent at first, the stanzas grow steadily more menacing. Of course, by the time Amelia clues on to the fact that this might not be suitable bedtime reading, the damage has already been done. In an age when 'scary' is so often mistaken for 'bloody', Kent gives us a reminder of the power of anticipation. With next to zero onscreen violence, The Babadook is the kind of slow-burn horror movie that gets under your skin and raises the hairs on your neck; the kind of horror movie that has you bracing yourself for the next scare yet still catches you off guard when the monster finally rears its ugly head. A stop-frame creation that lurks in the shadows, the eponymous Babadook moves with a slithering unreality that seems to freeze the blood vessels in your brain. You know he can't exist. And yet he does. The terror comes also from our empathy with Amelia and Sam. Present in just about every scene, Davis is phenomenally good as Amelia, a worn-down figure who becomes increasingly erratic, and then monstrous herself, as the Babadook's presence grows stronger. More than once, the film implies that the creature may just be a product of Amelia's frazzled mind, pushed to the brink by the death of her husband and the constant demands of her son. In truth, that might be the most frightening suggestion of all. Kent doesn't quite stick the landing, unfortunately. Ambiguity is one thing, but the ending here is just plain unclear. Even so, an unsatisfying coda doesn't undo what came before. To anyone who can handle their heart in their throat, consider The Babadook highly recommended. To anyone who can handle their heart in their throat, consider The Babadook highly recommended. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IuQELNFtr-g
The perfect late night spot for wine lovers has found a home in Chippendale. Lil Sis is The Ambercromie's latest addition to its expanding offering that includes dance floors and a new 24-hour license. Taking inspiration from the streets of Paris, this cosy new neighbourhood wine bar trades primarily in natural wines for sampling, ordering by the glass or taking it home by the bottle. Located on the adjoining terrace of The Abercrombie's substantial site, the Lil Sis space offers multiple floors to enjoy wine, a pared back menu of snacky small plates, and tunes from lounge DJ sets up until 2am. And just when you think it cannot get any better, it also doubles as a bottle shop. For Chippendale residents and UTS students looking to become wine enthusiasts (or just enjoy a great bottle) you have scored the jackpot. From pét-nat to sauvignon blanc, the extensive wine list will cover your every yen — whether you fancy a drinkable rouge for a night in or need a bottle that'll impress at a dinner party. There's also a communal tasting table inside the shop if you want to try before you buy. "The idea behind Lil Sis is to showcase and share producers and wine regions we are excited about from all over the world. Some may be familiar, and some we believe you should get to know," says Lil Sis's wine curator Zoe Brunton. "Most of the wines will be by the glass for those wanting to venture through and explore. We want the list to be fun, approachable, and diverse in its offering." If you're drinking in, head up to the bar and sip your way through the wine selection or through the (much shorter) cocktail list. There's also food. If you're feeling peckish but are looking for a light option, take your pick from the whipped cod roe with chives and crisps ($14), the raw beef with parmigiano, bottarga and rocket ($22) or the roasted peppers with chilli and fried capers ($16). For heftier snacks, opt for the gildas with olive, lemon, anchovy and guindilla ($4), the mussels escabeche ($24) or chicken liver parfait with cornichons and soft herbs ($22). Or for something more substantial there's a trio of jaffles to choose from that you don't have to — and won't want to — share with anyone else. The triple cheese ($10) and the pastrami on rye ($12) are the more sensible adult choices, but the Heinz spaghetti toastie is gleefully packed with both nostalgia and cheddar cheese ($10). Find Lil Sis at 100 Broadway, Chippendale. The bottle shop is open 12pm–12am Monday–Saturday and 12–11pm Sunday, and the wine bar is open Wednesday–Sunday 4pm–2am.
Disney has its own. Apple has one too. And so does Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. If you're fond of documentaries, you have not one but two local choices. The same applies if you're eager to get viewing for free, especially if you can handle retro flicks and titles that you've never heard of before. And if you're eager to support Australian content, there's one for that as well. We're talking about streaming platforms, of course. Throw in Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime Video, SBS On Demand and ABC iView, and Aussies can't say there isn't anything to watch. That's not an exhaustive list either, because this space just keeps growing — with a new service dedicated to British television now joining the fold as well. Britbox was already operational in the USA, Canada and, of course, the United Kingdom, but it only launched in Australia on Monday, November 23 — after announcing it was coming to our shores earlier this year. It's a joint collaboration between two English TV networks: the BBC and ITV. They both have a hefty stable of programs up their sleeves, and you can expect retro and recent series. Think Doctor Who, Absolutely Fabulous, The Office, Blackadder, Pride and Prejudice, Prime Suspect, The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean, for instance. There's also Luther, A Confession, and David Attenborough's Blue Planet and Planet Earth. And yes, the list goes on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DCExerOsA Britbox focuses on box sets of UK shows, which means full seasons all there at once ready for audiences to stream. You can do to do so via mobile devices, tablets, connected TVs and Chromecast — and via the online site. And price-wise, it's offering a seven-day trial, with subscriptions costing $8.99 per month or $89.99 for a year. Britbox is now available to stream in Australia via the service's website.
Luke Mangan is in the midst of reshuffling his 21-restaurant empire to make room for his next brand — Luke's Kitchen, which will open in Waterloo on February 15, taking over the MOJO by Luke Mangan space on Danks Street. Posited as more of a "neighbourhood eatery" than the existing space, the modern Australian menu will consist of snacks, share plates and sides, along with daily specials like whole fish and roasts carved at the table. As part of the opening selection, dishes will include Tasmanian ocean trout sashimi with coconut yoghurt; roasted organic chicken with cauliflower purée, asparagus and preserved lemon; and barbecued marron (Western Australian crayfish) with peach, celery and truffle honey. In the kitchen, 29-year-old chef Mathew Leighton will be at the helm. The Sydney-born young gun is a Mangan veteran, having worked across multiple venues including Glass Brasserie, Chicken Confidential and multiple Salt restaurants in Asia. The existing warehouse space has been given a softer revamp using an earthy colour palette, warm pendant lighting and retro touches, including a beaded curtain and floral screen. For seating, they've installed large wooden tables, a street-view benchtop and a new bar. For drinks, the menu boasts an extensive selection of wine by the glass, bottles that span a wide range of varietals and regions, and cocktails by the group's mixologist, Karl Higgins. "It's unpretentious, it's comfortable, and it's a place where guests can swing down for a glass of wine and oysters, or the works," says Mangan. The famed Australian restaurateur is calling Luke's Kitchen his flagship venue, with further expansion of the new brand expected in 2018. For those who are sad to see MOJO go, the New York-inspired wine bar will relocate to the CBD later in the year, where Magan feels the bar's city vibes are better suited. Luke's Kitchen will open on Thursday, February 15 at 8 Danks St, Waterloo. Opening hours are Wednesday through Thursday from 4pm to late, Friday from noon to late, Saturday from 10am to late and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Images: Minhky Le
Vanfest will be back at Forbes Showgrounds on the May for a cracking weekend of music, food and glamping. Expect to see the chart-topping Golden Features, electro-pop pioneers Pnau, UK singer, songwriter Example and New Zealand duo Broods — and that's just to name a few. This two-day extravaganza is the ultimate way to escape the city, soak up that fresh country air and enjoy some good local music. Grab your mates and get the road trip playlist ready — it's a five-hour drive. But what awaits you is well worth the journey. Expect a weekend jam-packed with entertainment, market stalls, great food, pop-up beach bars and more. Wow Tents is kitting out the campground with a centralised common area for you to kick back and relax with your mates. You can opt to BYO tent, or book a pre-pitched tents — basic two-man tents start at $50, and glamping goes up to $380. Vanfest 2019 will be a cashless event, so all food and drinks will be paid for using tap-and-go wristbands which can be topped up at any of the event's top-up tents.
There's never a bad time for gelato. There's never a special occasion that couldn't use it, too. That's all in Gelato Messina's wheelhouse, with the chain mighty fond of releasing limited-edition treats to make holidays even tastier. The latest example: its Easter 2023 offering, which brings back its gelato-filled chocolate eggs. Dessert heaven? This is it. Also, if you've always wanted to smash open a Messina Easter egg, that's on the menu as well. Either way, you'll be tucking into an egg handmade out of Messina's milk chocolate — and it'll be filled with frosty, creamy goodness or six rocher balls. First, the gelato-packed eggs, aka a dream for gelato and chocolate lovers alike. That's tasty news as it is but, in even better news, these goodies come in a trio. So, you'll get the Ménage Egg Trois, as Messina has dubbed it, all for $95. The gelato chain says the three eggs can feed between six and ten people, but it's obviously up to you how much you share them On the menu: a custard and shortbread gelato number, with the chocolate egg also featuring strawberry jam yolk, and then dipped in strawberry white chocolate; and an egg packed with vanilla and coconut gelato, mango sorbet, mango gel yolk and baked cheesecake, then encased in white chocolate and desiccated coconut. And, rounding out the pack is a pretzel and milk chocolate-coated egg featuring chocolate gelato with peanut fudge, chocolate brownies and peanut butter caramel. Your tastebuds might already remember that Messina did gelato-free chocolate Easter eggs in 2022, too. This year's version sprinkles its shell with chopped roasted hazelnuts, and boasts two waffle cone and white chocolate rocher balls (filled with waffle cone cream), two 65-percent dark chocolate and salted peanut rocher balls (filled with peanut cream), and two milk chocolate and hazelnut rocher balls (filled with Messinatella cream) inside. That'll set you back $70, and apparently will keep two-to-four people (or just you) very satisfied. As a bonus, Messina is also making golden versions of both Easter sets — and the difference isn't just in the appearance. If your milk chocolate gelato-filled eggs happen to be gold on the outside, you've won a year's worth of Messina. If your giant chocolate egg has a golden rocher inside, same deal. You will need to take a photo, then email hello@gelatomessina.com to claim your prize. Messina's Easter kits can only be ordered online on Monday, March 20 for collection over Easter — of course — between Thursday, April 6–Sunday, April 9. Messina now opens its orders at various times for various places, so you'll want to hop online at 9am for Queensland and Australian Capital Territory stores, 9.15am for Victorian shops, and at either 9.30am, 9.45am or 10am depending on where you are in New South Wales. Gelato Messina's Easter eggs are available to order from Monday, March 20 for pick up between Thursday, April 6–Sunday, April 9 — head to the Messina website for further details.
