Community Billboard 19th – 25th May
This weekly community gig guide is proudly sponsored by the City of Sydney’s Plan for the future – Sydney 2030 – making our city more green, global and connected.
Sydney Writers’ Festival
The 2014 Sydney Writers’ Festival explores writing that challenges, provokes and questions our concepts of culture, history and identity. Pushing all kinds of boundaries, the writers educate and enlighten us. Sydney Writers’ Festival presents more than 300 events with over 400 participants in a week of writing and ideas that help us see life from different perspectives. 19-25 May. It’s thinking season.
Check out the full program here
When: Between Monday 19 May and Sunday 25 May from 00.00 to 00.00
Where: Various locations, see website for details Sydney 2000
Cost: Free and ticketed events
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Blogging 101 at Customs House
A blog is an online journal—an interactive public tool for documenting or discussing any topic on the web. Learn how to set up a free blog, customise your blog, and get started sharing your insight with the world! Good mouse, keyboard & computer skills, experience navigating the Internet, and an email address required.
When: On Monday 19 May from 2.00pm to 4.00pm
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
City Conversations 2014: Shaping a Creative City – A Plan for Sydney’s Cultural
Culture and creativity are integral parts of every global city. From art and music in our streets, to communal dining on rooftops and start-up creative businesses in basements, it’s time to explore other ways we can build a more creative city.
In developing Creative City, Sydney’s first-ever cultural policy, the City of Sydney put our cultural life under the microscope.
We’ve taken note of what thousands of people told us they wanted for the cultural life of Sydney, taken stock of what’s already happening and outlined what’s needed to make this policy a reality.
Hear how we will work with the community to foster a more creative Sydney.
Annabel Crabb will lead a panel discussion with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Ben Eltham, Hetti Perkins, John O’Callaghan and Rachel Healy following an introduction from Claudia Karvan.
MC:
Annabel Crabb
WELCOME:
Lord Mayor Clover Moore, City of Sydney
GUEST SPEAKER:
Claudia Karvan, Actor and producer
KEYNOTE:
Rachel Healy, Executive Manager Culture, City of Sydney
IN CONVERSATION:
Lord Mayor Clover Moore, City of Sydney
Rachel Healy, Executive Manager Culture, City of Sydney
Ben Eltham, Cultural policy commentator and academic
Hetti Perkins, Curatorial Adviser, Eora Journey and Creative Director, Corroboree Sydney
John O’Callaghan, Urban planner and co-founder, Idea Bombing Sydney
PERFORMANCE:
Omar Musa, Rapper and Australian Poetry Slam Winner
TICKETS:
FREE AND ESSENTIAL
Available from the box office on 02 9250 1999 or via Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
ACCESSIBILITY:
Auslan interpreter services and live captioning for this event can be arranged on request. We would appreciate more than five business days’ notice. For these or other access enquiries, please contact the City of Sydney on 02 9265 9333. This venue is wheelchair accessible.
PODCAST:
You can also watch a podcast of the event soon after.
Visit sydney2030.com.au for information on our sustainability projects.
Presented by the City of Sydney & The Sydney Morning Herald
When: On Monday 19 May from 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Where: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay (opposite Pier 6/7), 22 Hickson Road Walsh Bay 2000
Notes: The map below provides an approximate location.
Other Services: Air conditioned, Disabled access, Bicycle parking
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Rail: Circular Quay or Wynyard Station
Bus: Hickson Road or Wynyard Station
Bike: Bike poles available on Hickson Road
Email Basics at Surry Hills Library
Keep in touch with email! We will create an email account and learn the basic skills for everyday emailing. Basic mouse/keyboard skills and some experience using a computer required.
When: On Tuesday 20 May from 3.00pm to 5.00pm
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Lego Afternoon at Glebe Library
Creative Lego sessions with time for free creative play as well as one or two creative ideas guided by the Library.
For ages 5-12
When: On Tuesday 20 May from 4.00pm to 4.45pm
Where: Glebe Library, 186 Glebe Point Road (cnr Wigram Road) Glebe 2037
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: bus – Glebe Point Road
Strata Skills 101 – Holding back the Levy
Are you new to strata life? Have you lived in strata for years and don’t really know what levies are all about?
