Summer in Sydney means only one thing to music fans – it’s festival season! Local and international artists have begun to descend on our fair city for months of festival fun and to celebrate we’re sending 20 lucky Sydneysiders to Homebake to bounce into the summer groove!

A content crowd sings along with Homebake 08 headliners Crowded House

Create a Sydney Soundtrack

For your chance to win, choose a theme that screams summer in Sydney and create a playlist of songs from the endless list of touring artists. The playlist must have at least 5 songs and can be created on your online music library of choice – just name it “Sydney Soundtrack” and post a link in the comments below.

10 entries deemed most creative (based on theme/selection) will win double passes to the 15^th anniversary of Homebake at the Domain on Saturday 5^th December.

Entries close on 29/11/09 so get your Sydney Soundtrack together now!

Terms and conditions apply

Suggested online music libraries

Last.fm

Blip.fm

MySpace Music

MixTape

HypeMachine

Terms and Conditions

Quick overview

Entrants must be 18 years old or older (Homebake is a strictly over 18’s event).

Entries close on 29th November 2009

The prize includes entry only – no accommodation or transport is included so entrants must be able to find their own way to the event.

Please read the fine print carefully as entry is an acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. Full details are available here.

Sydney Soundtrack

It’s Pez’s festival anthem: The Festival Song

Guest post by Sydneysidette Louisa Percy

Preceding perhaps the biggest, and certainly the most iconic breakfast of my life on Sydney Harbour Bridge with a full day swanning around the tents at The Australian Beer Festival might not have been my wisest move. But I should get full marks for forward planning – swallowing two aspirin and umpteen gulps of water before crashing is one of my favourite tricks. Plus I was determined as it’s not often you get your mitts on a ticket to make history, and a free one at that. Lord knows I was actually among the 190,000 people who registered for tickets for Sydney’s first ever Breakfast on the Bridge and were disappointed, until my boyfriend found out he was among the favoured few (well 6,000 is a few in the light of the unlucky 190,000 – right?).  And so it was that we had five tickets to Breakfast on the Bridge and we were not, even on the dirtiest of hangovers, going to waste them!

As you can imagine, 5.30am rolled around waaay too quickly but we were up and at ‘em pretty quickly, and rallied the bleary-eyed troops. We had been ultra-diligent and spent Saturday morning making a bacon, egg & potato pie and an enormous frittata while our companions provided the frills in the form of a picnic hamper, blanket and thermos of tea.

We caught an exciting glimpse of the action as we zipped past the turfed section on the train, and stepped out onto the platform to the welcoming sight of the barista stations set up at the entrance. Thoughts of coffee kept us going as we joined a rapidly extending queue of eager, hamper-toting breakfasters – luckily the queue was short lived and we soon found ourselves having the bizarre experience of walking up the usually trafficked tarmac towards the entrance. It would have been mildly reminiscent of 28 Days Later if it hadn’t have been for the cheery trumpeting courtesy of the live bands playing on the back of the authentic 1950s pick-ups and the chirpy bunting fidgeting in the breeze.

This chipper show was enough to spur us on past the barista stands (I know!) to chat to the various volunteers and reps who lined the entrance displaying tempting arrays of glossy red apples, baskets of bread and tubs of yoghurt. Once we learnt that we’d score these delightful items for free once we sat down, we rushed over to check out the pen of real live cows, casually lolling about on bales of hay and checking out the punters. Yes, cows! On the Harbour Bridge! And the weather was holding too. I was practically skipping at this point, it was all so jolly.

It got better – soon we were strolling down the turf to claim our designated patch (hamper-carrier lagging significantly at this point, bless him). The blanket went down, we all collapsed onto it and began tucking in as the turf filled up around us. A quick peek above the breakfast pie parapet revealed beaming groups and barely a square inch of turf visible as the crowd relaxed in a few rays of sun to the dulcet tones of guest MC, Richie Benaud. We were sat more or less right in the middle of the bridge so had a breathtaking view of the Opera House and back towards Balmain (ahem, well, we would have done if we could have stopped eating for long enough).

While the promo staff busied themselves with doling out freebies to the picnickers, everybody munched away and took snaps of themselves in the lurid commemorative caps (funny how my finger slipped on the DELETE button for that one). The atmosphere was really relaxed and it was pretty cool to be sat right under the ironwork in the fourth lane, with the occasional train thundering past. More than one fellow picknicker noted they were used to eating breakfast on the bridge, but only in their car.

Sadly it was all over too soon. Richie bid us farewell and people packed up and shipped out surprisingly quickly. Except us that is. We let everyone drift away before we took the token daft shots of handstands, gurning faces and the obligatory ‘one foot on, one foot off turf’ shot in the emptying space. Eventually we realised we weren’t as interesting as a baby kicking a football so we wouldn’t be immortalised on film by James Tobin and drifted off ourselves. A morning spent eating pie AND making history, what more could you want?