Sydneysiders, if catching a train is on your agenda as soon as the new year hits, you might want to rethink your travel plans. Transport for NSW has announced that major track work will take place over the first ten days of January 2021, with most of the rail network affected as a result — and buses replacing rail services in some instances. Across January 1–10, no trains will run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, due to a maintenance project that will replace a timber deck with a concrete structure that's designed to last longer. "This work will ensure we continue to provide an efficient network for commuters, and is a once in a generation opportunity to extend the life of the 88-year-old railway corridor by 120 years," said Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance. Given the time of year, the works are expected to have a lesser impact because trains traditionally aren't as busy as the new year kicks into gear. Around 40-percent fewer patrons usually hop onboard so early in January, Transport for NSW notes. But if you do need to ride the rails across the period, you'll definitely need to adjust. While buses will only replace trains between North Sydney and Wynyard on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, that move is expected to have flow-on effects for every other rail line apart from the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line. Trains will also run to a weekend timetable every day throughout the ten-day period; however, there'll be additional services in peak periods for those who are commuting to and from work. If you're thinking that this'll add some time to your journey, you're absolutely right. Travellers have been advised to factor extra time into their trips. For more information, visit the Transport for NSW website.
Enjoying a quality brew is as Aussie as meat pies and footy, and we boast one of the busiest (and best) beer scenes in the world. One of our closest neighbours, Japan, has an equally impressive beer scene. Now one of its native brews, The Premium Malt's, is celebrating its new Tokyo flagship bar by touring the globe — with a Sydney stop included. The Premium Malt's is setting up in the heart of Sydney, specifically in Haymarket's Nakano Darling. It's an inner-city bar that specialises in izakaya-style dining (small snacks and refreshing drinks) — think delicious karaage chicken, gyoza, edamame beans, stir-fried wagyu and more. From Friday, July 21 to Sunday, August 6, you can pair that food with four delicious brews from The Premium Malt's. Those four varieties are Premol, Premol Black, Half & Half (Premol & Premol Black), and Mliko. Each brew offers different levels of flavour and richness, but all offer the brand's pride and joy: 'Kami-Awa', which translates to 'divine foam'. The Premium Malt's House opens on Friday, July 21 and runs until Sunday, August 6. For more information, visit the Suntory website, and visit the Nakano Darling website to make a booking.
Sydney woke up to torrential rain and thunderstorms this morning as parts of the city copped more than a month's worth of rain in an hour. As a result, widespread road, train and light rail closures are being experienced across the city. In other words, it's, unfortunately, going to be a slow and wet commute to work this morning. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, West Pennant Hills was hit by 72.5mm in an hour, while Chatswood received 60mm. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1067511349415157760 The heavy rains have led to power outages across northern Sydney — with Ausgrid responding to 3500 customers across East Ryde, North Ryde and Marsfield — with flash flooding causing road, train and light rail closures and bus delays. Sydney Airport is also telling both domestic and international travellers to expect delays and cancellations, with the ABC reporting that the airport has closed two of its runways. At time of publication, here's where the city's at with road closures and public transport delays: Buses across the city are delayed, with the inner west worst affected with wait times of up to 60 minutes Trains between Sydenham and Campsie, on T3, have resumed — after being suspended due to flooding in Marrickville — but delays are to be expected Ferries between Parramatta and Olympic Park have been cancelled, buses are being organised The Harbour Tunnel has reopened — after it closed earlier due to an overheight vehicle — but delays are expected as traffic returns to normal Anzac Bridge outbound lanes are closed due to flooding A number of train stations have flooded and have limited or no access for customers. These include: Town Hall, Pymble, Wollstonecraft, West Ryde, Eastwood and Lewisham All lanes of Parramatta Road have reopened — after closing earlier due to flooding — but traffic and delays are to be expected All light rail services between Dulwich Hill and Central have been cancelled due to flooding The NSW State Emergency Service is urging motorists to avoid driving if possible and to not enter any flood waters, with flooding already affecting a number of roads across the city. The SES has responded to six flood rescues this morning since the rains begun. https://twitter.com/NSWSES/status/1067507852669939712 The NSW SES, BOM and NSW Police are working together to provide warnings across Sydney for potentially dangerous conditions, flood waters and unsafe roads. For updates, keep an eye on the BOM website. While it's expected to clear up by the weekend, we're not likely to see much reprieve from the rain today, with the BOM saying the rain's peak intensity will most likely be from mid morning and mid afternoon. This will likely impact your afternoon commute, too. For the latest updates on traffic and public transport delays and closures, head to Live Traffic NSW and Transport for NSW's official Bus and Train Twitter accounts. Image: NSW SES
Still looking for that perfect romantic gift to satisfy your lover’s expectations this Valentine’s Day? Don’t sweat it - Instructables.com has the perfect solution for those who are in a creative drought. DIY beef jerky briefs are sure to provide a deliciously amusing experience this 14th of February. Forget about gag-candy underwear. These hand-made meaty undergarments are packed with protein and are guaranteed to cause some heat in the bedroom. Fun- Check. Sexy – Check. Practical – Check. All you need is some ground beef, a few flavourings to taste, a dehydrator and a little time, effort and love and voila – Valentine’s Day sorted. For vegetarians, or those unwilling to jeopardise their sex life today it’s probably best to stick to the old roses and chocolates combo.
Take a moment to appreciate life and reflect on important relationships at HIDDEN — a series of sculptures and artworks displayed throughout the expansive Rookwood Cemetery. Now in its 13th year, the unique annual event will feature multidisciplinary works by over 40 artists at one of the country's oldest cemeteries. Alongside established and emerging artists, HIDDEN will showcase five works from schools and seven stonemasons in a new category this year. The sculptures tie in with the setting at Rookwood and explore stirring themes such as remembrance, spirituality, time, cultural practices and loss. [caption id="attachment_921129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Your one wild and precious life' (2022) by Karen Golland[/caption] Visitors can explore the grounds on their own with the option to follow an audio guide or delve deeper with a curator tour or artist talk. There is also a d/Deaf-led tour available. HIDDEN is open from sunrise to sunset with free entry from Saturday, October 21, until Sunday, November 19. Make a day trip of it with the family (furry friends included). You'll find plenty of free parking along Hawthorne Avenue, Necropolis Drive and opposite All Souls Chapel and Rookwood Village Cafe serves coffee, snacks and lunch until 3.30pm daily. Find out more at the HIDDEN in Rookwood website. Entry is free, but you can reserve a slot at the event website. Top image: 'The Red Shoes Vanitas' by Cybele Cox
This week, Bunnings Warehouse is supercharging its usual sausage sizzle, to support a community of Aussies doing it pretty tough. Tomorrow — Friday, August 4 — all of the hardware giant's NSW and ACT stores will host a special pre-weekend edition of their legendary snag sessions, raising coin for the Buy A Bale initiative, supporting drought-affected farmers. The initiative, part of the charity Rural Aid, lets you buy essentials — such as, yes, hay, as well as water, diesel and hampers — for farmers doing it rough. Which a lot of farmers are. Some areas of the country have been struggling with a years-long drought, and, more recently, NSW farmers have been dealt an "unforgivingly dry winter". All of the day's sausage profits will go towards helping struggling farming families across Australia, at a time when bushfires, a lack of rain and changes to live exports have made life on the land seriously hard. Grab a snag in bread and show them some love. Buy a Bale sausage sizzles will run from 9am–4pm across all Bunnings Warehouses in NSW.
It has been 85 years since a patch of Milsons Point was turned into a Sydney amusement park, and much has changed in the city over that time. Plenty has changed at the heritage-listed Luna Park itself, too, including multiple closures and reopenings between the late 70s and early 00s. Now, the site is undergoing a big revamp — which'll add nine new permanent rides as part of a $30 million facelift. As announced on Tuesday, November 24 by New South Wales Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, Luna Park will update and refresh its facilities, and introduce new reasons for Sydneysiders and tourists to stop by. It'll mark the biggest makeover the park has had since it permanently reopened back in 2004, although the site will need to temporarily close from late-January 2021 to get everything done. Wondering what you'll be able to hop on? Six of the new rides will be specifically for children, so unless you have littlies in tow, they mightn't excite you all that much. Also, just what they'll entail hasn't been revealed. But the other three fresh additions include a family coaster for all ages, some type of thrill ride and a new version of The Big Dipper. Luna Park has been home to rollercoasters called The Big Dipper before, but this latest ride will be smaller than its predecessors — and also faster, with a top speed in excess of 70 kilometres per hour. It'll also be an inline seating launch roller coaster, which means that it'll be just one seat wide. [caption id="attachment_792212" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A render of how the revamped Luna Park will look[/caption] Exactly when you'll be able to take a whirl on the new rides hasn't yet been announced, but it's expected that you'll be able to walk though Luna Park's big face gates again after its January shutdown by the middle of 2021. Luna Park will close down for its latest upgrades from Wednesday, January 27, 2021, reopening sometime mid-year. For more details about the revamp, visit the park's website.
For the first time, Chinatown, Thaitown and Koreatown are joining forces for Lunar Streets, and extending an invite to you and your family/friends during this year's Lunar New Year celebrations. Graze like a sheep (it's their year) down Sussex, Campbell and Pitt Streets from dusk till late on Saturday, February 14. There'll be long alfresco tables set up for the occasion, so you can commune with friends new and old while chowing down on your dim sum/noodles/curry/sashimi/some glorious mix of the four. Performances by roving entertainers and a mix of Asian pop hits courtesy of PopAsia top off the night, a new high on Sydney's Chinese New Year calendar.
One of Sydney's prime pieces of culinary real estate has found new life. After being placed into liquidation, the legendary Manly Pavilion made a huge comeback, reopening with a slick fit-out both inside and out. Sitting on its well-known overwater site on the Manly Cove Esplanade, Manly Pavilion boasts breezy open spaces, a slick dining space (somewhat straightforwardly) called Bistro at Manly Pavilion, repurposed Chesterfield lounges and parquet flooring. The revamped Pav has multiple spaces to lounge around in, from a casual openair balcony deck to a lounge bar area, a ballroom and the fancier aforementioned Bistro dining room. The heritage-listed venue also features an array of refreshed menus, spanning the standard selection of dinner and drinks menus starring elevated Mediterranean dishes to a small desserts menu and an exclusive happy hour, aptly named the 'High Tide' happy hour, offering the likes of wines, spritzes and pints for a steal from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays. Standout offerings include the snapper paired with mussels and lime butter, the chilli and lemon-coated calamari accompanied by aioli, the extensive wine list, and the nautical-themed boathouse margarita. Plus, the waterfront space also features live music sessions from 3pm to 6pm, and hosts DJ sets every Friday night, which spin epic tunes from 5pm to 8pm.
