Darlinghurst is already famously home to a rainbow crossing. In Surry Hills, the City of Sydney is planning to implement a lengthy path in Prince Alfred Park decked out in the same multicoloured stripes, too. And now, Coogee is joining the brightly hued celebration of Sydney's LGBTIQA+ community, announcing that it'll turn part of the suburb's beachfront into a rainbow walkway. Come February 2021, timed to support the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, a 200-square-metre patch of the promenade will get a lively makeover — right by the sand, at the bottom of the existing steps. It's a great spot for it, given that the area already bends around in a circular fashion. Now, it'll be a rainbow-shaped curve, measuring approximately 4.2 metres wide and 47 metres long. The move was approved by the Randwick City Council at its last meeting on Tuesday, December 8, with Randwick Mayor Danny Said noting that "this proposal enhances that tradition and makes a strong public statement of support for our wonderfully diverse local community". The pathway is a temporary addition to Coogee, however, although it will stay in place for a number of months. Exact dates from February onwards haven't yet been revealed. In terms of logistics, the Council is presently assessing two choices: using temporary pavement paint, or opting for outdoor-appropriate non-slip vinyl that has been rendered in the appropriate tones. Either way, you'll be spying a rainbow by the beach very soon. For more information about Coogee Beach's rainbow walkway, which is due to launch at a yet-to-be-revealed date in February 2021, visit the Randwick City Council website. Images: artist impressions of Coogee Beach's rainbow walkway.
Catching a movie at one of Sydney's favourite outdoor cinema spots is a summertime tradition, combining new and recent big-screen flicks with spectacular panoramic views of the city, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. And, while many events have had to cancel or postpone their plans this year — spanning gigs, festivals and even outdoor art exhibitions — Westpac Openair Cinema has announced that it'll definitely be returning when the warmest season of the year officially kicks in. Every movie that graces the cinema's big screen has to hold its own against the stunning sights glittering away behind it, of course — and although Openair hasn't yet revealed what it'll be screening this time around, it has unveiled its 2020–21 dates. It'll kick off on Tuesday, December 15 and run through until Wednesday, February 24, all at Mrs Macquaries Point as usual. If you've noticed that Openair's season spans a few weeks longer than normal this year, that's because of the capacity restrictions required to remain COVID-19-safe. Only 900 movie-goers will be permitted to attend each night, and to feast their eyes on the on the 350-square-metre screen rising from the harbour. Just what other changes will be in store to adapt to the current pandemic are also yet to be revealed, including what it means for the event's usual food and booze spread. Especially given these adjustments, tickets are likely to go quick when they go on sale. Across the summer of 2018–19, more than 40,000 tickets sold within the first two days of pre-sale — so put it in your diary ASAP. Westpac Openair 2020 runs from Tuesday, December 15–Wednesday, February 24. Further details about the lineup, and COVID-19 restrictions, are still set to be announced — we'll update you when more information is revealed. Image: Fiora Sacco
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, laneways, car parks and outdoor city spaces have taken on new lives as event organisers, restaurant owners and city councils look to these outdoor areas in response to restrictions on indoor venues. In Melbourne, the City of Melbourne has been running an outdoor dining program and a CBD carpark is being used as a cinema. In Sydney, the St. Mary's Cathedral forecourt has been reinvented as a temporary gig space, a northern beaches laneway was transformed into a beer garden and Sydney Opera House's forecourt is set to become a dance and workout space. Parramatta is no stranger to these kinds of outdoor transformations, with annual events series like Parramatta Lanes and Parramasala taking over its streets each year. The latest is Parramatta Nights, a three-week event program that's popping up in Parramatta Square, Prince Alfred Square and the City Centre Car Park rooftop with music, movies, a roller skating rink and carnival rides. Parramatta Nights was originally scheduled for January, but was postponed due to the northern beaches and Berala COVID-19 outbreaks that occurred in late 2020 and early 2021. Following the postponement, the series will now run between Thursday, March 25 and Sunday, April 18. Kicking things off is The Rooftop Hangout, a four-night music series on the City Centre Car Park rooftop from Thursday, March 25 to Sunday, March 28. The lineup is overflowing with talent across the four nights, with the likes of Briggs, The Chats and Ruby Fields taking to the stage. If the music wasn't a big enough drawcard, there will be food on hand from fried chicken faves Butter, as well as a rooftop bar. An openair cinema will be set up in Prince Alfred Square from Thursday, April 1 through to Sunday, April 18. The cinema will be showing cult Bollywood classics and family favourites including The Greatest Showman, The Karate Kid and a Grease sing-a-long. Next to the cinema in Prince Alfred Square will be a roller skating rink and a ferris wheel. If you're looking for a more relaxed musical experience, head to Parramatta Square where you'll find free jazz nights every Thursday–Sunday between March 25—April 11. You can find the full program and go into the draw to win free tickets to the Rooftop Hangout and openair cinema at Discover Parramatta's website. Parramatta Nights will run across Parramatta Square, Prince Alfred Square and City Centre Car Park rooftop between Thursday, March 25 and Sunday, April 18.
When Jetstar launched a big domestic flight sale in mid-June, it sold 70,000 seats in just five hours. Today, Wednesday, September 23, the airline has just kicked off another one — so get your clickers ready. They sale has already kicked off and runs until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 24 — if it doesn't sell out prior, of course. The two routes on sale are Sydney to Adelaide, and Adelaide to Sydney, in celebration of SA officially opening its borders to NSW residents (from 11.59pm tonight). [caption id="attachment_680418" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maxwell Wines by SATC[/caption] Tickets in the sale are one-way and don't include checked baggage, and are for trips between Tuesday, October 13 and Thursday, December 1o, 2020. If you miss out on these flights, fret not. Virgin Australia has announced it'll start running daily return flights between the two cities from Friday, October 2 — so fingers crossed there'll be more sales in the near future, too Need some help on the planning front? We've got you. You can eat and drink our way around 23 of the best spots in Adelaide, visit an architecturally impressive rubik's cube on one of Australia's wineries in the Fleurieu Peninsula, head on a 32-kilometre bike track that takes you past the best riesling vineyards in the Clare Valley and dive into an impossibly blue lake (then glamp under the stars) on the Limestone Coast. Jetstar's $59 sale runs until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 24 (or until sold out). Top image: Bellwether Glamping on the Limestone Coast.
Global ice cream company Ben & Jerry's is best-known for its chunk-filled scoops and bizarre flavour titles like Schweddy Balls and Dave Matthews Band. After releasing an over-the-top creation for both ice cream and burger lovers earlier in the year, the brand has now unveiled its latest frankencreation in its Fast Food Series. The Dough-licious Pizza is the ice cream-pizza hybrid that no-one asked for. Available by both the slice and as a whole pizza, the creation features a baked base made from Ben & Jerry's cookie dough and comes filled with a layer of the brand's chocolate chip cookie dough or chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. From there, you get the choice of two toppings — from chunky cookie dough pieces to brownie chunks, crunchy nuts and chocolate-dipped pretzels — plus a drizzle of either hot fudge or caramel sauce. Of course, hardcore ice cream lovers can push the boat out and select all of the above. The pizza is the second in a series of crossbreed creations from Ben & Jerry's inspired by Australia's favourite fast foods. The Impossible To Eat Burger was described as "the messiest ice cream ever". The 'Dough-licious Pizza' is available for a limited time at Ben & Jerry's shops and Scoop Stores across the ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic and WA. It's also available to order on Uber Eats.
