Sydney Festival 2015 Event Map

With the weather heating up and the line up just announced, it’s time to jump on board the Sydney Festival train!

From the city centre to the Greater West, we’ve planned an action packed eighteen days, with something for everyone this summer.

We’ve come up with a new way to explore your Festival – decide on your own route: interchange, take an express or multiple trips on your Multipack.

View all events - http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2015/all

Season of Love Hot Deal | Aspire Hotel Sydney

Aspire Hotel Sydney is celebrating the beginning of Spring with this Season of Love Hot Deal.

Relax on your own private balcony and enjoy the tranquil surroundings. 

Many of the balconies offer city views of the Central CBD to neighbourhood surrounds.

This Season of Love Hot Deal includes accommodation for up to 2 guests, with a botte of wine and chocolates on arrival.

*Valid for stays until 30th November 2014.

Stay close to all the action whilst enjoying the peace and quiet of this tranquil Sydney location, just a short walk to some of Sydney’s major tourism attractions such as Darling Harbour & Cockle Bay Wharf with a variety of restaurants & bars, the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Fish Markets, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, Paddy’s Market, China Town and Sydney’s Entertainment Centre (Now known as Qantas Credit Union Arena).

Aspire Hotel Sydney also offers on-site secure under cover parking (charge) and 24 hour reception. Buffet Breakfast is available daily from 6.30am to 9.30am for only $15.00 per person.

BOOKING URL: http://www.aspire-hotel-sydney.bookings.metrohotels.com.au/season-of-love-accommodation-hot-deal

India’s Narendra Modi to Star at Sydney’s Allphones Arena

Since becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi has performed in New York’s storied Madison Square Garden and played drums on stage in Japan.

His next big-ticket venue: Sydney’s Allphones Arena this November.

Mr. Modi will address what is expected to be a sell-out crowd at the 21,000-seat venue in Australia’s financial and commercial capital on Nov. 17 during his four-day trip to the country for the G20 summit in Brisbane.

Organizers say it will eclipse the prime minister’s biggest gig so far, when he spoke to a crowd of 18,000 people, mostly Indian-Americans, at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 28.

“This will be bigger and better,” said Balesh Singh Dhankhar one of the organizers of the reception for Mr. Modi. The Allphones Arena, built for the 2000 Olympics, “has more grandeur” than Madison Square Garden, he added.

The stadium in Manhattan is famous for hosting some of the biggest names in entertainment, like the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and “The Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

The Allphone Arena also hosts musical acts and boxing matches. In the same month as Mr. Modi’s visit, The Rolling Stones and Katy Perry will play the arena and an Ultimate Fighting Championship event will take place there. 

Australia is home to around 350,000 people who were born in India, according to the latest census data from 2011. 

That was a 90% increase on the number recorded in the census in 2006, but a tenth the size of the Indian-American community in the United States.

After Mr. Modi’s speech in New York, people in Australia began asking when he would come here, said Mr. Dhankhar, a spokesman for the Indian Australian Community Foundation that is helping put on the event that was conceived only three weeks ago.

Some 14,000 people have registered in the first two and a half days of registration, according to the organizers. It will be broadcast live on Indian television channels.

“We invited Mr. Modi and said the Indian diaspora in Australia is very eager to see him,” Mr. Dhankhar added.

Tickets for the Sydney event are free and the show will start around 5.30p.m., but further details of the spectacle are under wraps right now, Mr. Dhankhar said. 

“There are a number of cultural and exciting events before the speech that would be a surprise for the audience in India and Australia. These will be wider and more surprising that at Madison Square Gardens.”

Club Swizzle | Sydney Opera House January 2014

Leave your coat and your hang-ups at the door and let the hardest working middle-aged man in show business lead you to your table.

The scent of last night’s revelry hangs in the air, hinting at what’s to come. Oh, if only you knew. This is Club Swizzle, and tonight, like every night, will be unlike any other.

After three sell-out seasons of La Soiree at the Sydney Opera House, and a rampaging run around the world, its creators return this summer with a brand new show. Loose, raw and glorious, Club Swizzle is a night of demented entertainment where the crazy gets kicked up a notch.

In the depths of the Opera House Studio, the most depraved and devious souls in show business gather around a bar where legends are made. It’s a melee of obscene cabaret, outrageous acrobatics and infectious revelry, all backed by a band with a repertoire as big as their bar tab.

Hanging onto the reigns of the chaos is Murray Hill; the man who “puts the ‘king’ back in f#*king funny”. Direct from New York, Mr Showbiz himself will corral this rollicking bevy of entertainers and keep things (only just) this side of decent.

With no stage, no rules and no regrets, there’s no place quite like it. So order yourself something stiff and get ready to dive into the deep end of debauchery at Club Swizzle.

The doors open early so come and join us for a cheeky drink at the bar pre-show .

Note: Drinks packages will be available for sale in late November.

Club Swizzle is being performed from 09 January 2015 to 15th February 2015

View Source for more information

Food and Fashion Markets in Sydney

No matter where you're staying in Sydney, take time to visit one of the city's lively markets.

