Category: CITIES

Sydney Mardi Gras: Fair Day is back and it's gay

Fair Day 1

Get your tongues ready for poppin’, fans ready for sashaying and deaths ready for droppin’; Sydney’s Fair Day is back for Mardi Gras. At Victoria Park, as per usual, Fair Day will overtake the green to the tune of over 80,000 LGBTIQ people and their friends. The stage is set to host Jess B, Jamarz On Marz, Jamaica Moana and Hoodzy, electric live sets from Ngaiire, Bec Sandridge, Architects Of Sound and Huntly, show stopping drag performances by Felicia Foxx, plus sets from beloved community DJs Division 4, Danielle Rizk and Victoria Anthony, hosted by Faustina Agolley, so get excited. Bring your dog, bring your gaggle, bring your colour and celebrate inclusivity and diversity. It’s on 16 February from 10am-9pm. See more here.

There's a new way to drink: the Leakproof water bottle

Leakproof 1

Summer in the UK might be over, but just because the sun’s hidden for the next bit, doesn’t mean the need to keep on top of your outdoor health has gone away, right? Running around a city like London takes a lot out of you. So hydration’s key. Which is why the likes of Leakproof is a must. Their latest drop, the ION8 Leakproof Water Bottle helps to keep just so, with up to 500ml capacity. It makes for a gym, fitness and outdoor water buddy, and just life in general. Also, with a soft touch frosted exterior, its scratch resistance makes it super practical for exploring and those busy working dads on the go. Open at just the touch of a button, the flip top effortlessly springs open with a single push, meanwhile the added lid lock follows clicking reassuringly into place – 100% leak proof, 100% of the time! Check it – and the whole range – out at the Leakproof website.

Lumas does street art: Haring and Basquiat join what's on offer

Lumas art

Lumas Australia have stepped it up a bit, putting on new additions by established and emerging new artists, amongst them Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose works are being exhibited at the National Gallery Victoria later this year. Why? Well, their decision’s inspired by responses to the urban street culture of the 1980s, Haring and Basquiat are celebrated for the social commentary their artworks provided for their time. And now, LUMAS galleries are known for their edition pieces by Pop Art icons including Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, alongside some of the 20th century’s most classic artworks at a fraction of the cost. Think colour, compositions of movement, energy, excitement and street culture, all combined into the canvases that live on the gallery walls. Oh, not to mention Damien Hirst being added to their portfolio. In his medical and pharmaceutical inspired series “The Cure”, the soft pastel colours and uniform patterns of coloured pills are contrasted against the subject of individual control. Hirsts’ intriguing and colourful art is ambivalent, revolving around a central focal point in his thinking: managing to give death a smile by celebrating life through his art. It’s all worth a look. Head to Lumas in Australia or their website.

Time to limber up, bitches: Sissy Ball is dipping into Enmore this Sydney Mardi Gras

VogueBall website

Category is: Whatever you fucking want! Back, more bold and fierce than ever, Australia’s pre-eminent vogue ball, Sissy Ball is returning for the 2020 Sydney Mardi Gras. It came, it saw, it served cunt; and this year’s she’s back again, 22 Feb at Enmore Theatre. The Sissy Ball’s all about self-expression, identity, fluidity and finesse and this year’s event is set to showcase the Asia Pacific’s ballroom scene featuring legendary house battles, live music, DJs and phenomenal performing artists. Houses and individual entrants will vogue off for the chance to win Sissy Ball’s seven coveted category titles. On the local front, competing houses include House of Slé, led by house mother Bhenji Ra. Slé’s members include Western Sydney-based artists with cultural and urban skill sets, all belonging to the greater Asia Pacific diaspora. They walk alongside House of Silky, one of Oceania’s leading kiki vogue houses, Melbourne’s original House of Dévine, House of IMAN, headed by house mother Jaycee Baybee, as well as New Zealand based House AITU, plus up-and-coming stars of the local ballroom scene. Categories and more to be announced soon – keep an eye out! Get in quick, third release tickets are on sale now and selling fast!

Pride Melbourne: Midsumma turned up the rainbow in St Kilda

Midsumma Melbourne Pride

Twenty-five years on and with nothing but the joy and campness of what it is to be LBGTIQ in the 21st century to fuel it, Pride is overtaking Melbourne again. With the annual Pride March heading down Fitzroy Street to Catani Gardens, over 10,500 people are expected to march with spectators and crowds expected to reach over 45,000. With all the regulars like Dykes on Bikes, and the march being lead by Boon Wurrung Elders and a Rainbow Aboriginal Float, it’s an inclusive celebration of equality that you want to be apart of. Find it all on 2 February from 11am – 4pm at Catani Gardens for the Summa Pride Stage hosting performances by Laura Imbruglia, DJ Semi Precious and Porpoise Spit, food and beverages and plenty of entertainment. Find out more at Midsumma.