The Strata Skills 101 ‘Holding Back the Levy’ interactive workshop will help. Here is your opportunity to learn about collective finance and levies for strata life.
This interactive workshop will discuss:
• The purpose of levies;
• Administration funds;
• Why you need to pay them; and
• Introduce you to how a sinking fund works.
Ensure your strata is as effective and financial as it can be. Regardless of whether you own or rent, you’re invited to attend – Strata Skills 101 workshops have something for everyone.
Workshops are strictly limited to 50 participants. No walk-in places are available for this venue.
When: On Tuesday 20 May from 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Where: City of Sydney, Level 3, 307 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Town Hall train station with good bus access also
National Simultaneous Storytime: Too many Elephants in the House at Customs House Library
Every year a picture book by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Join us this year with a
reading of Too Many Elephants In This House written by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by Andrew Joyner.
For ages 3-7
A Library & Information Week Event
Wednesday 21 May
11am
At all library branches
No bookings required
Special Event: Author and illustrator will read Too many elephants in the house
Customs House Library will host a Special Storytime event featuring author Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrator Andrew Joyner. Come and hear the story of Too Many Elephants in this House read by the author and colour in with the illustrator.
When: On Wednesday 21 May from 11.00am to noon
Where: Customs House Library, 31 Alfred Street Circular Quay 2000
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Kids Create: No Bake Cooking at Kings Cross
Join us for an afternoon of fun, making cool and easy crafts or no-bake cooking to take home.
When: On Wednesday 21 May from 4.00pm to 5.0pm
Where: Kings Cross Library, 50-52 Darlinghurst Road Level 1 Kings Cross 2011
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Kings Cross train station.
Songs of Splendour
The Venetian coronation is a spectacular musical recreation which evokes the magnificent pageantry of the Coronation Mass for Doge Marino Grimani. Giovanni Gabrieli has created a musical splendour which holds true to the history of this wonderful period.
The Doge Marino Grimani had a love of ceremony and state festivals which provoked an unbelievable musical bounty during his reign. It was Doge Grimani’s love of music, and the works of Giovanni Gabrieli, which cemented his reign as the foundation of musical riches of the 16th Century. The night will be filled with brass fanfares, gregorian chant, choral and solo movements.
Conceived by renowned conductor Paul McCreesh, this is a night not to be missed.
When: On Wednesday 21 May from 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Where: St Mary’s Cathedral, St Mary’s Road (cnr College Street) Sydney 2000
Cost: Adult: $50
Children and Students: $10
Senior/ Conc.: $45
Groups (10+): 25% discount
How to get to this event: St James Railway Station, Sydney Explorer Bus Stop 17
The Life and Times of Alice Walker
Internationally celebrated writer Alice Walker is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Color Purple’ though she has written six other novels, four collections of short stories, four children’s books and volumes of essays and poetry. She recently published a collection of essays ‘Cushion in the Road: Meditation and Wandering as the Whole World Awakens to Being in Harm’s Way’ and a new book of poetry ‘The World Will Follow Joy: Turning Madness Into Flowers’.
Alice is a committed activist and believes that developing compassion is a critical task each one of us must undertake. Her work powerfully articulates the issues she is most passionate about. She is interviewed by Caroline Baum and joined onstage by special guest Archie Roach.
When: On Wednesday 21 May from 7.30am to 8.30am
Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point Circular Quay 2000
Cost: Premium $55, A Reserve $45/$35
Bookings 9250 1988 or 950 7777
tickets.sydneytheatre.org.au or sydneyoperahouse.com
How to get to this event: Circular Quay is a five to seven minute walk from the Sydney Opera
House. You can catch buses, trains and ferries to Circular Quay. There is
also a complimentary shuttle bus designed for elderly and less mobile
customers.
