Once a year, thousands of people gather from all walks of life, to sit in a park together to watch…read morefilms made by 16 talented filmmakers.... this event is free, its fun and it's called Tropfest. This unique cultural event is the brainchild of John Polson. He created the festival which is now the largest film festival in the world! Basically filmmakers are given a key word which they have to incorporate into a 7 minute film - the top 16 get screened on the night and the filmmakers win awesome prizes and accolades... The films start in the evening and the program runs for about 3 hours... it's super fun and a wonderful way to spend the night.... Now there can be a fifty thousand people in the park - so may I offer a few suggestions to get the most out of the expereince. 1. Get public transport 2, Get there early if you want a good seat 3, Go with friends 4. Bring a picnic blanket 5. Bring clothes for changing weather incl for rain 6. Bring your own food because it's expensive 7. Bring a sense of adventure... Tropfest is one of my favourite times of the year and its a wonderful way to bring people together..... FUN FUN FUN...

As a film maker, I'm not much of a fan of Tropfest, but as a spectator and lover of entertainment,…read morethis is one of those must-go-to events of the year. Heading into its 20th year, the event has now spread to the US, Asia and the Middle East, having started as a one short-film showing in the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst. It now attracts around 150,000 to The Domain in the middle of February (next years festival will take place over 3 days, but the main showing takes place on the Sunday), so be sure to get there early to make sure you can get yourself a decent patch of grass. It's free to enter and if you get there early enough you'll also get to see the Mobile Screenfest and Junior Tropfest entries. The films have to be under 7 minutes long, so if you've got a poor concentration span, you should be ok with these. The 16 films are shown over around 3 hours, so it's a full evenings entertainment.

Aussie Music Festival! This was such an amazing time! Heaps…read moreof fun! The Newtown area took over one of their local parks, set up music stages and food trucks and rocked out! I absolutely had a great time! For a mere 5 bucks, you get a full day of entertainment and fun in the sun! There were a huge sampling of food trucks, beer booths, and beverage carts. They sold stuff that was much fancier than the regular fair fare. There were merchant booths selling everything from raunchy patches to Nepalese jewelry to boomerangs. They had lots of political activist groups educating the public on the dangers of fracking, the police, groups advocating for looser pub laws, and field hockey! You can even take classes on mulching and recycling! Restrooms were plentiful and clean. Drinking water was supplied for free as well. There was plenty of security and things felt safe. They sold plenty of beer- all locally made in the 'hood! There was a bag check at the gates, but they hardly did a good job of checking. After the festival was over, the party spills out on to the streets where the fun continues! If you're around for this festival, I highly recommend it.

Newtown Festival always seems to fall on the most humid day of November, year after year. Thus, a…read moreday at the festival involves a tonne of cold drinks, plenty of sunscreen (thankfully available from one stall every 50 metres), plenty of sunburn (no matter how you've tried to combat it) and oftena mild case of sunstroke. Plus, you may end up getting rained on at some point. But more often than not, it's worth it. Basically, Newtown festival is a giant market that takes up Newtown's iconic Camperdown Memorial Rest Park. At least 280 stalls stand shoulder to shoulder, selling and promoting everything from food and drinks (both alcoholic and non - I advise sticking to the non alcoholic early in the day to avoid the evil repercussions of the alcohol-heat combo) to skin cancer awareness stands (apt), hula hoop workshops, political activists, face painting, hula hooping, musical instruments, henna tattoos and plumbing services, as well as martial arts demonstrations, live theatre and street art, a writers' area and a huge kids contingent. Weaving your way through all these stalls will take hours - it's a slow and concerted effort making your way down the rows of stalls, each foot being placed carefully so as to not tread on someone elses as the entire population of the markets move as one like a slow motion school of fish. But once you've made your way to the end, you're rewarded with an open green in which to sit and listen to the line-up of local live bands on one of three stages and from experience, these bands are usually pretty good. The festival is free and it's a great way to sample what Newtown stands for whilst supporting the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Sunday 13th November 9:30am - 5:30pm

Glebe Street Fair is a one-day annual event in Glebe that brings the immediate and surrounding…read morecommunities together. Glebe Point Road comes alive with music, a live stage, food stalls, craft markets, entertainers and miscellaneous market stalls. You will find everything at a typical weekend market but on a much grander scale.There is something here for everyone. Glebe Street Fair is very kid friendly with many activities on offer to keep the younger generation entertained - a great day of family fun. Being in November, it is also the perfect place to pick up some Christmas gifts. And when you're done, why not reward yourself with a drink at one of the nearby pubs. Ah, what a perfect Sunday!

