James Dive and the Glue Society: I wish you hadn’t asked
Summertime is usually considered the prime season for festivals. Music events like Falls, Big Day Out and Homebake are the much anticipated festivals in summer when the weather starts to heat up and mangos are in season.
But this weekend also boasts an impressive line up of things to do in Sydney. I’ve gladly ditched the music festival uniform of crop tops and cut off denim shorts in the name of three fabulous events I’ll be visiting this long weekend.
1. Lavazza Italian Film Festival
There’s a broad range of films on offer from the extraordinary Caesar Must Die, to the less inspiring slap-stick stereotype Welcome to the North. I’m keeping a look-out for Woody Allen’s newbie To Rome With Love on Closing Night (October 10). Films are showing at Palace Norton Street, Verona and Chauvel Cinemas.
2. The Festival of Dangerous Ideas
If the footy doesn’t take your fancy, head to the Opera House for the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. There’s a smorgasbord of talks and forums on offer, with speakers debating topics such as ‘The Devil Is Real’, ‘Who Owns Australia’, and ‘We Are All Sexual Perverts’. Germaine Greer received a standing ovation at the Festival in 2011 before she even opened her mouth – who knows what controversy she’ll stir up this year.
3. Art and About Sydney
This is a fantastic free event which sees the streets of Sydney transformed into a living, breathing, work of art. The photo banners displayed in Hyde Park every year are a must see. Head to the barracks on the corner of Macquarie Street and St James Street for the installation James Dive and The Glue Society: I Wish You Hadn’t Asked. You’ll get the chance to don a rain coat and dive into a flooded house caught in a torrential downpour.