For your next Netflix binge, the streaming platform isn't simply suggesting its latest must-see series — it's also telling you what you should be eating. Crack out the tortillas, start marinating some meat and whip up a bit of guacamole, because it's taco time. No mere mortal can sit down to watch a show about this Mexican dish without devouring a whole plate of them, after all. Called Las Crónicas del Taco in Spanish and Taco Chronicles in English, the new series fittingly stems from Netflix's Latin American division. Also unsurprisingly, the show is an ode a meal that's beloved not only in its country of origin, but the world over. Expect to learn more about the versatile tortilla, including its immense cultural significance. And expect to start craving the many different varieties of tacos, too, such as pastor, carnitas, canasta, asada, barbacoa and guisados. Ample gushing about the dish is part of the package — this is a show made for taco lovers, by taco lovers — as is a feast of taco visuals. As any fan of food-focused documentaries already knows oh-so-well, viewing this multi-part effort on an empty stomach is not recommended. Taco Chronicles does boast Javier Cabral among its behind-the-scenes team, with the culinary writer acting as an associate producer and 'taco scout'. The series' English-language trailer is only available on Netflix itself, but if you can speak Spanish — or fancy looking at a whole heap of tacos anyway — Netflix Latin America's unsubtitled clip is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qist_IxZI The first season of Taco Chronicles is now streaming on Netflix. Updated: August 12, 2019.
Experimentation and creative flair have been at the forefront of Sydney's diverse culinary space, with a plethora of venues breaking into new, exciting ground. An exciting eatery spearheading this shift is Lima Nikkei in Dawes Point. The shiny addition to Hickson Road has rebranded, changing its name from Folkor to Lima Nikkei and zeroing in on Nikkei cuisine. Residing just opposite Lotus Dumpling Bar, Lima Nikkei heroes a blend of Japanese and Peruvian dishes, drawing inspiration from Executive Chef and co-owner Hector Chunga's culinary journey and heritage — including his time at a leading culinary school in Lima. This 100-seat outpost is the sibling venue to Surry Hills' much-loved locale, Warike. Blending the aesthetic of Lima's Barranco bars and Sydney's sleek CBD, Lima Nikkei features dark interiors paired with colourful LED lighting decorating its walls. The elegant bar is adorned with a ring of cherry blossoms and an intricate mural spans across its feature wall, creating an alluring ambience perfect for intimate dining. When perusing Lima Nikkei's menu, you'll immediately be met with the expansive range of ceviche, tiraditos (Peruvian-style sashimi) and anticuchos (charcoal-grilled skewers), leaving you spoilt for choice. Of the many options available, the El Trio ceviche, starring cured salmon, tuna and kingfish, is a highlight. Other starters on offer include the chicken- and prawn-filled dumplings, pulled pork bao buns and sushi in the form of nigiri or rolls — and you won't want to skip the deep-fried Furai Crab Roll. Accompanying the starter selection is a variety of heftier mains. A standout is the charcoal-grilled beef paired with ponzu and huacatay sauce, while the noodle-heavy tallarin saltado is coated in a citrus-forward lomo sauce. For dessert, take your pick from the chocolucuma cake or the Lima special — a rice pudding with coconut and a chicha morada (a native purple corn drink). There are also a pair of set menus starting from $75 per person for those eager to sample the menu. And for sips, partner your meal with a crisp pisco sour, a fragrant gin cocktail or a chilled beer. Images: VJB Group
Anyone who has jumped for bacon-loving joy at the announcement of Cuckoo Callay's Bacon Festival the last three years will surely be stoked with the news that the Newtown cafe is once again celebrating the noble pig in 2018. Kicking off on April 4 and running for 12 weeks, the Newtown and Surry Hills cafes are modifying their menu to showcase their best pieces of pork work. There'll be bacon burgers, bacon French toast and even bacon doughnuts in collaboration with Shortstop Coffee & Donuts. New to the fun is the bacon tasting board, which features streaks of triple-smoked bacon, sticky maple bacon, bourbon-fuelled double-smoked bacon and triple-smoked air-dried bacon — yep, that's a lot of bacon — hanging from a miniature clothes line. And in the good ol' favourite camp, the Mac Daddy is back, with the monstrous mix of double smoked bacon, bacon mac 'n' cheese, a poached egg and fried shallots inside a croissant getting super-sized at Surry Hills May 26. Suffice it to say, the Bacon Festival is not vegetarian friendly. Keep your snouts on the Cuckoo Callay Facebook page for the full menu. Images: Steve Woodburn.
Becoming something of a tradition around this time of year, Sydney Restaurant Group is kicking off its winter campaign by offering up to 50 percent off set menus at eight of its most popular restaurants. Slashing prices from Sunday, June 1–Sunday, August 31, now is the perfect time to get the crew together for a long overdue catch-up that leaves considerably more in your wallet. Up first, Postino Osterio's standout sharing menu is available for lunch and dinner on Monday–Friday for $59 per person. Think thinly sliced Blackmore wagyu tonnato, kingfish crudo, homemade egg linguini with charcoal-grilled Morton Bay bug, and beef cheek with bone marrow and pepper puree. Next, luxe waterside spot Ormeggio at The Spit is taking 50 percent off its Tribute to Australian Produce Menu, featuring a five-course feast and snacks. It's available every lunch and dinner until Monday, July 14, with reduced slots beyond this date. Over at Ripples Chowder Bay, its modern Australian cuisine will taste even more special after ordering a three-course set menu plus sides for $59 per person. Plus, it gets bonus points for a priceless harbourside view. Available for dinner Wednesday–Sunday and lunch Monday–Friday, you're welcome to BYO for $16 per bottle. For extra savings, sister venue Ripples Little Manly has three courses and sides for $49, served for lunch from Friday–Sunday and dinner from Thursday–Saturday. In Balmain, The Fenwick's historic stone building and old-world wood beams will house a three-course set menu plus sides for $59 per person. Get down for lunch on Monday–Friday or make a dinner reservation on Sunday–Friday. Then, from its perch above Elouera Beach, Summer Salt's three-course feed offers a rotating lineup of tantalising options, like wild mushroom ragu, crispy pork belly and handmade burrata. With BYO available for $16 per bottle, book for lunch or dinner on Tuesday–Sunday. When cosy Italian cuisine is the vibe, Noi has got you covered in Petersham. They're also serving a three-course set menu, including a side with your main, for $59 per person. Available across all services, BYO is $15 per bottle. Lastly, Chiosco by Ormeggio is making winter that much better with a premium four-course sharing menu plus bread for $59. This offering is available on weekdays for lunch and dinner, but just note that the venue is closed for renos from Monday, June 30–Thursday, July 17. Sydney Restaurant Group's winter discounts run from Sunday, June 1–Sunday, August 31 at various venues across Sydney. Terms and conditions apply — head to the website for more information.
If you never got to live your Euro summer — or if you did make the trip and need to relive your adventures — there's a little slice of Southern Italy right here in Sydney. Enter Divino Osteria, an Elizabeth Bay eatery that transports the flavour and hospitality of southern Italy to the eastern suburbs. To get the lowdown on the family operation, its menu, and why you should pencil in a reservation ASAP, we spoke to chef Andrea Di Stefano and owner Anthony Alafaci. The address of Divino Osteria might call up some memories for veterans of Sydney nightlife, since 19-23 Elizabeth Bay Road was formerly home to The Sebel, a famous celebrity haunt that went back to 1963. Today, Divino Osteria and Alafaci have swapped A-list party secrecy for Italian hospitality. [caption id="attachment_1005500" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guy Davies[/caption] What Was the Vision for the Space When it Opened? "The vision for Divino Osteria was to establish a space that celebrates Italy's vibrant culinary heritage, offering a cozy yet refined casual dining experience that captivates the senses and fosters a sense of community among guests. The name 'Divino' in Italian means 'divine' or 'heavenly,' often used to describe something extraordinary, or of exceptional quality. It reflects the idea that the dining experience at our restaurant is not just about food but something sublime and memorable. 'Osteria' refers to a traditional Italian restaurant, typically more casual and focused on offering local, home-style dishes. Osterias were gathering places for friends and family to enjoy simple, hearty meals together, with an emphasis on community and warmth. Together, 'Divino Osteria' embodies the essence of what we offer — a heavenly, welcoming place where you can savour the rich, authentic flavours of Italy, rooted in tradition but presented with modern flair." Which Particular Niche Does Divino Osteria Fill in the Local Dining Scene? "We're a casual Italian eatery focused on local, home-style dishes, reflecting our commitment to genuine hospitality and creating a dining experience reminiscent of sharing a meal at a friend's home. We seek to bring people together with good food and wine. We distinguish ourselves in Sydney's dining landscape, appealing to those seeking a genuine and heartfelt Italian dining experience." Divino's head chef, Andrea Di Stefano, is Sicilian by birth and brings his own range of skills and love for the simple authenticity of Italian cooking, having crafted a menu that celebrates fresh, seasonal ingredients and authentic methods, including handmade pasta, stone-baked pizza from the venue's hand-built brick oven, slow-cooked sauces, and locally sourced produce. [caption id="attachment_1005497" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guy Davies[/caption] What Kitchen Experience Did You Have Before Joining the Divino Team? "I started cooking at 12 years old in our family bakery and pizzeria in Italy, one of three boys all in the food industry. I later trained up in a hotel kitchen in Catania, Sicily, where I cultivated a palate for the different yet specific flavours of Italian cuisine. This was refined at home in collaboration with my mother and grandmother, cooking familiar home-style dishes. I later had the opportunity to hone my skills in fine dining kitchens across Italy and London, learning from Michelin-starred chefs. Now, in Australia, I've combined those experiences to craft the menu at Divino Osteria." Of All the Dishes on the Menu, Which Is Your Favourite to Prepare? "The costoletta d'Agnello is my favourite dish to prepare on our current menu. Lamb chops are a cherished component of Italian cuisine for their tenderness and rich flavour. They offer the versatility to be prepared in various ways that highlight their natural flavour while adding your own refined touch, whether through technique, seasoning or presentation, allowing for creative culinary expressions." [caption id="attachment_1002655" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guy Davies[/caption] Can You Take us Through Divino's Drinks and Wine Offering? "Divino's wine list is a carefully curated journey through Italy's most celebrated wine regions. From Tuscany to Sicily, each bottle featured reflects the traditions and terroir of its origin. There are Italian classics like barolo, nerello mescalese, nero d'avola and amarone. We also have an array of Australian and New Zealand wines from the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Margaret River and Marlborough. Each bottle has been selected to complement and pair perfectly with the food and elevate the dining experience. We also have some specialty cocktails, some classics and bold Italian signatures too. Our cocktail list is a celebration of fresh citrus, fragrant herbs, and vibrant liqueurs. Whether you're in the mood for something bitter, sweet, sparkling, or spicy, there's a glass here with your name on it." What's Your Favourite Drink on the Menu? "One of the standout elements of our bar program is our curated Limoncello, which is made to reflect the flavours we love most from the south. It's a small touch, but it makes a huge difference in flavour. [caption id="attachment_1002652" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guy Davies[/caption] If Someone Is Making Their First Booking at Divino, What Would You Recommend They Order? Di Stefano: "The medaglioni is a personal favourite on our specials menu. Using a wagyu sirloin MBS9+ with brown butter and sage, we craft oversized ravioli and present it on a plate. It pairs really well with a due lune nero d'avola/Nerello Mascalese grape, which really enhances the flavour of the food." And for drinks? "You can't go past an Aperol Spritz or a Limoncello Spritz. Both are light, refreshing and perfect for daytime drinking — bitter, citrusy and just the right amount of effervescence. If you're after something a little stronger, a Tommy's Margarita is a great option, too — clean, fresh, and packed with flavour without being too heavy." To make a long lunch booking at Divino Osteria, or to find more information, visit the website.