When you woke up this morning, Thursday, February 18, your Facebook news feed probably looked a little different. Instead of news about the pandemic, restaurant openings, events and all the usual things you're used to seeing as you scroll, it was filled with memes, photos from distant family members and groups you don't even remember joining. So, what on earth is going on? Well, there's been a bit of standoff between the Australian Government and Facebook and Google, because of the Federal Government's controversial media-bargaining code, which passed through the House of Representatives on Wednesday night. In response, Facebook has banned Australian users and publishers from viewing or sharing any "news articles" on its platform. And it hasn't just banned news. Everyone from embattled Sydney art institution Carriageworks to state government-run Queensland Health, which posts daily COVID-19 updates and streams press conferences, and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival have been kicked off the social media platform. And we have, too. That means, to keep up to date with all the exciting things going on in your city, you need to track us down in other spots. Like, right here on our website, over on our Instagram pages (@concreteplayground, @concreteplaygroundmelbourne and @concreteplaygroundbrisbane), or on Twitter (@concreteplay) and by signing up to one of our newsletters. If you're in Sydney, you can sign up here: Melburnians, get your fix here: And Brisbanites, discover all the best things to do right here. You can also bookmark some of your favourite content of ours. Like the best waterfalls to swim under around Sydney, the best things to do on the weekend in Brisbane and Melbourne's best boozy bottomless brunches. Just because Facebook is boring RN, doesn't mean you have to be. Top image: Kitti Gould
Melbourne's Holiday Inn COVID-19 cluster continues to grow, with 13 cases linked to the outbreak as of 11pm on Thursday, February 11 — and it's starting to have an effect beyond Victoria's borders. In a new public alert issued today, Friday, February 12, NSW Health has advised that some folks who've arrived in the state this week will immediately need to go into isolation, get tested, and then remain in self-quarantine for 14 days regardless of the result. Last night, Victorian authorities added Brunetti, at Terminal 4 in Melbourne Airport, to their exposure list. The airport cafe was visited by a positive case on Tuesday, February 9 between 4.45am–1.15pm. Victoria issued an isolation and testing mandate overnight, so NSW is now following suit. It's broadening the requirements, however, both in terms of location and timing. Accordingly, anyone currently in NSW who was at Melbourne Airport's Terminal 4 between 4.45am–2pm on Tuesday, February 9 will need to self-quarantine, get a test, and keep in isolation for a fortnight. It doesn't matter where in the terminal you were, or for how long you were there during that period — the requirement still applies. If someone you live with falls into the above category, you'll also need to go into isolation immediately. You'll only have to stay there, though, until the person in your household who has been at Melbourne Airport receives a negative result. And, NSW Health has also advised that anyone who was at Melbourne Airport at all on Sunday, February 7 and Monday, February 8 must also get tested straight away. That applies to all terminals, and all day on both of those two dates. After your test, you'll need to stay in self-quarantine until a negative result comes back. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1360039480443293700 NSW authorities expect that today's health alert will impact around 7000 people, with NSW Health currently in the process of contacting folks who've entered the state from Victoria from February 7–9. NSW residents are also asked to keep an eye on Victoria's full rundown of exposure sites, which can be found at the Victorian Government Department of Health website. If you've been to one of the venues listed at the dates and times specified, you're asked to get tested, isolate, and obtain further advice by calling your local NSW Public Health Unit. Victoria had previously been 28 days without any new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, before a hotel quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt Hotel tested positive to the virus on Wednesday, February 3. Just four days later, a second hotel quarantine worker, this time at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport also tested positive. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. For further details on the latest exposure Victorian sites, see the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
Ten venues in Wollongong and surrounding areas, as well as one cafe in southeast Sydney, have been named as potential COVID-19 transmission sites by NSW Health after a returned overseas traveller tested positive to COVID-19 two days after leaving hotel quarantine. The returned traveller tested positive on day 16 of their return to Australia after testing negative twice during their 14-day hotel quarantine. They did not present any symptoms, but were tested again as part of a new precautionary day-16 testing measure introduced by the NSW Government. The test results indicate the person has a low level of infection and their household contacts have all returned negative results, Those who attended Headlands Hotel in Austinmer between 1–3pm on Tuesday, February 2 or Bulli Beach Cafe between 1.30–4pm on Saturday, February 6 are required to get tested and self-isolate until provided with further advice from NSW Health. Visitors to Mootch & Me in Brighton Le Sands between 10.54am–12pm on Tuesday, February 2, the Optus store in North Wollongong between 1–1.15pm on Thursday, February 4 or Officeworks in Fairy Meadow between 3.45–4.05pm on Thursday, February 4 or 2.10–3pm on Friday, February 5 are required to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1358362726481817601 Six other venues have been listed as potential venues of concern, with those who visited Bulli Woolworths, Corrimal Memorial Park, Thirroul Beach, Sublime Point Walking Track, Fedora Pasta Factory or Figtree Grove Shopping Centre being asked to closely monitor for symptoms. NSW Health will continue to update the full list of venues that you can find online if more possible exposure sites are revealed. Anyone in NSW that presents symptoms including coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste is urged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative test result is returned. You can find a rundown of testing clinic locations online as well. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Bulli Beach Cafe via Google Maps.
Sydney residents are currently in lockdown due to the city's growing wave of COVID-19 cases; however, they now can't head to Victoria even if stay-at-home conditions ended. In response to New South Wales' expanding coronavirus outbreak, its southern neighbour has closed its borders — to the entirety of NSW, and also to the Australian Capital Territory. Coming into effect 1t 11.59pm yesterday, Sunday, July 11, Victoria has declared NSW and the ACT red zones under its traffic light-style system for grading other regions of Australia according to their COVID-19 status. That colour coding means that Victoria will only allow the state's own residents who've been in NSW or the ACT to obtain permits to return home; however, they'll then need to get tested and quarantine for 14 days. If you're not a Victorian resident and you've been in either state or territory, you are no longer be able to enter Victoria without an exception, exemption or other valid permit (and, if you try, you'll be fined up to $4957). For folks who live in the NSW–Victoria border region, you can cross the border without a permit, but you will need to have proof of address with you. That said, you can't enter if you have been to a red zone outside of the cross-border area — or if you have COVID-19, any symptoms, or you're classed as a close contact of a positive case. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1414102690523607043 The closure comes just over a year since the border between New South Wales and Victoria closed for the first time in more than 100 years back in July 2020. Before then, it last shut in 1919 during the Spanish Flu. Victoria had already classed parts of the state, including all of Greater Sydney, as red zones in response to the current outbreak — a move that date backs to last month. The latest change has been put in place as NSW's coronavirus cases continue to spike, with 77 new locally acquired cases reported on Sunday, July 11 — and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian noting that she expected the number for today, Monday, July 12, to be more than 100. In a statement, the Victorian Government said that "with case numbers continuing to increase in New South Wales, Victorian public health authorities are concerned about the risks of transmission beyond current red zones in Greater Sydney and surrounds, and the potential risks this poses to the Victorian community from people entering our state." Residents of the Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour regions have been under lockdown for more than two weeks, with those conditions tightened on Friday, July 9. A July 16 end date for lockdown has been announced previously, although, with case numbers continuing to climb, it now looks extremely unlikely that the stay-at-home period will end then. You can find out more about the status of COVID-19 at the NSW Health and Victorian Department of Health websites. Top image: Mulwala Bridge by Yun Huang Yong via Flickr.
It has been a long time between dances for Sydney. Outside of a brief two-week window when indoor dance floors of 50 people were allowed before being restricted again due to the northern beaches COVID-19 cluster, it's been over a year since dance floors were shut down in NSW. This Saturday, the drought will be broken, as 2000 people will be allowed to dance in The Domain as part of Summer in the Domain. Following the NSW Government's announcement that a slew of restrictions would be rolled-back from Monday, March 29, including any restrictions on dancing, Summer in the Domain has been granted a public health exemption and will be allowed to open up the dance floors a couple of days early and host Sydney's first major dancing-permitted music event in 12 months. The CBD concert series was first scheduled to take place between Thursday, March 18 and Sunday, March 21, however extreme weather conditions saw the final two nights delayed to the following weekend. As it stands, a trio of party-starters – Client Liaison, Confidence Man and Touch Sensitive – will all take to the stage on Saturday, March 27 and Vera Blue will take part in a special one-off performance alongside the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, March 28. [caption id="attachment_804132" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ball Park Music at Summer in the Domain[/caption] Tickets for Summer in the Domain are purchased in pods of two, four or six where each group is given a private picnic table to sit at. This pod system will be kept this weekend in order to maintain social distancing between strangers, however dancing with your pod-mates around the picnic table will be permitted. Food trucks and a bar will also be on site so you can enjoy a meal between sets or a G&T during the show. Summer in the Domain will continue on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28. Tickets to both shows are still available via Moshtix and start at $82 per person. Images: Cole Bennetts
Ever wanted to spend a night in Surry Hills' fancy Paramount House Hotel? Has eating at Adelaide's award-winning Africola restaurant been on the top of your bucket list for yonks? Been meaning to top up your wine collection post-holidays with some tasty new drops from Drnks? Buy a ticket for this Bushfire Relief Raffle — for just $50, mind you — and you could win one of them. Plus, a whole heap more. Running until Friday, January 31, the raffle is run by Buffet Digital, a creative content studio for some of Australia's best bars, restaurants and hotels. Which means, it has contacts — and those contacts have donated some pretty incredible prizes for you to win. [caption id="attachment_660514" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paramount House Hotel by Tom Ross.[/caption] As well as the aforementioned three, the 29 raffle prizes include $200 to spend at Sydney's new pasta and wine bar Ragazzi; five pilates classes at St Peters studio Scout; a box of hot sauces from Condimental; breakfast, lunch and dinner across the three Bills restaurants; a $400 voucher for Cornersmith workshops (so, you can finally learn to make kombucha or bread); Archie Rose gin; a whopping $500 dinner at The Apollo; and a year's supply of coffee from The Little Marionette. The list goes on, too — you can check out all of the tasty prizes over here. If you don't win, you'll be happy knowing your hard-earned cash is going to a good cause. All money from tickets sold will be split equally between the NSW RFS, WIRES and the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. This isn't your run-of-the-mill meat raffle, folks. Winners of the Buffet Bushfire Relief Raffle will be drawn at 12pm on Friday, January 31. Top image: Ragazzi by Nikki To
It was an ill-designed defence mechanism at the time of the first white settlers, then a pretty awful place for convicts. Now, one of Sydney's most historic harbour spots and recently a pretty fancy schmancy dining destination, Fort Denison has announced the return of its summer drinks and dining series, Sunday Sunsets. That's right, Sundays from now on? Fortress parties y'all. You'll be able to sail on out to Fort Denison Restaurant for Sunday afternoons of cocktails, food, nature walks and live music every Sunday from November 6 until the end of January 2017. Sides and mains for a two-course sit-down sunset dinner are included in the ticket, so prepare to load up on kingfish carpaccio, lamb short ribs with pomegranate and mint, crispy skin Humpty Doo Barramundi, roast Hunter Valley pork belly, Wagyu beef cheeks and Muscovy duck breasts. Chuck in a National Parks tour of the heritage site, as well as a little acid jazz and R&B from resident DJ and saxophonist Zak (a multitalented, multitasking dude is Zak), and you've got yourself a supremo Sydney date. There'll be water taxis from Circular Quay included in the ticket price, with the last service departing from CQ at 6.30pm — so you can make it a pretty long lazy Sunday. You'll have book though, to ensure your spot on the fortress, so check out the session times and prices on the website and lock in your spot. UPDATE NOVEMBER 18, 2016: Due to demand, Fort Denison are extending their Sunday Sunset Sessions to include four Fridays this year: November 18, and December 2, 9 and 16.