Head to The Rocks to enjoy a colourful market scene in the area’s quaint cobblestone laneways. Sample a wide range of Australian-made gourmet produce at The Rocks Foodies Market held every Friday.  Numerous food stalls will delight your tastebuds with everything from Turkish gozleme to barbequed salmon, and gourmet sausages to mini cupcakes. The Rocks Markets are held every Saturday and Sunday and feature more than 200 stalls. Discover emerging designers of fashion and accessories, locally-produced homewares, and original photography, art and crafts.

The city's biggest produce market is the Sydney Markets, incorporating the Sydney Growers Market, Sydney Flower Market and Sydney Produce Market which is located at Flemington. With a history that reaches back as far as 1788, these markets have something for everyone, and a family-friendly atmosphere. Close to Sydney Olympic Park, the Sydney Markets at Flemington are easily accessed by bus, train, or car.

Paddy's Markets at Haymarket is another great option, located near Chinatown. Open from Thursday to Sunday every week, these colourful markets are only a short stroll from Darling Harbour and Pyrmont.

Alternatively, if you're looking for a funky inner-city market showcasing Sydney's artistic side, Glebe Markets, Rozelle Weekend Markets, and Paddington Markets offer handmade jewellery, vintage clothing, second hand books, records, shoes, furniture and more. Open every Saturday, these markets are perfect for anyone with a creative streak.

And if you're staying near Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, the Bondi Markets are held every Sunday in the beachfront grounds of Bondi Beach Public School. Not only will you find arts, crafts, jewellery, homewares, furniture and clothes galore, but this is the place to discover Australia's hottest new designers. Come and enjoy the friendly seaside atmosphere all while enjoying a delicious sausage sizzle at one of Sydney's most beautiful locations.

Outside the city, there are Farmers' Markets being held regularly around country NSW. Sample the locally-grown produce and delights such as wine, cheese and honey from the areas around Mudgee, Orange, Dubbo, and Wagga Wagga, all while enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. 

Find out More

Tourism Set to Cash In On Big Summer For International Sport

An unprecedented summer of international sport is set to boost Canberra's tourist numbers after a major decline in business stays and spending in the past year.

With seven Asian Cup football games including a quarter final, three cricket World Cup games and an extra one day International in November, Canberra's tourism boss expected locals to be joined by a mass of regional and international visitors for the sporting feast.

VisitCanberra director Ian Hill said it would be the strongest summer of sport the city had enjoyed. 

"Two absolutely world class events, and I certainly know tickets for those cricket World Cup games have been selling really well."

The National Visitor Survey released last month showed visitor nights were down 790,000 in the domestic business sector for the year to June, a drop of 37.5 per cent. Overall domestic nights were down 16.4 per cent and expenditure down 11.4 per cent, or $14 million. 

International visitor nights also fell 12 per cent, or 570,000 nights, in the same period, with expenditure down 6 per cent.

Mr Hill said the tourism authority was working closely with hoteliers and organisations elsewhere to help them package and promote events.  

"One of those [Asian Cup] games is a China [vs] Korea game; China don't play in Sydney and there's a big group of Chinese background people who live in Sydney, so we're working with some of the multicultural media in Sydney," he said. 

The tourism chief said the key to maximising the windfall for Canberra was ensuring visitors saw other attractions  during their stay, and a rejuvenated cultural and hotel scene would help.

"Places like Braddon are important, Lonsdale Street Roasters is an important place, New Acton, and with new hotels like Hotel Hotel, Peppers has just rebranded, we've seen QT do a fit out at Rydges, the Kurrajong is about to reopen after being refitted – a great location for visitors in the Parliamentary Triangle. I think visitors are seeing a new side of Canberra," Mr Hill said. 

Mr Hill said stories on last week's OECD finding that Canberra was the world's best city to live in,  trumpeted in the New York Times and elsewhere, helped spread the word. 

The Australian Hotels Association ACT recently told ABC TV that occupancy rates were at about 65 per cent, down from the same time last year, but investment was strong, with another 500-600 hotel rooms available by mid-next year. 

Fireworks In October at Habourside, Sydney

Fireworks In October at Habourside, Sydney

See fabulous fireworks light up the Sydney night sky at Harbourside in Darling Harbour.

You don’t have to wait for big occasions like New Year’s Eve to see fireworks in Sydney.

Head to Harbourside in Darling Harbour and you’ll see fireworks most Saturday nights. Why? Because it’s the weekend and it’s time to party!

With more than 24 bars and restaurants, state-of-the-art entertainment venues and magnificent waterfront views, Harbourside is a great spot for a romantic meal, entertaining the family and partying with friends.

Relax, have fun and feast on your favourite food while the spectacular fireworks turn the night sky red, green, blue and all the other colours of the rainbow.

Upcoming Fireworks Dates:

Saturday 4, 8.30pm
Saturday 11, 9.15pm
Saturday 18 and 25 October, 9pm

Harbourside Shopping Centre, Darling Harbour, NSW, 2000

www.harbourside.com.au