Australia's two most populous cities have once again ranked highly among the world's most liveable cities. Very highly, in fact. Melbourne, which had seven years at the top between 2010-2017, has come in second, with Sydney a spot behind at number three. Vienna for the second year running has taken the top spot on The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global 2019 Liveability Index, which was announced today. The index ranks 140 cities on stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment, giving each city a rating out of 100. Melbourne has retained its 98.4 score (the same as 2018), while Sydney has increased from 97.4 (and fifth place) to 98.1. Melbourne's score for culture and environment was one of the highest, 98.6, second only to Vancouver, which scored a perfect 100 in the category. According to the EIU, Sydney's ranking had climbed thanks to its: "improvement in its culture and environment score, reflecting an increased focus on combating and mitigating the impacts of climate change." The report talks directly to the city's 'Sustainable Sydney 2030' strategy, which was announced earlier this year by the City of Sydney and outlines goals to make the city "green, global and connected". The only other Australian city to make the top ten was Adelaide, coming in at number ten, while Perth and Brisbane claimed 14th and 18th spot, respectively. Rounding out the top five, were Osaka at third and Calgary at fourth, with both retaining the same rankings as last year. You can read the full Economist Intelligence Unit's Global 2019 Liveability Index over here.
Step inside Luna Park Sydney's big top and you might now see a rollercoaster and a hot air balloon. Underwater creatures could await, or fantastical critters, futuristic lights like you're zooming through space, skulls, eyes, spiders and geometric architecture. In fact, expect all of the above to greet you, plus an array of colours and trippy visuals, as you experience Dream Circus. Announced in November 2023, opening just before Christmas, and now welcoming in locals and tourists alike, this immersive $15-million experience has revamped Luna Park Sydney's big top to make you feel like you've walked into a movie. Intergalactic landscapes, webs, space scenes, nefarious monsters and, yes, a circus setup: they're just some of the other sights that Dream Circus can and does display with its 360-degree projections, holograms, motion-activated LED screens and lighting. When it opened 88 years ago at Milsons Point, Luna Park Sydney wasn't the world's first Luna Park, or even Australia's. But around multiple closures, reopenings and revamps, it's remained one of the Harbour City's go-to tourist spots. Its latest reason to stop by also features surround sound and spatial audio mapping to engage your ears as well as your eyes, and is Sydney's first permanent immersive-experience attraction — and a world-first type of attraction as well. Attendees enter a narrative journey, where characters and a spectacle for the senses combine. So, you'll follow Pedro, the showman managing other performers. As the aforementioned list of visuals makes plain, just don't expecting the tale that unfurls to stick to reality. In the 3000-square-metre big top, Dream Circus' sights fill a surface area of over 3500 square metres — with Artists in Motion, TDC and Auditoria, who have ABBA Voyage, King Kong on Broadway, works at Vivid and Walking with Dinosaurs to their names, behind it. Luna Park Sydney expects people to flock to see the results, predicting that 50,000 people will check it out over summer. The new attraction helps the site embrace the future, while still loving its status as an art-deco amusement park that dates back almost a century. "The launch of the Dream Circus marks the beginning of the transformation of Luna Park Sydney," said Luna Park Sydney CEO John Hughes. "Sydney has some of the best creative talent in the world, and we have been so fortunate to work with more than 140 creative practitioners and technologists to create something unique and of great value to Sydney." Find Dream Circus at Luna Park Sydney, 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point — visit the park's website for more information and tickets.
Lunch breaks in South Eveleigh are going to get a lot more entertaining with Kylie Kwong's latest venture, Lucky Kwong, tipped to open its doors on Tuesday, May 25. Unlike the now closed, much-loved institution Billy Kwong, Lucky Kwong will be set up canteen-style: visitors will need to order and pay at the counter and takeaway isn't only available — it's welcomed. The Australian-Cantonese eatery focuses on accessibility, so the team won't be taking bookings and the venue is strictly walk-in only. "For me, Lucky Kwong is all about true nourishment. This eatery is a celebration of everything I love in life with care, community, collaboration and delicious, life-giving food at its heart," Kwong said in a statement. "This is a big shift for me as a restaurateur." [caption id="attachment_812604" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lucky Kwong's steamed prawn dumplings with Sichuan chilli and Jiwah native mint.[/caption] You can expect offerings including steamed savoury pancakes with fried egg, Asian herbs and caramel-tamari, plus some of Kwong's signature dishes like her steamed prawn dumplings with Sichuan chilli dressing . Uncle Jimmy's steamed noodles with brown rice vinegar dressing and caramelised pork belly with Davidson's plum will also feature on the curated menu. Daily rotating specials are set to showcase local producers and culinary collaborations with other chefs, so you'll always have an excuse to drop in during the week. The Lucky Kwong team will source organic herbs and vegetables from a newly created garden in collaboration with South Eveleigh Aboriginal mentor and proud Cudgenburra and Bundjalung man, Clarence Slockee. Slockee and his crew at Jiwah will also provide the eatery with native edible plants for its menu. "Beyond being a great gathering place for delicious food, I want Lucky Kwong to nourish and feed people's spirit, to be a force for good. It's a simple and humble offering that is very clear in its intention and motivation to positively contribute to society," Kwong said. Lucky Kwong will be set in the historic Locomotive Workshop, and joins the likes of Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini's (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella) groundbreaking new sustainability-focused bar, Re. in the South Eveleigh precinct. Lucky Kwong will open at 2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh on Tuesday, May 25, Monday- Friday 11am–2.30pm. You can check out Lucky Kwong's website here.
Turning 30 is a big occasion — for people, and for entertainment groups. And while reaching 31 doesn't normally get as much love, celebrations or parties, Ministry of Sound has never been one for sticking to expectations. Behold, its huge 31st birthday party, aka the return of Ministry of Sound: Testament — A Warehouse Experience at this year's Vivid. If cutting loose in a warehouse in The Rocks for three nights sounds is your ideal way to mark absolutely anything, this returning event is just the solution. As it did in 2021, Ministry of Sound has also found just the right way to celebrate the June long weekend, thanks to this huge multi-room event that'll have you making shapes to 90s, 00s and recent bangers. More than 70 DJs will be hitting the decks between Friday, June 10–Sunday, June 12 — and enticing you to hit the Campbell's Stores dance floor, obviously. It's a choose-your-own-adventure type of party, so fans of old-school tunes can dance to 90s house, rave, trance and garage tracks on Friday, and lovers of 00s electro and breaks can head along on Saturday. Finishing things up on the Sunday night: all the recent techno and house songs — and EDM anthems — that've been getting a spin lately. As a result, each evening will see different DJs working their magic, with big names on the bill across the entire lineup. Nik Fish vs Jumping Jack, Sugar Ray, Jade, Ming D, Abel, Lorna are among the 90s highlights, while Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts, Kid Kenobi, Bang Gang Deejays, Hoops, Midnight Juggernauts, Riot in Belgium, Kate Monroe are on the decks on Saturday night — before Anna Lunoe, Northeast Party House, Oliver Huntemann and Hydraulix head things up on Sunday. Each evening runs from 7pm–2am — and, ticket-wise, you'll need to book per night. MINISTRY OF SOUND: TESTAMENT — A WAREHOUSE EXPERIENCE 2022 LINEUP: Friday, June 10: The 90s RAVE Jade Lorna Clarkson Ming D vs Abel Nik Fish vs Jumping Jack Phil Smart Sugar Ray HOUSE Annabel Gaspar Antonio Zabarelli Declan Lee Kate Monroe Nick Law Simon Caldwell Tim McGee BACK TO MINE BizE Gemma Johnny Seymour Sveta ANTHEMS Alan Thomson Cadell Chip John Ferris Johnny Gleeson Sally Sound Trent Rackus Saturday, June 11: The 00s ELECTRO Bang Gang Deejays Hoops Jace Disgrace Midnight Juggernauts (DJ set) Riot in Belgium Starfuckers PROG Anthony Pappa Kasey Taylor Michelle Owen Robbie Lowe Sean Quinn Trent Anthony ANTHEMS Goodwill Kate Monroe Kyro Mark Dynamix Minx Sam La More Seamus BREAKS A-Tonez Kid Kenobi Krafty Kuts Phil Smart Plump DJs Ritual Sunday, June 12: The Now HOUSE Anna Lunoe Dave Winnel Little Fritter LO'99 Mell Hall Northeast Party House (DJ set) Stacie Fields LATIFA TEE PRES Baschoe Cabu Honey Point Isa Latifa Tee Sollyy Willo TECHNO Hoten Jebbi Manu Neves Oliver Huntemann Oliver Schories EIGHTY-SIX Eighty-Sixers b2b Artinium Heimanu Hydraulix Interupt Mincy SOL WA-FU Ministry of Sound: Testament — A Warehouse Experience will take over the Campbell's Stores warehouse in The Rocks from Friday, June 10–Sunday, June 12. For further details, and to buy tickets, head to the event website.