On November 20th, Glebe Point Road was closed down to traffic for some odd reason. I had no idea…read morewhat for. Was it construction? Did something explode? No, Paul, you're ridiculous (I say to myself in retrospect), it's to host the Glebe Street Fair! Taking place once per annum, it's an exciting event where dozens of vendors set up stalls in the middle of the street. There's over a kilometer of different stalls with ethnic food, handmade crafts, and nifty activities. I, along with hundreds of other people, descended into the street to check out the buzz. The fair has entertainment all day long, including attractions for kids, live music, and street performances. I was so intrigued by the amount of stalls here that sold practical and quirky things; I ended up making friends with a hammock salesman. Who'd have guessed? The performance I was most looking forward to was the unicyclist riding a super tall unicycle. Unfortunately, it started belting rain in the late afternoon, so I ran back home, disappointed once again at Mother Nature.

It's on now, till end of January! Live music in Hyde park, in the domain, djs around the city,…read moredance events, roller skating, etc. Check the website. Super vibrant!

Two years ago I interviewed people on the red carpet and went to the opening night and after party,…read morelast year I skipped that and I had an even better time. The Sydney Film Festival shows some outstanding films each year, some that go on to large distribution deals and so can be seen at a future date, but others, as amazing as they are do not secure a deal and thus can be near impossible to track down again. The film festival makes use of varying cinemas throughout Sydney, from the grandiose; such as the State Theatre, to the mainstream; like Event Cinemas on George Street; down to the independent, represented by the Dendy in Circular Quay. They provide a wide range of films in all different genres, with about ten films vying for the grand prize in the official competition. Occasionally the festival will even host the films director or cast for a Q & A after the screening. Tickets can be bought in ten packs, twenty packs, day or night passes or individually. There's always something on that is sure to suit your taste and it's well worth checking out the schedule and making a date to see an amazing film before it even enters the public consciousness. The festival runs in June each year and from what I understand, it's only going to get better.

Film buffs rejoice! The Sydney Film Festival (SFF) will soon be upon us. The SFF runs from 6-17…read moreJune 2012, and it's one of the longest running events of its kind in the world. The SFF brings the best new films from around the world, right here to Sydney. There are features from over 40 countries, short films, Australian films, documentaries and archive titles. The SFF also hosts a number of awards, such as the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films (which are Academy Award eligible), the FOXTEL Australian Documentary Awards and the Official Competition, which celebrates 'courageous and audacious filmmaking'. The SFF spans across the city, with films shown at locations such including: State Theatre, Sydney Film Festival Hub @ Lower Town Hall, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays, Art Gallery of NSW, Martin Place Amphitheatre, SFF Festival Lounge at Grasshopper, Apple Store. A host of Sydney restaurants have joined the celebration, offering $35 Dining Delight deals, exclusively for SFF patrons. Participating restaurants include: Caffe Sicilia, Chefs Gallery, The Cut Bar & Grill, Dome Restaurant, Etch, Gazebo Wine Garden, Glass Brasserie, Grasshopper Eating House and Bar, MOS Cafe, The Norfolk Hotel, Opera Bar, Otto Ristorante, Quarter Twenty One, Sake Restaurant & Bar, Sky Phoenix Chinese Restaurant, The Winery. You can buy Single Session Tickets (adults $18.50) or Flexipasses (from $137 - $347). So, make sure you check out the website and make the most of the SFF!

Everybody seemed to have a good time at Taste of Sydney. This is my view from a casual dinner…read morelooking for a memorable experience. First observation is that, it's more of an alcohol festival than an eating one. Almost half of is wine and liquor with one quarter coconut water and lastly 25% of stuff that you can actually eat. Value My biggest gripe is the overall value of the offering. I don't expect freebies, but these restaurants must have made a killing. Charging a range from 150% to 300% or more of their restaurant menu, it is certainly better to book a table and eat in the comfort of their respective restaurants. Easy to be critical of them, without knowing the festival fees but their is no value in the food they sell. The following do leave a sour after-taste: * Fast food version of their usual standard in terms of quality * Premium price for fast food version - usual stuff was at least $12/crowns and the really interesting dishes that I wanted to try were $20+/crowns for minuscule portions and/or sold out anyways. * Expensive entry fee * No seating * Long queues for anything good Quality of restaurants Unknown chef or more a cook from Rojo Rocket who demos how to make... guacamole in a two minute session, seriously? (probably just a bad session, but still it put me off). What next? How to fold a burrito? Quality of participating restaurants has gone been declining over the last four years, sure some have one or two so called hats but most of them are unknowns that should not be commending those prices with the exposure they are getting. Payment Crowns? non-transparent way for making attendees waste and overspend. No easy way to check your balance and knowing how much is really being deducted. Conclusion These are neither the best restaurants nor best chefs in Sydney. What kind of business model is this? where entry is at least $20-30 and on top of that, charge a premium for the fast food versions of the restaurant menu? If you do decide go next year to, set aside at least $150 per person and it still might not be satisfying. End of the day, I will not be in a hurry to visit any of these restaurants. On the other hand, you will probably have a blast if you have no expectations and just going drinking, chilling with some mates. However if you were looking for a culinary experience this is the wrong event for you. @thesydneynoob

