Category: CITIES

Have fun while doing good this Mardi Gras: top wines, beers, seltzers raising money for Pride Foundation Australia

Posted: 23/02/2022

Raising money for the Pride Foundation Australia, you can now officially drink for a cause. Landing on the shelves of BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores next week with all profits going to Pride Foundation Australia – just in time for Pride season. Where will the money go, you ask? The Foundation will use the funds to support LGBTQIA+ specific programs to provide help for those dealing with substance abuse. The Loud & Proud range offers six different drinks to choose from – a rosé, pinot grigio, grenache, brut cuvée, pale ale beer and watermelon flavoured seltzer and is available in selected Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores. Dan Murphy’s is also a major sponsor of Midsumma Melbourne and Albany Pride, while BWS has rolled out its popular BWYASSS signage to another 7 stores (10 stores across the country in total now have it) to show support and celebrate the diversity of the LGTBQ+ community. For a full spread of the drinks available, head to the BWS or Dan Murphy’s websites

Category: CITIES, FOOD & DRINK, LGBTIQ, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: beers, bws, Dan Murphy's, Have fun while doing good this Mardi Gras top wines, seltzers raising money for Pride Foundation Australia

The gayest roast you’ll eat this Mardi Gras

by James Banham

Updated: 16/11/2022

Believe it, or not; this isn’t a euphemism. This annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras we’ll celebrate it all with The Roast, subverting the traditional Sunday family meal, with an afternoon celebration of queer food, drink, comedy and theatre from The University of Sydney’s The Refectory with your chosen crew. Happening at the Refectory in Camperdown, the Roast include a four-course banquet curated by award-winning chef, Anna Polyviou, post-Mardi Gras cocktails from Absolut, and the talents of Sydney-based Mangarai First Nations queen Tyra Bankstown and QTBIPOC collective House of Silky. Meanwhile, music will be handled by Paul Mac and Johnny Seymour of Stereogamous,Timothy & The Heart Strings and hosted by Sharon Manhatten. Limited tickets for the event on 76 March are available now via Humanitix. All ticket sales go to supporting ACON, Australia’s largest HIV and sexuality and gender diverse health organisation.

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, LGBTIQ, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: mardi gras, sydney mardi gras, The gayest roast you'll eat this Mardi Gras, the Roast

Sydney’s Night Noodle Markets are back!

Melbourne Night Noodle Markets Chinese dragon

by James Banham

Updated: 16/11/2022

In a brand new location and after having had a two year break, there’s great news for Sydney: the annual Night Noodle Markets are back with a vengeance. Depriving a city of noodley and Asian-inspired foodstuffs is – like so many other things – one of the side effects of the past year, but no more! From 22 – 27 March 2022 at Prince Alfred Park, right near Central Station, the Night Noodle Markets will being a spread of some of the city’s and country’s finest Asian food providores in an explosion of dragon-fuelled excitement and buzz made all the sweeter by the simple fact: it’s back. Each evening, the popular park will be transformed into a vibrant, open-air Asian street food festival, with live entertainment and hawker-style stalls and pop-ups serving up their most sumptuous dishes, drinks and bites. From steaming hot dumplings to melt-in-your-mouth bao and Insta-worthy desserts, Sydneysiders and visitors will have the chance to feast on an array of sizzling, sweet and spicy meals and morsels from an exciting mix of popular local, national and interstate eateries. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be plentiful. For more info and to get your tickets, head to the Sydney Night Noodle Markets website

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: Sydney Night Noodle Markets, sydney noodle market, Sydney's Night Noodle Markets are back

Fair Day kicks off the Mardi Gras Festival 2022 and it was glorious!

by Emi Berry

Updated: 21/02/2022

The biggest and most colourful event of the opening weekend of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022, Fair Day, returned to Victoria Park today with a full day of entertainment and picnicking in the sun. Thousands of smiling faces gathered in the park to celebrate not only the beginning of Mardi Gras, but also the power and beauty of diversity. Check out the full Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022 program here.

Category: CITIES, LGBTIQ, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: mardi gras, Mardi Gras 2022, Mardi Gras Fair Day

All about wellness, T2 tea has a range that’ll get you there

by James Banham

Updated: 23/02/2022

Life’s super stressy at the best of times. Throw in a pandemic, international travel and the constant work-life balance we struggle to find and there’s no wonder there’s been a huge spike in calls for mental health and wellbeing programs to up their ante! But never fear; T2 is here with their batch of plant based brews that are here to support your mind and body, the growing wellness collection is designed for the next generation of health enthusiasts. With four blends, the Australian grown tea master is channeling your inner zen for you in the form of a teacup. The Quiet Mind, The Dreamer, The Belly Blend and The Glowgetter are those blends, sourced from ingredients around the country. The Quiet Mind has been developed to help you wind down after a long day and press pause on the world. Breathe in soothing peppermint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus while adaptogenic herbs ashwagandha andschisandra deflect stressors of all kinds. With a refreshingly citrusy flavour – if cool, calm and collectedhad a taste, this would be it. Say hello to serenity, The Dreamer is the next sleepy sister in this essential lineup, transporting you to theland of Nod as you drift off to sleep. This relaxing tea is an unmissable step in your bedtime ritual, evoking the comforts of crisp white sheets and the plushest of pillows. Trusted for centuries by herbalistsand naturopaths, this tasty blend is sprinkled with a little valerian, that goes a long way to send you offto sweet dreams. Following in its footsteps… Read More