Anyone who's caught The Jezabels live can nod to a hoarse throat and an emotional upheaval at the close. One of Australia's best live outfits, the Sydney foursome sure pack a punch on stage, leaving festival crowds at St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Groovin the Moo and Big Day Out thoroughly uplifted and homeproud. After extensive UK touring and support slots for Depeche Mode and the Pixies, The Jezabels are back on home turf ready to blow minds at the Sydney Opera House for their 2014 headliner tour. Following the release of their colossally successful debut release Prisoner, The Jezabels spent two years on a furious touring escapade; leaving fans generally euphoric at over 200 shows worldwide. Gradually refining their epic live presence, the Sydney locals are a long way from their Manning Bar days — rounding out 2013 by opening for Depeche Mode and the Pixies through Ireland and the UK. The crew based themselves in London, hooked up with UK Producer Dan Grech-Marguerat (Radiohead, The Kooks, Lana Del Rey) and crafted their second album, The Brink, which debuted at #2 on the ARIA chart. No biggie. For their first headline dates for 2014, The Jezabels will fill every eave of the Sydney Opera House with Hayley Mary's supercharged vocals. And because she's got mad skills, keyboard player Heather Shannon will open the show playing the coveted Opera House grand organ, the largest tracker-action pipe organ in the world. That's how the 'bels roll. Tickets available from the Sydney Opera House Box Office or you can live stream the concert from home on Tuesday at 8:10PM [AEST]. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pQ3fAMOz-Ic
Local fitness legends Flow Athletic want to kickstart your post-Easter indulgence reboot to celebrate their very first birthday. Highly generous fitness fans they are, Flow are giving away presents on their own party day. Combining yoga, strength and cardio in one innovative exercise space, Sydney's Flow Athletic has created a unique fitness venue for gym-goers who want to shake things up a little. The centre of significant buzz on opening, the last year has seen Flow frequented by a wave of pro athletes, gym junkies and beginners alike. You can check out the space at their Open Day on Saturday May 3 and take a free 30 minute rapid class on the hour at 10am, 11am and 12pm. You'll be able to choose your own gym adventure - spin, yoga or strength - or hit up all three if you're feeling particularly post-Easter guilt-ridden. And because the fitness crowd turn up to each other's parties to celebrate, Flow's Open Day will be supported by pop-up stands from Stylerunner, Botanica handcrafted cold-pressed juices, The Nail Lab and more. If you can't make it on Saturday because you're making All The Excuses, Concrete Playground has teamed up with Flow Athletic to get you off the couch and equipped to explore your city more energetically. We've got 20 complimentary session passes to Flow to give away. To be in the running, email us with your name and address at win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Visit Flow Athletic, Level 1, 134 Oxford Street Paddington or www.flowathletic.com.au for more information. https://youtube.com/watch?v=l0xvrz0nMFE
It may be a summer blockbuster but the weighty themes come thick and fast in JJ Abrams' second Star Trek film Into Darkness. Just minutes into the opening scene, almost before we've even seen our first lens flare, Spock (Zachary Quinto) reminds the crew of the Enterprise with Leninesque fidelity that "the interests of the many outweigh the interests of the few". Soon after, we're asked to consider the true meaning of friendship, to weigh the expediency of vengeance against the necessity of justice and even to opine on the militarisation of a traditionally scientific vessel. In short: it's a terrifically fun film that aspires (and mostly achieves) to be something much more. In many ways, Spock's eloquent reminder is just as relevant to the big studios, compelling them as it were to balance the expectations of dedicated fans with the need to make the movie widely marketable. That's why Abrams is such an excellent choice of director, not only for these Star Trek films but now also the Star Wars ones, since both possess loyal and passionately defensive fans who consistently reject change as often as they reject each other. Arguably the greatest accomplishment of his first Star Trek film in 2009 was that it satisfied the Trekkies whilst opening up the franchise to an entirely new audience. Now again, in Into Darkness, Abrams carefully traverses that balance between old and new, as well as between the pop and the pensive. For every furrowed brow or teary eye moment come multiple laughs, usually courtesy of Quinto's logic-driven Spock or Simon Pegg's Scottish-driven Scotty. And as for the action, it's predictably topnotch, both in its intergalactic sequences and small-scale, hand-to-hand pieces. The Star Trek universe has always been defined by the relationship of its two leads — Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock — however, it's also true that heroes are defined by their villains, and thankfully in Into Darkness they have a fantastic one in the shape of Benedict Cumberbatch. With that now famous Alan Rickman-like baritone growl, he throws himself into the character of John Harrison, a British spy turned rogue terrorist whose devastating attack on London sees Kirk pursue him to the far reaches of the galaxy in order to bring him to justice one way or another (given those orders come from Robocop's Peter Weller as Starfleet's admiral, it was a small shame he didn't actually say "Harrison, dead or alive, you're coming with me"). Into Darkness also sees all the familiar characters return (Bones, Chekov, Uhura and Sulu) along with the introduction of a sadly underused Alice Eve; however, it's Cumberbatch who really drives it forward. Even the Kirk/Spock dynamic takes a back seat (subject to one or two key moments), and if anything, it's that shift away from what made the first Star Trek film soar that's probably Into Darkness's only significant failing. Overall, this is a wonderful movie, large in scale but also capable of delivering impressively intimate moments throughout.
The team behind Bacon Brewfest, Wolli Creek's Discovery Markets and the Brewery Yard Markets at Central Park are bringing their new monthly food extravaganza to Sydney for the second time. Truckstop! Round #2 will take over the carpark of Rosebery's Saporium from 5pm on Friday, August 4. The evening will feature six of Sydney's best food trucks in a night of eats, drinks, live music and art. Food will include pizzas from Happy As Larry, fried chicken from Dirty Bird, yakitori and gyoza from Shiso Fine, tacos from The Nighthawk Diner, pork belly buns from Tsuru Food Truck and barbecue from Eat Art Truck. DJs will be providing beats while Work-Shop runs live street art demonstrations. If you fancy a Friday bevvy, Rosebery neighbours Frenchies will be providing the beers along with Batch Brewing. The carpark will be decorated with long communal tables, white marquees and fairy lights to create a cosy midweek market atmosphere.