Everyone has an opinion on what makes a true Aussie burger. Beetroot? Yes, please. Fried egg? Sure. Pineapple? Stay away. But what about throwing on some of that iconic spread that lives in every household cupboard, regardless of whether you're a lover or a hater? Well, chef Neil Perry is putting it to the test with the release of a limited edition Vegemite burger. From today, Wednesday, January 17, this questionable concoction will be available at Burger Project stores across Australia (including the one that opened last week in Melbourne), as well as the current Australian Open pop-up in Melbourne. "Vegemite is synonymous with our Australian way of life," said Perry. "I'm excited to be given the opportunity to collaborate with such an iconic Australian brand." The spread will be paired with Burger Project's staple soft milk bun, grass-fed Tasmanian beef patty, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and onion. That distinctive salty tang of Vegemite is sure to add a salty flavour hit to the burger. It certainly appeals more than the creamy Vegemite icy poles which got a hard pass from us. The Vegemite Burger is available between January 17–28, 2018 at all Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stores. For more info, visit burgerproject.com.au.
For many of us, the prospect of sitting through reams of photos from our recently-returned-from-travelling friends can be a little scary. Unless you happen to be friends with independent film maker Rick Mereki, that is. Then it is something else entirely. Mereki has created three short films taken from footage of a trip with two mates, covering 11 different countries and over 38 thousand miles in 44 days. Each film is only about a minute in duration and is based on a theme; in Move we follow as one of Mereki's friends walks through a series of stunning landscapes, in Learn we see the skills he attempts to acquire along the way (soccer, pizza making, wine tasting, weaving, guitar) and in Eat we see a smorgasboard of international delights. It's a simple idea, as the brilliant ones usually are. The themes are clear, the images strong and it is all held together by a lovely little soundtrack. Move, Learn, Eat are beautiful reminders of the joys of travelling, the fun of learning and the delight of food. They also remind you of the shortcomings of your own travel snaps.
They started as an opening act for the Beastie Boys. They've been fighting the power for almost four decades. They're no strangers to big hats and giant clocks, or for fighting for a worthy cause. They've been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2013. They'll forever come to mind whenever Def Jam and Long Island come up. They're Public Enemy, of course, and they're about to get Australia believing the hype when they bring the noise — and their latest tour — Down Under in October 2024. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and company have announced six Aussie dates for their spring visit, starting in Perth at Red Hill Auditorium. From there, they'll head to Adelaide's AEC Theatre, John Cain Arena in Melbourne, Sydney's Hordern Pavilion and Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, before ending the trip in Brisbane at Eatons Hill Outdoor. Audiences, you're gonna get yours when the icons take to the stage to play through 37 years of tunes that began with 1987 singles 'Public Enemy No 1' and, yes, 'You're Gonna Get Yours', all from their debut studio album Yo! Bum Rush the Show. Expect tracks from 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and 1990's Fear of a Black Planet — two of the most-influential records of the period, and home to 'Bring the Noise', 'Don't Believe the Hype', 'Rebel Without a Pause', '911 Is a Joke' and 'Fight the Power' — as well, through to songs from 2020's What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, their most-recent album. For company, Public Enemy have AB Original in support, pairing one classic duo with another in Briggs and Trials — and matching the US group's commitment to social rights activism with an Australian act just as devoted to standing up against injustice. Public Enemy last played in Australia a decade ago, on a 2014 tour that included Golden Plains, plus gigs in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Launceston. Public Enemy On the Grid 35th Anniversary Tour Dates: Wednesday, October 2 — Red Hill Auditorium, Perth Friday, October 4 — AEC Theatre, Adelaide Saturday, October 5 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, October 9 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Friday, October 11 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Saturday, October 12 — Eatons Hill Outdoor, Brisbane Public Enemy are touring Australia in October 2024, with Telstra presales from 10am local time on Friday, June 28, Ticketek presales from 10am local time on Monday, July 1 and general sales from 10am local time on Tuesday, July 2 — head to the tour website for further details.
While an airport's not usually the kind of place you scramble to spend time in, Singapore's Changi Airport has a knack for making the whole transit thing a little more fun. And right now, the major transport hub — which welcomes a cool 65 million visitors each year — is embracing the festive season, unveiling a new immersive Frozen-inspired winter wonderland pop-up. Running until January 5 in celebration of Disney's soon-to-be-released Frozen 2, the installation will see various parts of the airport transformed into snow-dusted fantasy worlds, evoking all those white Christmas feelings. The airport's new nature-themed retail and entertainment precinct Jewel will play host to a program of dazzling themed light and sound shows, splashed across its Rain Vortex: the world's tallest indoor waterfall. There'll also be a festive market selling a wide array of handmade goodies for last-minute Christmas present shopping, as well as an offering of workshops covering crafty endeavours like terrarium-making and ukulele-painting. Meanwhile, the T3 Departure Hall will feature an immersive enchanted forest pop-up, with four challenge zones inspired by the four elements of nature. Sure, it's a total kids' paradise, but there's also plenty to charm the young at heart, from jolly stilt-walkers to larger-than-life installations and roving carollers. The faux snow will be a-flying at regular intervals and Changi will even be graced by its biggest Christmas tree ever – a 16-metre-tall stunner, decked out head-to-toe in full festive finery and lit-up dramatically at 6.30pm each evening. Keep an eye out for it at the Jewel entrance near Terminal 1. Changi Airport sure knows how to keep a travel-weary person entertained between flights. During last year's Christmas period, it hosted an immersive Harry Potter-themed world, while earlier this year, it unveiled its new 14,000-square-metre Canopy Park, complete with mirror and hedge maze, topiary walk (which is currently filled with snow) and slide-filled sculptural playground. A Frozen Wonderland at Changi is located in Terminal 1-3 at Changi Airport until January 5, 2020.
Haymarket, home to Sydney's once bustling Chinatown, was one of the first areas to feel the real economic impacts of what this year would become for Sydney. Though it's still in survival mode, the suburb's small businesses are primed for visitors to return. And return they should, because Haymarket's cultural importance cannot be overstated. It's one of the best areas of Sydney to get direct access to the customs and traditions of your ancestors — or those of your neighbours — through art, food and music. It's where you can put your culinary prowess (and chilli tolerance) to the test. And it's where you can make $20 stretch across multiple meals and release the inner pop star who usually only sings in the shower. Every encounter you have with a local vendor contributes to why you love living in Sydney, and they need your patronage now more than ever. So we teamed up with City of Sydney to ask you — Concrete Playground readers — what businesses you love to support in Haymarket. Read on to discover some of the most popular picks to visit during the day. Then, flick the switch above and we'll dim the lights to show your favourite things to do once the sun goes down.
Frances Ha is like a Woody Allen comedy, with Greta Gerwig as Woody Allen. She wrote this script together with director (and love friend) Noah Baumbach (Greenberg). Even if you really, really can't stand films/TV/books about self-involved, twenty-something-year-old white people trying to figure their lives out, this one is poised to charm. Larger than life, socially awkward and totally "undatable", Frances Halladay is one of the most loveable characters you'll meet this year. Her 28th year ends up being a difficult one, as her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) drifts away and she misses out on a position at the dance company she's been training with, but she remains the optimist. Filmed in dreamy black-and-white and also starring Girls' Adam Driver, Frances Ha is full of a scruffy joy that will have you dancing to Bowie's 'Modern Love' for days and days. Frances Ha is in cinemas on August 15 and thanks to Transmission Films, we have ten double passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to our newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about taking a pup to the pub with you? The good folk at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT need you. They're expecting more than 60 puppies to be born between now and Christmas and they're in desperate need of carers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies. If you put up your hand, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from its eight-week birthday to when it turns 14 months. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a guide dog (and giving your new friend heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games and cuteness. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available to attend local training days, along with vet checks and Puppy Pre-School. A car and a fenced-in property are mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, food, vet care and prevention of fleas and ticks. "We are looking for people who are home most of the time, who are interested in putting effort into training and socialising the dog. What you will get in return is a fantastic experience," said Karen Hayter, puppy development manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Every day, 28 people in Australia get diagnosed with vision impairment, nine of whom can expect to go blind. Guide dogs are provided free to those in need, but each costs $35,000 to raise. "With the demand for Guide Dogs' services increasing due to growing numbers of people having trouble getting around as a result of vision loss, we're incredibly grateful for the support we receive from the community," said Hayter. "Our volunteer puppy raisers make a wonderful contribution in helping to transform a playful puppy into a responsible guide dog that will one day change the life of someone who is blind or vision impaired." Keen? Apply here. And send pics please.
Whether you prefer your jazz cool as a cucumber or hot as a habanero, there's a free gig in Sydney for you. Nearly every night of the week, someone, somewhere is swinging. Jazz your way through the midweek hump at a Surry Hills stalwart in the company of Arthur Washington's Sexytet, then drift through Thursday night at a vegan Alexandria brewery with smooth singer Tilly Street. Come Sunday, wind up in East Sydney with a pint and the New Orleans sounds of legendary trumpeter Geoff Bull. Here's your guide to the best free jazz gigs in Sydney.