Category: CITIES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE

Tags: All about wellness T2 tea has a new range that'll get you there, t2, t2 tea

Celebrate International Women’s Day in Sydney with this one-off event to #breakthebias

by James Banham

Updated: 16/11/2022

Those looking for an inspirational celebration of female empowerment this International Women’s Day should look no further than Legacy in the Park International Women’s Day. Hosted at the historic and picturesque ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park Sydney on the 8th of March, you’ll mingle with some of Australia’s most inspiring women over complimentary beer, wine and champagne and canapes to celebrate the achievements of the incredible women within the Australian Defence Force and look to #breakthebias. Sydney Legacy’s special event will also feature Defence Ambassador for the Australian Capital Territory, Brigadier Alison Creagh AM CSC (Ret’d), as the keynote speaker. Alison retired from the Australian Army in March 2015, following 30 years of dedicated service, and now focuses on supporting veterans, defence industry and promoting cybersecurity through a number of board positions. Alison will be sharing her incredible personal and professional stories as well as hosting a Q&A session. Much of her work is similar to the wonderful work Sydney Legacy does to support families of Australian service women and men. Sydney Legacy was formed in 1926 and has for more than 90 years, ‘kept the promise’ to care for our veteran’s families. Offering support in the form of income support, school-aged education support, as well as a community for the families of our veterans. Proceeds from the Legacy in the Park International Women’s Day event will go towards funding this continued support. When: 8th March 2022, 4pm-6pm Dress code: Business casual Tickets are $45 (+booking fees) and are available via the Legacy website

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: Celebrate International Women's Day in Sydney with this one-off event to #breakthebias, International Women's Day Sydney, IWD

Powerhouse Museum Sydney brings back Powerhouse Late

by James Banham

Posted: 08/02/2022

Get your inner art geek ready: Powerhouse Late is back! Running every Thursday night until 30 June, Powerhouse Late is a free program of live music, film screenings, workshops, talks and exhibition tours, with featured artists including Biliirr, Rainbow Chan, Corin, Lachy Doley, JOY, Del Lumanta, POOKIE, Slaysians, Queer Screen, Ziggy Ramo and Yeo. Throughout the series, Jordan Gogos, founder of fashion label Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, will present a large-scale installation at the museum entrance while Powerhouse Creative Industry Resident FBi Radio will curate music for an exclusive Powerhouse Late Bar outside on the forecourt. Located close by to the heart of Sydney in Ultimo, Powerhouse is renowned museum of art and science, innovation and design, bringing some of the best of what the human mind can do to the public. Discover more at the Powerhouse Museum website.

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

Tags: Powerhouse Late museum Sydney, powerhouse museum, Powerhouse Museum Sydney brings back Powerhouse Late, Powerhouse Sydney

NGV’s latest acquisition: Lavinia Fontana’s Mystic marriage of St Catherine, c. 1575

by James Banham

Posted: 08/02/2022

The first woman painter of Europe of massive repute – just before everyone’s favourite Artemisia Gentileschi – Lavinia Fontana won plenty of prestigious commissions and became the first woman admitted into the illustrious guild for painters in Rome, the Accademia di San Luca. If Italian Baroque is your period, then you’ll no doubt rejoice in the generously acquired Fontana’s Mystic marriage of St Catherine, c. 1575, making the first painting by this important artist to enter a public collection in Australia and brings a new perspective to the NGV’s strong holdings of Italian Baroque paintings. More about Lavinia Fontana Fontana established her reputation by producing portraits and small devotional works, such as Mystic marriage of St Catherine. This painting illustrates a vision experienced by the Christian martyr, St Catherine of Alexandria (c. 287 – c. 305 CE), in which she consecrated herself to Christ. Catherine lived in Egypt when it was under Roman rule and was persecuted for her Christian beliefs. In a desperate act to change her faith, Emperor Maxentius tried to make Catherine marry him, but she refused him and dedicated herself to Christ. Many of Fontana’s early works featured strong and powerful women from ancient mythology and Christian history. As well as St Catherine, St Elisabeth, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary, she also painted the Old Testament heroine Judith in the act of beheading Holofernes, and the goddess Venus. Fontana was actively encouraged by her parents to be an artist – an extraordinarily enlightened act for the time. Her father, Prospero Fontana, was her teacher… Read More

