What's On - Special Events, Previews & Signings

If you would like to have an event promoted in our What's On Guide, please contact us.
Note: Please check details with event organisers before attending.

Butlers in the Buff Launch Party: Hosted by Bianca Dye
Venue	The Fringe Bar, 106 Oxford St, Paddington
Date	Thursday 18th March
Time	8-10pm
Fee	Free drinks will be on offer between 8-9pm
This is a launch party to celebrate the arrival of Butlers in the Buff and welcome them to Australian shores therefore everyone over 18 is welcome. Butlers in the Buff are available to book across NSW now for Hen's parties, birthdays, corporate events and product launches. They are the perfect host, serving cocktails and canapes at any event plus they tailor their outfit to match the theme of your party. So to demonstrate what it would be like to have Butlers in the Buff at your next event, the boys will be serving you at their launch party. There will also be a catwalk show with the buff boys modeling the different costumes they can wear. Who doesn't want to be served drinks by a handsome and charming Butler? Plus you'll have the chance to win your very own Butler to have at your next event. There'll also be a raffle, with proceeds going to the McGrath Foundation. First prize is the ultimate night out with nine friends, visiting a number of different bars across Sydney with a Butler to accompany you in a Hummer Limousine for the evening.

Round She Goes preloved fashion market for women
Venue	Kingston City Hall (formerly Moorabbin Town Hall): 979 Nepean Highway, Moorabbin VIC 3189 (corner Nepean Highway and South Rd)
Date	Sunday 11 April 2010
Time	10am-3pm
Fee	Entry is $2 and there’s plenty of free parking
Why is Round She Goes so popular? - they only hold 3 to 4 markets per year -they'd rather do a few major events than lots of small ones and shoppers know now that it's worth coming for. We've had women fly in from interstate just for the market! - they quality-check all our stallholder applications (applications outweigh stall spots) - all women just love a bargain and Round She Goes has plenty of them - and five hours (plus it's quicker and easier than selling clothes online). One stallholder for example made $2000 in one day and she put it toward a holiday to Europe!

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
Venue	Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, Carlton.
Date	March 24-28
Time	Wed, Thurs and Sun - 9am-5pm. Fri and Sat - 9am-6pm.
Fee	Adult: $20, Concession: $17, Family: $45, Child (6 to 16 years): $8, Child (5 years & under): Free, Group: $17
Book	Buy at the gate or book through racv.com.au/travel or call RACV HolidayLine on 13 13 29.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is this year's official charity partner and they are putting together a Mary Poppins themed garden that will be extremely bright and colourful with carousel horses made completely out the flowers. The interactive display also allows children to walk through the site and place flowers in a flower wall. The famous Children's Garden is going to be very popular as it has bubble machines, a pot-a-plant section, face painting, heaps of colourful flowers and plants and an amazing butterfly enclosure. Dr Judith Slocombe, CEO of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, is available for interviews regarding the show and the work that the Foundation does in helping to protect and prevent violence against children. She can also talk about the importance of getting the kids involved in gardening and giving them responsibility with growing their own plants. She is a lovely woman and has nine children of her own so she knows a lot about kids and keeping them entertained!

Wonderlust
Venue	The Bicker Gallery
Date	11th - 27th March 2010
Time	11am - 7pm Wednesday - Sunday
Fee	Free
'Wonderlust' an exhibition of new works by London artist Xenz inspired by the birds of paradise (John Gould)

Annual Schools Cook-off Championship: The Perfect Cupcake
Venue	Institute's La Trobe Street campus
Date	Thursday 18 March
Fee	Free
Run in conjunction with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, youngsters from across Victoria will be asked to prepare four cupcakes in advance of judging day, which will be held on Thursday 18 March 2010 at the Institute's La Trobe Street campus. Entrants between the ages of 15 and 18 will put themselves in the running to win an array of fabulous prizes, including a Culinary Career Starter Pack worth $450 and a half day Culinary Experience at the Institute valued at more than $2,000. The coveted titles up for grabs will include Best Individual Overall Cupcake, Best Class Effort, Best Taste, Best Decorated Cupcake and Best Novelty Design. The free event gives students and teachers the opportunity to enjoy a day packed with fun and interesting activities such as cookery demonstrations, apprentice information sessions, school tours, spot prizes, awards presentations, foods information session and, of course, the judging of the cupcakes.

Catherine Deveny
Venue	Trades Hall - The Meeting
Date	25th-31st March, 1st-18h April (not Mondays)
Time	7.15pm, Sundays 6.15pm
Fee	$25.00 full price, $22.00 concession, $16.00, Laugh Pack Price, $22.00, Tight arse Tuesday $22.00, Group size 8 or more
Catherine Deveny is a stand-up comedian, columnist and author who loves to up-end social conventions and expectations. Her new comedy festival show 'God is Bullshit. That's The Good News' is no exception.

Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.
Venue	stand number C74 on the upper level of the Exhibition Building
Date	Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th March 2010
Vermont Australia will be exhibiting and selling their stunning collection of bouquets, topiaries, table decor and sculptures which last up to 6-10 years at the upcoming Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

Hunter Valley Uncorked Pyrmont
Venue	Pyrmont Bay Park
Date	April 18, 2010
Time	11am and 5pm
Fee	Free
How well do you know your steak and Shiraz? Why not challenge yourself to find out at the themed second annual Hunter Valley Uncorked Pyrmont. With BBQ delights matched with fine Hunter Valley Wines from over 20 winemaking families from the region, gourmet restaurants, live DJ's, and interactive games with Hunter Valley winemakers and chefs, we all know where the 'foodies' of Sydney will be on this lovely Autumn day.

Floor talks by artists Tina Barahanos & Jeff Rigby
Venue	Robin Gisbon Gallery: 278 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, Sydney NSW
Date	Saturday 13 March
Time	1pm

Celebrity Theatresports
Venue	National Theatre, Cnr Barkly & Carlisle Sts, St. Kilda
Date	Saturday 17th April 2010
Time	7:30pm
Fee	$35.00 full, $25.00 concession or groups 10+, $20.00 under 15's
Book	National Theatre 9525 4611 or nationaltheatre.org.au
The annual challenge is on. Impro Melbourne's gungho players have thrown down the gauntlet to drafted celebrity guests: Go funny, or go home. See TV, radio and sporting personalities as you've never seen them before - and as they've never seen themselves. Every scene is made up on the spot, sparked by audience suggestion, powered by serious impro training and performance-enhancing chocolate bars.

Beyond the Sea: Chloe Paul
Venue	South Melbourne's Smart Artz Gallery: 2 Alfred Place, Sth Melb 3205
Date	10-16th March
Book	03 9690 8872
She's back, but only for a short time... Chloe Paul photographer to the stars is holding her first solo photographic exhibition 'Beyond the Sea'. The event is going to be held in Melbourne at 'Smart Artz' gallery in South Melbourne. The work to be exhibited will consist of a series of extensive travel and high profile celebrity images. All images have been shot around Europe and America over the last four years.

Propaganda
Venue	Arts House, Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne
Date	Saturday 27 March - Thursday 1 April
Time	Sat 27 March - Thurs 1 April, 7.30pm, Sun 28 March and Sat 3 April, 4pm. No perfomance Mon 29 March or Fri 2 April
Fee	$25 / $18
Book	artshouse.com.au or 03 9322 3713
These knuckle-dragging acrobats reckon they know right from wrong: be kind, eat your veggies, ride a bike, and garden nude. After indoctrinating their kids they are taking the step out of their South Albury back yard into the Meat Market, then London, then Europe, then the rest of the world - one show at a time. The revolution starts here. Utilising refined physical skills, crude production and self derision, Acrobat has a raw and uncompromising approach to performance. At times intimately provocative, at others politically questioning... but always entertaining.

American Express Festival of Potential
Venue	O'Donnell Gardens, St Kilda
Date	19 and 20 March
Fee	free
This free outdoor event encourages Melburnians to try something new and explore their creative potential with a team of inspiring artists. TaikOz will provide the festival soundtrack and teach the rhythmic art of drumming on a range of African and Japanese drums. Festival goers can find their own beat, join a group session or simply watch a demonstration by these exciting performers. For those who have always marvelled at the talents of big top performers, the National Institute of Circus Arts will be sharing their ringside talents, giving people the opportunity to have fun with the diablo, plate spinning and juggling. Visitors can also discover their inner artist with easels and art materials available for people to try their hand at painting. Professional artists will provide guidance and, for the first 1,000 canvases painted, American Express will donate $25 to Mission Australia to help disadvantaged young people realise their potential.

Sixty40 Proto-Ninja Award
Date	Deadline for entries is 6th August 2010.
Entrants must create a new work of between 40 and 60 seconds length, which follows the theme 'Underdog'. Production techniques used are completely open and could include stop-frame, traditional 2D, motion graphics, 3D, photography, puppetry, film or video. The result must ensure a compelling experience for the viewer rather than just a display of technical prowess. Ten finalists will be screened and the winner announced at the opening night of the UTS: Sydney International Animation Festival, Friday 24 September, 2010. As well, the ten finalists will have their work streamed from the Proto-Ninja award website for a period of 12 months or until the 2011 winner is announced.

Melbourne goes Bollywood!
Venue	Federation Square, Cinema Nova (380 Lygon St, Carlton)
Date	Wednesday 10 March - Saturday 13 March
Book	Cinemanova.com.au/festivals.html
Highlights: Opening Night: Wednesday 10 March @ Cinema Nova 6.30pm Free Screenings: Saturday 13 March @ Federation Square, 8pm Thursday 11 March @ Federation Square, 9pm Meet the Markers Friday 12 March @ Cinema Nova, 8.30pm Saturday 13 March @ Cinema Nova, 8.30pm

Ford celebrates the greenest of thumbs with the new Sustainability Award at the 2010 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
Venue	Carlton Gardens & Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Date	Wednesday 24 March - Sunday 28 March
Time	9.00am - 5.00pm (Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday) 9.00am - 6.00pm (Friday, Saturday)
New for 2010, the Ford Sustainability Award celebrates the best use of sustainable gardening practices and principles from this year's most creative exhibitors. Judges will choose the Sustainability Award winner based on a five point sustainability criteria which looks at the entrant's design brief, plant use, water reticulation, moisture management and overall design. Stop by Ford's stand to see its 'Blooming Good Fuel Efficiency' in action as the new Fiesta ECOnetic is transformed into a colourful floral display. Australia's most fuel efficient car is the perfect addition to a sustainable garden. The Fiesta ECOnetic is kinder on the environment yet still stylish and affordable and delivers amazing fuel economy, dramatically reduces CO2 emissions and can slash your fuel costs.

Being a Woman is Good for Your Health
Venue	Melbourne Town Hall, cnr Collins and Swanston Sts
Date	Saturday 13 March
Time	3pm (doors open 2pm)
Fee	$35
Book	Thewomens.org.au/GoodForYourHealth or call 8345 2954
Come and enjoy an afternoon of fun and hilarious insights into the highs and lows, the trials and tribulations of being a happy, healthy woman in today's world. Join eight of Australia's funniest female comedians as they share the funny side of women's health to celebrate International Women's Day at the Melbourne Town Hall, on Saturday 13 March. Hosted by Nelly Thomas and starring Fiona O'Loughlin, Cal Wilson (Nova), Catherine Deveny (The Age), Hannah Gadsby, Melinda Buttle, Lisa Maza and Kelly Nash. Each comedian will tackle an issue - ranging from body image, contraception and parenting to menopause - there's bound to be some serious laughs! For over 150 years, the Royal Women's Hospital (RWH) has led the advocacy and advancement of women's health care. Today the RWH is Australia’s largest specialist hospital dedicated to improving the health of all women and newborn babies. Each year, the care for more than 200,000 women from 165 countries, who speak 60 different languages and follow 42 separate religious faiths.

Tactics and Tips To Attract The Man of Your Dreams
Venue	Wollongong Golf Club: Corner Corrimal & Bank Streets, Wollongong, NSW
Date	Apr 12, 2010
Time	7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fee	$19
Book	Quickconnections.com.au
This workshop is designed to equip you with the tools to develop more confidence and attract your ideal partner. What Learn from 3 leading speakers in the fields of personal growth, communication and relationships as they offer practical advice on attracting a partner you truly desire. This workshop is open to single Illawarra women aged 25-60.

Jake and Todd should make music video
Venue	Glen Street Theatre: Glen St, Albury, NSW
Date	April 7th 2010

Magical Mystery Lunch for Illawarra Singles
Venue	stylish restaurant in the Illawarra - find out where on the day!
Date	Mar 21, 2010
Time	12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Fee	$69.95
Meet other adventurous singles for a day full of surprises! Meet at Wollongong station and be chauffeured to our mystery restaurant by coach (prizes given to the first person to guess where)! Enjoy a sumptuous meal and a glass of wine while taking in sweeping views of the surrounding area. Age groups: Group 1: 30-40 years Group 2: 40-50 years

Salsa Caliente
Venue	Docks Hotel: Harbourside Shopping, Darling Harbour
Date	every Sunday
Time	8.30pm to 1am
Fee	FREE

CraftExpo
Venue	Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Bank
Date	March 25 - 28, 2010
Time	10.00am - 4.30pm daily
Fee	Adults: $14, Seniors/Pensioners: $12, Children (5-16yrs): $7, Children(under 5yrs): FREE, Family (2A + 2C): $34, 2 Day Pass: $26, 3 Day Pass: $37, 4 Day Pass: $47.
Book	Tickets available at the door or online Craftexpo.net.au

Art Melbourne
Venue	Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton
Date	22-25th April 2010
Time	Thursday (5-9pm) Friday (12pm-9pm) Saturday (10am-6pm) Sunday (10am-5pm)
Fee	$15 or $20 at the door
Book	132 849.