This year, one of the biggest events on the Sydney calendar is a joint birthday party for an 18-year-old and a 40-year-old. Homebake has announced their 2013 lineup, and while there's plenty of bands to get excited about, the biggest changes are to the festival itself: to celebrate their 18th birthday, the festival's been expanded to three days instead of one, and the location's moved from The Domain to the forecourt of the Opera House, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary around the same time. As usual, the lineup celebrates the best of Australian music, both past and present. The 2013 lineup includes The Presets, Paul Kelly, Eskimo Joe, Beasts of Bourbon, Gurrumul, Architecture in Helsinki, Birds of Tokyo, Bernard Fanning and The Rubens. Tickets go on sale at 9am Wednesday, 26 September (so prepare to set your alarm for 8.50am and press F5 repeatedly until you see that 'Buy Tickets' link), and they're expected to go fast. While the smaller space will definitely make for a more intimate festival experience, it does mean that tickets for each day will be strictly limited due to capacity. You can check out the full lineup here.
Greater Western Sydney has a lot of stuff going on, but, unfortunately for more western-anchored Sydneysiders, a smorgasbord of new fancy burger pop-ups is not one of them. Well, until now. Hashtag Burgers are swooping in to the rescue and bringing Dee Why Hotel's renowned burgers to Campbelltown's Orangeville Meat Co. on Friday, March 18. For one night triumphant night you won’t have to trek your weary bones into the city just to feel the sweet caress of a succulent burg betwixt your chompers. Huzzah! Brad Johnson is the evil genius and head chef behind the epic Dee Why burgers that are so good the only appropriate response is an awed Cheesus Christ. He's designed a burger especially for the event featuring an Orangeville Meat Co. wagyu patty, premium Bolognese sauce, double American cheddar, jalapeños, iceberg lettuce, a twice-fried hash brown, Wild West sauce, pickles and a Japanese milk bun with a side of fries. Insert emoji that represents crying with happiness and food anticipation. And that’s not even the end of it. The event will be DJed and Sydney Brewery will be there with a mobile bar packed full with beers and ciders. Orangeville Meat Co. are even planning on serving up a bourbon, maple and vanilla milkshake topped with cream, bacon salt, crisp pancetta and a mini maple bacon donut. Prepare your bibs, friends, it’s about to get messy up in here. The event is ticketed, and you'll have to shell out $22.60 for the Westside Burger and a side of fries in advance. The 7pm and and 8pm sessions are already sold out, so we suggest getting in quick if you want to nab a ticket for the 6pm sitting. The Dee Why Hotel Hashtag Burgers pop-up will be at Orangeville Meat Co., 2/11 Rodeo Road, Gregory Hills, Narellan on Friday, March 18. For more info, visit the Facebook event.
Two top-notch Thai chefs are joining forces for Sydney's inaugural Taste of Thailand Food Festival. Taking place at Café Mix, within the Shangri-La Hotel in The Rocks, from April 20-29, this decadent event features a cornucopia of flavours, colours and textures from Northern Thailand. Think tropical fruit, freshwater fish, fragrant spices, lush herbs and chefs who aren't afraid to experiment. One such chef is Pawitra In-Eya, who hails from Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai. The hotel group is flying the talented chef here specifically for the festival, to work alongside Aum, head chef at Darlinghurst's Moon, who's known for blending traditional Thai cooking with fine dining techniques. Together, the chefs will create an epic buffet. Just some of the dishes to look out for are beef cheek khao soi , 72-hour braised ribs with tamarind glaze, steamed sea bass with chilli-lime sauce (pla neung manao) and black lip mussels in a spiced coconut broth. After sampling these savoury delights, head to the dessert station. Here, you'll find everything from mango sticky rice to tab tim krob — a traditional Thai dessert made from water chestnuts and sweetened coconut milk — and desserts by pastry chef Anna Polyviou. The Taste of Thailand buffet is open for dinner every night from 6pm to 9.30pm and for lunch on weekends from midday till 2.30pm. Usually it'll set you back $65 (for all-you-can-eat, mind you) but if you head in for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night it'll cost $85 — because you'll have access to the hotel's decadent seafood buffet, with fresh oysters, crab, lobster and much, much more. To make a booking, head here. The festival is presented in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways International.
Spending time on a tram isn't everybody's idea of a great time, but Penrith has a new food and drink spot that'll have you heading out to catch the next service. The Carriage, located in the carpark of the already popular O'Donoghues Irish Pub, is framed around a reinvigorated 1964 Berlin tram and is serving up American-style street food and drinks. To eat, there's a rousing selection of burgers, brisket and loaded fries, and some exciting creations like the Risk it for the Brisket — a beef patty topped with 12-hour smoked brisket, bacon jam and house-made pickles all sealed in a milk bun. Keeping you refreshed are favourites like Canadian Club and Pimm's, both on tap, and there's a host of wine and beer to choose from, too. Open Friday and Saturday nights, and all-day Sunday, The Carriage's expansive outdoor seating area has enough space to sit all your mates, and there's a bevy of local musicians coming through to keep everyone entertained all weekend long. What started out as a side project for O'Donoghues turned into a much more expansive endeavour. The Carriage — which will play host to a series of gigs over the upcoming months, including Thundamentals in May — hopes to become a key player in Penrith's growing nightlife.
The latest production of National Theatre of Parramatta promises some seriously captivating storytelling. Running from Thursday, July 27, until Saturday, August 5, Fade is penned by playwright Tanya Saracho (Vida, Looking, How to Get Away With Murder) and follows the tale of Lucia, played by Camila Ponte Alvarez (RFDS, Nothing Like the Sun), a Mexican-born writer who embarks on her first TV writing job. Lucia navigates the trials of an all-white and male writing room by befriending the janitor, Abel — played by Caspar Hardaker (Interceptor, Poker Face), a fellow outsider in their Anglo-centred world. As their friendship blossoms, Abel's storytelling seems to make its way into Lucia's scripts – providing a multilayered narrative that is both funny and deeply insightful. Fade serves as an incisive commentary on the challenges of breaking through as an outsider and how far one is willing to go for success. Prepare to dive into the complexities of class, race, and power. It's a must-see for any theatre fan. Fade opens on Thursday, July 27, and runs until Saturday, August 5. For more information and to book your tickets, visit the website.
Australian label Nique has a pretty simple ethos: statement through simplicity. The brand has been delivering luxury basics in the Australian fashion space for more than 20 years. Combining clean lines with premium fabrics and minimal shapes and silhouettes, Nique bucks the traditional notions of gender and age and hopes to inspire people to play with fashion to find their signature style. The goal is simply to help people find the right clothing that helps them feel confident and comfortable, so you can expect monochromatic designs and well-fitting wardrobe staples that simply make you feel good.
Sometimes, it isn't just enough to watch your favourite TV show. You want to live and breathe it, feel like you're stepping into it, and obsess over it any way that you can. For Yellowstone fans, that can now include hitting up a pop-up Dutton Ranch-themed bar — for three days only, to celebrate the Kevin Costner-starring western series' return for season five. Your IRL destination: Surly's American Tavern. Your mental destination: Montana, where Yellowstone's dramas play out. This pop-up by Australian streaming service Stan — which airs the show here — is all about immersing you in a Dutton-style hoedown, complete with different reasons to drop by on each day. Head along on Friday, November 18 for ropin' and bull ridin' all day long, as well as $15 wings and tinnies combos. That'll add a yeehaw to after-work festivities — cowboy hat and boots optional. Then, on Saturday, November 19 you'll be able to listen to live music from honky-tonk acts Amber Rose and James Ellis and The Jealous Guys from 6pm. There's a new $15 deal as well, pairing brisket and beer. Wrapping things up, the Sunday, November 20 agenda serves up burgers and bourbon for your $15, and also includes Yellowstone-themed trivia from 4–6pm. Images: @jadedamico.