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE

Tags: c. 1575, Italian Baroque art, Lavinia Fontana, ngv melbourne, NGV's latest acquisition: Lavinia Fontana’s Mystic marriage of St Catherine

Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms are open this July – October 2022: get tickets now

by James Banham

Updated: 16/11/2022

In the 70th year of Her Majesty’s reign, if ever there was a time to throw some money at the Royal Collection and celebrate the longest-running reign of any British Monarch ever, it’s now. And though most of the Palace isn’t accessible to the public – because it’s the HQ of the Monarchy and residence of Her Majesty herself – amongst other reasons, the opportunity to visit the sumptuous State Rooms in Buckingham Palace is returned after its Covid hiatus. It’s quite an experience – which you can read more about here – taking a trip back in time through the halls and rooms, frequented by countless Monarchs, world leaders and special visitors to the Queen. With such standouts as the gigantic malachite urn presented to Queen Victoria by Tsar Nicholas I in 1839 – renowned as one of the largest examples outside Russia – and architectural marvel you don’t see every day, the State Rooms are must-see stops in the Palace for British and visitors alike. The year 2022 is an especially standout year for the Palace, for obvious reasons and so, the public exhibition will take a particularly close look at the special display Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession looking at The Queen’s Accession to the throne in February 1952. On display will be examples from the remarkable series of portraits taken by Dorothy Wilding, that formed the basis of The Queen’s image on stamps and in British embassies across the world until 1971. Also featured will be The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which… Read More

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, LIFESTYLE, LONDON, TRAVEL

Tags: Buckingham Palace State Rooms, Buckingham Palace's State Rooms are open this July October get tickets now, Queen's State Rooms, State Rooms Buckingham Palace, State Rooms London, Visit Buckingham Palace

Melbourne cafe: Repeat Offender in Elwood back with a bang

by James Banham

Updated: 16/11/2022

Elwood in Melbourne is idyllic. Popular, but chill; quiet ,but bustling; friendly, but cool. Which is exactly why Elwood local, Repeat Offender is back with a bang this summer. With a whole new menu and a brand new look to the venue, Repeat Offender’s bringing back all the joy that existed in the local area before being forced to shut down for nine months thanks to the pandemic. Running at full capacity and delivering its most flavoursome menu to date – which also happens to be 100% gluten-free – it’s the new cafe to visit for quality plates of truffle tacos, chorizo croquettes and jackfruit fritas. And much more. Oh and for those who are in the mood for a little more adult beverages choices; two words: there’s margaritas. Think: nine unique flavours to sip on including coconut, spicy and grapefruit to take the edge off a long week. Or put the edge on the next one to come. To make a booking, see more of the menu or just check out what’s in-store, head to the Repeat Offender website

Category: AUSTRALIAN FOOD, CITIES, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE

Tags: Elwood Melbourne cafe, Elwood Repeat Offender cafe, Melbourne cafe Repeat Offender in Elwood back with a bang, Repeat Offender cafe

ARTS & CULTURE

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Experience break dancing like never before this MAy

24/04/2024

By James Banham

Get ready to experience the ultimate celebration of hip hop culture, innovation, and artistry at Breakin’ Convention 2024. An international festival of Hip Hop dance theatre, it’ll be taking over Sadler’s Wells in Islington this coming May Bank Holiday. Enthusiastically helmed by the visionary UK hip hop maker and Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director Jonzi D, this festival has become a beacon for fans and creators of hip hop from around the globe. The excitement is palpable as we gear up for two days packed with jaw-dropping performances, interactive workshops, and live music that promise to electrify the Sadler’s Wells venues on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May. With an extraordinary lineup featuring international sensations like Femme Fatale (USA), Sons of Wind (France), and Jinjo crew (South Korea), alongside groundbreaking UK acts such as TRAPLORD, Boy Blue, and When Time Was New, this festival is set to showcase the dynamic and diverse world of hip hop dance theatre. Attendees of all ages can look forward to a vast array of activities including spectacular dance performances, bespoke graffiti workshops, freestyle sessions, and even live DJs sessions that guarantee to keep the energy high and the spirit of hip hop alive throughout the entire building. Not to mention, the festival coincides with the historic moment of breaking becoming an official Olympic sport at the Paris Olympics, adding an extra layer of exhilaration to the festivities. Beyond the performances, Breakin’ Convention 2024 invites audiences to engage directly with the hip hop community through unique events such as the Tiny… Read More