The 2010 Telstra Business Awards Nomination Now Open
Date	until Friday 16 April 2010.
Book	To nominate and enter go to telstrabusinessawards.com
The 2010 Telstra Business Awards are now open for nominations from businesses in the fashion industry, with entrants offered a 'free Business Health Check' to help identify opportunities to grow and expand. It's the 18th year Telstra has run the Awards recognising excellence in small and medium business both nationally and in every state and territory. They offer a combined prize pool of more than $400,000 in cash and prizes, as well as the kudos that comes from taking out Australia's best-known and most prestigious business prize. For the 2010 Telstra Business Awards, the categories are: -businessowner Micro-Business Award - For businesses with five employees or fewer. -MYOB Small Business Award - For businesses with more than five employees, but less than or equal to 20 employees. -Panasonic Australia Medium Business Award - For businesses with more than 20 employees, but less than or equal to 200 employees. -AMP Innovation Award - For businesses that have successfully introduced an innovation. -Sensis Social Responsibility Award - For demonstrated leadership and contribution by a business to the environment, people, education or the community.

Jeremy Hotz
Venue	The Virgin Mobile Metro Theatre
Date	Fri 23rd- Sat 24th April
Time	7:30pm
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Jeremy Hotz is one smart and very, very funny Canadian. This successful stand-up comedian and talented actor is heading to Sydney Comedy Festival and Australia for the first time in 2009.

Mitch Fatel
Venue	Virgin Mobile Metro
Date	Fri 23rd - Sun 25th April
Time	7.30pm
Fee	Full $29/ Conc. $24 / Preview $19
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Is that a sparkle in his eye or is he just confused? With his innocence and friendly demeanour, Mitch quickly engages the audience and then catches them off guard with his mixture of mischievous dialog and off colour comments. While laughing at observations only Mitch can get away with, we are left wondering if he truly understands what he just said. We never really know.

Craig Hill
Venue	The Fuse Box @ The Factory Theatre
Date	21st - 25th April
Time	9.15pm
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Following ten years of sell out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland's brightest comedy star Craig Hill is making his Sydney Comedy Festival debut. Cheeky, irreverent and, of course, wonderfully camp, his hilarious blend of incisive stand-up, fabulous musical characterisations and improvisation has earned him rave reviews.

Gina Yashere
Venue	The Fusebox @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Tues 4th May - Sat 8th May
Time	7.45pm
Fee	Full $32, Conc $28
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Gina hails from London via Nigeria and shoots from the hip. Her unique take on being both cultural insider and outsider never fails to raise the roof. Following an early career as a Lift Engineer, she made her comedy debut at The Edinburgh Festival in 1995. The shows sold out almost immediately and overnight both audiences and critics alike were smitten. Her bombastic delivery, infectious personality and cheeky observations have wowed audiences not just in the UK but also in America, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Montreal, South Africa and all over Europe.

The Al Pitcher Picture Tour of the World
Venue	The Factory Theatre
Date	Saturday 1 May 2010
Time	6.00pm
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
In 2009 Sydney got the chance to witness the phenomenon that is The Al Pitcher Picture Tour of the World Show. Since Feb 2009, Al has been touring the globe with his award winning show. Each day before a show, armed with a digital camera, Al will venture into the city he is performing in to capture the world as he sees it. Every night, Al will weave the day's events into a truly unique and hilarious show, complete with his photographic evidence. This is a very brave concept for a comedian as he needs to create a new show every day.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones
Venue	Queensland Art Gallery
Date	27 March - 27 June 2010
The Queensland Art Gallery will be the exclusive Australian venue for a spectacular exhibition exploring the art of millinery. 'Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones' is the result of a collaboration between London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and one of the world's foremost milliners, Stephen Jones. Exploring the fascinating world of millinery, the exhibition presents more than 250 hats and iconic headpieces, from the V&A's extensive collection and Jones's own archive. The exhibition includes historical items and iconic hats, such as a twelfth-century Egyptian fez, a wide-brimmed black silk tulle hat from Christian Dior's first collection in 1948, Mary Quant's c.1968 navy blue beret, and Stephen Jones's 'Wash and Go' hat, moulded from clear plastic to resemble a splash of water, from Spring Summer 1993.

2010 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
Date	2nd March-31 March
Guests: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Philippe Lioret Jan Kounen 2 - 21 March Palace Academy, Palace Verona & Palace Norton Street, Sydney 4 - 21 March Palace Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Westgarth and Kino Cinemas, Melbourne 17 - 31 March Palace Centro & Palace Barracks Cinema, Brisbane 17 - 31 March Cinema Paradiso & Luna on SX, Perth 18 - 31 March Greater Union Manuka, Canberra 18 - 31 March Palace Nova Eastend, Adelaide

The 9th Annual Audi Festival of German Films
Date	21 April - 09 May
2010 Festival highlights include: Soul Kitchen Pope Joan John Rabe Tandoori Love Storm Vision Gravity The White Ribbon Mannerheren The Door 21 April - 02 May Chauvel Cinema /Palace Norton Street, Sydney 22 April - 02 May Palace Cinema Como / Palace Brighton Bay, Melbourne 22 April - 26 April Cinema Paradiso, Perth 28 April - 04 May Palace Centro, Brisbane 7 May - 09 May Palace Nova Eastend, Adelaide

Unnerved: The New Zealand Project
Venue	Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art
Date	1 May - 4 July 2010
The Queensland Art Gallery presents the second in a series of country-specific exhibition projects focusing on its contemporary collections with 'Unnerved: The New Zealand Project'. Holdings of contemporary work from New Zealand have grown rapidly since the early 1990s, partly through increased awareness and interest in the Asia Pacific Triennial exhibitions. 'Unnerved' explores a particularly rich dark vein that recurs in New Zealand contemporary art and cinema.

Ron Mueck
Venue	Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art
Date	8 May - 8 August 2010
This exhibition developed by the National Gallery of Victoria, surveys a group of major works by Australian-born, London-based sculptor Ron Mueck. Mueck's sculptures are some of the most widely acclaimed and identifiable works in the international contemporary art arena. Often naked and suspended in states of self-consciousness, introspection or deep contemplation, his figures present both emotional and physical states of exposure. Astounding in their realism, Mueck's works have earned him a singular place as the creator of some of the most evocative sculptures of our time. Featuring celebrated works from Australian and international collections, in addition to new sculptures, it is one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Mueck's work ever presented.

World Health Day
Date	Wednesday 7 April 2010
Take the opportunity to implement five basic changes to your life that will enable you to live healthier. Michael Cunico, Fitness First Health and Fitness Advisor, is concerned that with our busy lifestyles many of us have stopped doing the fundamental things our bodies need to be healthy. "On World Health Day, commit to integrating five of the most important healthy habits into your life," said Cunico. “Refuel in the morning, make sure you drink enough water, give yourself time to recover with sleep, vigorously move your body with exercise every day and relieve stress at least once a week." "With just these five changes to your lifestyle you will feel better and live healthier."

The Australian Fitness & Health Expo
Venue	Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Date	30 April - 2 May 2010
2010 will mark the 15th birthday of the Australian Fitness & Health Expo - the largest fitness and health event to be staged annually in Australia. The emergence of the modern day personal trainer in the late 90's provoked substantial changes for both the fitness expo and the wider fitness industry. Traditionally, the industry had centred on the operation of fitness centres that focused on servicing exercise classes to music - often referred to as aerobics. With the industry trending towards Personal Training, many new opportunities, programs, resources and businesses were created and were reflected in the changing nature of fitness expo exhibitors. With a much greater diversity in the range of exhibitors, the expo evolved into a 'must attend' industry event.

13th Spanish Film Festival
Date	Wed 5 May-Sun 16 May
Book	Spanishfilmfestival.com
2010 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language film The Milk of Sorrow and Best Animated Short nominee The Lady and the Reaper have been confirmed to screen as part of the 13th Spanish Film Festival in Australia in May. The first ever Spanish-Peruvian co-production to be nominated for an Academy Award, The Milk of Sorrow premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2009 where it won the festival's major prize, The Golden Bear for best film. Sydney: Wed 5 - Sun 16 May at Palace Norton Street and Academy Twin Cinemas & The Chauvel Melbourne: Wed 12 - Sun 23 May at Palace Cinema Como & Kino Cinemas Brisbane: Thu 20 - Sun 30 May at Palace Centro Cinemas Adelaide: Thu 13 - Sun 16 May at Palace Nova Eastend Canberra: Thu 6 - Sun 16 May at GU Manuka

Collecting Fireworks
Venue	Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street
Date	17-19 March
Time	6pm, 6.30pm, 7pm, 7.45pm, 8.15pm, 8.45pm, 9.30pm, 10pm (one participant at a time)
Fee	$15
Book	Artshouse.com.au or 03 9322 3713
Arts House presents Collecting Fireworks, a visceral and engaging work from UK-based director, Helen Cole. One at a time, audience members are taken through an intimate installation in which tales of remarkable performances are whispered in the darkness. Anonymous voices speak of ghost trains and fairgrounds, violence and accidents, adolescence and lonely encounters. Participants are then invited to donate their own performance memories to the collection, and weave their stories with the ghosts of hundreds of others in an act of mass remembrance. Blurring the line between actor and audience, the anonymous contributions to Collecting Fireworks then re-emerge again and again in a series of large-scale installations, print and on-line projects developed across continents over forthcoming years.

The Funny Tonne
Venue	The Melbourne Comedy Festival
Book	Comedy festival.com.au/specialevents/ tonne/
The Melbourne Comedy Festival invites comedy lovers to sign up for the ultimate comedy lovers' challenge and the Amazing Race of comedy madness, The Funny Tonne. Find out how many laughs your belly can really handle as you attempt to devour more shows than everyone else at this year's Comedy Festival.

Tina Barahanos and Jeff Rigby
Date	6 - 30 March 2010
Floor talk by Tina & Jeff 1pm Saturday 13 March

The Seed Applications
Date	Applications close Monday March 15th 2010
Book	Theseedfund.org
In its sixth year running The JB Seed, will be re-branded The Seed. Encouraged by the amazing generosity and trust people have shown the project, this shift will make The Seed an initiative whose ownership is that of the entire community of contributors. The Seed has evolved over the years to become an integral part of the Australian Arts & Music industry, contributing over $533,000 worth of funding to over 200 Artists and Music Managers. The passion and support of all contributors has helped to make it what it is today and although John Butler and co-founder Danielle Caruana will remain a driving force behind the project, they believe it is time to make The Seed something that the arts community can call their own.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival: MQFF Closing Night & World Premiere Elvis and Madona
Venue	ACMI cinemas
Date	Sunday 28 March
Time	8:30pm
Director Marcelo Laffite's film tells a truly modern queer love story between a lesbian photographer and a transwoman stage performer.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival: Panel discussion Training Rules
Venue	ACMI Studio, plaza level
Date	Sunday 28 March
Time	2pm
Immediately following the screening of Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker's film Training Rules, a panel of athletes and academics will discuss homophobia in sport.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival: Panel discussion Holding Hands
Venue	ACMI Studio, plaza level
Date	Saturday 27 March
Time	1:30pm
Immediately following the screening of Tonnette Stanford and Katherine Wilkinson's film Holding Hands, an anti-violence panel featuring the Executive Director of Anti-Violence Project of Victoria Inc, a Sergeant with Victoria police, and a lecturer on sexuality and gender, will discuss the still prevalent issue of anti-gay violence.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival: World Premiere From Beginning to End
Venue	ACMI cinemas
Date	Thursday 25 March
Time	6:15pm
Director Aluizio Albranches will be in attendance at the festival.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival: Celluloid Casserole
Venue	LOOP
Date	Tuesday 23 March and Wednesday 24 March
Time	7:30pm
Fee	a gold coin donation
MQFF and LOOP present an eclectic menu of new Australian shorts, you can see a collection of exciting new local titles.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival:Panel discussion The Butch Factor
Venue	ACMI cinemas
Date	Sunday 21 March
Time	2:15pm
Immediately following the screening of Christopher Hines' film The Butch Factor, panellists active within the gay community will discuss the complex relationship between masculinity and sexual orientation.

Panel discussion Diagnosing Difference: Melbourne Queer Film Festival
Venue	ACMI Studio, plaza level
Date	Saturday 20 March
Time	2pm
Immediately following the screening of Annalise Ophelian's film Diagnosing Difference a gender panel featuring those who have personal and professional experience with gender issues will discuss the concerns raised by the film.

Melbourne Queer Film Festival Opening: Antique
Venue	Astor Theatre, St Kilda
Date	Wednesday 17th March
Time	at 7:30pm
The Melbourne Queer Film Festival will open with South Korean film, Antique, a delightful film about four men, a cake shop, and the secrets that begin to unravel.

Omni searches for new TV talent
Date	Entries close on March 19th 2010
Book	Myomni.com.au
One lucky Australian will be given the chance to launch their career as a TV host after Omni Wines commenced a three week search to find a presenter for their new web-based lifestyle show, OmniTV. Omni is looking to discover a new star and will give them a platform to show their talent to thousands of online viewers. The search, being run as a competition, will give the winner an opportunity to host up to six episodes of OmniTV. They'll also receive a $10,000 cash prize. Omni is calling for people 25 or over who are confident, friendly and outgoing - or simply have what it takes to be the perfect host- to enter a short video of themselves interviewing people in the street about the hottest places to be seen in their town. Five finalists will be selected from the entrants and OmniTV subscribers given the chance to choose their host.

The Terrible Account of the St.Fiacrius Orphans
Venue	Dante's, 150 Gertrude St , Fitzroy VIC
Date	March 26, 27, 28 Apr i l 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 , 16, 17
Time	8pm all dates plus 10pm late show on Fridays
Fee	$23.00 full, $20.00 concession/group of 6 or more/at the door, $10.00 Comedy Festival Participants
Book	Ticketmaster & at the door (if available)
From the dark and shadowy vaults of The Laudanum Project comes a tale so bloody and so fraught with human suffering that all who hear of it find themselves changed forever. Join Dr. Dorian P. Urinberry III, Alphonse Cheese-Probert & Heapus Maximus as they take you on a hellish journey through the darkened halls of the St Fiacrius Home for Wayward Children. The horrors of Christmas Eve 1863 left a dark, crimson stain on the history books that had the so called experts and historians scratching their heads for decades to come. Like a demented BBC radio play accompanied by a 70's slasher film score, The Laudanum Project bring you face to face with the chilling evil that occurred that fateful night at the St. Fiacrius Home For Wayward Children. The effects will be devastating...

