Sydney Film Festival 2013

Vivid Sydney comes to Darling Harbour

With winter on its way, the city has once again been transformed into a canvas of light, music and ideas by Vivid Sydney. And this year, Darling Harbour is the backdrop for a spectacular show never before seen in Australia. Every night during Vivid, Aquatique Water Theatre is transforming Cockle Bay into a 20-metre wall of water, light, colour, projections and music inspired by the fountains of Versailles. When you visit Cockle Bay Wharf for a drink, grab a movie and pizza at the IMAX Theatre complex, view the rooftop projections at the Australian National Maritime Museum and catch Luminous at Darling Quarter.

Vivid Sydney 2013 Opening Night Party at MCA

There was a full moon to accentuate the opening night of the Vivid Sydney Festival. The rain was ineffectual in dampening the enthusiasm of the attendees of the launch event at the level six balcony at MCA and those on street and water level. The count down by the NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade Andrew Stoner and turning of the switch to light up the Sydney landmarks gave a new year’s eve type feel to what was about to visually astonish us. And it was spectacular. The creativity and ingenuity in the moving light displays were captivating. Seeing the Opera House in a way I had never experienced before by artistic lights combined with the Opera House being visually flanked by a cruise ship in port and a cruise ship heading out alongside the Botanic Gardens made for a never-to-be repeated moment. In a word, spectacular!

Cavalia Premiere in Sydney

Cavalia is a magnificent show for everyone. It combined dressage horse riding with stunts, dance and acrobatics, all in the one show. It was like getting three shows for the price of one. And the live band were extraordinary. Having cast members face horses hurtling towards them, risking serious injury doing acrobatics on the backs of horses and riding upside down on them were just part of the exciting action-packed performance. The falling of autumn leaves and other effects inside the theatre added such variety and perspectives to the experience.

Many celebrities were spotted attending including Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Larry Emdur, Alan Jones, Claudia Karvan, Kirk Pengilly and Layne Beachley to name a few. They could be seen also in the Rendez-Vous Lounge enjoying the food and drinks before the show, at intermission and the reception after the show. It’s a great event for adults and kids.

Walk on the Wine Side

It was an impressive Monday afternoon at the Intercontinental in Sydney. The hotel was hosting one of the largest trade tasting event of Australian and international wines. Featuring over 300 wines I had a rather difficult choice to cover all areas. There were just too many great wine brands. In conclusion my attention was diverted to great selection of premium French and Italian wines from Luxury Beverage Group and Franc About Wine. 

Luxury Beverage Group with premium French wines

Franc About Wine - specialist in Italian and French wine regions

David Jones Australian Derby Day 2013

Saturday saw Sydney's finest punters and partygoers at Royal Randwick to be part of the festivities at David Jones Australia Derby Day. It was a beautiful day. The new accessible sections of the new grandstand provided new levels of comfort and service for guests to the track, with the Chairman's Club being opulent. Tabcorp had a beautifully presented marquee with many guests including celebrity attendee Danielle Spencer, enjoying the French bubbly and nosh. Black Caviar was in its element delivering to the watchful crowd another victory. The Members after party was in full swing with a disc jockey pumping out tunes that had the dance floor full and others left to groove in their seats. We look forward to more excitement throughout The BMW Sydney Carnival.

Golden Slipper 2013

Rosehill Gardens racecourse saw the Golden Slipper run on Saturday. There was a sea of colour with race and partygoers in full swing enjoying the day, festivities, and punting. It made for a fun day with Sydney identities such as John Singleton rubbing shoulders with fellow racegoers. The atmosphere was electric at every race. And the fashions added to the special race event, being one of many to come on the Sydney Autumn Racing calendar. Schweppes catered for their patrons with a range of cocktails, including Mules and Mojitos, and canapés.

Sydney Royal Easter Show

Royal Easter Show is an annual agricultural event held in Sydney to promote and display livestock, produce and rural merchandise. This year the show celebrates 190 years of history. It is one of the largest event in Sydney with 900,000 people visiting Sydney Olympic Park each year to see the show which was first held in 1823 and is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.