In Conversation: White Woman Black Art at Surry Hills Library
Join author Irena Dobrijevich and Tali Gallery Director Di Stevens as they discuss Irena’s book White Woman Black Art, her experiences and the challenges of bridging cultural differences through art. This, a true and historic account, and the first and only one to be published, is an intimate and personal journey of a bold and adventurous Art Centre Coordinator who successfully established an Aboriginal Art Centre whist dealing with insurmountable cultural differences and fighting corrupt officials.
When: On Thursday 22 May from 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Sydney Film Festival: Freak me out
It’s baaack! Come and get freaked out at Late Night Library. Each year the Sydney Film Festival brings the best new films from around the world to audiences right here in Sydney. Two weeks before the Festival hits the big screens, Richard Kuipers, Programmer of the Freak Me Out section of SFF 2013, will provide a sneak peek at some of the freakiest films chosen for the year. Richard will show some snippets and talk about the process of selecting films for the festival, so bring along your questions, your curiosity and your courage! This year’s selection is bound to set your pulse racing.
For more information on the festival visit www.sff.org.au
When: On Thursday 22 May from 9.00pm to 10.00pm
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Alex Monroe: A Memoir of Making Things
Alex Monroe is a world-renowned jeweller, whose work is inspired by nature and the countryside. Alex started making his own jewellery in the late eighties out of a small workshop in a picturesque cobbled Victorian yard in south London, which he still uses today.
Alex’s book ‘Two Turtle Doves: A Memoir of Making Things’ is about a life spent making beautiful objects and how he transforms fleeting thoughts into exquisite pieces of jewellery. He speaks with Caroline Baum.
When: On Friday 23 May from 10.00am to 11.00am
Where: Wharf Theatre 2, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay Walsh Bay 2000
Cost: $20/$14
Bookings: 9250 1988 or tickets.sydneytheatre.org.au
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Midwives at Waterloo Library
Throughout 2014 Australian College of Midwives (NSW) member Rachel Smith will visit libraries during rhymetime for informal peri-natal health Q&As with the community. Come along with your questions. For new & growing families A Library & Information Week Event
When: On Friday 23 May from 10.00am to 11.00am
Where: Waterloo Library, 770 Elizabeth Street Waterloo 2017
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Easily accessible by bus.
Bus 343 from Circular Quay via Central OR 355 from Newtown.
Composting Workshop
Learn how to convert your kitchen scraps and garden waste into rich soil for your garden.
This workshop will discuss the benefits of composting to create good soil. Participants will gain hands on experience in building a compost together
When: On Saturday 24 May from 10.00am to noon
Where: Tom Foster Community Centre, 1-11 Darley St, Newtown 2042
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
Kids Vintage High Tea Party at Waterloo Library
Set the afternoon aside for a journey back in time and experience High Tea at the Library. Bring your best manners and put on your fancy threads for a swish afternoon of fun and sweet delights.
For ages 8-12
A Heritage Festival Event
When: On Saturday 24 May from 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Where: Waterloo Library, 770 Elizabeth Street Waterloo 2017
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Easily accessible by bus.
Bus 343 from Circular Quay via Central OR 355 from Newtown.
Afro Beats Dance Party
Turn up the heat this May by attending our Afro Beats Party. With DJs and live African drumming playing the hottest tracks from all across Africa + reggae and old skool hip hop, this is a night not to be missed!
Pre-sale tickets only $20 and include one free drink on the night. Tantalising drink specials also available on the night! And 100% of profits will go towards supporting Empower’s projects in Malawi, Africa.
When: On Saturday 24 May from 9.00pm to 11.00pm
Where: Phoenix Bar @ Exchange Hotel, 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 2000
Contact: 0407 243 398
Website: https://empowerprojects.org/afro-beats/
Cost: Adult: 20
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
East Side Ride 2014
Head down to Centennial on Sunday 25th May, to celebrate cycling culture and the art of green living with East Side Radio at the second annual East Side Ride!
The free community event will encourage Sydneysiders to get on their bikes with workshops and demonstrations available from cycling and sustainable living experts alongside live music, fashion shows and some of the city’s best organic food.
Ride to the free event and you will be greeted by BIKESydney’s valet parking team before the day kicks off with a free yoga class from Redfern’s House of Yoga accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of Jake Meadows’ electric harp.