Enter the 2010 ATOM Awards
Date	entries close: Monday 7 June
Book	Atomawards.org
Entries are now officially open for the 2010 ATOM awards - Australia and New Zealand's most prestigious awards for achievements in Film, Television, Animation and Multimedia (including video games). Production houses, students, game developers, educational resource developers, independent film makers, documentary makers, animators, multimedia developers... anyone who has produced anything for the screen is encouraged to enter the 2010 ATOM Awards. This year, the ATOM Awards program will recognise and celebrate excellence, featuring thirty two awards across three categories - Student, Educational/Vocational and General.

Mitch Fatel
Venue	Virgin Mobile Metro
Date	Wed 21st-Sat 24th
Time	Wed- Sat 9:15pm, Sun 6pm
Is that a sparkle in his eye or is he just confused? With his innocence and friendly demeanour, Mitch quickly engages the audience and then catches them off guard with his mixture of mischievous dialog and off colour comments.

David O'Doherty
Venue	The Virgin Mobile Metro Theatre
Date	30 April - 1 May 2010
Time	7.30pm
Fee	Full $32.50 / Conc $27
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
David O'Doherty, the 1990 East Leinster under 14s triple jump bronze medalist, the current number one ranked person called David O'Doherty on Google, the 2008 if.comedy (formerly Perrier) Award winner returns to Australia with a tiny keyboard and a brand new show.

The Cloud Girls in World
Venue	The Other Room @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Tuesday 27th April till Saturday 1st May
Time	7:45pm
Fee	Full $17
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Jennifer and Madeleine have written and performed in the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival and countless stand up rooms around Australia.

Tommy Bradson
Venue	The Other Room - The Factory Theatre
Date	4th to 8th May
Time	9:15 pm
Fee	Full $20.00 / Conc $18.00
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
After a whirlwind tour of empty rumpus rooms and lackluster alleyways Bradson returns to his home city to thrust his award-winning show on a Sydney audience.

Daniel Townes
Venue	The Other Room @ Factory Theatre
Date	Tues 27th April - Sat 1st of May
Time	9:15pm
Fee	Full $20.00 / Conc $17.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
2010 Sees Daniel Townes return to the Comedy Festival for the 5th time with a new show. In the past few years he has performed all over the world including Germany, Spain, Holland, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and all throughout the UK.

Dave Thornton in a Different Type of Normal
Venue	The Other Room (The Factory Theatre), 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Date	Wednesday 21 - Saturday 24 April
Time	7.45pm
Fee	Full $22; Preview (Wed 21) $18
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
As seen on Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation. As heard on NOVA. Dave always thought his family was pretty normal. It's only as he's getting older that he’s realising that his normal may be a little different to most.

Benjamin Crellin in Apocalyspe Soon
Venue	The Other Room @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Sat 24th- Mon 26th April
Time	Sat and Sun 6:15pm, Mon 5:15pm
Fee	$17.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Why has Benjamin Crellin been referred two by his critics and peers as "comedies dark knight?"

Nick Sun in Joymeat
Venue	Boiler Room @ The Factory Theatre
Date	1st, 7th, 8th, 9th of May
Time	1st, 7th, 8th - 10:30pm, 9th- 9:30pm
Fee	Full $22.50 / Conc $17.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Take a trip down the rabbit hole and into the labyrinthine mind of Nick Sun. Nick's intelligence, originality and cult sensibilities has gathered devout fans amongst the public, critics and comedians alike. His warped world view and dark absurdist dissection of the human condition, socio-political issues, personal gripes and the mundane obscurities of life are a refreshing alternative to standard comedy fare.

Luke and Wyatt in Stacks On
Venue	The Boiler Room @ The Factory
Date	Saturday 24th April - Monday 26th April
Time	Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th - 6pm, Monday 26th - 5pm
Fee	Full $18.00 / Conc $16.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Fresh off the sell-out success of their Melbourne Comedy Festival show 'Albert's Party', excitable music comedy duo Luke & Wyatt are back with a brand new show.

Dave Eastgate
Venue	The Factory Theatre â€" Boiler Room
Date	Saturday 1st May, Saturday 8th May & Sunday 9th May
Time	6:00pm Saturday's 5:00pm Sunday
Fee	$17.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Dave Eastgate blends rock, rap, emo, country, lounge & a little bit of soul as he takes you on this hilarious, high energy musical safari! Welcome to the Jungle, baby!

Deanne Smith in Ballsy
Venue	Boiler Room at the Factory Theatre
Date	Tues 4 - Sat 8 May
Time	9PM
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
She might not look it, but impish Canadian comic DeAnne Smith is one ballsy lady. Or at least she hopes to be, by the end of her latest show.

Dead Cat Bounce
Venue	The Boiler Room, Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Date	4 - 8 May 2010
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
One of the most exciting comedy acts to emerge from Ireland in recent years, Dead Cat Bounce arrive for their first Australian tour jetlagged, disorientated, but ready to rock.

Tommy Dean
Venue	The Fusebox @ Factory Theatre - 105 Victoria Rd Marrickville
Date	Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th April 2010
Time	9.15pm
Fee	Full $29.00 / Conc. $24.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
A regular standout performer at the Theatres and Festivals across Australia for more than a decade; Tommy very quickly becomes one of the hottest comedy tickets every year!

Gina Yashere
Venue	The Fusebox @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Tues 4th May - Sat 8th May
Time	7.45pm
Fee	Full $32, Conc $28
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Gina's sell-out live appearances are legendary. Gina hails from London via Nigeria and shoots from the hip. Her unique take on being both cultural insider and outsider never fails to raise the roof.

Peter Berner
Venue	The Fuse Box @ Factory Theatre
Date	Thursday 29th April to Saturday 1st May 2010
Time	9.15pm
Fee	Full $24.00 / Conc. $29.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Three shows only!! There are dark forces at work... mostly inside the brain of Peter Berner. See one of Australia's foremost stand-up comics when he returns to the stage at this year's Sydney Comedy Festival.

Myer Fashions on the Field Pre-Registraiton
Venue	Fashion Precinct, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Date	Saturday 20 March and Saturday 3 April
Book	Stc.com.au/fashionsonthefield/
Dress: Autumn Racewear. Women's outfits must include a hat or fascinator

Craig Hill
Venue	The Factory Theatre, Fuse Box
Date	21st - 25th April
Time	9.15pm
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Following ten years of sell out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland's brightest comedy star Craig Hill is making his Sydney Comedy Festival debut. Cheeky, irreverent and, of course, wonderfully camp, his hilarious blend of incisive stand-up, fabulous musical characterisations and improvisation has earned him rave reviews.

Fairy Fail
Venue	THE FUSEBOX @ FACTORY THEATRE
Date	Sat 24 & Sun 25 April, Sat 1 & Sun 2, Sat 8 & Sun 9 May
Time	10.45am
Fee	Full $18.00 / Conc $13.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Ever wonder where fairytale characters go to live happily ever after? Welcome to Fairyfail.

The Ultimate Board Game, Unscripted Impro
Venue	Fusebox @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Fri 23, Sat 24, Fri 30 April, Sat 1, Fri 7, Sat 8 May
Time	10.30pm
Fee	Full $22.00 / Conc $18.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Doubledog, the anarchic impro comedy team behind the hit show SCRABBLE Unscripted, are back. And this time, they're going even further - by taking on every board game ever made!

Kitty Flanagan in Charming and Alarming
Venue	The Fusebox @ The Factory Theatre
Date	Wednesday 21 - Sunday 25 April 2010
Time	7.45pm (Sunday @ 6.45pm)
Fee	Full $34.90 Fri/Sat. Full: $29.90 (Wed/Thur/Sun)
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Years ago, when Kitty left Australia, she was probably better known for her character work on Full Frontal (a TV sketch show, not a nudie mag). In 2001, she moved to London to pursue a career in standup comedy. She also landed a job on the UK Sketch Show but for the most part spent the years over there honing her standup skills and working the prestigious UK comedy club circuit.

The Axis of Aweosme
Venue	The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville
Date	Friday 30 April & Saturday 1 May 2010
Time	9:00PM
Fee	Full $28.00/ Conc $24.00/ Groups 6 + $24.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
After a cracking twelve months, The Axis of Awesome return to the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2010 with a brand new rock comedy hour of power for two nights only.

Russell Kane
Venue	Factory Theatre
Date	Wednesday 21 - Sunday 25 April
Time	9.00pm
Fee	Full $33.00 / Conc $27.50 / Group $30.00 / Preview $25.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for the past three years running, and a big hit at the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year, Russell Kane makes his Sydney debut at the Festival. He pontificates on prancing, posing, preening - is it always the ego at play? Can even kindness and altruism be stealthy ways of seeking approval?

Reginald D Hunter
Venue	Factory Theatre
Date	Wednesday 21 - Sunday 25 April
Time	7.30pm
Fee	0pm Tickets: Full $35.00 / Conc $29.00 / Group $32 / Preview $25
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
With a commanding Alabaman drawl and a mischief-making sense of fun, the defiant Reginald D Hunter is ready to astound and entertain Sydney for the first time with a hailstorm of 'did he just say that' moments. Think you've heard it all before? Think again.

Bulmer's Best of the Edinburgh Festival
Venue	The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Date	Tues 27 April - Sunday 2 May 2010
Time	Tues- Sat @ 7.30pm, Sunday @ 6.30pm
Fee	Tues, Weds, Thurs, Sun $30/$27, Fri & Sat $32/$29
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Easily one of the hottest tickets at every Melbourne Comedy Festival & Adelaide Fringe, the 'Best of the Ed Fest' returns to the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2010, showcasing the very best new comedy talent direct from the Edinburgh Festival! The 2010 line-up includes Carey Marx (UK), Elis James (Wales) and, the loveable Jason Cook (UK).

The Al Pitcher Picture Tour of the World
Venue	The Factory Theatre
Date	Saturday 1 May 2010
Time	6.00pm
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
In 2009 Sydney got the chance to witness the phenomenon that is The Al Pitcher Picture Show. Since Feb 2009, Al has been touring the globe with his award winning show. Each day before a show, armed with a digital camera, Al will venture into the city he is performing in to capture the world as he sees it.

Fear of a Brown Planet
Venue	The Factory Theatre - The Fuse Box, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville
Date	Tuesday 27 April - Sunday 2 May 2010, Preview Tuesday 27 April
Time	7:45pm
Fee	ed- Sun Full $24.00 / Conc $20.00, Preview & Groups 8 plus
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Winner of 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Best Newcomer Award Comedians Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain are FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET, recipients of the Best Newcomer Award at the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. After two years away, Aamer and Nazeem return in 2010 in their trademark confrontational style with a brand new show, Fear of a Brown Planet Returns.

Wil Adnerson in Wilful Misconduct
Venue	The Comedy Store, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
Date	Monday 3 May
Time	8.00pm
Fee	$30
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Prolific, intelligent, exciting and always at the front of the pack, Wil Anderson is one of Australia's few world class comedians.

Tony Woods
Venue	The Comedy Store
Date	21 April - 1 May
Time	7.15pm
Fee	Preview $20, $27 adult, $21.50 concession
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Some comedians write jokes, others live them. Tony Woods is the latter. The hilarious mishaps and mix ups that happen to this top comedian contrast with his smooth, dry-witted persona to come up with a comedy style that is truly unique. His past trips to Australia, and Sydney in particular, provide the basis for many of Woods' fish out of water tales and Australians love him for it. Australian audiences connect with Tony so well as the only person more laid back than an Aussie is Tony Woods.

Dom Irrera
Venue	The Comedy Store
Date	21 April - 1May
Time	8.45pm
Fee	review $25, Tue-Thu $27 adult/$21.50 concession, Fri-Sat $32.50 adult /$27 concession
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Making his Australian debut at the Sydney Comedy Festival, Dom Irrera has one of the most natural styles in all of standup comedy. He has the ability to make almost any crowd laugh until it hurts, with an intricate mix of stories and characters weaved together seamlessly.

Julian Clary
Venue	The State Theatre
Date	Tuesday 20th April
Time	8pm
Fee	Full $79.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Comedian, compere and commentator extraordinaire Julian Clary will soon be springing his latest hit show on unsuspecting Australian audiences when he returns for his 7th Australian Tour (six years since his last).

Campfire Collective presents Storytelling
Venue	Yalumba Wine Bar at Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Road, Enmore, NSW 2042
Date	aturday 24 April, Saturday 1 May, Saturday 8 May
Time	6:15PM
Fee	$17.00
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
After five years of sharing stories on stage, Storytelling takes up residency at Sydney Comedy Festival, every Saturday night at Yalumba Wine Bar, Enmore Theatre. Akin to New York's institutional and world famous live storytelling series The Moth, Sydney's own true story series Storytelling promises straight up, straight forward storytelling at its best: real, raw and honest. Real people tell true stories of their own lives, live.

Michael Chamberlin in Keep Yourself Nice
Venue	The Enmore Theatre - Yalumba Wine Bar, 130 Enmore Rd, Newtown
Date	Friday 30 April - Sunday 2 May 2010
Time	7:45PM Fri & Sat; 6:45PM Sun
Fee	$22.00 Full, $18.00 Concession
Book	02 9020 6966 or Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
My dad often says, "Keep yourself nice." It means, "Just be a good person." I think more people should take my dad's advice... including myself. Basically: I'm going to tee off on arseholes for an hour... including myself.