As we take our seats for the Sydney Theatre Company's enticingly reversed Macbeth — where the audience sits on stage and the actors perform in the stalls and dress circle usually filled by the audience — the anticipation is through the roof. We buzz about being part of one of the year's bold theatrical experiments, even while squeezing ourselves into a seating bank sized for primary schoolers. And then the play starts. The air goes out of this Macbeth quite quickly, though it's sure to have its fans who can do with pure, minimal, academic Shakespeare. The first 45 minutes take place at what looks like the script reading table, with actors in everyday, 'civilian' attire. A few cleverly used props and costume elements configure them into different scenes: the witches gurgle into shape after Robert Menzies, Kate Box and Ivan Donato dunk their heads in water; with poncho to catch the spewing gore, a wounded captain (Melita Jurisic) brings news from the front and praise for Macbeth (Hugo Weaving) to King Duncan (John Gaden). This in itself is fine, but without characterisation through costume or speech, it makes for a very disengaging start, even for those familiar with the plot. Everyone's iambs gush out like waterfalls, and tonal variation is slight. The feeling throughout is that everything is rushed, with the only discernible reason being to get us out of this makeshift seating before we develop back issues. Speed does not guarantee pace. Of course, when Weaving speaks, it strikes awe. His voice is like a mountain rumbling to life to let the villagers know it is in fact a volcano and they should run for their lives. Shakespeare's words are clear and sonorous coming from him; however, it's hard to see more in this Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (Jurisic) than broad archetypes of people seduced and spoiled by power. It's strange because in the last piece of Shakespeare presented by director Kip Williams, Romeo and Juliet, character was the strongest suit. Why he would deny us the luxury of characterisation now is not clear, and if there is new meaning or a particular take to be found in this Macbeth, it's very hidden. When the action does move beyond the table, Williams and his team of design heavyweights (Alice Babidge on set, Nick Schlieper on lights and Max Lyandvert on sound) create a few memorable sights. A chase to the death over the staggered seats is thrilling, and the visitation by Banquo's ghost over dinner is beautiful and dripping with tension. There is the most spectacular glitter drop — like rain, snow and falling comets all rolled into one. It feels like Williams' ethos with this production is restraint, as though to avoid it being labelled a gimmick. I don't know that it's the right choice. Swapping the seating plan of a proscenium theatre is once-in-a-lifetime stuff, and it would have been excellent to see it realised to every inch of its creative possibility. Naturally, given the proposition and the casting, this show is sold out, with your only chance now being to ring up on Tuesday mornings in the hopes of getting the few Suncorp Twenties tickets. But it's a shame that a work set to reach such a broad audience is one with stilted imagination and limited appeal.
Truffle season is an indulgent time where you treat yourself to the finer things and reach peak foodie sophistication as you hunt for restaurants and menus featuring that coveted culinary black gold. This winter, BLACK Bar & Grill is embracing this luxuriousness with a one-night-only truffle feast — and we've got two tickets to the dinner to give away. The dinner will take place on Thursday, July 5, with the six-course experience prepared and hosted by Executive Chef Dany Karam, along with co-host truffle farmer Henry Terry, who was most recently spotted on My Kitchen Rules. Starting at 7pm, you'll have your fill of original dishes like scallop and truffle sandwiches, truffle poached marron and roasted pineapple and truffle ice cream that are all sure to thrill those truffle-loving tastebuds of yours. With each plate, Chef Karam hopes to showcase seasonal produce and flavours along with the truffles. "We've used rich, winter flavours and local, cool climate wines with a savoury finish to complement the truffles." You can anticipate a glorious meal along with wine selections from the house sommelier, including two glasses of Krug Champagne to set off your lavish night. While BLACK offers a special menu featuring an a la carte three-course meal and sommelier pairings options until August 5, this one-time feast will be the culmination of all your truffle-covered dreams this season. You're in for a night of well-crafted and curated fare sure to put you in a truffle trance until next winter. The BLACK Bar & Grill truffle dinner will take place on Thursday, July 5 and tickets cost $290. Enter to win tickets for you and a date. See below. [competition]674957[/competition]
El Camino Cantina likes tacos, which isn't new news to anyone in Sydney that's hit up the chain over the past few years. But on one specific day, it's ramping that taco affection up a notch and giving the people what we want. If you're heading to a Tex-Mex bar and eatery, then you're clearly after a taco feast — and, ideally, you want them cheap. Enter World Taco Day's all-day $1 taco special, which is exactly what it sounds like. Head by on Tuesday, October 4 and you can tuck into a highly affordable feed at The Rocks, Entertainment Quarter and Manly. Bookings are essential, and the deal runs from open till close — but there is a caveat. You'll need to buy a drink to get up to five $1 tacos. Fancy more? Then get another beverage. El Camino Cantina is known for its OTT margaritas, after all. [caption id="attachment_742918" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kai Leishman[/caption]
The other week my partner and I were watching a doco about the Lord Our Righteousness Church and its leader, Wayne Bent, who was facing trial for some extremely questionable activity. After the creepiness and righteous rage subsided, we got to thinking about other aspects of cult-culture. You know, really academic stuff like: if there were a hipster cult, who would be its leader? The answer we came up with to this very important question was, of course, Devendra Banhart. Firstly, there is his religious leader inspired visage. Just do a Google image search and tell me that the guy hasn’t just jumped out of some freaky time machine, straight from the 1960s, the golden era of bizarre religious cults and far-out communes. Also, he talks to animals, just like this guy. Of course, I am not at all suggesting that Banhart would get up to the sort of nefarious activity that I segued into this preview with. If anything, a cult run by Banhart would be a wonderful affair. Think 1960s-style love ins, guitar strumming and tambourines before a roaring fire, open fields covered in daisies, spinning around with your arms spread out - that sort of thing. On further reflection, when you combine all of the above with the apparent fanaticism that his music inspires, he’s pretty much already there. He just hasn’t bought the acreage yet. The good word for all Sydney based Banhart devotees (confirmed and potential alike) is that he is on his way back, bringing his freak-folk gospel to the Metro Theatre on Wednesday 27 July. Rejoice friends, for the consummation is at hand.
For the past couple of months, Sydney Fringe Festival has been the event that's kept on giving — and it isn't even here yet. First, it announced that it'd be back in-person in 2022, and bigger than ever. Then, the massive independent arts event revealed its first few highlights, including a comedic recreation of Titanic. And, after that, the Runaway Gardens lineup dropped, featuring everything from boundary-pushing burlesque to a mimosa-fuelled drag brunch club. Accordingly, if you already have a whole heap of plans for Sydney Fringe Festival 2022, that's understandable. But prepare to make more, because the full program has just been unveiled — all 500-plus events over 50 venues, including nine hubs, that'll turn Sydney into quite the entertaining place to be between Tuesday, August 16–Sunday, September 25. Among the highlights, free opening party Fringe Ignite is right up there. It'll take over The Rocks on Friday, September 2 — which is a few weeks after Fringe actually kicks off, but no one is complaining. Twenty acts will perform in pop-up locations, giving you plenty to see and roam between from 6pm till late. [caption id="attachment_863365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Seiya Taguchi[/caption] Also a standout is Indie Yarns, which heads Fringe's First Nations program highlights, and will gather members of the fest's First Nations Advisory Panel for a Q&A session. There's also Dane Simpson's stand-up comedy show Didgeridoozy, as well as singer-songwriter Paul Ah Chee playing his debut solo EP Nowhere to Hide. The previously announced Limitless micro-festival will focus on artists with disability or who are deaf for two weeks, with must-sees spanning inclusive comedy night Crips and Creeps Comedy, plus Sam Kissajukian's 300 Paintings in Lockdown. And while Fringe Comedy is still set to unleash 135 shows at the Factory Theatre, you'll be able to get giggling at The Barracks Comedy Club as well, which'll host 15 performances in September. Elsewhere, comedy cabaret Cherry will celebrate one woman's love of Katy Perry, interactive theatre experience Gameshow will bring TV game shows to life, and YCK Laneways will host the Front and Centre Festival, which is all about female-identifying artists — including Jaguar Jonze, JOY, Kilimi and Pirra. Or, there's a four-show series of acoustic concerts at Venue 505, featuring Elizabeth Fader, Declan Kelly with Daniel Pliner, Emily Granger with Andrew Blanch, and Emily Stephenson. And, the Smidmore Sessions will take over Marrickville Metro for three days of live comedy, outdoor movies and music. Also getting out and about is Fringeville at Hurstville Plaza, which'll feature roving entertainment, live music and a comedy bus. The list goes on, which means one key thing for six weeks from mid-August: no, you can't say there isn't anything to do around town. [caption id="attachment_863367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brig Bee[/caption] Sydney Fringe Festival 2022 will take place between Tuesday, August 16–Friday, September 30. For further information or to buy tickets, head to the fest's website.