I love Taste of Sydney. We go every year…read more Funnily enough, I often do not get to try some of the tasting plates, because I become so involved with talking to the producers. I absolutely love people who are passionate about what they are doing, what they believe in, and their achievements and pride in their produce. This year's stand out, for me, was from a company called Dickens' delights. Their Almond toffee with Milk Chocolate had me swooning! OHHH MYYY GODDD!! Slightly, almost kinda, but not quite, burnt toffee with crunchy nuts and a bit of coconut, complimented by a coconut and chocolate base.Hold me back! Pretty sure I could eat my own weight in this stuff! Hurry up! It closes tomorrow! (Sunday 13 March 2016)

Really good experience you will have for spending your afternoon at Leichhardt…read more So many food stall, from ribs, bangers, burgers, gelato and coffee. Oh, that's right, I forget the juices for adult, wine and alcohol! They are promoting Peroni, since this us Italian village festival. Bangers are nice, you guys can check from social media #the fancy banger. Gelato are nice too $4.50 for the single scoop. The beef ribs are cook to perfection, fall of the bones. Sauce is deep and rich so delicate. Come and check them out, the are finishing at 5 pm this afternoon.

Sydney Winter Festival has been running for three years now and it is a wonderful addition to the…read morecity. In Sydney it seems that when the weather gets cooler, people tend to hibernate. They go out way less than Melbournians who seem to have Winter socialising perfected. This festival is a fab way to celebrate life even when its freezing. A huge ice skating rink is situated first in Bondi and then in the middle of the city, during July and August. Reminiscent of New York or Amsterdam, it gets people experiencing Winter activities rather than only the usual Summer beauty of the beaches. The rink is surrounded by food stalls from around the globe and a traditional European winter feast isn't complete without a warm mug of Glühwein, Mulled Wine. Step off the ice rink and succumb to the wafting scent of woodfired pizza and there is pasta made from scratch and Italian desserts as well. Dutch Poffertjes, similar to a pikelet and about the size of an Aussie 50 cent piece.Traditionally Poffertjes are served hot with butter and icing sugar. Or you can decide between maple & golden syrup, honey, lemon, jam, chocolate sauce and fresh cream and cinnamon. French Crêpes, sweet or savoury, are cooked to order. Argentinean BBQ, Swiss Gourmet food, Waffles, German food, the list goes on. What ever you do step off the rink and get yourself a free Chai Latte. There are some wonderful events to behold during the Winter Festival so check updates on the website. Last Winter they had Ice hockey games and Figure skating. Until then, get ready to get your skates on!

Sydney is a summer city but thankfully the Winter Festival is bringing us a bit of joy too! Set up…read moreat Cathedral Square the ice skating rink is hugely popular for people of all ages and stages. The rink is dominated by bright orange skates - people nervously putting one foot in front of the other. Avoid going at 6PM when families are out in masses so you won't be able to move. If you go later in the evening you can make a night of it - grab a drink at the bar and some hot food from one of the market stalls. It really makes a great night out, even in the freezing cold.

Horrible. Obviously scripted. Unwatchable. I want my hour back…read more They do fake cooking advice (the hollandaise was way too hard and looked like crap). People are leaving in droves

I went for the first time to this event at the Genesee theatre. I paid for the VIP experience and…read morearrived at 5:45 as instructed and got to meet the chefs and take photos and ask questions. It was off to a great start. During the show they were having major problems with the overhead camera. So we missed a lot of what was going on as they were cooking. I did think that the people in VIP would get the samples of food. But it was a frenzy. People were running from everywhere into the VIP area and taking the food samples. It was very unorganized and crazy. No Ushers said anything and let it happened repeatedly. Plus they also came out and took photos during intermission so we honestly could have just got the regular priced tickets and got the same experience.