Justin Hamilton in Idiot Man Child
Venue	Yalumba Wine Bar: Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Rd, Newtown
Date	Fri 23, Sat 24 & Mon 26 April
Time	Fri & Sat 7.45pm, Mon 6.45pm
Fee	Full $25; Conc $22.50
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
The man has a plan. Well, the idiot man child has a plan. He has three years until he turns 40. Three years to develop some real skills so he can get out of comedy and do something important with his life. Like feed the poor or invent a hat that keeps the sun off while cooking dim sims. Justin Hamilton is the Idiot Man Child and he's not afraid to admit it. His friends are settling down (boring), his ex boss was a nutbag (sexist, racist, you name it) and the only way he can deal with confrontation is with well, inappropriate jokes. But mostly he just wants attention, damn it!

Hannah Gadsby in The Cliff Young Shuffle
Venue	Yalumba Wine Bar: Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Rd, Newtown
Date	Tuesday 4 - Saturday 8 May
Time	9.15pm
Fee	Full $25; Conc $22.50 (N/A Fri & Sat); Preview (Tue 4) $20
Book	02 9020 6966 www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au
In a world obsessed with youth, beauty and achievement, Hannah Gadsby clearly missed the boat. Faced with an uphill battle she simply... turned around. Hannah's new show is about preparing for a graceful downhill shuffle.

Eddie Iftt in Things I Shouldn't Have Said
Venue	The Yalumba Wine Bar
Date	Wednesday 21st - Monday 26 April 2010 (No show Sunday)
Time	9.15pm
Fee	Full $32.00 (Fri/Sat), Full $29.00 (Wed/Thur/Mon)
Book	02 9020 6966 www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Known for his quick wit and caustic-style of comedy, Eddie Ifft has a habit of speaking first and thinking later and this gets him in trouble - a lot. Things I Shouldn't Have Said explores those awkward moments when really, you should just shut the hell up.

Celia Pacquola in Flying Solos
Venue	Yalumba Wine Bar at The Enmore Theatre
Date	Wednesday 21st April & Thursday 22nd April
Time	7.45pm
Fee	All tix $17
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
After a sell-out season at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival for her show Am I Strange? which was awarded The Age Critics Award for Best Australian Act and nominated for Best New Comer. Celia Pacquola is back in the driver's seat and bringing her latest show Flying Solos to the Sydney Comedy Festival.

Diane Spencer
Venue	Yalumba Wine Bar
Date	21st, 22nd, 23rd April
Time	6.30pm
Fee	$17
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
UK comedian Diane Spencer makes her debut at the Sydney Comedy Festival with her brilliant new standup show 'Lost in the Mouth Specific' in the heart of Sydney at Yalumba Wine Bar.

Robbins, Stilson and Molloy
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	Friday 30th April
Time	7:00pm
Fee	Full $39.90 / Conc $36.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
After a sell-out Melbourne International Comedy Festival run Mick Molloy, Glenn Robbins and Jeff Stilson are taking their hilarious show on the road! After years of TV, film and radio appearances, the three comedians have gone back to their roots - standing behind a microphone in front of a roomful of punters. Three men, a microphone and 90 minutes of some of Australia's best comedy.

Tom Green
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	Friday 16th April
Time	9:30pm
Fee	Full $44.90 / Conc $39.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Tom is a constant comedic innovator taking his mind-blowing and hilarious TV Show, The Tom Green Show from Canadian Public Access to MTV and now as the most watched talk show on the web, Tom Green's House Tonight, an award-winning, free-wheeling take on the talk show format. Broadcast from Tom's living room, the show is an hour uninterrupted program featuring in depth and candid interviews with celebrities from Jimmy Kimmel to Ed McMahon, Kathy Griffen to Brooke Shields and Val Kilmer to Bob Saget.

The Theatresports National Championship
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	Sunday, May 2nd
Time	6:00 pm
Fee	Full $42 / Conc $37
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
The State of Origin for impro comedy that always sells out! Can Cranston Cup Champions The Tom Selleck Experience keep the belt in NSW? Will reigning champs WA or former chaps Victoria come out on top? Will darkhorse Queensland or newcomers South Australia or Canberra stage a surprise win?

Henry Rollins
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	18th & 19th May
Time	8pm
Fee	$54.60
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Henry Rollins returns to Australia and is appearing for the first time at Sydney Comedy Festival with is latest hilarious and topical muse entitled the Frequent Flyer Tour.

Ross Noble in Things
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	Thursday 6th, Friday 7th & Saturday 8th May
Time	8:00pm
Fee	Full $39.90 / Conc $34.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Hot on the heels of his sell-out UK tour the king of ad-lib, award-winning comedian Ross Noble brings his unique take on the world to Sydney in May.

Arkmal in the life of Akmal
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	Saturday 1st May
Time	7:15pm
Fee	Full $39.90 / Conc $34.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Comedy superstar Akmal brings his new show 'The Life Of Akmal' to the Sydney Comedy Festival in May for one night only.

Tommy Tiernan in Crooked Man Tour
Venue	The Enmore Theatre
Date	Tuesday 21st April
Time	9:30pm
Fee	$49.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Multi Award winning Irish Superstar Comic, Tommy Tiernan, returns to Australia with his solo show entitled Crooked Man. A fearless force of energy, Tiernan is one of the few comics to take his audience on a genuine emotional journey elevating the soul through rich, honest laughs. Tiernan has an instinctive way of crafting words to bring his anecdotes to vivid life and make the jokes truly resonate. Standing at 5ft 9inches tall in his socks and weighing in at 78kg, this Gemini contrarian is back with his irreverent mix of the wholesome and the totally inappropriate. Performing like a homeless preacher high on the wine of laughter, Tiernan promises both the sacred and the profane wrapped up in a spirit of recklessness.

Pablo Francisco Live
Venue	Enmore Theatre
Date	21 April
Time	7:00pm
Fee	$49.90
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
When Pablo Francisco hits the stage, he immediately brings his audiences to their feet with boisterous laughter and applause. He weaves together his arsenal of characters, spontaneous outbursts, and clever insights to create a stand-up show that more resembles an hour-long comedic jazz riff. He is an off-the-wall, animated character that points out the absurdity in an illogical, pop-culture obsessed world.

Jason Byrne
Venue	The Enmore Theatre
Date	April 23, 24
Time	9.30pm
Fee	Full $36 / Conc $30
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Jason's inspired, original brand of high-energy lunacy ensures that there is no other comedian presently like him. His fast, free-wheeling style, fused with an array of offbeat props, makes his act a helter-skelter of a show - where the audience is promised the ride of their lives. He has been one of the fastest selling performers at the last 13 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, where his sell out shows have attracted Best Headliner Chortle Award in 2007, a nomination for 1998 Perrier Newcomer Award, and then a much revered Perrier Award Nomination for his outstanding 2001 show.

Des Bishop
Venue	The Enmore Theatre
Date	30 April - 1 May
Time	9.30pm
Fee	Full $36 / Conc $30
Book	132 249 Ticketek.com.au
On the back of a sell out international tour of his latest stand up show Desfunctional, including a run at last year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival where he was labelled "one of the finest performers", Ireland's favourite comedian Des Bishop has completely, by accident, fallen in love.

Cracker Night
Venue	The Virgin Mobile Metro Theatre and The Enmore Theatre
Date	Tuesday 20th April
Time	7.30pm
Fee	$55.00 Adult / $49.50 Conc
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
The Sydney Comedy Festival opening night gala, Cracker Night, has become the most anticipated events of the festival selling out year after year. With surprise international acts joining the always stellar line-up the night has an incredible atmosphere with comedians both local and international gearing up for the shows to come.

La Petite Mort
Venue	The Dog Theatre, 42a Albert St, Footscray
Date	Mar 26, 27, 28, Apr 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10
Book	TryBooking.com.au/CUJ
"This is a truly original, delightful , accomplished show. Hertaeg shimmies, flirts and croons and holds her audience in a firm but gentle embrace. This is another of the shows that remind you why you love the Fringe so much." - Kate Copstick, The Scotsman, 2009.

Australian Van Nationals
Date	04/04/10 to 04/04/10
Time	9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Vans that are designed by their owners as peices of art. Special exterior paint jobs; special interior designs; engines and undercarrage designed and shined. Holdens, Fords, Toyotas, Chryslers, new and historic vehicles. Show and Shine at The Gap at Phillip Island

Easter Fun Festival Churchill Island
Date	03/04/10 to 04/04/10
Time	10am-5 pm
Fee	$10.30 adult, $5.15 child, $25.75 family, $7.20 concession
Only 90 minutes from Melbourne, Churchill Island Heritage Farm will come alive on the 3rd and 4th April 2010 as it hosts the 2nd Annual Easter Fun Festival. It will be a celebration of 'hands on' farming activities, food and wine, and traditional games that will entertain the whole family. Every child at the festival on Easter Sunday will also receive free Easter eggs. Activities will include wagon rides, puppet shows, face painting, wool spinning, wood crafting, sheep shearing, blacksmith demonstrations and more. Meet the Easter Bunny and clowns, pat our Clydesdale horses and baby animals learn how to make hay in the paddocks, bake and eat your own damper and have fun in our three legged leg race. Enjoy live music and entertainment in the beautiful gardens, sample a variety of delicious meals and local produce from over 50 food stalls or sip a glass of wine as you admire bay views from the cafe. All entertainment is included with festival entry. With spectacular scenery, amazing activities and plenty of space to relax, the Churchill Island Easter Fun Festival is the perfect place to celebrate Easter with family and friends! All proceeds from the festival go towards maintaining Churchill Island Heritage Farm.

At Dusk Photo Exhibition
Venue	The Fringe Bar, 106 Oxford St, Paddington
Date	March 2010
The Fringe Bar will play host to a breathtaking photo exhibition by Sydney photographer Chris Prestidge next month. At Dusk will showcase Prestidge's unique ocean photography, inspired by nature and born of a passion to share special moments of time. Set against the eclectic interiors and effortlessly cool vibe synonymous with Fringe Bar, the exhibition will feature a series of limited edition framed prints.

Sarah Bennetto - The King & I
Venue	The Tuxedo Cat, 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Date	Previews 24th - 26th, March, 27th March - 17th April (not Mondays)
Time	6:15pm (45 minute duration)
Fee	$20.00, Concession/Groups over 5/Laugh Pack/Previews/Tuesdays $15.00
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au and on the door
Once upon a time, after a series of mishaps, a young Australian comedian found herself lunching in the future king's living room. Present with Sarah were: Camilla, Prince Charles, and a small selection of his celebrity friends - just hanging at the palace. Yes, the one in London. The actual palace. That auspicious day Sarah met stars, sportsmen and royals. She saw (and sneakily touched)original artworks; paintings that she'd only ever known as prints in her parents' kitchen. She was late, dressed in polyester & was the only guest to arrive by public transport. But she did her country proud. This is the true story of a modern-day Cinderella (of if you'd prefer: a 'povvo in the palace'). The King & I is a comedy about living abroad, fitting in, and remembering it doesn't matter how high-stakes the occasion, you're NEVER not good enough.

Another Heartbreaking But Ultimately Life-Affirming Show About Death
Venue	The Bull and Bear Tavern, 347 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Date	30 March - 17 April (no shows Sunday and Monday)
Time	6.30 pm - 60 mins
Fee	Free to get in, pay what you think it's worth when you leave.
Rising UK stand up star Sanderson Jones has had death on his mind for some time, thanks to a spot of childhood bereavement. He can't escape from this thought: we all die, and then there's nothing. And, sometimes, the people we love die, but we're still here. In his MICF debut he asks: how can we cope with mortality, bereavement and the nothing that awaits? This hour of stand up premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009 with sell out shows, Time Out choosing it as a Pick of the Fringe2009 and The Scotsman putting it in their Fringe 2009 top 100. As a performer Sanderson explores how a show can continue outside the venue. In Edinburgh this exploration led to his arrest whilst leading 20 dancing robots to Simply the Best, with a robotic brass band accompaniment.

Marcel Lucont: Sexual Metro
Venue	Tuxedo Cat, 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Date	Previews 24th and 25th March, 26th March - 18th April (Not Mondays)
Time	9.45pm - 60 mins
Fee	$20.00, Concessions/Laugh Pack $18.00, Previews/Group (5+)/Tuesday $16.00
Book	1300 660 013 Comedyfestival.com.au, or on the door
Marcel is France's greatest living comedian - if you don't believe this you can ask him yourself. He has taken his wry wit and Gallic charms all over Europe, as well as Adelaide Fringe and The Comedy Store, Sydney. Featuring sharp observations, sneering chansons and exclusive book extracts, Sexual Metro contains all the important topics: life, love, sex, death, cheese and wine. To miss this show is to give up on life.

Karl Chandler is 100 Jokes Per Hour
Venue	Portland Hotel, Locker Room, 115-127 Cnr Russell & Lt Collins Sts, Melbourne
Date	Previews 25th - 28th March, 29th March - 18th April (not Mondays)
Time	7:15pm (6:15pm Sundays) 50 mins
Fee	$18; Concession/Group (4 or more)/Preview/Laugh Pack/Tuesday $15
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au or at the door
Karl Chandler is 100 Jokes Per Hour is all about jokes. Weird, I know. Don't believe there's 100? Well... come along and count them, don't concentrate on the punchlines, and miss the funny bits. Wait. I haven't thought this through. Karl Chandler is one of the country's freshest up-and-comers, and one of the best writers of a joke in Australia. His jokes are clever, funny and packaged in a nice round number, unlike many of today's performers who don't even count their jokes. Forget those jerks. With a style likened to Steven Wright, Mitch Hedberg and Demetri Martin, there's no long-winded stories here. Just razor-sharp ideas and word-play plus a few stupid jokes so you can take a breather.

Melbourne Museum Lunchtime Comedy
Venue	Melbourne Museum - The Age Theatre, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton
Date	Saturday 3, 10, 17 April
Time	12:00pm (50 mins)
Fee	$18.00, Groups of 6 or more $14.00, Conc $12.00
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au and on the door
Gather around science fans, history buffs, geeks and nerds - have we got a show for you. -Is your budgie really a dinosaur? -Why did Burke and Wills take a Chinese gong on their expedition? -Is it true that the Great Wall Of China is the only man made structure that you can see from the moon? These are the sort of questions that will be answered in the lunchtime comedy lecture program at the Melbourne Museum. Each show, two of the Festival's top local and international acts will talk about science or history subjects close to their hearts. Those already sticking their hands up include local legends Rod Quantock and Hannah Gadsby. ANSWERS: * Yes. * Because Burke was a berk. * Are you kidding? It's only 30 feet wide. You can barely make out the continents from the moon.

Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour
Venue	Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton
Date	1- 3, 8 -10, 15 - 17 April (Thurs, Fri, Sat)
Time	18:00pm (60 mins)
Fee	$18.00 Groups of 6 or more $14.00, Conc $12.00
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au and on the door
What a great festival for geeks! Three shows about Dungeons and Dragons, one about Jabba the Hutt and not one but TWO shows at the museum. The Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour brings to reality one of the greatest ambitions of science fans - the chance to wander around a museum after hours and to laugh your head off without anyone giving you dirty looks. Join a new team of top comedian tour guides for a night of laughter, science and history and see Melbourne Museum as never before. Our talented comedic cast include mainstay of the show DeAnne Smith (Canada) and special guest appearances by Andy Muirhead (ABC's The Collectors) amongst others. Check our website for nightly lineups.

My Grandad Was A Clown And Those Are Big Shoes To Fill
Venue	Trades Hall, Corner of Victoria & Lygon street
Date	Previews 6th - 7th April, 8th - 18th April (not Mondays)
Time	8.15pm (Sunday 7.15pm) - 60 mins
Fee	$22.00, Concession/ Group (5 or more)/Preview/Tuesday/Laugh Pack $15
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au or at the door
What happens when you find a clown in your family tree? James's great grandfather was a comic actor, clown, and worked with Charlie Chaplin. Well, that explains the hair. In his new show, James traces back the theatrical parts of his family tree, comparing their performing life, conditions and stories to his own. James is a storytelling comedian who has performed his stand-up all around the world from Shanghai to Dubai. This is his sixth full-length show.

Jack Druce - Wild Druce Chase
Venue	Melbourne Town Hall, Lunch Room, 90-120 Swanston Street
Date	Previews 25th - 28th March, 29th March - 18th April 2010 (not Mondays)
Time	6:00 pm (Sundays 5:00 pm) - 50 mins
Fee	$18.00, Conc/Group/Preview/laugh Pack/Tuesday $15
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au and on the door
Jack Druce is far from wild and is very rarely chased...but let's not let that get in the way of a good pun. Jack is 19. All he has ever wanted to be was a real life, straight shootin', cool talkin' girl swoonin' action hero. But as Jack grew up he realised he was no Han Solo or Indiana Jones. He's not 24's Jack Bauer or even Zorro from... err Zorro. Jack's childhood dream of becoming a daring crusader was crushed - or so he thought! Join Jack on his new mission as he discovers what it really takes to be a modern day action hero.

Halley Metcalfe in Five Stars
Venue	Three Degrees,Number One QV Square, Cnr Lonsdale & Swanston St, Melbourne
Date	Previews 25th-26th Mar, 27th Mar - 17th April (not Sunday/Mondays, no shows 2nd/3rd)
Time	6.30;pm - 55 mins
Fee	$17.00, $15.00 Conc/Preview, $14.00 Tuesdays/Groups 6+, Pensioners FREE
Book	Dramatix.com.au/5stars or at the door
It's a tough world out there. We're judged until death from the moment we emerge from the womb (do we have enough fingers? Is our head a normal shape? Do we resemble our father enough so as not to arouse suspicion?). In her 2010 MICF show Five Stars, Halley Metcalfe takes a good hard look at why people constantly feel the need to be validated and reviewed by those around them. Never happy with less than five stars herself, Halley wants to know what would we do if every aspect of our lives already had five star reviews? Would we slack off? Is mediocrity such a bad thing? Halley explores her own need for validation and where it began, dating back to her early primary school years with her pet rabbit Tchaikovsky, (named in honour of her favourite composer), to the lifelong art of censoring herself in front of the parents for fear of offending.

Damo's Modern Life
Venue	Trades Hall, Annexe Room, 54 Victoria St, Carlton
Date	Previews 25th & 26th March, 27th March - 18th April (not Mondays),
Time	8:15pm - (7:15pm Sundays) - 55 mins
Fee	$18.00, Group (5 or more)/Preview/Laugh Pack/ Tuesday $15
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, Comedyfestival.com.au and on the door
Perth boy Damian Clark had 2 goals. To do stand-up and get the girl of his dreams. He met her in St Kilda, she's Irish. For the next five years it was back and forward, Oz to Ireland, exhausting every Visa loophole until he resided in Ireland illegally for almost 2 years. While Immigration was tracking him down, Damo found himself on his own country wide prime time TV show with his Irish mate Andrew Stanley, called I Dare Ya, which broke ratings records. National radio, newspapers and magazines followed. Good? Yes, unless you're avoiding the law.

Late Night Impro
Venue	The Bosco, City Square (Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts)
Date	26th, 27th March, 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th April (Friday & Saturday nights ONLY)
Time	11:00pm
Fee	$18.00 full, $15.00 groups 10+
Book	Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 or Ticketmaster.com.au
Polish up your martini glasses and join Impro Melbourne for the debonair wit of Late Night Impro. It's sharper than the lapel on Cary Grant's suit, classier than Grace Kelly's shoes, and funnier than Jerry Lewis. The improvisers are vying to be named Best Director for scenes starring their rivals. As the stakes get higher, alliances are made and betrayed, with more doublecrossing than Hitchcock at his finest. Insouciant charm on the surface, scoundrelly sabotage seething beneath, the players are as cool as a Bond Martini. It's survival of the funniest. The improvisers want your laughs, your loyalty, and your votes. You decide which player wins. Which director has the comic genius of Billy Wilder, and who is the new Ed Wood? Recline in your Eames chair and nibble an olive from the end of a swizzle stick as you judge Impro Melbourne’s Madmen and Madwomen. The improvisers are neither shaken nor stirred as they target your funnybone. By midnight, there will be a new kingpin. Game on.

Ringside
Venue	Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street
Date	17-21 March
Time	Wed 17-Fri 19, 7pm, Sat 20, 2pm and 7pm, Sun 21, 4pm
Fee	$25 / $18
Book	Artshouse.com.au or 03 9322 3713
Guardian Mem Morrison requests the pleasure of your company at the Signet Library. Take a front row seat, join the family and meet the many potential brides at his long overdue wedding reception. Ringside draws on a lifetime of remembered Turkish Cypriot family weddings, and tests traditional values by breaking the silence and changing history forever. Ringside is part written, devised and performed with a group of 30 local female performers of different ages and nationalities who play the roles of Mem's potential wives and wedding guests. Audience members are required to wear headphones as the celebration and rituals of remembered wedding receptions are used to explore issues surrounding autobiography, identity, sexuality, memory, culture, self-censorship and childhood fantasies... and how they so easily could have become a reality.

Scattered Tacks
Venue	Arts House, Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne
Date	16-21 March
Time	Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm
Fee	$25 / $18
Book	Artshouse.com.au or 03 9322 3713
On an empty stage lit only by hand-held torches, award-winning Adelaide trio, Terri Cat Silvertree, Alex Gellmann and Skye Gellmann take us back to the pure essence of circus; behind the popcorn, frills and grand gestures. Far from the sensory overload of much contemporary performance, Scattered Tacks leads audiences into an enthralling, minimalist and absurd vision of circus. The trio take turns to perform installments using curious props and peculiar circus skills. Skye Gellman. Dancing with a bowling ball, eating a raw onion, lying on a bed of scattered tacks and juggling with a teabag hanging from the mouth, this is no roaring spectacle, rather a production of small greatness, sensational in its detail.

Top Designs celebrates ten years at Melbourne Museum
Venue	Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton
Date	27 March to 27 June 2010
Time	Open 10.00am to 5.00pm daily
Fee	$8 Adults, FREE children and concession.
Book	museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum or phone 13 11 02
Top Designs is a major component of the VCE Season of Excellence, managed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The exhibition features exemplary student design in a range of VCE studies: Design and Technology, Food and Technology, Systems Engineering, Media, VET Multimedia and Visual Communication and Design. Top Designs presents the works of 103 students, along with folios and design plans that provide an insight into the development of each project from original concept to the finished product. Works featured in the exhibition include: -Surfboard graphic design- Visual Communication and Design -Tribal Cocktail Frock - Design and Technology -Shannon Bennett's 30th Birthday at Vue De Monde - Food and Technology -Variable Speed Control Spit Roast - Systems Engineering •-War against the Veggies game - VET Multimedia -Short films, animation, print layout and photography - Media

Entries Open for Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards
Date	entires close 16 April 2010
Applications for Electrolux Appetite for Excellence, the ultimate national competition for young hospitality professionals, open on 1 February 2010. This year, Australia's stellar food industry awards welcome ex-pat and newly awarded two Michelin-starred wunderkind Brett Graham as guest of honour. Brett is the executive chef/owner of London's famous The Ledbury in fashionable Notting Hill and is currently serving as mentor to 2007 Young Chef QLD finalist Nicholas Hill. Chefs are invited to submit a seasonal menu comprising of canape, entree, main and dessert. Waiters are invited to submit answers to questions testing their food and wine knowledge, customer service and leadership skills.

Target hosts FREE fashion fiesta
Venue	Federation Square, Melbourne
Date	Saturday 20 March
Time	1pm- 4pm
Federation Square will come alive as Target launches its sensational new collections for Autumn Winter '10. The feast of fashion is the focal point to the event that will also draw live performances from the hottest names in music including DJ John Course and style advice from some of Australia's leading fashion insiders. An exciting pop-up Target store, along with cool t.shirt kiosk featuring on the spot printing press, will also be present to allow guests to purchase the hottest looks directly from the catwalk.

Long Play: Goemon
Venue	ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne
Date	Saturday 8 May - Sunday 30 May 2010
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image will present an extended season of visionary director Kazuaki Kiriya's newest period epic Goemon (2009). Goemon is a truly epic big screen experience packed with CGI and spectacular live-action stunt work it's a visual feast. The film draws on the 16th Century Japanese folk legend of Goemon Ishikawa a ninja bandit hero who - similarly to Robin Hood - stole valuables from the rich and gave them to the poor. Over time he has become a much loved figure in Japan, being the inspiration for many Kabuki plays and even having a dedicated video game series. Kiriya takes the seeds of the legend and builds around them an epic tale of heroism and sacrifice.

Jean Paul Gaultier on Film
Venue	ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne
Date	Thurs 11 Mar - Fri 19 Mar
Book	Acmi.net.au
Lights, Camera, Gaultier! The Australian Centre for the Moving Image together with L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival present a film program dedicated to the career, creations and influences of the 'enfant terrible' of French fashion - Jean Paul Gaultier. 2010 marks forty years since Gaultier started his career in fashion at an after school job assisting designer Pierre Cardin and he is now not only one of the most infamous fashion designers but also one of the most revered Paris couturiers - rare for a self taught designer. Gaultier and his designs are also interweaved throughout the history of popular culture - his Madonna's Blonde Ambition-era cone bras, the controversial skirts for men collection, as well as his stints as a presenter on cult UK TV show Eurotrash - all confirmed him as a style icon. His designs have also been praised by a galaxy of starlets from Mickey Rourke to Marion Cotillard.

57th Sydney Film Festival
Date	2-14 June 2010

Fatboy
Venue	Red Stitch Actors Theatre: Rear, 2 Chapel St, St Kilda
Date	Wednesday 17 March - Saturday 17 April
Time	Wed-Sat 8.00pm, Sun 6.30pm, 11.00am matinee subject to bookings
Book	(03) 9533 8083 or Redstitch.net
Red Stitch Actors Theatre presents the Australian premiere of Fatboy, the award-winning play by writer, director and co-founder of the New York International Fringe Festival, John Clancy. In this satire on the insatiable appetites of first world countries, the characters are over-sized, the plot line surreal, and the language swoops between melodramatic grandeur and brute obscenity. Fatboy is on trial for crimes against humanity. The court has difficulty making a case, and the drunken judge and hapless prosecutor are reduced to calling Fatboy's hateful and selfish wife Fudgie to give evidence against him. An allegory about responsibility versus willful ignorance, this timely send up of contemporary global politics takes us on Fatboy's journey to conquer the world, or at least eat most of it. Including the furniture.

The Sydney Fringe Open for Submissions

The Sydney Fringe will be bursting through Newtown, Enmore and Marrickville from September 10 to 26, 2010 - from theatres such as Carriageworks and the Factory through to the gallery spaces and the pubs and bars. It will be the large scale alternative arts festival that Sydney really needs, with a range of events and activities to involve artists, companies and audiences from throughout Sydney, including concerts and theatre events, visual and digital arts and free outdoor events. If you would like to submit a show or want to get involved, visit the Fringe at Thesydneyfringe.com.au. There are opportunities across a whole range of art forms, including theatre, dance, film, music, comedy, books, visual arts, digital arts and more, so come check it out!

Sunday Sessions at The Deck
Venue	just inside the Face at Luna Park
Date	every Sunday
Time	3pm-10pm
Fee	$5
Book	Sundaysatthedeck.com
Every Sunday, Sydney's finest house DJ's including Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Tim Culbert and Tim Jirgenson play their favourite beats as the sun sets over Sydney harbour. 28th Feb: Sam Roberts, Ben Morris, Tim Jirgenson, Tim Culbert PLUS 2 x double tickets to Bacardi Express up for grabs 7th March: Dave Stuart, Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe & Tim Culbe PLUS 2 x double tickets to Bacardi Express up for grabs 14th March: Ben Korbel â€" (We Love, SOS), Tim Jirgenson, Sari Amia & Tim Culbert PLUS 2 x double tickets to Bacardi Express up for grabs 21st March: Sam Roberts B2b Robbie Cordukes (Suspect), Ben Morris, Tim Jirgenson & Tim Culbert PLUS 2 x double tickets to Bacardi Express up for grabs 28th March: Matt Rowan, Ben Morris, Tim Jirgenson & Robbie Lowe PLUS 2 x double tickets to Bacardi Express up for grabs

Hunter Uncorked Balmoral
Date	Sunday 7 November
With thousands expected to attend, this wine and food frolic by the seaside is nothing short of spectacular. 30 iconic and boutique Hunter Valley wineries and restaurants, live jazz bands, local artists displaying their work on the promenade, and sunshine galore - it doesn't get better than this!