Australia Day in London: What the Sun Tavern's got going on

Sun Tavern

The Sun Tavern will, this Australia Day on Sunday 26th January, team up with Aussie brewers Stone & Wood and Antipodean Gin Masters, Four Pillars for a party the Australian way.  They’ll even donate £1 per drink sold to the Australian bushfire appeals. Stone & Wood, will be on the taps to give everyone who shows their Aussie passport a FREE beer. For something a little more shaken and stirred, Melbourne based Four Pillars gin have put together a special cocktail menu; which is nice. Think Irwin’s Remedy, with Four Pillars Navy Strenght Gin, Wattleseed Syrup, Sweet Vermouth and Citrus, a Knifey Spoon, with Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Lemon Myrtle, Citrus and Umbrella Brewing Cider and a Night Shazza, with Four Pillars Shiraz Gin, Ruby Port, Rose Vermouth and Amaro. Keeping the party going will be Australian Psych-Folk-Pop artists Tempesst, taking to the decks for the evening and bringing those Aussie tunes to east London.  Why not go along? Australia Day at The Sun Tavern Date: Sunday 26th January Time: 12pm – 12am Address: 441 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AN  Here’s the Sun Tavern website.

It’s okay to drink chilled red wine, but if you don’t believe us, ask the experts at Taylors Wines

Taylors Wines Summer House

Contrary to popular belief, you can enjoy a chilled, full-bodied red wine over summer. “Sacré bleu!,” we hear you say! But yes, it’s true. Gone are the days when red wines are said to be enjoyed best at room temperature, by the fireplace in the middle of winter.  And in fact, the concept of drinking wine at room temperature originates from Europe, where wines were kept in chilly cellars at ‘Europrean room temperatures’. The average room temperature in Australia is approximately 23 degrees, which is somewhat warmer than the chilly cellars of Europe, making it just that little too warm for the optimum serving temperature.  According to Taylors Wines, full-bodied reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz should actually be served at between 16 to 18 degrees celsius. If you prefer a lighter-bodied red such as Pinot Noir, it should be served at 12-14 degrees celsius. Experts at Taylors also say if red wine is served too warm, the alcohol will dominate and mask its subtle flavours. But if you need further convincing that drinking chilled red is actually okay, then it’s best you hear it from the experts at Taylors Wines, who are launching the Summer House of Shiraz – a 90-minute, temperature themed wine tasting experience at a stunning Point Piper venue overlooking Sydney Harbour. To access the venue, you will be transported to and from the Summer House via private water taxi from Rose Bay. The Summer House will open its doors and private jetty for two days, Saturday 7 December and… Read More

Cold coffee for a hot summer: Seven Miles Coffee Roasters do it right

Cold brew coffee

Cold brew coffee isn’t a new thing; but doing it right is. Seven Miles Coffee Roasters are pretty top notch when it comes to their brews, to the point where they’ve even managed to craft their own cold brew for the warmer months. Based in Manly NSW, they know a temperature-or-two, so the art of perfecting a refreshing cold drip – as opposed to your regular latte – is an acquired thing. The cold brew summer blend has the capacity to satisfy Aussies’ seasonal tastes – some of the highest standards in the world if you’ve ever tried they shit they call ‘coffee’ in the UK – with new blend is set to meet the ever-increasing demand for cold brew. Expertly roasted, blended and ground by the squad at Seven Miles, this new creation takes the guesswork out of cold brewing to give seasoned professionals and at-home baristas a helping hand, ensuring maximum flavour every time. Here’s the goods. And here’s how to make it.

The best French music festival, So Frenchy So Chic, coming to London

Camille at So Frenchy So Chic

Australia’s home-grown French pop festival So Frenchy So Chic will travel to London for the first time next year, bringing the best of French vocals to France’s neighbour. The inaugural So Frenchy So Chic London will take place on 5 September 2020 in the exquisite grounds of the World Heritage-listed Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich. So Frenchy So Chic is the only festival dedicated to French music outside French-speaking countries.  It started in Melbourne Australia, moved to Sydney and the festival that has hosted such vocal stunners as Camille – who headlined January’s all-female line-up – Émilie Simon, Moriarty, Lou Doillon, Féfé, The Dø, and Yelle, the festival’s heading home. For more and to get your tickets, go to the website.