Community Billboard 24th to the 30th of August

For all you blues fans out there, or those just looking for a night of great music from a variety of artists together, check out "The Basement Blues Society" event "Sydney's Finest Blues Guitarists & Singers".

The artists on the night will be Illya Swec, George Rigatos, Matt Ross, Paul O’Brien & Simon Kinney-Lewis - five local artists who have taken deep rhythm & blues inspirations from early U.S and British legends such as Clapton, SRV, Freddie King, BB King, and Al Green plus lots more.

Boogie on down to these sounds on a night that will surely be one full of entertainment, as the venue has never before brought together so much local talent onto one stage. At the end there will be an all in jam that will be sure to get you in the mood to party the night away.

When: Friday 28th August, 7:00pm–1:00am.

Where: The Basement, 7 Maquarie Place, Circular Quay, 2000.

Cost: $19.20.
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Another great arts event that is happening in the Eastern Suburbs is "Artbank Social Club's Annual Day" as it returns for another year of art, food, music and performances.

Artbank are an Australian Government support program that acquires the work of living, Australian contemporary artists. Altogether their collection is around 10,000 artworks.

On this particular day you have the opportunity to get a look behind the scenes and gain access to their store of 3269 artworks.

This year "Artbank" are also introducing the "Artbank Social Club Market Place". They have invited five of their friends they think are doing some really cool stuff to set up a stall to show you what's on offer so it's going to be even bigger and better than previous years.

The great concept of "Artbank" is that 100% of the revenue that they generate goes back into supporting artists so its a win win for everyone.

When: Saturday 29th August.

Where: Artbank Sydney, 198-222 Young Street, Waterloo, 2017.

Cost: Free.

It would be hard to say that the Sydney Harbour isn't Sydney's best feature, whether you commute over the bridge daily, or gather in the thousands at special events, either way it is a wonderful sight. If the harbour interests you and you would like to find out more then go along to "The Fantasea Harbour Hike".

The event is an annual 12 km walking event in support of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, that takes place along one of the most picturesque, but least known walks in Sydney. A great day out for all the family to get some fresh air and to learn things you might not have known about the harbour of your city.

The 12 km course is an easy to moderate walk taking around 2.5 to 3.5 hours weaving along the spectacular Harbour foreshore to Chowder Bay. Hike past beautiful tree lined streets, historic federation homes, exploring hidden coves and beaches and waterside walkways, learn the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of Sydney Harbour, with "SIMS" scientists dotted along the course to fill you in.

At the finish line there will be kids' activities if they are still full of energy after the walk and also food stalls plus an exclusive glimpse inside the brand new "SIMS Discovery Centre". After the event all hikers are invited to take a free ferry ride back to the start line at Kirribilli.

When: Sunday 30th August, 8am.

Where: Sydney Harbour Foreshore - Kirribilli to Chowder Bay.

Cost: Adult $35, Child $25.

Hard Things to Talk About is a dinner series exploring the issues we really want to talk about but rarely do.
Take a leap into the unknown and sit down at a dinner table to discuss anything from fear, death, mistakes, sex, taboos, our dark side, the future, hope, the end of the world and consciousness.

The subject that will be looked into on this particular occasion is an immersive exploration of bias, that will be brought to life by the much-loved chef O Tama Carey, named "Time Out’s Chef of the Year" in 2014.

An evening of a five-course menu including matched wines while also questioning how do our biases form: Are they ever good? And how do we break them down and open ourselves up to the unknown? It is sure to be a different dinning experience from your traditional sit down, but may answer a lot for you.

When: Sunday 30th Monday 31st August from 7pm to 10pm.

Where: 95 Riley Street, Darlinghurst, 2010.

Cost: $135

If you want to brush up on your communication skills or if you want to understand the many meanings some of the words you come across can have and to find out ways words can be interpreted from all angles then head along to "Express Yourself: Beyond Words".

This actor led workshop is about exploring words through performance, the idea of this event is to show us that the way which we use words can be a powerful mode of expression, whether it’s on paper or through speech, to help you put more meaning into your use of words by getting in touch with your feelings and experiences to help you express yourself fully.

The main topics that will be covered are how one word can have a thousand different meanings?, can words lead us astray?, and what happens when we try to express the true meaning of a word?

The teacher on the evening will be Roel Voorbij who is an actor, teacher and coach from the Netherlands who has performed in Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, New York and Australia. It could be your one step to charming that special person or perfecting your communicating skills for work.

When: Wednesday 2nd September, 6:30pm to 7:45pm.

Where: The Velvet Bar, Beauchamp Hotel, 267 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, 2010.

Cost: $14.

Another great charitable event that will get you and your friends or family to take part in teams is just across the harbour in Manly, as this years "Relay for Life" is just around the corner.

It is a fun and moving experience that raises vital funds for the Cancer Council’s research, prevention, information and support services.

This event is all is about teams and participation, the aim of the relay is to take the challenge and try to have one person on the track the full 12hours. You don't have to stay on the track for the whole day, but to try and complete the challenge is the fun part and to have a story to tell of your team doing the full relay.

There will also be entertainment, kids' activities, live music and competitions all day so it is a great team building day/night out for everyone and most importantly in aid of a great cause.

When: Saturday 5th September.

Where: Keirle Park, Pittwater Road, Manly, 2095.

Cost: All Donations welcome.

Without discussion and debate the world would be a very gloomy place. The Festival of Dangerous Ideas brings into focus ideas such as: should recreational drugs be legal? are robots the future of the workforce? and should we have the right to die?

The is an annual event now in its seventh year that brings leading thinkers and culture creators from around the world to the Sydney Opera House stages and online to discuss and debate the important ideas of our time.

This year’s line-up includes keynote talks from New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, British-Pakistani journalist and filmmaker Tariq Ali, Australian journalist Peter Greste and Canadian activist Naomi Klein plus many more. The aim of the event is for audiences to leave each session having experienced the excitement of ideas brought to life, and with new food for thought.

Whether they are ideas that people have been concerned about since the beginning of time, or ideas on the cusp of our consciousness, they will be exploring them at the festival.

When: 5th & 6th September.

Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, 2000.

Cost: $25.

If your looking for a crafty event that is not your ordianary arts and crafts get together, then pop along to "Sock Puppetry for Adults" an event that might take you back to your younger days when entertainment was made in simpler ways.

The great aspect of a sock puppet is it is something anyone can make. Once you let out a little bit of creativity, you never know what sort of character you’ll come up with.

Throughout the evening you can discuss the types of characters you might want to create and how you can achieve that with the helpful advice from like minded crafters.

There will be a huge supply of general materials and socks, so it's up to you to rummage through and let your imagination do the work. The night will end with a photo shoot of all the socks and prizes for best puppets of the night. An entertaining unique event that is sure to bring plenty of laughter and your new favourite toy.

When: Monday 7th September, 7:00pm to 8:15pm.

Where: Duck Inn, 76 Rose Street, Chippendale, 2008.

Cost: $19 ($14 + $5 for materials).