Opera Australia orchestrates a new era with Matthieu Arama as Concertmaster

24/04/2024

By James Banham

In a move that marks a significant milestone in its illustrious history, Opera Australia has announced the appointment of the renowned French violinist Matthieu Arama as the new Concertmaster of the Opera Australia Orchestra (OAO). This announcement follows an exhaustive global search, culminating in Mr. Arama’s selection, a testament to his extraordinary talent and leadership abilities. Set to join the OAO in August of this year, Arama brings with him a wealth of experience as the current Concertmaster of the Opéra National de Bordeaux, coupled with an impressive track record of performances with some of the world’s most distinguished conductors. View this post on Instagram A post shared by matthieu arama (@matthieu_arama) Arama’s role will be pivotal in steering the OAO towards achieving artistic brilliance across its broad annual repertoire, which spans over 250 opera, ballet, musical theatre, and concert performances for Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet. His recent engagements as Guest Concertmaster for Opera Australia on iconic productions such as La Traviata and Swan Lake, alongside The Australian Ballet, and a solo recital featuring opera and ballet excerpts, underscore his extraordinary versatility and musicianship. The enthusiasm within the OAO is palpable, with Acting Concertmaster Huy-Nguen Bui expressing excitement over welcoming Arama to the helm. “The OAO is excited to welcome an exceptional violinist and musician as our new Concertmaster. We look forward to reaching the highest levels of music-making through Mr. Arama’s artistic leadership,” said Bui. This sentiment is echoed by Opera Australia’s CEO Fiona Allan, Artistic Director Jo Davies, The Australian Ballet’s… Read More

Lauren Brincat When Do I Breathe 2024. Performer Jasmin Lancaster. Photographer Zan Wimberley. Courtesy of the artist

Public performance in Randwick Sydney by artist Lauren Brincat

22/04/2024

By James Banham

This week, the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct will experience an exceptional infusion of art and community spirit through a public performance by the celebrated multidisciplinary artist Lauren Brincat. Scheduled for one-night only, on Wednesday, 24 April 2024, Brincat’s performance marks the launch of the new Laneway Art Program. This initiative, commissioned by the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct and supported by Transport for NSW’s Safer Cities program, seeks to enhance perceptions of safety for women, girls, and gender diverse people navigating the streets and laneways of the Precinct. Brincat, along with Rochelle Haley, another leading Australian artist, has been entrusted with the mission to improve night-time connectivity and comfort within the precinct through performance-based and site-specific artwork. Both artists have engaged directly with health workers in the area to shape their projects, aiming to make the public spaces more welcoming and to strengthen the sense of community, safety, and inclusiveness across the site. The artwork, titled When do I breathe?, is an ambitious collaboration with sound artist Evelyn Ida Morris, UNSW Choral Director Sonia Maddock, and choreographer Charmene Yap. It invites the public to actively participate in shaping new paths across the precinct, offering a unique experience that encompasses three activation sites within the UNSW Kensington and the hospital precinct. The performance, beginning at 5:00 pm on the UNSW Scientia Lawn, is a reflection on the interconnectedness of local communities, especially those separated by differing work shifts and daily rhythms. Aiming to reclaim public space through collective action, When do I breathe? presents an… Read More

Good news for National Gallery London: Eva Gonzalès piece acquired

22/04/2024

By James Banham

On the occasion of the artist’s 177th birthday on Friday 19th April, the National Gallery has acquired La Psyché (The Full-length Mirror), about 1869-70, by Eva Gonzalès (1849-1883) thanks to three generous legacy gifts from Mrs Martha Doris Bailey, Miss Gillian Cleaver, and Ms Sheila Mary Holmes, and the National Gallery Trust. This is the first acquisition by the Gallery of a work by Gonzalès and the second acquisition of its Bicentenary year. La Psyché has not been seen in public for over seventy years and joins only one other painting by her in a UK public collection, The Donkey Ride, about 1880?2, at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Gonzalès is the 20th female artist represented in the National Gallery Collection, marking a significant addition. The story of Gonzalès’s reputation, during and after her life, reflects some of the reasons why women artists are not well represented in the National Gallery. These include being offered fewer opportunities in life and the lack of interest shown, consciously or not, in works by women artists by collectors of the era and onwards, from whose acquisitions the National Gallery’s own collection was assembled. During her lifetime Gonzalès was an established artist who exhibited multiple times to acclaim at the official Paris Salon. She was the only official pupil of Edouard Manet (1832-83), with whom she studied from 1869. Gonzalès likely painted La Psyché around the same time that Manet was painting his portrait of her, Eva Gonzalès (1870). That work, in the Gallery collection, was the focal point of the recent exhibition, Discover Manet & Eva… Read More

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Shooshfest: Australia’s first ever silent short film competition

17/04/2024

By James Banham

Australia’s Shooshfest, an inaugural silent short film competition, invites diverse creators to innovate in storytelling sans speech. Promising an immersive experience, it will connect with audiences, honour silent film and catalyse cinematic culture.