After years of farmers markets and pop-up stores — from a six-seater cafe in Matraville to a kitchen in Marrickville and a Darlinghurst store and its recently closed cafe in Circular Quay's huge Gateway Sydney dining precinct — Sydney bagel-slinger Brooklyn Boy Bagels has launched a new venture that's telling of our current times: a drive-thru. When COVID-19 restrictions first came into place, Brooklyn Boy Bagels announced, "Forget toilet paper - we're going to give you something you really need for the apocalypse. Stay tuned". Since then, it's been offering home-delivery to a bunch of Sydney suburbs and has had some pop-ups at Double Bay's White Rabbit cafe. Now, it's converted the parking lot of its existing wholesale bakery on Marrickville's Carrington Road so you can pick up freshly baked (and boiled) goods without leaving your car. The drive-thru sold out of everything on its first day. And, with the self-proclaimed (and widely agreed upon) title as Sydney's "real-deal NYC bagels", it's easy to see why. The new venture obviously focuses on the bakers' signature boiled boys, with plain, rainbow, onion, blueberry, sesame, gluten free and pumpkin versions available, as well as its famed everything bagel. Of course, you'll need some schmear, which Brooklyn Boy Bagels is selling by the bucketful. The 285-millilitre tubs of cream cheese include plain, jalapeño, lox with capers, garlic and chive flavours and a vegan almond 'cream cheese' one. Nutella, raspberry jam and peanut butter are also available, as are toppings such as lox and pastrami. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-3zgseDnFZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link While you'll definitely want the bagels, you'll also find sourdough, challah, loaves of rye, chocolate chip and sea salt cookies and a NY pushcart-style pretzel on the menu, plus takeaway coffee from local specialty coffee roasters The Little Marrionette. There are also bagel box sets available to pre-order, should you want to to stock up. There's The Survival Kit ($42.95), with eight bagels, cream cheese, Nutella and jam; a vegan box for $49.95; and the mega The Self-Isolation Nosh Fest, which includes 20 bagels and five tubs of its various cream cheeses and will set you back $104.95. Brooklyn Boy Bagels Drive-Thru is located at 19 Carrington Road, Marrickville and is open from 7am–12pm Tuesday–Thursday and 7am–1pm Friday–Sunday.
Starting this May, Sorry Thanks I Love You will provide free weekly yoga classes at its Westfield Sydney location, guided by certified instructor Jen Yan. The classes are open to yogis of all skill levels, as part of the store's dedication to creating community and promoting wellness. Situated in the CBD, Sorry Thanks I Love You is a concept store that fuses fashion, community, design and art together in a stylish space with a cafe. "We welcome anyone and everyone to step into our world of retail rebellion and step out refreshed," says Sorry Thanks I Love You's Jasmin Ozolins. "We don't do things by halves, and no matter their level, yogis can expect our classes to be of the same calibre as the world-class designers with whom we work." The classes will be held every Wednesday at 6.15pm from Wednesday, May 8. Mats and water will be provided, along with an herbal tea after class. While classes are free, registration at the website is essential.
Castlecrag's modern Asian restaurant Yang and Co has gone through some changes recently. Now, it's called Yang's and it specialises in just those two things: ramen and tacos. Run by Lex Wong (Chica Bonita and China Doll), the restaurant reopened in early October as part noodle bar, part taco shop. "I always dreamt of specialising in just one or two specific dishes, and I figured with COVID-19 it was the perfect time to make the change," Wong told Concrete Playground. "I knew I wanted to make ramen, but I didn't want to be a Japanese restaurant, and I'd always been playing around with the idea of doing tacos. I figured they're both comfort foods, so it just works." Yang's slogan is "comfort food but not fast food", and its succinct menu measures up to this mantra. The dishes may look simple, but a lot of thought has gone into each and every one. You'll only find four ramen dishes here, one of which is vegan. The plant-based broth is combination of Yang's special house-blend of five types of miso, which is spooned over charcoal roasted veggies, bamboo shoots, nori and wavy hakata-style noodles. All of Yang's noodles are made using locally sourced, organic grains from Gunnedah, NSW. The meat ramen, on the other hand, are set in a rich tonkotsu-style broth. Yang's version is made with a seafood shoyu tare sauce and takes two days to make. For toppings, you can choose from traditional thick-cut pork char siu or charcoal-grilled chicken. The latter can be found in the toripaitan ramen, which also comes topped with black fungus, fermented corn, banana prawn wontons and a shoyu-marinated egg. As far as the tacos go, Yang's specialty is carne asada, made using dry-aged, grass-fed Angus beef. "We dry-age all of our steak in house and we'll serve a different cut of it depending on the day," says Wong. For the carne asada taco, the beef is cooked over coals, then served on corn tortillas (rolled and cooked to order) with guacamole and your choice of Yang's house-made salsas — those include pico de gallo, mild tomatillo, smoky roasted salsa verde and chipotle salsa roja. Elsewhere, you'll find Baja-style fish tacos with pickled jalapeños and cream sauce, slow-roasted pork tacos served with habanero salsa and kimchi quesadillas made using four different cheeses. Plus, there's an extensive specials board you can pick from. For drinks, there's a cocktail list that spans classic and Sichuan-spiced margaritas, yuzu and lavender sours, and G&Ts. These are on top of the growing range of mezcals, tequilas and bourbons behind the bar. There are also heaps of Japanese and Mexican beers on offer, plus some local drops by the likes of Two Metre Tall, Modus Operandi and Young Henrys. Both walk-ins and bookings (for four and up) are welcome, but Yang's is only able to seat 24 at the moment and it's already a popular spot — so grab three mates (and book in advance) or expect to queue up. Find Yang's Ramen and Tacos at 79 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag. Opening hours are Friday–Saturday 12–3pm and Tuesday–Saturday 5–10pm. For bookings of four or more, head to the website.
The only think you need to know before going to see Sydney band Cabins live, is that they are really good. There are so many new bands in Sydney at the moment that it can be a little tricky trying to keep up with them all: Who is playing where, who left which band to move to what, who's playing with their friends and which band members are swapping bands or making guest appearances. Forget all the gossip and ‘big thing’ tags being bandied about. If you want to go see some great live music with a post punk flavour and a heap of swagger, then catch Cabins supporting The Scare on the October 30, with giant of the indie world, and the tour’s special guest, Jack Ladder. Good solid live rock. ‘Aint nothing wrong with that.
Staring at art is easy. Getting into collecting it doesn't always prove the case, however. You might have bare walls and empty shelves positively screaming to be filled, but you also may not know where to start. Our suggestion: Carriageworks' Cut N Polish: Artist Car Boot Sale, which is exactly what it sounds like. Actually, it's even better, because it's bringing together a whopping 90-plus Greater Sydney artists to sell their works directly to the public. From 11am–5pm on Sunday, May 1 at Carriageworks' Blacksmiths' Workshop, no one will be standing in the middle of you and these supremely talented folks — and no one will be taking commission and reducing the funds that'd otherwise go to the artists, either. You'll also get to meet fabulous creatives, chat to them about their work and hear their stories while you're supporting their practices via a cash-and-carry setup. The brainchild of Consuelo Cavaniglia, Jonny Niesche and Brendan Van Hek, Cut N Polish will feature emerging and established artists alike — such as Emma Maye Gibson (aka Betty Grumble), Tully Arnot, Will Cooke and Izabela Pluta, as well as artist collective Dirt Witches (who you might know from their Romance Was Born and Tom Polo collabs). Entry is free, and prices will start from $50 — with everything from art, ceramics, prints and sculptures to clothes, art books and plants on offer. And, because all that browsing and buying is hungry and thirsty work, Sonoma, Bar Pho and more will be on food and drink duty. Top image: Toby Peet.
Is there such a thing as blockbuster fatigue? Two big shows in Sydney are offering you a way to find out, filling local arts institutions with lines, crowds and the suggestion that this chance to get close to the artefacts is really a once-in-a-lifetime. One features Picasso, the other Harry Potter. Potter may not claim quite the masterpiece status of his cubist forebear, but underlying the saga are some pretty strong ideas. Author of the novels, J.K. Rowling, sculpted Dumbledore from her luminous classics professor TP Wiseman and dropped in strong human rights ideas from her time with Amnesty UK. And the films had a lot of the fire, if less of the humour, from the original novels, with a big chunk coming to Sydney for Harry Potter: The Exhibition. The exhibition showcases props from the films on its only Australian stop, including Dumbledore's wand, plus Harry's and Voldemort's paired pieces. But there's also room to wander around in recreations of the movies' sets, set a hand to mandrake gardening, and get close to some aspects of that reassuringly dangerous sport quidditch. Image by Bill Hails.
God of Carnage begins with two sets of parents sitting down in a modern Parisian apartment to discuss a fight that occurred between their children. What starts out as quite civilized, rapidly descends into a maelstrom of tears, name-calling and fist-fights. The play seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. It’s weighty sounding title and some of the subject matter suggests that it’s a serious examination into the violence and barbarism that lies beneath the thin veneer of civility. It’s not.What it is, is a very well realised comedy of manners for yuppies, backed by an impressive ensemble cast including acclaimed actors Sascha Horler and Russel Dykstra, as well as E-Street heart-throb, Marcus Graham. All the performances are top notch but the standout is relative unknown Helen Thomson who steals the show as an uptight businesswoman. Over the course of the play she tears the apartment apart and releases the most gratuitous arc of fake theatre vomit you will ever see. God of Carnage is a tightly executed, bawdy night out and an excellent excuse to see some great actors tearing up the scenery. Literally.