Sweat, skin, sex, schisms, secrets and survival: a great film by French auteur Claire Denis typically has them all. Stars at Noon is one of them, even if her adaptation of the 1986 novel of nearly the same name — her picture drops the 'the', as a certain social network did — doesn't quite soar to the same astonishing heights as High Life, her last English-language release. Evocative, enveloping, atmospheric, dripping with unease: they're also traits that the two flicks share, like much of the Beau Travail, 35 Shots of Rum and White Material filmmaker's work. Here, all the sultriness and stress swells around two gleamingly attractive strangers, Trish (Margaret Qualley, Maid) and Daniel (Joe Alwyn, Conversations with Friends), who meet in a Central American hotel bar, slip between the sheets and find themselves tangled up in plenty beyond lips and limbs. Shining at each other when so much else obscures their glow, Stars at Noon's central duo are jumbled up in enough individually anyway. For the first half hour-ish, the erotic thriller slinks along with Trish's routine, which sees perspiration plastered across her face from the Nicaraguan heat, the lack of air-conditioning in her motel and the struggle to enjoy a cold drink. The rum she's often swilling, recalling that aforementioned Denis-directed feature's moniker, hardly helps. Neither does the transactional use of her body with a local law enforcement officer (Nick Romano, Shadows) and a government official (Stephan Proaño, Crónica de un amor). Imbibing is clearly a coping and confidence-giving mechanism, while those amorous tumbles afford her protection in a precarious political situation, with her passport confiscated, her actions being scrutinised and funds for a plane ticket home wholly absent. Trish is a freelance journalist, albeit without much in the way of gigs, as the snarky response she gets from an editor (John C Reilly, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) on a video chat shows. Cue trading coitus for cash; when she's first flirting with the white-suited Daniel at Managua's Intercontinental Hotel, however, she's as interested in the free drinks, comfort and cool surroundings as the $50 price she puts on a night together. They click, then go their separate ways in the morning. But after she spies him talking with a Costa-Rican cop (Danny Ramirez, Top Gun: Maverick), she offers words of warning. Daniel says he works in oil, and his situation in the region is as tenuous and thorny as hers — details of which are largely talked around in both cases, in a picture concerned with characters, emotions and sensations over plot mechanics. In a script penned by Denis with Andrew Litvack (High Life) and Léa Mysius (Farewell to the Night) from Denis Johnson's text — which drew upon his time in Nicaragua and Costa Rica in the early 80s, trying to become an international political reporter — there still remains ample story to go around. Car chases, police threats, assassinations, border runs, collateral damage and CIA offers flesh out the narrative, as does the late arrival of a sharp-talking American (Benny Safdie, Licorice Pizza). Creating a tinderbox environment to ignite around Trish, Daniel, and their dance of lust, loyalty and love is all that politics-fuelled intrigue's main aim, though. Stars at Noon updates the book's time period to now, with masks, vaccinations and testing anchoring it firmly in the COVID-19 age, but there's a timelessness in the way that specifics about controversial articles, election troubles, spying and foreign meddling come second to feelings and flesh. Some things stay the same no matter the period or players, Denis contends, and means it in multiple manners. Fans of the filmmaker's past work — even just viewers of it — will know that she loves dwelling in this fraught, fragile and fiery space, where things can change in an instant in a personal and existential fashion alike. Denis sees life that way in general; we aren't all writers who've fallen afoul of foreign regimes and are now getting by via sex work, or businessmen patently not doing what we say we are, but being plunged into messes of both our own and others' making is a universal fact of being alive. By focusing on white characters in a location where they instantly stand out, the West Africa-raised Denis also continues the contemplation of colonialism and privilege she's placed on-screen since her 1988 debut Chocolat ("having sex with you is like having sex with a cloud," Trish notes to Daniel here, on account of the Brit's pale complexion). Chaos swelters as thick as the humidity wherever the westerners go, but these outsiders create far more for everyone they meet, especially everyday locals. Just like in a 90s-era erotic thriller, which this often resembles, the calmest place to be in Stars at Noon is loitering in Trish and Daniel's shared embrace in bed or swirling around an empty dance floor; whichever Denis is focusing on, and cinematographer Eric Gautier (The Truth) as well, the experience is lingering as well as rhythmic and woozy. Sometimes rain clatters down around the film's core duo, sometimes the lighting beaming above couldn't be more seductive — and frequently Tindersticks, who've scored Denis' work for two-plus decades now, add a dazed but urgent mood. The tension, the uncertainty, the desperate solace that having even a tenuous and tricky physical connection with someone else can bring: they all become almost tangible and definitely palpable. Playing their parts with the requisite spark, Qualley and Alwyn melt stickily into each other, and viewers watching take their lead with the movie. That deeply intimate focus pushes the Cannes Grand Prix-winning Stars at Noon out of Graham Greene-esque, The Quiet American-style territory. Also, with her screaming in the streets as she struts and saunters barefoot in sundresses and singlets, Trish is anything but hushed. In one of the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and My Salinger Year actor's best performances yet, Qualley exudes tenacity and flightiness — two traits that keep somersaulting the more Trish is with Alwyn's suave and enigmatic Daniel. Cannily, Qualley and Alwyn feel thrust together rather than destined, a truth on-screen and off- (High Life's Robert Pattinson was initially cast, then Black Bird's Taron Egerton). Indeed, there's a volatility to Stars at Noon, and to the romance at its centre, that's equally apt. When you're surveying life's instability — one of its basic and unavoidable truths — getting the film itself in the same kind of lather is no small feat.
Few discussions about colonial history are easy ones. In Australia, at least, the difficulty seems to lie in attempts to make these discussions seem like shades-of-grey topics, when at their heart, they're much more straightforward. A few hundred years ago, some people came here, thought "I'll have that" and proceeded to move in, in an attempt to casually obliterate the population and culture of the people who were already here. Again and again, we've seen a lack of widespread, meaningful discussions lead by those in positions of power. So, two artistic collectives with a focus on First Nations culture are changing the discussion. And they're not just relying on words. Le Dernier Appel (The Last Cry) is a collaboration between Australian inter-cultural dance company Marrugeku and New Caledonia's Centre Cultural Tjibaou Nouméa. As New Caledonia prepares for an independence referendum in November and Australia continues to debate treaty and how to boost constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians, the pairing provides contrasting angles on the same thorny issue. At Carriageworks from August 15–18, Le Dernier Appel sorts through what we already know about colonisation, then divides the narrative into the useful and discardable. The performers then use what is left to explore how performative movement might be reinvigorated by these issues. No less difficult for its use of movement and gesture, rather than voices, to translate the message, Le Dernier Appel is not drawing a line under the issue. Rather, in the words of co-creators Serge Aime Coulibaly, Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain, it is an effort to "recuperate in the aftermaths of colonisation…and meet in states of instability, frustration and radical reinvention". Le Dernier Appel (The Last Cry) will run from Wednesday, August 15 to Saturday, August 18 at Carriageworks, before going on tour in New Caledonia and Europe. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit the Carriageworks website. Images: Arnaud Elissalde Mathurin Derel.
When Tom Stoppard first visited Australia it was as a 3-year-old Czechoslovakian refugee. Since then he’s not only fulfilled his childhood desire to become an “honourary English gentleman”, he’s also been acknowledged as one of most important and most internationally performed living playwrights. His plays, toying with themes of censorship and human rights as well as linguistics and philosophy, are rarities in that they have lapped up by both the critics and the masses. 1966’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was his first hit, followed by a whole heap of award-winning productions including 1998’s Shakespeare in Love. And it’s likely that if his original script for The Golden Compass wasn’t rejected that the film would have turned out way less lame than it did. He’s been back to Australia a few times since 1940, doing things like talking culture at the Town Hall and presenting his hilarious Travesties (1974). Now he’s coming back again to talk about some more things, because talking, like writing, is something that he does extremely well. This is someone who famously said “It is better to be quotable than to be honest”, so chances are this conversation, though slightly elusive, will also be a hilarious, insightful and ultimately relevant one.
Reese Witherspoon. Nicole Kidman. Laura Dern. Shailene Woodley. Zoë Kravitz. Meryl Streep. Put any one of these actors on screen and viewers will follow. Stick them all in the same TV program, and it's set to become one of the biggest shows of the year. Picking up where the first season left off when it returns on Monday, June 10, Australian time, Big Little Lies is back with another dose of murky mysteries, tested friendships and life-altering events — and more lies, obviously. If you missed the huge Emmy and Golden Globe-winning first series back in 2017, it follows a group of women in Monterey, California, whose children all go to the same school. Oh, and who all got caught up in a murder tale, naturally. Based on the book by Australian author Liane Moriarty, it was originally planned a single-season run, but its enormous popularity (and swag of awards) have helped bring the drama back for another series. While Witherspoon, Kidman, Dern, Woodley and Kravitz were all among the cast the initial time around, Streep is a Big Little Lies newcomer. She's playing Mary Louise, the visiting mother-in-law to Kidman's Celeste. And, like everyone else, she doesn't quite expect she'll hear the truth when she starts asking questions about the previous season's developments. Also joining the fold is director Andrea Arnold, of Fish Tank, Wuthering Heights and American Honey fame, who is helming all seven episodes in the season season. She takes over from C.R.A.Z.Y., Dallas Buyers Club and Wild filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, who did the same for the first season. Check out the first trailer below: Big Little Lies airs on Foxtel Showcase weekly from Monday, June 10. Image: Jennifer Clasen/HBO.
Merivale is currently throwing Beer Oh Beer!, a huge month-long festival celebrating all things beer. The Sydney hospitality giant is dedicating all of September to frosty cans and perfect pours of everyone's favourite golden ale. Highlights of the festival include Dan Hong and Michael Fox's Biru & Yakitori Party and a beer and pizza pool party, but things have just been taken up a notch with Merivale announcing a new week-long happy hour that will be offering nearly half-priced beers at venues across Sydney. Between Monday, September 12 and Sunday, September 18, all Merivale pubs and bars will be taking 49-percent off the price of all schooners of beer bought between 5-7pm. This means that you can enjoy a discounted frothy in the Vic on the Park's beer garden or on the deck at The Newport. Other Merivale venues that will be taking part in the promotion include the newly opened beer garden Backyard at The Alex, as well as Coogee Pavilion, The Grand Hotel, The Royal Bondi, Wynyard Hotel, The Paddington and The Beresford, just to name a few. This isn't the first time Merivale has offered 49-percent off drinks. Last week it celebrated the opening of the new Allianz Stadium — where it is overseeing the food and drink programming — by offering discounted pre-match beverages. And in 2019, the hospo powerhouse discounted all drinks across all of its venues for 31 days. Outside of the schooner promotion, there are plenty of other events and pop-ups taking over Merivale venues throughout September. Every Tuesday during the festival, The Beresford is turning its first-floor room into the Barrel O Laughs comedy club. For $20, comedy fans will be treated to comedy sets from the likes of Dave Hughes, Matt Okine and Al Del Bene, with a schooner of Hahn Super Dry to match. Elsewhere, a beer-based game of shuffleboard will be touring Merivale's venues, the founders of Balter will be hosting a dinner at The Collaroy and Merivale has created its own beer in collaboration with Camperdown's Malt Shovel. Dubbed The Good Tap, the brew will be served at Vic on the Park, The Newport, The Royal, The DOG, Excelsior and Queens Hotel, with proceeds from each pour going to charity.
It's possible to wish that I'll Be Gone in the Dark told its story in another way, and to still find yourself captivated by every single thing the six-part series serves up. In fact, there's no way to watch this immensely personal true-crime docuseries and not wish that author Michelle McNamara was a part of it in a very different way. She's the reason the show exists, and her obsessive work investigating the Californian murderer known as the Golden State Killer helped keep the case alive. She even wrote a book that shares this program's name, but she died from an accidental overdose in 2016, before it was published. I'll Be Gone in the Dark charts McNamara's quest to expose the man who committed at least 13 murders and 50 rapes between 1973–86, but it also intertwines McNamara's own story — including interviews with her husband Patton Oswalt. If you think you've seen every spin on the true-crime genre there is, you'll change your mind when you watch this highly detailed and also intimately personal series.