So a grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says “Hey we’ve got a drink named after you!” and the grasshopper replies “Really? You’ve got a drink named Steve?”

Ahem. Well I can assure you that the quality of jokes at the World’s Funniest Island were a lot better than that little gem. Another Sydney first (this year we’ve been treated to Vivid, Breakfast on the Bridge, World Chef Showcase to name a few) the festival delivered around 200 shows to laid back crowds over two full days.

I think the laid back part had the comedians flustered – an Australian audience is pretty chilled at the best of times but add a few brewskis under a warm Spring sun on a weekend afternoon? The audience was so laid back we were practically in a coma! Which is great for the audience but no doubt unnerving for those performing.

Set on Cockatoo Island, the campsite was available for those wanting a double dose. Stages were set up all over with a mix of small rooms and huge halls. Unlike music festivals there was no need to flip a coin between conflicting schedules – most shows were repeated at different times of the day and it was refreshing to know that when you paid to see such top acts you were actually given an opportunity to see them all.

Highlights for me include Fiona O’Loughlin, Arj Barker, Felicity Ward, Josh Thomas, the trio behind Allah Made Me Funny (Azhar Usman, Mohammed Amer and Preacher Moss) and the confusing but hilarious end snippet of Jennifer Byrne’s Erotic Fan Fiction involving Germaine Greer and Paul Keating.

Drawcards The Goodies provided a nostalgic trip of giggles but to be honest if it had been a documentary on TV I probably would have flicked the channel after a while. Catching James Valentine and his Quartet was another throwback to an 80s ABC childhood.

This was a great festival and a reminder of why hitting the regular comedy club nights is so much fun. Looking forward to a repeat performance (with some fresh jokes – obviously I’m in need of them) in 2010!

Stunning day at Cockatoo Island

Yes, I'm available to perform next year!

Akmal on the Harbour Stage

1st – 31st October
Sydney International Food Festival
siff.com.au

Well Sydneysiders I hope you’re ready to step up your exercise regime because you just may need it this October! The Sydney International Food Festival takes over town as part of Crave Sydney and the feast on offer is sure to satisfy our insatiable hunger for good food. The festival sees the return of old favourites like the Night Noodle Markets and Hats off Dinners and newbies like the World Chef Showcase and an exploration into Slow Food with founder Carlo Petrini. So … are you hungry?

Did you catch the clever campaign celebrating the national foods of participating countries? Check it out here!

Hear

There will be plenty of opportunities to talk with fellow foodies whether you want to know about the origins of chocolate, get a better understanding of Japanese food, learn how to turn home grown ingredients into a fab meal or share family recipes passed down through generations.

Check out the complete list of Talk and Taste events here.

Touch

Not content to sit back and nibble from the sidelines? Get involved with hands on artisan baking classes, beef and beer masterclass, Belvedere cocktail mixology, cupcake decorating workshops, dumpling demos, celiac friendly pizza making or home ice cream making from scratch.

Get Hands on with these events here.

Eat

Now let’s get serious – it’s time to eat! Grab a meal from the Night Noodle Markets, dine on a $35 meal deal across Sydney, sample something different from our top chefs, dine your way around the world, savour a Portuguese Banquet, match your dinner with drinks, or a traditional Sunday lunch.

Search dinners, lunches and brunches here.

Special events

Ok so technically every event is a special event but you really can’t go past these:

An amazing line up – World Chef Showcase

Love the name – Barbeque Madness!

Locavores unite – 100 Mile Meal

Shhh! – Food Bloggers Secret Dinner

Laneway love – The Long Table Laneway Dinner

Slow food style – An afternoon with Carlo Petrini

Check out the full calendar of events on the website

Cheese

If you need me during October, there’s a 99.78% chance that you’ll find me at one of these: Sydney Specialist Cheese Show, Italian Wine and Cheese Tasting, Italian Cheese at Formaggi Ocello, GPO Cheese and Wine Flight, McIntosh and Bowman Cheese Making Workshop

Apologies if this post made you hungry (can you imagine how it was for me writing it??) but don’t worry – only 2 weeks until it all kicks off!

Sydney Soundtrack

Cruise through the festival to the sound of Tame Impala: Half Full Glass of Wine

The Sydney Chamber of Commerce recently released results from their annual survey Sydney’s Favourite Things. Below are some of the winners as voted by Sydneysiders – do you agree? What’s your favourite thing in Sydney?

Taronga Zoo

Sydney’s favourite attraction

Circular Quay/The Rocks

Sydney’s favourite part of the city

Northern Beaches/North Shore

Sydney’s favourite part of Sydney

New Year’s Eve

Sydney’s favourite celebration

Blue Mountains

Sydney’s favourite getaway

Australia Day/New Year’s Eve

Sydney’s favourite annual event

ANZ Stadium

Sydney’s favourite sports venue

Eating and drinking out

Sydney’s favourite thing to do on the weekend

Beaches

Sydney’s favourite beach (unable to choose a clear favourite, we obviously love our beaches!)