The pairings for this year's Redlands Konica Minolta Prize have just been announced, giving you a glimpse into the future of Australian art. For those unfamiliar, this unique annual award couples together emerging and established artists to produce new works. In its 18th year, the prize is as important as ever in building and reflecting on some of the best artistic practices that have burst forth in recent years. Aimed at fostering mentoring relationships between different generations of visual artists, previous participants have included the likes of Ben Quilty, Tim Storrier and Julie Rrap. This year's prize will be curated by the highly regarded painter, Tim Johnson. Among the participating established artists are Reg Mombassa, whose iconic imagery has infiltrated Australian culture over the past 30 years, and Simryn Gill, who has previously represented Australia at the prestigious Venice Biennale. This collaborative and cutting-edge exhibition will showcase a variety of media, from painting, sculpture and drawing, through to photography and new media. Spanning a whopping six decades of artistic talent, the works will be judged on April 10, and exhibited at the National Art School Gallery from April 11.
Heading to Marvel Stadium at Melbourne's Docklands usually means watching a game of AFL. Or, you could be hitting up the venue to see a gig. Moseying beneath the space to wander around an underground light show and labyrinth definitely isn't normally on the cards. That'll change come winter, with the city's Firelight Festival returning for 2024 — and, for the first time, bringing the Firelight Labyrinth with it. The fest itself is a three-day affair over the last weekend in June, running from Friday, June 28–Sunday, June 30 at New Quay Promenade, Victoria Promenade and Harbour Esplanade. On the agenda, as in past years: fire performers, fire pits, fire drums, flame jets, fire arches and fire sculptures. There'll also be live music, African drumming, and an array of stomach-warming food and drink options — such as dumplings, smoked meats, paella, churros and hot chocolates. Flame-filled arts — and bites to feast on and beverages to sip while you're enjoying them — aren't the only drawcard this year, though. Cue more than 144,000 lights beaming beneath Marvel Stadium, with the labyrinth sticking around for over two weeks from Friday, June 28–Sunday, July 14. Accordingly, this year's Firelight Festival is also a huge tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike, especially if you want to see a key Aussie Rules venue in a new light — literally. As well as all of those sources of luminousness, the Firelight Labyrinth will feature immersive audio, making the experience an audio-visual maze. While the festival is free to attend — you'll need your wallet for whatever you eat and drink — the Firelight Labyrinth is ticketed, costing $37.50 for adults.
Has Jennifer Lawrence entered her Jennifer Coolidge era? With the spirit of American Pie lingering over No Hard Feelings like unpaid property taxes — a pivotal part of the movie's plot — the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar-winner and Winter's Bone, Hunger Games, X-Men and mother! star is flirting with that direction and loving it. No one sticks their genitalia in a warm home-baked dessert or talks about band camp in Lawrence's latest film, but it is a sex comedy about an inexperienced teenager that includes parents giving clumsy advice. It also involves getting lucky with an older woman; while Lawrence is only 32 and plays it here, an age gap — as well as the chasms between millennials and zoomers, and with the generations prior — is essential to the narrative. The spirit of Coolidge, a game Lawrence, gags about Hall & Oates' 1982 earworm 'Maneater' — a storyline that somewhat riffs on its lyrics, in fact — and battles over class, generational differences and gentrification: that's No Hard Feelings. Based on a real-life Craigslist ad, it's also the next movie from filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky, who penned Bad Teacher and made his feature directorial debut with Good Boys. Where the latter took a Superbad-esque setup but swapped 17-year-olds out for sixth graders, his second flick as a helmer tells a coming-of-age tale on two levels. Percy Becker (Andrew Barth Feldman, White Noise) is the introverted brainiac whose helicopter parents (Daybreak's Matthew Broderick and Life & Beth's Laura Benanti) want to live a little before he hits Princeton University, while Maddie Barker (Lawrence, Causeway) is the bartender and Uber driver who's been in a state of arrested development ever since giving up her plans to surf California's beaches when her mother got sick. Those taxes? Maddie owes them on her Montauk house, which she inherited from and remains in while the New York hamlet she grew up in is inundated by wealthy holidaymakers. And those tourists? Sweeping in for only part of the year, splashing around cash and causing property values to skyrocket while pushing locals out, they're the reason that Maddie's debt is so hefty. They're also why Percy and his family are in town for the summer. And, in general, those rich interlopers are a prime target for Maddie's anger, unsurprisingly. Still, usually the well-to-do influx helps boost her finances — driving folks around in a vacation town while the weather's right can be lucrative — but her car has just been repossessed, hence an advertisement offering a Buick Regal for dating and sleeping with Percy earning her attention. "These people use us, so why don't we use them?" is Maddie's pregnant pal Sara's (Natalie Morales, Dead to Me) take on the situation. Sporting that exact mindset, Maddie commits. The Beckers want her to bring their shy, reclusive and neurotic son out of his bedroom by taking him to bed — patriarch Laird fondly recalls his own first youthful fling, with Stupnitsky adding an extra layer by having Ferris Bueller's Day Off great Broderick in the role — and Percy has no idea about the deal. Whether Maddie is asking to touch his wiener at his animal-shelter volunteer job, inadvertently getting him suspecting that he's being kidnapped by offering him a lift in Sara's spouse Jim's (Scott MacArthur, Killing It) van filled with machetes and harpoons, teaching him how to drink Long Island iced teas, or taking him skinny dipping by moonlight and fighting the pranksters who try to steal their clothes in the nude, seducing the college-bound young man is far from an easy gig. Co-scripting with John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), Stupnitsky also has both Percy and Maddie clutch onto the bonnet of speeding cars, and throws in hectic faux prom nights and eventful pre-uni parties; however, the raunchiest thing about No Hard Feelings is largely its premise. Bawdy humour still echoes, especially when Maddie is playing the libidinous part she's being paid to — but, as she genuinely starts to connect with Percy as a friend, so does earnestness. She's initially willing to slip between the sheets to get her life back on track, and pretends to be the stereotypical teen-boy fantasy to do so. He wants to talk, get to know her and build something physical out of a true emotional bond. Of course the film that results seesaws between the ribald and sweet, and of course it's never completely one or the other. That isn't a failure of nerve, but reflects the chaos that is growing up even when you're already supposed to be grown up. No Hard Feelings is rarely as consistently funny as it wants to be, but it'd be far more awkward than it's meant to be if Maddie and Percy weren't so well cast. The luminous Lawrence is a comic dream, no matter if Maddie is cringing at her own behaviour, bluntly decrying teens today and the ultra-rich always, attempting to climb stairs in rollerblades or turning on the sultriness. She serves up a physical comedy masterclass, and long may amusing movies that call upon her laugh-inducing skills keep joining her resume (well, other than the smug Don't Look Up). She's such a natural here that wanting No Hard Feelings to constantly ramp up the OTT antics stems wholly from her performance. (Also, as Coolidge keeps popping to mind, who wouldn't want to see Lawrence in The White Lotus in the future, whether in Thailand or wherever future seasons of the hit HBO series end up.) Feldman, who took time out from high school IRL to play the titular part in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway for a spell and then from uni for this, brings nuance to what could've been a stock-standard nerdy character in other hands. The key to his performance, and to Lawrence's: amid the overtly comic moments, they each know that they're stepping into the shoes of people who are stuck and struggling in their own ways, and they're sincere about having Maddie and Percy work through that together. So, crucially, is the sunnily shot picture itself. Although it's better when Stupnitsky and Phillips put their faith the movie's central portrayals rather than getting thematically heavy-handed, and it's also gleefully formulaic, No Hard Feelings has film-stealing stark-naked brawls, Lawrence in go-for-broke comedic mode, and insight and heart.