Take part in cooking classes, pick up some horticulture tips or just stuff yourself full of food from every corner of the world, when Bankstown Bites returns to the Olympic Parade on Saturday July 29. One of Sydney's best loved food festivals and attracting over 7000 foodies each year, this day long celebration of culinary culture will once again inundate the south-western suburb with a smorgasbord of food stalls, cooking demonstrations, guided food tours, live entertainment and more. Choose from Lebanese sweets to Vietnamese pho, and Chinese dim sum to locally made smallgoods and everything in between. The festival also features live entertainment, arts and crafts, bringing together a day not just for eating but also soaking in some of Bankstown's diverse culture. By Marissa Ciampi and Tom Clift.
Art Month turns three this year, returning with its city-spanning hook-up of contemporary art, galleries and the general public. Orbtiting the calendar opposite Art and About, Art Month shifts the focus to many on Sydney's smaller art institutions, with a month-long schedule of tours, talks, cycles, trails and exhibitions. The gargantuan scale of its full program can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, Concrete Playground is at the ready with this guide to Art Month's 2012 foray. 1. Art at Night Catching galleries of an evening has long since begun to catch on in Sydney. As its contribution to this widening field, Art Month is hosting six nights of Art at Night, with six Sydney precincts opening their doors late. Each evening one gallery hosts an art bar and FBi DJs, with a constellation of late-opening galleries around it. Paddington's hub is MiCK Gallery, flanked by shows like Hugh Ford, Magnum photos and abstracts at Eva Breuer. Rozelle centres around Artereal, with a dLux party, art precinct launch and interesting maps at Paper Plane. Surry Hills starts at the Chalk Horse, with shows at First Draft or Breenspace, and Chippendale offers a duel between MOP and the new Galerie pompom, with drinks later at the White Rabbit. East Sydney's National Art School base is a brisk walk from shows like Alaska Projects' Peep, while Alexandria's evening offers galleries like Darren Knight and hub Sullivan and Strumpf. Each party has one gallery bar, with participating galleries open 6-8pm, bars 6-10. Paddington/Woollhara is on March 8, Rozelle March 9, Waterloo/Alexandria March 15, Darlinghurst/East Sydney March 16, Chippendale/Redfern March 22 and Surry Hills on March 23. 2. Serial Space Suitcase Market Serial Space's Brisbane-borrowed Suitcase Market returns for Art Month, this time stocked by art students and ARIs. Vendors (you too can register to sell until March 15) are able to pack what they can in a single suitcase, selling whatever as they please: kitch, art or other treasures. If it's legal, if it fits in a suitcase, it could be going home with you. As a buyer, just turn up on the day with cash in your wallet, an eye for an interesting bargain and, perhaps, a bag of your own to take home your coming stash. March 17, 10-2pm. Free. 3. Art Cycle Art Month's Art Cycle combines the need to know with a two wheel tour, taking Art Month attendees on one of four itineraries of galleries around town. An Inner West circuit skirts Newtown galleries, Annandale and Leichhardt, with a finish at At the Vanishing Point and the night-garden-making Tortuga Studios, while a Chippendale and CBD tour pings Customs House before cruising inner-city highlights like Gaffa and Serial Space before ending up at First Draft. Bourke Street's foray touches Dank Street, the National Art School and Artspace, and the Paddington excursion exercises you from the Sherman Foundation through Alaska Projects up downhill to Coo-ee Aboriginal Art down by Bondi Beach. Bookings are essential. Email info@artcyclesydney.com with your name, mobile and the tour you prefer. Art Cycle recommends bringing water, food cash, a mobile, spare tube/tube or repair kit, tools and weather protection. Helmets compulsory. 4. Beer and Fries Sydney artist Kath Fries gets about. Dropping sculpture in cemeteries, winning her way to Tokyo with the Japan Foundation's New Artist Award and now a selection of installations in Millers Point's for Scorch at galleryeight. The show casts tree branches in bronze, mixing them into art with nylon, charcoal and a touch of mess. For her Art Month talk, Beer and Fries, Kath gets combined in conversation with MCA Curatorial Assistant Megan Robson and galleryeight director Peter Cramer. At the talk's end, galleryeight's geographical advantages get used to good effect, finishing with a free craft beer-tasting next door at the Lord Nelson Hotel. 11 March, 3pm. Free. RSVP info@galleryeight.com.au (Image: Kath Fries, Hold dear, 2011, bronze, nylon and charcoal, dimensions variable.) 5. Uncollectable Art Fraser Street Studios is bringing a group of artists together to talk about art you can't sell, letting you decide if it's better to make art that comes with a paycheck, or trade economic constraints for arctic freedoms. Uncollectable Art is moderated by Das Superpaper's Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris, and featuring ideas from ARIs, Primavera almunus and Squatspacer Keg de Souza, and performative walker Sarah Rodigari. The afternoon should leave you with a better appreciation for — or at least a stronger opinion about — the sorts of ephemeral things that are hard to sell, impossible to pack for art spaces and on occasion delightful to witness. March 11, 2 - 3pm, Fraser Street Studios. Free. RSVP online. (Strategies for Leaving and Arriving Home image by Adeo Esplago) 6. ARI Tours ARIs (Artist Run Initiatives — galleries run by artists, for artists) are, on the whole, a good thing. They encourage their artistic operators to get au fait with the business side of the creative arts, while they offer their exhibiting artists the chance to get their work shown by in a sympathetic space at (hopefully) sympathetic prices. The only problem for the outsider can be getting your head around where they are and what they do. While those in the know can do worse than checking out an online how-to, those seeking a more personal touch might look to get themselves shown around by someone who knows the traps. Match Box Projects are those someones, offering a series of four ARI Tours around inner Sydney to get you in the know. The tours are in Newtown on March 10 at 2pm, the Rocks March 11 at 1pm, Chippendale March 17 at 1pm, Surry Hills March 18 at 1pm. Tours are free, but you need to book. 7. John Kaldor in Conversation You know John Kaldor's stuff. Commissioning public art like Jeff Koons' puppy at the MCA, domestic wrappers on public sculpture and luring Christo and Jeanne-Claude to cover australian shores, his impressive and extensive collection of modern art now graces the Art Gallery of NSW. During Art Month, Kaldor Public Projects is preparing to launch its twenty-fifth project, The Dailies by Thomas Demand. Demand is printing his art on the Commercial Travelers' Association in Martin Place, even bringing a faint suggestion of scratch-and-sniff to the proceedings. Sitting down in tune with this new endeavour, John Kaldor takes to the stage at Customs House to discuss his collecting proclivities and his love for art, interviewed by ABC art maven Fenella Kernebone. 14 March, 6 - 8pm. RSVP here. Free. 8. Artbank Open Day Take an uncommon peek into the massed cultural holdings of national art-loan service ArtBank. One of the biggest buyers of art in Australia, Art Bank rents it back to offices around the country and some private homes. Their vaults are buoyed by up-and-comers, and more established artists around the country. It's not a collection whose spaces are often open to a general public, but for one day in March they're letting regular punters into what's otherwise a more mercantile environment. With a staff on hand to help you get a better look at their massed cultural holdings, this Art Month offering is a slice into a hidden art world, its own micro Sydney Open. 10 March, 2pm - 4pm Artbank. (Free) Bookings: enquiries@artbank.gov.au 9. Magnum Photos The Magnum Photos co-operative's original members photographed everything. The Spanish civil war, Ernest Hemmingway, Sartre and Ghandi. An agency with an eye for everyday people, and a knack for images à la sauvette, these "toreadors with little Leicas" are slow and selective with their membership. Only one Australian photographer, Trent Parke, is currently on Magnum's books and the Stills Gallery is running images from Parke's book Minutes to Midnight during Art Month, alongside a show of filmic contact sheets (also supporting a book) with Magnum images of Thatcher, the Beatles, Marlene Dietrich and others. A highlight of this photographic visitation will be a floor talk from FotoFreo-loving Magnum rep Fiona Rogers, whose words will no doubt throw the images into clearer relief. The two exhibitions run at Stills Gallery from February 29 - March 24. Rogers' talk takes place Wednesday 14 March at 6pm. (Image © Magnum LON7485 & LON107693. DAVID HURN - G.B. ENGLAND. LONDON.) 10. The Rocks Pop-Up Project in March The Rocks gets into Art Month with an open studio run by the National Institute for Experimental Arts (NIEA), under the umbrella of its Pop Up program. NEIA's space features the Match Box Projects' Sydney Portraits, which invites fresh contributions to their picture of the city, as well as contributions from David Langley, Grace Kingston and Bernardo Bento. Alongside Factory 49, which takes a brutalist-like approach to the raw materials of art, AMBUSH Gallery's Project Five restages prints from previous Project Five shows, before Auctioning off four new, large-scale works to benefit multicultural arts star ICE. Down and upstairs, 47 George St, the Rocks. Wednesday - Sundays in March. Factory 49's show opens Thursday March 8 at 6pm. Project Five has its launch 6pm on March 9, with painting continuing until March 11. The artists will be in conversation from 11am on March 12, and the auction starts March 22 at 6pm. (Image by E.L.K. Leading image from Julian Rosefeldt's 'asylum' video installation in Migration, courtesy of the artist.)