Hunter Valley Wine and Food Month
Date	Throughout June
This Tourism NSW Regional Flagship Event is a non-stop month of activities where guests will sharpen their culinary skills as they participate in a multitude of wine and food master classes. Learn cheese making from the very best, preservative and jam making, olive appreciation, and wine and food matching. Indulge in 'Flavourfest' at Hunter Valley Gardens, and meet renowned chefs Peter Evans, Janelle Bloom, and Matthew Kemp. Relax by the fireside at one of the many fabulous resorts or cottages with a glass of Hunter Valley wine in hand. Dine with the winemakers or explore their vineyard and uncover the gems of this historic region. The list is endless but start your journey now, as early accommodation bookings are highly recommended.

Hunter Uncorked Pyrmont
Date	Sunday 18 April
Hosted in Pyrmont Bay Park, the 'BBQ & Shiraz' themed festival will be perfect heading into winter months. 20 wineries and restaurants, live DJs, interactive games with Hunter Valley winemakers and chefs to compete in wine spitting and boules competitions will entertain the heart and soul of Sydney.

Lindemans Early Harvest inaugural Garden
Venue	Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show: Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, Melbourne
Date	Wednesday 24 March - Sunday 28 March 2010
Time	9am-5pm Wed-Thurs and Sat-Sun/9am-6pm F
For the first time, Lindemans Early Harvest will be showcasing their inaugural garden at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS), created by Lindemans Early Harvest ambassador and celebrity gardener Meredith Kirton. The leaves may be changing and beginning to fall in March, but at the Carlton Gardens things will be flourishing as MIFGS moves in for its stellar fifteenth year. Meredith will create a range of cuisine gardens with ingredients that renowned chef, Dominique Rizzo will transform into dishes to complement the full Lindemans Early Harvest range, which is at least 25 per cent lighter in alcohol and calories*. At the Lindemans Early Harvest garden, enjoy a wonderful day with Meredith and Dominique as they demonstrate how to take home-grown ingredients from the garden to the kitchen, while sipping on the refreshing Lindemans Early Harvest varietals available for tastings.

The Potbelleez to rock Party HQ
Date	Rosehill Gardens 3rd April
Fee	Tickets start at $99
Your gold pass includes: - General Admission and entry to Party HQ - Entertainment including DJs and The Potbelleez - Two drinks including a Bacardi cocktail and lunch - Direct access to additional food and beverage outlets - Private betting facilites

The Tokyo Shock Boys
Venue	Playhouse, The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Date	Tuesday 23rd March- Sunday 28th March
Time	23-26th at 8:30pm and 27-28th March at 5pm
Book	1300 182 183 or 1300 136 166
Cult icons, the Tokyo Shock Boys return to Australia to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a brand new show packed full of spectacular new stunts and some old favourites. Performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this will be the Tokyo Shock Boys' fifth time in the festival.

Queen- the Unseen Archive
Venue	Art Gallery of Ballarat
Date	Saturday 20th February to 11th April
'Queen will, Queen will... rock Ballarat' Celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest rock bands in history ROCK music fans from around the country are set to descend on Ballarat for a world premiere exhibition of photographs and memorabilia of legendary English rock band Queen. QUEEN - the Unseen Archive will feature unseen images of the group taken by close friend and roadie Peter Hince, providing personal insight into one of the world’s greatest rock bands. As well as the incredible photo collection, the exhibition features rare items of personal and tour memorabilia, including Freddie Mercury's pink ladies turtleneck made famous in the 1984 'I want to 'break free' video clip, the legendary Shure 565 SD microphone used at all but one Queen tour, and the unforgettable tiger skin pants worn by drummer Roger Taylor. Plus hand-written lyrics and original posters, passes and tickets.

CraftExpo
Venue	The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush
Date	March 11 - 14, 2010
Time	10.00am - 4.30pm daily
Fee	Adults: $15, Seniors/Pensioners: $13, Children (5-16yrs): $7, Children(under 5yrs): FREE, Family (2A + 2C): $36.
Book	Tickets available at the door or online at Craftexpo.net.au
A sewing revolution with a green twist At the new Sewing Room, learn how to recycle vintage items into stylish new fashion pieces with a few basic sewing skills. Gen Y gets back to craft With the global financial crisis and the new world of social networking, it's no wonder Gen Y has joined the craft revolution. Paint your own art An exhibition of works from the inspiring book the Weekend Artist will be on display, giving you a wealth of ideas for easy artworks you can create at home. Better Makes Have some fun with members of the Better Homes and Gardens team and join in making fabulous craft projects to feature in the magazine. Itching to stitch See the exclusive quilt displays by the art quilt group tACTile from the ACT and challenge your thinking about quilts.

Dead Cat Bounce: Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Venue	Roxanne Parlour
Date	25 Mar - 18 Apr (no Mondays)
Time	9.30pm; 8.30pm (Suns)
Fee	Tues $22.00; Wed $25.00/$22.00; Thurs - Sun $28.00/$25.00; Groups $25.00; Previews $20.00
Book	Ticketmaster.com.au
One of the most exciting comedy acts to emerge from Ireland in recent years, Dead Cat Bounce arrive for their first Australian tour jetlagged, disorientated, but ready to rock. Expect smoke machines, leopard-print pants, screaming guitar solos, and everything from hip-hop slow jams to 80s stadium rock anthems. Performing at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Dead Cat Bounce are ready to carve a niche in the Australian comedy scene.

Charlaine Harris at True Blood Events
Venue	Sydney and Melbourne
Date	25th and 26th of September
Time	9:00am to 6:00pm
The convention features: Charlaine Harris Sam Trammell John Billingsley Kristen Bauer

The Australian Body Art Carnivale
Venue	Eumundi
Date	Friday 14 May through to Sunday 16 May, 2010.
The Australian Body Art Carnivale promises to be bigger and brighter this year, with competitors and visitors in for a feast of colour, creativity, music and good times. Event Manager Danielle Taylor says this year will see an expansion of all elements of the festival, and an overriding theme of Fantasy. The Carnivale will also see world-class street performers and buskers, craft workshops, a Saturday evening sunset street party, and a whole lot more.

Night of Luxury: Play for Keeps
Venue	The Observatory Hotel
Date	18th March
Time	6:30-9:30pm
Fee	$125 includes free Champagne and Cognac, canapes, $10,000 worth of poker chips and a gift bag
Book	02 8248 5282

Magnums Butlers International Luxury Yacht Stewardess program
Date	April
Fee	€2395
Book	Magnumsbutlers.com
Josephine Ive, founder of Magnums Butlers International, states that you should come prepared to work hard as at the end of the eight day course you will be trained to a professional luxury yacht world class standard. The cost of the luxury yacht steward/ess program includes a recognised training program and accredited certificate by the Professional Yachtman's Association, introductions to agencies and interview arrangements as well as great networking opportunities with crew captains and the VIP's of the business.

2010 Textile Art Festival
Venue	Brisbane Exhibition Centre, South Bank
Date	June 25-27, 2010
Time	9:30am - 4:30pm daily
Fee	Adults: $14, Seniors/Pensioners: $12, Children (5-16yrs): $7, Children (under 5yrs): FREE
Book	Textileart.com.au
Calling all textile artists, designers, students and anyone who has a love of creative textiles!

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Benjamin Britten
Venue	Sydney Opera House: Bennelong Point, Sydney, NSW
Date	Feb 18, 2010-Mar 24, 2010
Time	Three hours and fifteen minutes including two twenty-minute intervals.
Book	Sydneyoperahouse.com
Britten's music captures the spirit of Shakespeare's mischievous tale of enchantment and love with uncanny accuracy... weaving together fascinating orchestral colours and seductive melodies in a spell-bindingly beautiful score, in this restaging of Baz Luhrmann's legendary production. Deep in the forest the fairies are stirring. As Benjamin Britten's enchanting music slips seductively out of the orchestra pit, discover a place where Indian gods, British colonials and rustic clowns collide, collude and sometimes fall in love. A Midsummer Night's Dream is back.

Exposed! The story of swimwear
Venue	South Australian Maritime Museum, 126 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide
Date	Open 20 February until 9 May 2010
Fee	Museum Admission: Adult $8.50, Child $3.50, Concession $6.50, Family $22
Neck-to-knees, togs, budgie smugglers, bathers, maillot... over the last century swimwear, like its name, has evolved… from a functional outfit to an often provocative fashion essential. A new exhibition at the South Australian Maritime Museum shows how past and present Australian designers and swimming stars have been central figures in the evolution of the modern swimsuit, helping to blur the boundaries between underwear and outerwear. Exposed! The story of swimwear is an Australian National Maritime Museum traveling exhibition and draws on the museum's extensive collection of historical swimwear to explore how the modern swimsuit changed bathing into swimming and helped redefine perceptions of the body. It also showcases especially designed contemporary swimwear by top local and interstate fashion designers. Exposed! showcases major contemporary Australian brands including Zimmermann, Seafolly, Tigerlily and Jets and traces their continued influence on the international swimwear market. Included are a series of stunning costumes in fine black wool jersey created by these designers, along with a range of especially commissioned pieces from top local brands Razak, Liza Emanuelle, Angel Wings, Alexis George and mai-loui.

Discover the Nights Sky
Venue	Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks, 2 Booker St, Spotswood
Date	Thursdays: 4 March-25 March
Time	Commence 7pm
Fee	$26 per person, MV members $21, Season pass $89.
Book	Call 03 9392 4819 Monday to Friday 9.00am- 4.30pm
After centuries we still look to the stars as symbols of love and romance. More than 95% of Melbournians surveyed consider an evening under the stars to be a romantic way to express their love for the first time, compared to just 5% who regard Twitter as romantic and 15% who regard SMS texting as romantic, according to a recently conducted Newspoll survey. All evenings of Discover the Nights Sky include complimentary wine and cheese and the opportunity to chat to the Planetarium's Astronomer, Dr. Tanya Hill. The evening will finish with stargazing through telescopes (weather permitting). Each evening will showcase a different aspect of the night sky: Thursday 4 March: Backyard Astronomy It's not just stars you can see in the night sky - planets, comets, shooting stars and satellites are all there if you know when and where to look. Thursday 11 March: Travel the Universe We invite you on a tour of the Universe that will take you from Spotswood to the far reaches of space. Thursday 18 March: Deep Sky Wonders Explore magnificent galaxies, sparkling star clusters, mysterious gas clouds and much more. Thursday 25 March: Our Solar System Journey through planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets. Marvel at the beauty of each unique world and the stories they tell.

Beauty in 3D a master class by Napoleon Perdis
Date	Tuesday 23rd March & Wednesday 24th March 2010
Time	6:30pm
Fee	Diamond - $250 or Gold - $100
Join us as makeup maestro Napoleon Perdis brings the season's hottest makeup trends to life-no 3-D glasses required. Our ingenious masterclasses bridge entertainment and education, inspiring the audience to creative new heights. Tuesday 23rd March 2010 Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove: Manor Circle Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Wednesday 24th March 2010 CQ Functions: 113 Queen St Melbourne 3000 TICKETS: Diamond - $250 Glass of champagne on arrival Diamond seating allocation Photo with Napoleon Perdis Cocktail party after the show VIP Gift Bag valued at $250 Gold - $100 Glass of champagne on arrival Gold seating allocation Gift Bag valued at $100

The Kazoos
Date	Sunday Feb 14th-Tuesday March 30th
Fee	FREE unless mentioned
Sunday Feb 14th, 11:05am St Kilda Festival: Catani Gardens, Beaconsfield Pde, St Kilda Saturday Feb 20th Northcote Kids: Address: Uniting Church Hall, 251 High Street, Northcote $12 regular, $10 concession. Saturday Feb 27th, 12:30 & 2:30pm The Berwick Show: Akoonah Park, Princes Highway, Berwick Adults: $15 and Kids: $10-10 and under free Sunday Feb 28th, 2pm The Teddy Bears Picnic: Ripponlea House, 192 Hotham St, Ripponlea Friday March 5th, 4pm Moomba Waterfest: Children's Garden, Star Garden, Alexandria Garden's CBD Melbourne Sat & Sun March 6th & 7th, 1:25 & 4:30pm Moomba Waterfest: Children's Garden, Star Garden, Alexandria Garden's CBD Melbourne Monday March 8th, 12 & 3:15pm Moomba Waterfest: Children's Garden, Star Garden, Alexandria Garden's CBD Melbourne Saturday March 13th Brimbank Festival: Sunshine CBD, Melways Ref: 26 H11 Saturday March 13th, 2:30 Casey Kids Carnival, The Old Cheese Factory, Berwick Sunday March 14th, 10:15 The Murdoch Institute Discovery Day, Cruden Farm, Langwarrin $40 adult - children U/16 free & 100% profits donated to research Sunday March 21st, 3pm The Whittelsea Show, City of Whittlesea Public Gardens, Barry Rd Whittlesea Tuesday March 30th, 10:30am Frankston Holiday Program: George Pentland Gardens, Frankston

13th Spanish Film Festival
Date	5th May-30 May
Book	Spanishfilmfestival.com
Sydney: Wed 5-Sun 16 May at Palace Norton Street and Academy Twin Cinemas & The Chauvel Melbourne: Wed 12-Sun 23 May at Palace Cinema Como & Kino Cinemas Brisbane: Thu 20-Sun 30 May at Palace Centro Cinemas Adelaide: Thu 13-Sun 16 May at Palace Nova Eastend Canberra: Thu 6-Sun 16 May at GU Manuka In 2010 the Spanish Film Festival builds on the diverse program of screenings and events that has become its strong trademark. The programme includes: All About Women. Contemporary Spanish cinema. Tribute to Colombia.