Throughout the day you can browse the latest cycling fashions thanks to bespoke women’s clothing range Cyclette and stylish reflective gear retailers Monkey See; discuss route planning with Try2Wheels; or win passes to see the cycling documentary feature film Rising from the Ashes, narrated and directed by the Academy Award winning Forest Whitaker.
A delicious range of organic and wholesome food and beverage options will be available along with live music performed from roots reggae trio Declan Kelly & the Rising Sun and acclaimed funk soul group Tina Harrod Electric.
Rounding out the jam-packed program will be workshops from Edible Kids Garden where expert advice will be offered to both children and adults alike on growing organic produce and green living within the home.
When: On Sunday 25 May from 9.00am to 3.00pm
Where: Centennial Park, Centennial Park Centennial Park 2021
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: Call 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au
The Sydney Fair Art Deco 20th Century Vintage
The fair which is held in the Art Deco Ballroom – The Byron Kennedy Hall has expanded this year with more Australian and International dealers. There is everything from a 1926 Miss Australia Trophy, to a 1.7metre high bronze camel. But you can also purchase a beautiful vintage dress, a fabulous Art Deco Engagement ring, an amazing 1960s Egg Chair, Original 1920s poster or an Art Deco Dining Suite.
For the first time there will be a selling exhibition of vintage fashion of Designers to the Hollywood Stars. Many of the leading designers of the 40s and 50s such as Ceil Chapman who was Marilyn Monroe’s favourite designer will be represented and you will be able to purchase a piece of wearable history to take away at the end of the fair.
When: Between Friday 23 May and Sunday 25 May from 11.00am to 6.00pm
The Sydney Fair opens Thursday 22nd May at 6.00pm to 9.00pm with a gala opening.
Friday is 11.00am to 7.00pm, Saturday 11.00am to 6.00pm and Sunday 11.00am to
5.00pm.
Where: The Entertainment Quarter, 122 Lang Rd Moore Park 2021
Cost: Adult: $20
Children: Free
Senior: $10
Opening NIght tickets are $30.00
How to get to this event: From Circular Quay: Routes 373, 374, 376, 377, 392, 394, 396, 397, 399 |
From Martin Place, St James & Museum: Routes 339, 373, 374, 376,
377, 391, 392, 394, 396, 397, 399 | From Railway Square: Routes 372,
393, 395 | From Central (Eddy Avenue): Routes 339, 372, 374, 376, 391,
393, 395 | From Bondi Junction, Newtown & Marrickville: Route 355 |
Bondi Explorer: customers should alight at Stop 16
Other Worlds Zine Fair
The Other Worlds Zine Fair is an alternative to the MCA Zine Fair, consisting of over 65 zine makers and distributors and filling over 50 tables.
The MCA is sponsored by Transfield, a corporation that operates service contracts in the detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru. Over 65 zine makers and distributors from Australia have decided to boycott the MCA Zine Fair in 2014 and to provide an alternative event on the same day.
The organisers of the event believe an alternative fair will give zinesters an opportunity to show their protest while still enabling them to sell and swap their zines. It is also a demonstration that the zine community can organise their own event, on their own terms – ones that explicitly reject
association with the detention industry.
Participants include The Sticky Institute (the biggest zine store in Australia), The Rizzeria (Sydney-based publishers and print makers. The group own an RP3700
stencil press which is available for public use through open-print sessions, and holds workshops) and the Refugee Art Project (a group that have produced a series of zines that display the artwork, stories and poetry of refugees and asylum seekers in the Villawood Detention Centre).
In addition to the zinemakers there will also be a zine vending machine provided by the Canberra Zine Emporium, as well as the Counter-Revolution crew who will be selling vegan Mexican salad rolls (and a gluten free option).
When: On Sunday 25 May from 11.00am to 4.00pm
Where: Central Park Retail, Level 3, Central Park Retail, 28 Broadway (opposite UTS)
Chippendale 2008
Other Services: Air conditioned, Disabled access, Food outlet, Bicycle parking, Public
toilets
Cost: Free
How to get to this event: 5 minutes walk from Central Station.