Historically, there are many different yogic paths that emerged and influenced each other. ‘Yoga’ has changed over the centuries, and has many different techniques ascribed to it. While in Western interpretations yoga has become an increasingly mainstream and consumerist form of exercise, the mental and spiritual benefits of yoga are just as, if not more significant, than the physical. A combination of asanas (physical poses) and pranayama (breath control), the actual word ‘yoga’ comes from the root yuj, which translates as “to yoke, to unite” with the divine. Uniting with the divine is all well and good, but, let’s be honest, there’s probably some small part of you that secretly relishes the idea of having Jennifer Aniston arms or smugly crossing off the last session on your 30-day yoga challenge. I’m not judging you. Whatever your reason for pursuing yoga, we’re here to help you navigate the way between sun salutations and savasanas. FIND YOUR FLOW There are endless varieties of yoga to suit any number of different needs and intentions. MEDIUM Vinyasa yoga is a term that can cover a wide range of different yoga classes and is characterised by its dynamic flow transitions. Popular worldwide, it is relatively fast paced. Poses and sequences are connected by said vinyasa, which refers to a series of three poses — plank, chaturunga and upward facing dog. While it may seem intimidating to be in a room full of people who don’t skip a beat when a teacher instructs them to be various types of animals (pigeon? cat? cow? lizard? dolphin?!?), there are generally newbies in every class with whom you can make frenzied eye contact while trying to figure out how one is supposed to get their legs to go that way. Typically, these classes have a standing sequence and a floor sequence, followed by an inversion (varying degrees of upside down-ness) and finishing up with ‘savasana’ (if you are good at sleeping you will be wonderful at this). My personal recommendation to bring along to a vinyasa class is a small towel for hand grippy purposes (clammy palms people, you get me), a water bottle and potentially a light drapey scarf with an exotic foreign pattern on it for savasana, when the body temperature drops and you may need a little cover-up. photo credit: elidr via photopin cc INTENSE Adapted from traditional Hatha yoga in the early 1970s by Bikram Choudhury, Bikram yoga follows the same 26 poses and two breathing exercises for 90 minutes, in a room heated to approximately 40 degrees Celsius. It’s specifically designed for its detoxifying and rejuvenating purposes, while increasing flexibility and total body strength. While initially I thought my yoga teacher was some sort of sociopath for kindly (but firmly) encouraging me to stay in the class for the full 90 minutes, adjusting to the heat is an important part of your beautiful Bikram journey*. There’s some sort of sick, addictive pleasure in making it through a full class, and it only gets easier every time you go. For your first Bikram yoga class, bring a towel or two — one to absorb the ocean of sweat that your body will expel, and the other to shower with at the end of class (highly recommended). Also bring a giant bottle of water. Take small sips during the class and drink the hell out of it afterwards. *That being said, listen to your body. If something is just not okay, you didn’t lose at yoga! Stand your ground and get the hell outta there. Image: chantel beam photography via photopin cc MODERN I’m a pretty big fan of the incense, shrines and chanting music variety of yoga, so I was a little cautious about the new phenomenon to hit our fair shores, Hip Hop Yoga. However, the combination of my great loves for both downward dog and Snoop Dogg resulted in a wonderfully unique flow that was uplifting in a totally different way. Hip Hop Yoga is exactly what it sounds like — a vinyasa flow style of yoga set to hip hop music in various degrees of intensity. While it bears similarity to more traditional styles in terms of poses and breath control, Hip Hop Yoga stands as its own kind of practice, more like a choreographed combination of dance and yoga. You’re not quite pop, lock and dropping that booty, but there’s no group chanting or gentle gong beating either. photo credit: TinyTall via photopin cc WHAT TO EXPECT Expect to feel welcome. Despite the notion of an exclusive yoga culture that both intimidates and entices newbies, you should feel comfortable at any yoga studio. Sharing the practice and community with everyone is what yoga is all about! Bow down to the joys of yoga! Expect not to be able to do everything. If you haven’t practiced before, expect poses to feel unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable. While you are probably very good at sitting on chairs, walking up stairs and going to get coffee, our Western bodies are not accustomed to things like balancing on one leg, being upside down or standing on our heads. Be mindful of this and know that you did not lose at yoga just because you face planted while attempting crow pose. Expect to be jealous of the girl who drifts into class with an exotic scarf from a small village in India and can hold a five-minute headstand with ease. There will be one in every class and it will not be you. Be okay with that. Expect to say 'namaste'. It might feel a little cheesy and unnatural at first, but it’s how you will end every single yoga class you ever take. Don’t be alarmed if at some point in the class people start chanting OM. Despite what it may sound like at first, you are not being indoctrinated and this is not a cult. Just go with it. FROM DRISHTIS TO DOWNWARD DOG(G)S Drishti The eyes' focus point during poses, intended to keep the mind from drifting and keep you awareness inward. Downward Dog Perhaps the most frequently visited yoga pose, Downward-Facing Dog is achieved by placing the hands and feet on the floor and lifting the hips upwards to form an upside down V with the body. A traditional pose in sun salutation sequences, this pose in often used to warm up initially and reset in between sequences. Vinyasa Poses linked with breath and connected together to form a ‘flow’. Chakra The seven centres of energy or spiritual power within the bodies. These can relate to different emotional issues. Namaste This has a variety of different specific translations, but ultimately is an expression of gratitude acknowledgement to a divine power or presence, something greater than ourselves. Can loosely be interpreted as, “The spirit in me acknowledges the spirit in you”. Savasana A pose of total relaxation taken at the end of practice, or sometimes at intervals during. Chaturanga Going through a sequence of plank, chaturanga (which is kind of like the downwards part of a push up) and upward dog or cobra. This is taken in between vinyasa flow sequences. Asana The various physical postures and poses in yoga. Pranayama The flow of breath or breath control in yoga. Ujjayi breath A type of yogic breathing that is made by gently constricting the base of the throat, filling the belly first, then upper rib cage and throat, making an oceanic sound. WHERE TO PRACTICE Yoga Village in Potts Point offers 25 classes a week with a range of practices from low intensity to more advanced. Focusing on teaching students the philosophy of yoga, Jivamukti Yoga in Newtown is as much about education as it is about meditation. If the price of yoga classes is keeping you away, BodyMindLife located in Surry Hills and Bondi offers a $48 30-day beginners pass. Barefoot Yoga in Paddington is completely donation based, meaning you pay what you can for each class. Bikram Yoga focuses on Vinyasa practices at 40 degrees while Hom Yoga specialises in a variety of hot yoga classes, from Ashtanga to Vinyasa. Both are located in Darlinghurst. Hip Hop yogis can practice at Yoga 213 in Bondi, whose owner Sammy Veall brought the practice to Australia. photo credit: TinyTall via photopin cc Top image: Kris Krug via photopin cc
It's said that it takes a village to raise a child. In the case of Prince of York, it took a tribe of Sydney's top hospitality elite. Creative Director Paul Schulte (former partner at Keystone Group), Executive Chef Sam Bull and Sous Chef Adrian Jankuloski (both Icebergs Dining Room and Bar), Andy Emerson and Ed Loveday (Bar Brosé, The Passage and the recently closed Acme), Venue Manager Ed Verrill (London's Temper), Reece Griffiths (founder of Agave Cartel and behind Chula) and Events Manager Katherine Jankuloski (also IDRB) — they're just some of the talent behind Sydney CBD's ambitious new restaurant, bar and underground nightclub. Masterminding the project is Schulte, who's brought together a team that is "passionate about doing things differently, but don't want to be part of a big group". "It's meant to be fun," explains Schulte. And fun, Prince of York certainly is. Located inside a historic 1878 cash reserve, Prince of York is split into three distinct areas: the ground floor and mezzanine area, the downstairs cellar and Pamela's, a nightclub in the basement. As Schulte puts it, "upstairs is for eating, downstairs for dancing". [caption id="attachment_737671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ground floor by Kimberley Low[/caption] So, let's start upstairs. Step through the glass front doors and you'll be greeted by black-and-white Stephen Dupont photos, exposed brick walls, a giant central concrete bar, tan leather stools and an imposing metal light fixture hanging from the high ceiling. All of this furniture — including the light — was custom built by Schulte's furniture design company, Line. Take a seat at the bar — or at a table up on the mezzanine level — during lunch or dinner and order tomatoey crab pasta served in a bag, giant shells of pasta baked and filled with 12-hour lamb ragu and fontina, a $160 800-gram wagyu rib eye, banoffee pie or — the next big thing on Instagram, we're sure — the toastie. Filled with cheese and bone marrow, topped with a fried egg and served with a side of venison tartare, it's Loveday's lunchtime go-to. "If I was having lunch, I'd want to have a glass of the Envinate 'Benje', which is from the Canary Islands, and that toastie," Loveday says. Verrill, on the other hand, would go for a bowl of the thick-cut chips and a "really expensive champagne". Luckily, at Prince of York, you can do both. [caption id="attachment_737650" align="alignnone" width="1920"] That toastie by Kimberley Low[/caption] Walk downstairs and you'll find the cellar. Here, predictably, the focus is wine. Less expected is the 150-year-old safe that took Schulte almost a a year to open. While there was nothing inside — "we were hoping there were going to be bags of gold and we were going to be able to pay for the fit-out with it," laughs Loveday — it's since been filled with rare wines and mezcals, some of which will soon be on offer by the glass using a Coravin. The rest of the wine list, while filled with mostly bottles that are organic, minimal intervention and made by small producers, is still approachable. Lighting bolts mark the glasses and bottles that are "a little crazy" — like the naturally fermented Costadila prosecco, which tastes nothing like your run-of-the-mill Italian bubbles. [caption id="attachment_737657" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wine safe by Kimberley Low[/caption] Once you've finished exploring this level you can, finally, descend to Pamela's. An ode to Schulte's mum — who loved champagne, tequila and disco — the nightclub is filled with pink suede banquettes. But, as comfy as they look, Loveday says guests should "get off the couch and dance on the tables". On Fridays, you'll be boogying to disco at the regular Bola de Disco night — inspired by a crazy night Loveday had at the notorious Pare de Sufrir bar in Guadalajara, Mexico — and on Saturdays, shuffling to post-punk and new wave with Love Tempo. While you're dancing to these tunes atop the sturdy terrazzo tables, you can sip tapped margaritas or the Happy Pammy cocktail — with tequila, tangerine and bubbles — served with 'cosmic dust' on an LED coaster. If you're looking to make a night of it, you could, instead, order one of the giant punchbowls (which will serve a group of four to eight), made with whole bottles of tequila, pét-nat and seasonal fruit. [caption id="attachment_737654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pamela's by Kimberley Low[/caption] At the moment, that night will end at midnight, but when the new liquor licence is approved, it'll extend till 2am. The team is also hoping to open at 8am in the near future for coffee and a short three-item menu of breakfast snacks. It's a space you could definitely get lost in till the early hours — and that's exactly the point of Prince of York. "The idea was to be a bit of a one-stop shop," explains Loveday. "To bring back that idea of a of a destination where you can come in for dinner, stay for a drink and kick on down in Pamela's." Thankfully, there are lockers that will allow you to eat, drink and dance on tabletops without losing your possessions, too. Find Prince of York at 18 York Street, Sydney. It's open from Monday–Saturday midday–midnight (soon to be 2am, pending approval of licence). Images: Kimberley Low.