The zero-waste movement has spawned a whole host of clever recycling initiatives, from workout gear crafted out of rescued ocean plastic to sneaker soles featuring rubber made from used bubblegum and even a whole road made of soft plastics and glass bottles. And now, with the help of a $115,000 boost in funding from the NSW Government, coffee cup recycling crew Simply Cup will be turning millions of disposable coffee vessels into things like benches and parking curbs. Over the next year, the project will see 110 tonnes, or around 11 million cups, diverted from landfill and upcycled into a range of new products. That's on top of the 2.5 million disposable cups the group has already saved from landfill in the past 18 months. In collaboration with a group called Newtecpoly in Moama, many of these cups will be combined with recycled plastics to create transport control products, like car park stoppers, bollards and kerbing. Newtecpoly also have the capacity to make all sorts of things like outdoor furniture, coathangers and bricks. The new funding — which comes from the NSW Government's $5.46 million Circulate grant program that aims to divert waste from landfill — will allow Simply Cups, which operates across Australia and the UK, to ramp up its efforts, collecting even more cups from commercial buildings, public spaces, caterers and 7-Elevens in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. The group's the same one behind rCUP — the world's first reusable cup made from recycled coffee cups — which was created in collaboration with 7-Eleven earlier this year. The Simply Cups collection tubes are currently set up at 340 locations and counting around Australia, including 7-Elevens, Muffin Breaks, office buildings and cafes. To add to that number, you can set up your own workplace or business with them, too — just request a collection over here. And if you want to go one step further, the best way to make sure your coffee cup doesn't end up in landfill is to buy a reusable keep cup.
The Australia-wide Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is the only cultural event devoted exclusively to exploring humanitarian issues through creative media. The not-for-profit event will be showing at the Chauvel Cinema in from May 29 to June 1, and Concrete Playground has five double passes to give away for the opening night film, Buffalo Girls. The heartening feature-length doco about two girls embroiled in Thailand's 30,000 child boxing tournaments shows the exploitation of the children involved, plus the adults - even their own family members - who take pleasure in watching the so-called sport, betting on the gory outcomes. The livelihoods of the girls are at stake as their tiny fists, elbows, knees and feet fly through the air, forced to fight one another in pursuit of prize money. Is this exploitation, empowerment or economic necessity? See the film and judge for yourself. Concrete Playground has five double passes for the opening night to give away. To get your hands on tickets, make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
A huge milestone birthday, a homecoming, and a stacked lineup filled with top talent from the creativity, design and technology fields: that's what's on Semi Permanent's agenda this year. A go-to event for all things design-related, the festival will return to Sydney's Carriageworks for three days between Wednesday, May 25–Friday, May 27 — and while impressive lineups always go with the territory here, this year's bill stands out in plenty of ways. Firstly, it's the event's biggest program ever. The theme for Semi Permanent's 2022 fest, which also marks its 20th anniversary, is 'perspective'. As founder and executive creative director Murray Bell explains, "2022 is a demarcation in the evolution of both our purpose and our organisation." To help sort through the theme, more than 25 speakers have been announced — spanning everything from journalism and film through to art and typography. Attendees will be able to hear from the folks behind The Betoota Advocate; learn more female-driven on-screen storytelling from Dollhouse Pictures co-founders Gracie Otto, Krew Boylan and Jessica Carrera; and glean insights from boundary-pushing creative director, journalist and strategist Royce Akers. The hefty lineup of talent will anchor Semi Permanent's talks program, of course, but the fest is keen to expand its format even further in its big birthday year. That includes the launch of the Permanent Art and Design Book Fair, which'll bring together more than 30 leading publishers, artists and designers — and, for your reading pile, will showcase hundreds of books, magazines, zines, posters and digital editions, spanning both new and previously unseen works. [caption id="attachment_843322" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Toby Peet[/caption]
It's that time again: time for the Alliance Française French Film Festival to gift Australian movie-goers with its annual cinema showcase. 2022 marks the event's 33rd round of fests, so get ready to watch your way through more than 40 flicks that'll whisk you off to France while you're munching popcorn in your cinema seat. There's no shortage of highlights from this year's complete lineup — including the festival's opening night pick, the 19th-century Paris-set Lost Illusions — but Claire Denis' Fire is easily one of the most exciting films on the bill. It'll play AFFFF straight from the Berlinale, and marks the acclaimed French filmmaker's first release since 2018's exceptional High Life. It also stars her Let the Sunshine In lead Juliette Binoche, with the romantic drama pairing the latter up with French actor Vincent Lindon (Titane) for the first time. Also a standout: Happening, winner of the 2021 Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which adapts Annie Ernaux's autobiographical novel about the rights of women in France in the 60s. It just nabbed filmmaker Audrey Diwan a BAFTA nomination for Best Director, and follows a bright young student who gets pregnant, then sees her options — for her future, and regarding what to do about her situation — quickly dwindle. When AFFFF heads to Sydney's Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Hayden Orpheum Cremorne between Tuesday, March 1–Sunday, April 10 (including its encore sessions), the exceptional Petite Maman also sits at the very top of the fest's must-see list. The latest film from Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Céline Sciamma, it already made a few Australian festival appearances in 2021, and channels the director's trademark sensitivity and empathy into a sci-fi-skewing tale of mothers and daughters that's instantly among Sciamma's best. Other top picks include the latest film in the OSS 117 spy spoof series, OSS 117: From Africa With Love, once again starring The Artist Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin; François Ozon's Everything Went Fine, which sees the Summer of 85 filmmaker tackle the right to die with dignity; Paris, 13th District, a love story from A Prophet and Rust and Bone's Jacques Audiard; and Murder Party, a murder-mystery with big Cluedo vibes. Or, there's also Anaïs in Love, a rom-com about a woman having an affair with a married man but then falling for his wife; bipoic Authentik, about French hip-hop duo Suprême NTM; World War II drama Farewell, Mr Haffmann, as based on the play; and friendship drama The Braves, about two twentysomething women following their dreams to become theatre actors. Plus, AFFFF's retro program is also a cinephile's delight, showcasing the work of actor and filmmaker Alain Delon — including via Purple Noon, which adapts Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr Ripley.
Sydney does so love a pop-up. There's the HelloFresh Pop-Up on Oxford Street, the decadent Champagne Bar pop-up at Cockle Bay Wharf and Cake Wines' Rocks effort, just to name a few. Adding to the mix are the folks at the Real Food Projects who are popping up on Enmore Street in Newtown. The Real Food Project is a motley crew of growers, chefs, producers, and foodies who believe that the best food is always home-grown, home-picked, and served in the homeliest of environments. After the success of their first pop-up in Darlinghurst, founder Kate Walsh has teamed up with recycled furniture wiz James Nixon from Re-Creation and vintage kitchenware experts Chris on King to give Newtown their very own seasonal and sustainable pop-up store. Think organic noodles and sauces from Pasta Emilia, locally collected honey from The Urban Beehive or exotically flavoured marshmallows from Sweetness the Patisserie and you'll get a sense of the place. With the shop also playing host to cooking classes and demonstrations from some of Sydney's hottest young chefs — from restaurants such as Cornersmith and Black Star Pastry — Newtown's newest pop-up looks set to become one of our favourite new stop-offs for filling up our trolleys.
There's chocolate (like the kind you buy two weeks after Easter from Coles for half price) and then there's chocolate. Rich chocolate melted and drizzled over crunchy waffles, chocolate syrup oozing out of a molten lava cake, warm chocolate leaking out of choc lumps in a freshly baked cookie... Alright, now that we have your attention and your mind is on chocolate (i.e. the right place), you might be interested to know that Cloud 9, that chocolate café in Newtown, is opening up in three new locations. That's three times the amount of this: A photo posted by C9 Chocolate & Gelato (@c9chocolateandgelato) on Oct 23, 2015 at 2:52am PDT They've obviously been doing pretty well for themselves because they'll be opening three new locations around Sydney, at Little Saigon Plaza in Bankstown, Darlinghurst and Crows Nest. The opening dates are still vague but, according to the C9 Facebook, we can expect the Bankstown branch to be open very soon, with Darlinghurst following towards the end of May. The expansions have been in the works for a few months and construction seems to be coming to an end according to the construction company in charge of the build, HPCG. The Bankstown fit-out is slightly more industrial than the OG Newtown version but you can expect the same ridiculously ice cream sandwiches, waffles pizzas, sundaes and other delish chocolate treats inside. The original C9 Chocolate Cafe is located at 199 King Street, Newtown. Locations in Bankstown, Darlinghurst and Crows Nest are to follow. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates.
When Hugo's closed last year, many Sydneysiders were left wondering about the future of Sneaky Sundays. Run by Sneaky Sound System's Miss Connie and Black Angus, the Sunday staple has been providing weekend party people with the best house music since 2000 and has gained a dedicated following. It might even be where you were introduced to deadmau5 or Daft Punk. After a successful summer run in Mykonos, the long-loved event is returning with a new home at Bondi beachfront bar The Bucket List. Sneaky Sundays is on from 7pm to midnight, every Sunday throughout the summer and features an array of weekly guests. It's the best excuse to while away the balmy nights dancing to everything from deep house to electro.