Crave Sydney has just launched its website for the bumper festival set to hit our city this October. With events including the Darling Harbour Fiesta, the Sydney International Food Festival, Seven Bridges Walk and Art & About, it’s sure to have the city buzzing. With a few opportunities to experience Sydney like never before, personally I’m looking forward to these events:

Breakfast on the Bridge: One of the most famous bridges in the world will turn into the most spectacular picnic spot for 6,000 lucky people

World’s Funniest Island: A weekend of food, drink and laughs on heritage listed Cockatoo Island

Tea Dance: Part of the Sydney Harbour Island Hopping program, dance to the sounds of a seven piece orchestra on Rodd Island

Visit the Crave Sydney website and play around with the My Crave Planner, the easiest way to plan and share your month. Looking forward to sharing some Spring-time in Sydney festival experiences with you all!

Photo courtesy of @blimeyboo

The Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival (RSFF) struts through the city this week with a busy schedule of events to tug at the purse strings of Sydneysiders. It’s probably no coincidence that the festival is held the week after half the city’s monthly payday but I’m more than grateful that it is!

I’ve got my eye on the events listed below but you can check out the full program here.

Season launches, catwalk events and more with Paddington Alive

The Grand Social Black Marquee, Martin Place

Prizes, charity auctions and styling sessions: the perfect way to kick off the festival and banish the Monday blues

Paddington Personalities, The Beauchamp Hotel

Find out more about the people who shaped Paddington into the iconic shopping strip it is today

Exposed! The Story of Swimwear, Australian National Maritime Museum

With a strong beach culture, Australia’s take on swimwear was bound to make a splash in the global fashion pool

Benefit hosts 'Brows are the new Black' Workshops

Jazz night at Quaife’s, The Hughenden Hotel

Dine in style accompanied by the soulful sounds of jazz in this 1870’s manor

RSFF Supper Club, Kit & Kaboodle

The official after party venue is sure to be the place to be as festival goers let down their well maintained hair

Little Paddington Laneway Festival

We’re promised fashion, music and a glimpse at Paddington’s future as William Street is transformed

Sydney Soundtrack

Dive into a fashion frenzy to the sounds of Yves Klein Blue : Make up your mind

Feel the need for a getaway? A luxurious getaway full of spa treatments, horseback riding, wildlife safaris and picnics in the middle of nowhere? Tourism NSW and Vogue Australia have teamed up to offer one lucky winner the escape of their dreams at Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in the Blue Mountains (deep, deep into the Blue Mountains on 4,000 acres of land).

The prize includes

• Four nights’ accommodation for two people in a Heritage Suite at the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa
• Gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
• All non-alcoholic beverages
• 2 activities per person, per day (I wonder, does a massage count as an activity?)
• 2 economy airfares from the winner’s nearest Australian capital city
• Return transfers to and from airport

You’ll be one of the first to experience this incredible resort which opens this October.

To enter SMS your full name, address, phone number and email address to 199 199 02 or call 1900 966 358 to leave your details

For terms and conditions click here. Entries close 1st September 2009 so be quick!

I’ll let you in on a secret – if you put me on a stage something comes over me. Not an immense fear or the urge to run screaming like most. Instead, all of a sudden I’m standing taller, breathing from my diaphragm and I’m merely seconds away from bursting into a  Shakespearean sonnet or soliloquy (or at the very least a bad Ron Burgundy impression). So you can imagine my jealousy when I read about My Mutation – the opportunity for one lucky dancer to perform live at the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Opera House!!

The competition itself is like a global So You Think You Can Dance with entrants performing an interpretation of a solo dance choreographed by Kelley Abbey. The entries are uploaded on to the Sydney Opera House You Tube page for the world to see. The winner will perform live on one of the most famous stages in the world.

My Mutation is part of the Spring Dance program described as “four weeks of exceptional artistry, athleticism and grace from some of the most exciting choreographers and performers working across the globe.” Not only will there be dancing but forecourt will also be hosting free films throughout the season. The perfect way to welcome Spring to Sydney!

I’ve been transfixed to the You Tube channel watching clips from those itching for a chance to dance at the Opera House. Go take a look for yourself and keep an eye out for mrcircuitbreaker mutation and MyInterpreMutation (I swear it’s not me).

It’s not just the end of any month – tomorrow is officially the last day of Dry July, a fantastic initiative that has already raised over $930,000 for hospitals across Australia. With 2,479 participants in New South Wales alone there will be plenty of Sydneysiders looking to toast their achievements.

Hopefully those who committed to a month of abstinence understand now more then ever the need for moderation. The team behind Dry July are warning DJ’s (Dry-July-ers) to “know your limits and drink responsibly” so if you are out celebrating this weekend please be sensible!

If you are planning on raising a glass then check out my post about some of the best drinking spots across Sydney for some inspiration.

Congratulations to all participants, sponsors and the hardworking team behind Dry July!