WHAT'S ON Food, fashion and fire-breathing are all going down this week. Time to get around it.
BY: Kartya Vucetic
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re in the final days of July, which means we’re one month closer to winter being officially over. Too early to start celebrating? Probably.
It might be freezing, but that’s no excuse to go into social hiding. Especially when there’s lots to do in and around the town. Our pick this week would have to be FFWD Festival, where you’ll find food, booze, live music, and fashion that will be hard to rival anywhere else. Special mention to LIMBO The Return, too. Nothing like a bit of cabaret to get you past hump day and into the weekend, I say.
Anyway, I’ll shut up now. If you’re in desperate need of a weekday plan, consider yourself sorted. Here are the best things to do in Sydney this week.
FFWD Festival
If good food, great fashion, and live music are your kinda style, look no further than FFWD Festival this week. Kicking off on Thursday, the 4-day celebration will be hosted by fashion concept store Sorry Thanks I Love You. They’ll also be partnering with Icebergs Dining Head Chef Maurice Terzini, Mike Bennie from P&V, and Julian Hamilton from The Presets. In other words, it’s going to be one hell of a party. A $25 ticket will score you entry into the fashion market during the day, but it might be worth splurging a little more to nab your spot at the Opening Night celebration.
- When: Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 August
- Where: Machine Hall
- How much: From $25
- Check it out here.
LAST CHANCE FOR Dracula at the Sydney Theatre Company
Go on, have your goth moment. If you feel like treating yourself to some culture this month, book a ticket to Kip Williams’ theatrical adaptation of Dracula. The director’s latest iteration of the hybrid genre ‘cine-theatre’ should be interesting at the very least. Besides, if you’re going to go into full angsty mode you might as well do it under the guise of dinner and a show.
- When: Until Sunday 4 August
- Where: Roslyn Packer Theatre
- How much: From $70
- Check it out here.
LIMBO The Return
There’s nothing quite like a fire-breathing, gravity-defying spectacular to warm up the winter evenings. And thankfully, LIMBO The Return has us covered until mid-August. Combining cabaret, live music, dance, and acrobatics all in one, we just know it’s going to be wildly outrageous. Tickets are also pretty reasonable, starting from $55. The show is running for a strictly limited season so consider this your sign.
- When: Until Sunday 18 August
- Where: The Grand Electric, Surry Hills
- How much: From $59
- Check it out here.
$12 Paella Lunches @ Quay Quarter Lane
Calling all Sydney CBD corporates in North Face puffer vests, this one’s for you. Whoever said it was impossible to find a solid and reasonably priced lunch in the city just wasn’t trying hard enough. This month, the Basque-style pintxos bar in Circular Quay is slinging generous takeaway portions of seafood paella for just $12. Now you know.
- When: Every Thursday and Friday, lunchtime
- Where: Deux Frères, Quay Quarter Lanes
- How much: $12
- Check it out here.
Seaside Sauna Manly
Call me crazy, but it appears that sauna sessions have officially become the new alternative to drinking, drugs and sex amongst the Sydney Gen Z population. Good for them, I guess. If you lump yourself into this category, might I recommend you pop over to the Cedar and Salt pop-up Finnish sauna in Manly running until Spring? The uber-Scandi set up is situated on Manly’s Quarantine Beach, and has views that are hard to rival. Each sweat session will also only set you back $35, which is pretty reasonable compared to other places around town.
- When: Sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week until Spring
- Where: Cedar and Salt, Manly Quarantine Beach
- How much: From $35
- Check it out here.
Laozi’s Furnace @ White Rabbit Gallery
Our favourite (and free) Chippendale gallery is back this month with its new installation, Laozi’s Furnace. Artists featured in the exhibition explore Tang Dynasty alchemists and their quest for immortality, applying these principles and artistic techniques to a modern day environment. Definitely a strong rainy day option.
- When: Until November
- Where: White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale
- How much: Free
- Check it out here.