Date Night Friday!
Date	every Friday from February 26th 2010
Time	6.30pm to 9pm
Book	(02) 8251 7873.
Date Night Friday is a first for Oceanworld and your one and only chance to treat your loved one to a date with a difference by plunging into Oceanworld with Shark Dive Xtreme by night! Date Night offers a truly unique experience to share as a couple. Get up close and personal with giant sharks, stingrays, turtles and fish in the depths of our Oceanarium from 6.30pm to 9pm every Friday.

Long Play: Good Hair
Venue	The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)
Date	Friday 2 April-Wednesday 21 April, 2010
Good Hair (2009), starring funny-man Chris Rock, Directed by Jeff Stilson! When his daughter poses the question "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?", Rock embarks on a hilarious quest to explore the ways in which having and wanting so called 'good hair' effects the everyday lives of the African American community and ultimately seeks a way to address the conundrum as a father of two girls. From beauty shops to barber shops to street corners, Rock quizzes big-business, hair professionals, celebrities, consumers, husbands and boyfriends who each talk candidly about the sexual and economic politics of hair. Beginning his odyssey in Atlanta, Rock visits the renowned Bronner Brothers' International Hair and Beauty Show where he discovers some staggering statistics on the hair industry in relation to the African American community. The annual 3-day event culminates in an extraordinary hairdresser talent quest that director Jeff Stilson cleverly harnesses as a throughline, following each of the four finalists as they prepare for their final performance - an absurd stage show - bringing this documentary to a head.

The Impro Cave Summer Club
Venue	The Dog Theatre, 42a Albert Street, Footscray
Date	Sunday Evenings: 21st February to 21st March
Time	at 7:30pm
Fee	$15.00 full, $10.00 concession
Book	Impromelbourne.com.au
Summer's almost over and the Impro kids are back in school, but they're not taking orders from anyone. They're breaking the rules and they're making it all up as they go along. They're hip, bad and dangerous to know. After a sell-out season of the Impro Cave - held throughout winter in Brunswick - Impro Melbourne is heading on a roadtrip out West, to the Dog Theatre, Footscray. Expect Impro Melbourne's sharpshooting players to hold nothing back with this totally new season is at their mercy. Grab a helmet, get on the back of the motorbike and hold on tight. It's gonna be a wild ride. There will be dares, double dares, and maybe an air guitar riff and some dancing on tables in Converse sneakers. Throw them some ideas, and the Impro kids will rock out with them. Ditch detention, forge a note from your mum and join the party!

ARTEXPRESS at the Armory 2010
Venue	The Armory Gallery (Building 18), Jamieson Street at Sydney Olympic Park.
Date	Tuesday 2 March-Sunday 25 April
Time	from 10am-4pm
Fee	FREE entry
Book	Sydney Olympic Park Infoline on 02 9714 7888
Exhibition of major works submitted by NSW students for the 2009 HSC Visual Arts Examination. Featuring the works of 75 students from schools in Western and North-Western Sydney, ARTEXPRESS at the Armory 2010 will be the largest ARTEXPRESS exhibition presented in metropolitan-Sydney this year. Works exhibited will include: drawings, paintings, ceramics, sculptures, photographs, videos and digital media displays. Many of the students' complete bodies of work and large format projections of films will feature in the 2010 exhibition. Theme: Birds that no longer live in my neighbourhood.

The Seed applications open
Date	Applications close Monday March 15th 2010
Book	Theseedfund.org/
The Seed has evolved over the years to become an integral part of the Australian Arts & Music industry, contributing over $533,000 worth of funding to over 200 Artists and Music Managers. The passion and support of all contributors has helped to make it what it is today and although John Butler and co-founder Danielle Caruana will remain a driving force behind the project, they believe it is time to make The Seed something that the arts community can call their own.

Lovedale Long Lunch
Date	Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May 2010
Time	10am to 4pm
Fee	$42: he package includes the glass, a meal ticket and a dessert/cheese ticket which are transferable between wineries.
Book	Lovedalelonglunch.com.au
Once again food and wine lovers will be flocking to the Hunter Valley for the 17th annual Lovedale Long Lunch on May 15th & 16th 2010. Seen as the biggest regional food and wine event in NSW, event organisers hope to match last years numbers and attract in excess of 18,000 visitors over the event weekend. Lovedale opens its doors to provide a moveable feast of culinary delights matched with a selection of outstanding wines. The Lovedale Long Lunch is a progressive-type lunch where visitors wine and dine their way around the seven participating Lovedale wineries over the weekend enjoying a glass of wine, gourmet food, fabulous music and art. Hosts of the 2010 event include: Tatler Wines + Tatler Tapas Gartelmann Hunter Estate + Chez Pok Restaurant Wandin Valley Estate + BelPosto Cafe/Restaurant Sandalyn Wilderness Estate + Red Salt Restaurant Swish Wine @ Warraroong Estate + The Verandah Restaurant Emma's Cottage Vineyard + Amanda's Restaurant Allandale Winery + The Cellar Restaurant

DJ Dwight Chocolate Escobar
Venue	Level 1, Overseas Passenger Terminal, West Circular Quay
Date	Thursday's
Time	from 10pm
Fee	FREE

The Rezende and Zwartz Project
Book	$35 + booking fee presale. Mention Chocolate to receive a discount at the door.
Brazilian born Alda Rezendes career has been a mix of all manner of music styles: Jazz, Bossa Nova, Samba and Pop. Now, after having shared stages with the likes of Joao Bosco, Na Ozzetti, Ze Miguel Wisnik and Monica Salmaso she presents the Rezende and Zwartz Project with double-bassist extraordinaire Jonathan Zwartz, in an evening of the sounds of Brazil.

Rose Spectacular
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	11 October-14 November 2010
Fee	Entry to the Gardens is $22.50 per adult and children 16 and older, $12 for children between 4-15 years of age with children 3 years and under admitted free.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
Take the opportunity to see Hunter Valley Gardens blooming with over 2 million rose blooms, throughout the annual Rose Spectacular. See 35,000 rose bushes in over 125 different varieties. The majority of the roses are grown at Hunter Valley Gardens are of the fragrant variety, after all, a rose without perfume just isn’t a rose! Includes rose talks and demonstrations.

Christmas Lights Spectacular
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	11 November 2010-5 January 2011
Fee	Entry to the Gardens is $22.50 per adult and children 16 and older, $12 for children between 4-15 years of age with children 3 years and under admitted free.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
Open every night with over 1 million Christmas lights on show, as the biggest display in the Southern Hemisphere. Includes special guest Santa, and entertainment. Special night rates apply. Closed Christmas Day.

Winter Rose Pruning
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	1-31 July 2010
Time	beginning at 10.30am daily
Fee	Entry to the Gardens is $22.50 per adult and children 16 and older, $12 for children between 4-15 years of age with children 3 years and under admitted free.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
Ever wonder how it's done? With 35,000 roses to prune, let the experts show you how! With demonstrations and talks beginning at 10.30am daily, learn how to care for roses correctly. Free rose cuttings on departure.

Flavourfest
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	12-14 June 2010
Fee	Entry to the Gardens is $22.50 per adult and children 16 and older, $12 for children between 4-15 years of age with children 3 years and under admitted free.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
New to the Garden's calendar this year, FlavourFest will feature fine food, exquisite wines, exotic tastes, pampering zones and inspiring music. Please see the Hunter Valley Gardens website closer to the date for information about special celebrity guests, market stalls, demonstrations and more at Australia’s Largest Display Garden.

Mother's Day
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	9th May
Fee	Entry to the Gardens is $22.50 per adult and children 16 and older, $12 for children between 4-15 years of age with children 3 years and under admitted free.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
Mum will be spoilt for choice this Mother's Day at Hunter Valley Gardens! There'll be great prizes, a girls only pamper zone, demonstrations, plus lots of fun for the kids with a jumping castle, pony rides and face painting to keep them entertained.

Senior's Week
Venue	Hunter Valley Gardens
Date	21-28 March 2010
Fee	All seniors receive a special entry rate of $10.00 and a FREE soft serve ice-cream.
Book	02 4998 4000 or Hvg.com.au
Hunter Valley Gardens is set to rock this Seniors Week with performances by Steve King, Australia's best Elvis Tribute Artist and his stunning Las Vegas Show Girls. Bop to the sounds of Blue Suede Shoes, Suspicious Minds and be mesmerised by the classics; Love Me Tender and Can’t Help Falling in Love. Speak to special guests Brian McGuigan and Gretta Anna or join in on one of the daily talks and tours with the trained horticultural staff.

Summer Beach Dance
Venue	Luna Park, Sydney
Date	daily
Time	1.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.40pm
Summer Beach Dance is a mixture of clever choreography and improvisation that is sure to entertain visitors at Luna Park and set toes tapping.

MAMMA MIA! Packages Now Available
Venue	Her Majesty's Theatre Melbourne, VIC
Date	Friday 23 April and Friday 21 May
Time	8pm
Fee	$295* p/person
Book	Ticketek
Night after night, audiences are having the time of their lives at MAMMA MIA! Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny story of love, laughter and friendship has been thrilling audiences for 10 years. More recently it became the biggest British hit movie of all time when the three women who created the worldwide stage smash hit adapted it for the silver screen. Choose from two specially selected nights to dine in at Melbourne's award winning Grossi Florentino's upstairs private dining room, chat with Executive Chef Guy Grossi, and then dance the night away at the smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! from your very own Premium House seats (front three rows of the Dress Circle!). Includes a VIP Function during interval with Grossi-designed desserts, glass of wine, and a MM! gift bag*.

21st Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
Date	2 March-31 March
Book	frenchfilmfestival.org/
Oh those French know how to celebrate! Not only have they assembled their most intoxicating movie line-up to date to mark the 21st anniversary of the wildly popular Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, but they've also lured renowned French filmmaker, Jean-Pierre Jeunet to our shores to open the 2010 Festival with his acclaimed new film MICMACS (Micmacs a tire-larigot) which will screen courtesy of Hopscotch Films. Highlights of the 2010 Festival include: Welcome Serge Gainsbourg I'm Glad My Mother is Alive Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky Queen to Play Anything for Her Bellamy The First Day of the Rest of your Life Father of my Children SYDNEY: 2 - 21 March - Palace Academy, Palace Verona & Palace Norton Street MELBOURNE: 4 - 21 March - Palace Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Westgarth and Kino Cinemas BRISBANE: 17 - 31 March - Palace Centro & Palace Barracks Cinema PERTH: 17 - 31 March - Cinema Paradiso & Luna on SX CANBERRA: 18 - 31 March - Greater Union Manuka (Opening Closing Nights at National Film & Sound Archives) ADELAIDE: 18 - 31 March - Palace Nova Eastend

UK artist Xenz
Venue	Bicker Gallery, Sydney
Date	11-27 March, 2010.
Wonderlust the first of such 'pop up' exhibitions to be featured in Sydney, its the work of British artist, Xenz aka Graeme Brusby, who began painting graffiti in the 80s in the derelict warehouses of Hull in Yorkshire England. His career spans two decades, one of which was spent in Bristol working with TCF crew amongst many of the street art scenes finest creative minds. His latest studio works include a series of paintings that explore an enchanted forest in search of mythical birds. Inspired by the watercolours of John Gould, who did some of the first illustrations of the birds of New Guinea and Australia, which later became known as the 'Birds of Paradise'. Xenz explains, 'I'm fascinated by birds and as a child I'd look at encyclopedias and bird books and imagine myself in the pictures, this was a time before we had the Internet. Wonderlust is a perfect way to describe these works that try to capture the ethereal, via birds and their mating habits'.

Festival Finale Easter Monday
Venue	Canterbury Park Racecourse
Date	Monday 5 April

AAMI Golden Slipper Breakfast
Venue	Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Date	Thursday 1 April

AAMI Golden Slipper Barrier Draw
Venue	Martin Place
Date	Tuesday 30 March

Racing Mass
Venue	Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Kensington
Date	Sunday 28 March

Sydney Autumn Carnival Stable of Stars
Venue	Inglis Stables
Date	Wednesday 24 March

AAMI Golden Slipper Day
Venue	Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Date	Saturday 3 April
Time	Gates open 11.00am First race approximately 12.10pm
Fee	$40 (pre-purchased), $55 (admission and B-reserved seat), $65 (admission and A-reserved seat)
Book	Ticketek
Steeped in 53 years of tradition, AAMI Golden Slipper Day is synonymous with glamour, grandeur and a great all-day experience. The richest day of Australian racing has staked its claim as Sydney's No. 1 social event, with tens of thousands converging on Rosehill Gardens to experience the country's finest racing program coupled with hospitality by our national award winning team.

Darley Guineas Day
Venue	Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Date	Saturday 27 March
Time	Gates open 11.00am first race approximately 12.10pm
Fee	$25 (pre-purchased), $40 (admission and reserved seat)
Book	Ticketek
Celebrating its 150th anniversary, day two of the Golden Slipper Festival sees the country's finest thoroughbreds converge on Rosehill Gardens in search of success in the $500,000 Darley Rosehill Guineas. It's also the last chance to qualify for the AAMI Golden Slipper, so the action on the racecourse is guaranteed to be hot.

Myer Ladies' Day
Venue	Rosehill Gardens
Date	Gates open 11.00am first race approximately 12.10pm
Time	Saturday 20 March
Fee	$25 (pre-purchased ), $40 (admission and reserved seat)
Book	Ticketek
The opening day of the Golden Slipper Festival is the highly glamorous Myer Ladies' Day. All about making a fashion statement, Myer Ladies' Day kicks off the highly competitive $80,000 Myer Fashions on the Field contest. Day includes an appearance by Cleo Bachelors! Sydney's social set flock to Rosehill Gardens on this day to lend their support to charity at the annual McGrath Foundation Lunch.

Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D
Venue	IMAX Melbourne Museum, Carlton Gardens
Date	20 February, 2010
Fee	$17.50 Adult, $14 Concession, $12.50 Child, $50.00 family (2 adults & 2 children)
Book	Imaxmelbourne.com.au or 03 9663 5454
Nine-time world champion surfer, Kelly Slater, and his big wave companion, Raimana Van Bastolaer will star in the first ever extreme surfing IMAX 3D movie. Scheduled for release at IMAX Melbourne Museum on 20 February, 2010, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D was primarily shot in the Tahitian big wave environment known to watermen around the world as Teahupoo. Directed by award-winning director Stephen Low and his team of in-water and airborne cameramen, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D captures the incredible power, majesty and danger of the most treacherous ocean waves in the world. With a reputation as the greatest surfer of all time, Slater showcases his surfing talent and flair on the giant IMAX 3D screen as he teams up with local legend Van Bastolaer to take on Teahupoo.

Video Game Bar
Venue	The Mana Bar, Brisbane
Date	February 2010
Fee	Entry to the venue will be free, with no charge to play the games.
The 'Mana Bar' is the first licensed venue in Brisbane, Australia opening in February 2010 that will allow people to enjoy a drink while playing the latest video game systems. Located in the heart of Brisbane's entertainment district - Fortitude Valley - the Mana Bar will feature a stylish geek chic interior design with multiple LCD screens attached to the walls with playable next-gen console systems. The venue will be accessible to a wider casual market, while still catering to the hardcore gamer crowd. The Mana Bar has a 50 person maximum capacity and will host many special events such as game release parties, guitar hero tournaments, trivia nights, launch events and many more.

Deadly Funny
Book	Deadlyfunny.com.au or contact Jason Tamiru on 03 9245 3700
Deadly Funny provides a unique opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to come together, celebrate and share humour and have their deadly yarns workshopped by a professional stand-up comedian. The workshops provide deadly tips and advice on writing, performance and help boost performers' confidence to get up on stage. Grand Final: Capital Theatre, 113 Swanston St, Melbourne Saturday 10th April at 3pm For Deadly Funny finals in your state go to: Deadlyfunny.com.au

Wonderlust 'Pop up' Art Show
Venue	The Bicker Gallery, Sydney CBD.
Date	11-27 (Wednesday - Sunday) March 2010 (Opening night 11 March 6.30-10pm, includes drinks).
Time	11am-7pm
Fee	Free
Book	Bickergallery.com
Over the past 3 years, Dominic Rowswell, the organiser behind the UK's Bicker Gallery has organised shows in temporary venues in London and Bristol, commonly called 'pop up shows'. This allows the artists work not to be limited to the normal conventional gallery space. The 'pop up' shows also enable the gallery to adapt accordingly to the artists wishes, all the while keeping the audience interested by inviting them to visit spaces that they might not ordinarily visit. Previous shows have been held in such places as High Street shops, a disused underground station, an old police station and a converted warehouse. The venue is not revealed until a couple of weeks prior to the gallery opening. 'Wonderlust' The first of such exhibitions features the work of British artist, Xenz aka Graeme Brusby, he began painting graffiti in the 80s in the derelict warehouses of Hull in Yorkshire England his career spans two decades one of which was spent in Bristol working with TCF crew amongst many of the street art scenes finest creative minds.

Top Designs
Venue	Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton
Date	From the 27 March until 27 June
Time	Open daily 10.00am - 5.00pm
Fee	Admission: Adult $8, children and concession FREE.
Book	For further details phone 13 11 02 or visit museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum
Top Designs is in its tenth year at Melbourne Museum and is a major component of the VCE Season of Excellence, managed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The exhibition features exemplary student design in a range of VCE studies: Design and Technology, Food and Technology, Systems Engineering, Media, VET Multimedia and Visual Communication and Design.

Learn to Improvise Public Workshops Term 1
Venue	The Space 318 Chapel Street (cnr Carlton St) Prahran OR Parish Hall 52 James Street, Northcote
Date	Tuesdays, 2nd February - 30th March or Wednesdays, 3rd February - 31st March
Time	7 - 9pm
Fee	$264 (incl. GST) Full, $220 (incl. GST) Concession
Book	Sean: 0417 507 907
Everyone can benefit from impro training. Doctors, IT professionals, full-time students, writers, managers and actors are all regular participants in our workshops. Whatever you do, whatever you like, see how impro training can be applied to your world. Plus it's a whole lot of fun! You will be taught by Impro Melbourne's most devoted teachers whose expertise is in demand nationwide and overseas too!

Windows on Europe Film Festival
Date	Friday 12 March - Tuesday 16 March
Fee	Full $12, Concession $9
Presented for the first time in Melbourne, this annual festival brings together a collection of films drawing on the diverse and rich cultures of Europe. All movies have English subtitles. Fri 12 Mar 7.15pm The Age of Stupid unclassified 18+ UK Fri 12 Mar 8.15pm The Investigator (A nyomozo) unclassified 18+ Hungary Sat 13 Mar 5.15pm Recipes for Disaster (Katastrofin aineksia) unclassified 18+ Finland Sat 13 Mar 7.15pm Tobruk unclassified 18+ Czech Republic Sat 13 Mar 9.15pm Seamstresses (Shivachki) unclassified 18+ Bulgaria Sun 14 Mar 2.15pm The Homecoming (I epistrofi) unclassified 18+ Greece Sun 14 Mar 4.15pm The Swimsuit Issue unclassified 18+ Sweden Sun 14 Mar 6.15pm Little Moscow (Mala moskwa) unclassified 18+ Poland Mon 15 Mar 7.15pm Christopher Columbus, the Enigma (Cristoveo colombo o enigma) unclassified 18+ Portugal Mon 15 Mar 8.45pm The Girl from Monaco (La fille de monaco) unclassified 18+ France Tue 16 Mar 7.15pm California Dreamin' unclassified 18+

Dennis Hopper and The New Hollywood
Venue	ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne
Date	until Sunday 25 April 2010
Time	10am-6pm
Fee	Full $17 Concession $12. Family $50 (2 adults, 2 children) Each extra child $8
A rare insight into the life and times of a living legend - his films, art and photography. Featuring original artworks by: Dennis Hopper Andy Warhol Bruce Conner Robert Rauschenberg Jenny Holzer Jean-Michel Basquiat Ed Ruscha Roy Lichtenstein Franz Kline Emerson Woelffer

Adelaide Salsa Festival
Date	26, 27 & 28 March 2010
Book	Adelaidesalsafestival.com.au
3 days & nights of Latin dance workshops, performances & parties! The best of the best in the Latin dance industry will converge in Adelaide to create an unforgettable weekend!In fact, it will be one of the biggest parties in Australia! The parties: Organisers, Latino Grooves are reknown for their ability to host huge parties! The 2009 ASF went off and this year's festival will be taken to another level! Prepare to dance the nights away to the finest Latin DJS Australia has to offer and Australia's premier Salsa band Hugo Salcedo & his TNT! ! The performances: Experience the sultry Salsa, sizzling Samba, smooth Bachata and Zouk and the explosive Afro-Cuban Rumba all in one spectacular weekend with over 50 of Australia's and the world's best performers including - celebrity dancers from 'Dancing With The Stars' Luda Kroitor and 'So You Think You Can Dance' Gianne Abbott and many, many more! The workshops: Over 30 workshops in 3 days! Learn from the best of the best in the Latin dance industry! From the Absolute Beginner to the Advanced dancer, there is something for everybody.

Pablo Francisco
Date	Wednesday 14 April-Wednesday 21 April
Fee	$47.90- $49.90
Book	Ticketek 132 849 ticketek.com.au
When Pablo Francisco hits the stage, he immediately brings his audiences to their feet with boisterous laughter and applause. He weaves together his arsenal of characters, spontaneous outbursts, and clever insights to create a stand-up show that more resembles an hour-long comedic jazz riff. He is an off-the-wall, animated character that points out the absurdity in an illogical, pop-culture obsessed world. Wednesday 14 April The Palms At Crown, Melbourne 8:00pm Tuesday 20 April The Tivoli, Brisbane 8:00pm Wednesday 21 April Enmore Theatre, Sydney 7:00pm

Tony Woods
Venue	The Comedy Store
Date	21 April - 1 May
Time	7.15pm
Fee	Preview $20, $27 adult, $21.50 concession
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Some comedians write jokes, others live them. Tony Woods is the latter. The hilarious mishaps and mix ups that happen to this top comedian contrast with his smooth, dry-witted persona to come up with a comedy style that is truly unique. His past trips to Australia, and Sydney in particular, provide the basis for many of Woods' fish out of water tales and Australians love him for it. Australian audiences connect with Tony so well as the only person more laid back than an Aussie is Tony Woods. Don't miss Tony Woods in his Sydney Comedy Festival 2010 season - with his luck he may never make it back to Australia again!

Dom Irrera
Venue	The Comedy Store
Date	21 April - 1 May
Time	8.45pm
Fee	Preview $25, Tue-Thu $27 adult/$21.50 concession, Fri-Sat $32.50 adult /$27 concession
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
Making his Australian debut at the Sydney Comedy Festival, Dom Irrera has one of the most natural styles in all of stand-up comedy. He has the ability to make almost any crowd laugh until it hurts, with an intricate mix of stories and characters weaved together seamlessly. Dom presently resides as the Judge in DirecTV's Supreme Court of Comedy. He has performed at Montreal's prestigious "Just For Laughs Festival" and the 'Cat Laughs Festival' in Kilkenny, Ireland, in fact he has made more appearances at both festivals than any other American comic. He also has performed at the Edinburgh Festival's Assembly Hall where he received the 'Herald Award' for artistic excellence.

HIA Sydney Home Show
Venue	Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
Date	Thursday 13 May - Sunday 16 May 2010
Time	Open 10am daily
Fee	Adult, $18; concession, $15; children FREE - or purchase online and SAVE
Book	Sydneyhomeshow.com.au
The return of the Design Precinct presents Australia's leading interior designers. The Designer Room Series V will feature six cosmopolitan life-size rooms capturing emerging international trends. With the visual inspiration taken care of, enjoy a quiet drink at the Designer Drinks Bar while listening to experts at the Designer Forums. Pick up clever design techniques using colour, fabrics, furnishings and textures. A new addition to the event is the HIA Award Winner Showcase. The best of the best will be on show with their award winning home design or product designs for visitors to view. Whether it's inspiring green designs, water tanks, solar panels, or grey-water recycling systems, making your house sustainable saves more than just energy and water. Learn the best conservation strategies for your home and associated economic benefits at daily seminars held at the Sustainable Living Stage.

HIA Home Ideas Show
Venue	Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Southbank
Date	Wednesday 7 April - Sunday 11 April 2010
Time	Open 10am daily
Fee	Adult, $18; concession, $15; children FREE - or purchase online and SAVE
Book	Hiahomeideasshow.com.au
Home owners, renovators and enthusiasts will find new ideas for interior and exterior makeovers for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and backyard when they visit the HIA Home Ideas Show at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre in April 2010. Whether it's inspiring green designs, water tanks, solar panels, or grey-water recycling systems, making your house sustainable saves more than just energy and water. Learn the best conservation strategies for your home and associated economic benefits at daily seminars held at the Sustainable Living Stage. For visitors planning a renovation project, seeking the right information for the project is vital to staying on task and on budget. Ask an Expert is a dedicated free service with tradespeople to answer your renovation questions with ready-to-help experts on painting, building, sustainability, landscaping, building design, kitchens and bathrooms. Bring your questions and your plans along for a free consultation! With more than 250 exhibitors showing the latest products and services, visitors are sure to leave full of ideas to enhance their homes and lives. In 2010 the event will run alongside the inaugural Healthy Food Healthy Lifestyle Show with each event ticket providing dual access providing great value for visitors.

Textile Art Festival
Venue	Brisbane Exhibition Centre, South Bank
Date	June 25 - 27, 2010
At this years Textile Art Festival participate in the competition entitled 'art u wear'. The competition calls on entrants to design a wearable art costume (ensemble) and is set to provide a wonderland of wearable art at the Festival.

Mary and Max The Exhibition
Venue	Gallery 2, ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne.
Date	Tuesday 2 March - Sunday 6 June, 2010
Fee	Free
Mary and Max, the first animated feature film from Academy Award Winner Adam Elliot, will be the subject of a free exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. The exhibition will explore the creative and technical processes behind the acclaimed Australian animation by showing a selection from the thousands of items created for the film alongside imagery from the finished product. Items on display include character models and their various components including plasticine replacement parts used to change facial expressions, as well as moulds, sets, props, conceptual sketches, storyboards, production notes and scrapbooks. The exhibition will also feature stills and clips from the finished film, and behind-the-scenes footage shot for a making-of style 'mockumentary'. ACMI exhibitions curator Fiona Trigg says that Mary and Max: The Exhibition is designed to reveal the meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail which makes the feature-length work so remarkable.

Sydney Film Festival
Venue	Where
Date	until Mar 31, 2010
Sydney Film Festival is New South Wales' pre-eminent showcase for contemporary cinema from Australia and around the world. Established in 1954, Sydney Film Festival is a major cultural event on the city's social calendar and one of the world's longest running film festivals Screening the new international films, provocative documentaries, short films, classic cinema and cutting edge new media.

Dean/Holden Bliss - World Premiere
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	March 12-27th
Fee	$65-$297
Dangerous ideas abound in Peter Carey's landmark first novel, Bliss. Is this reality or some kind of hilarious hell? What is true love? And why has an elephant sat on my car? The lights go up on the world premiere of Bliss, a new Australian opera by Brett Dean and Amanda Holden. Welcome back to the excesses of the 80s, where sex and drugs beat rock-n-roll. This much-anticipated work stars the electrifying Peter Coleman-Wright as Harry Joy, the blithe and savvy advertising executive who, after a close encounter with death, finds his world is not what it was. The combination of director Neil Armfield, composer Brett Dean, librettist Amanda Holden, conductor Elgar Howarth, along with the brightest stars of Australian theatre design and choreography, will ignite the stage in a blaze of words, music and ideas.

Verdi La Traviata
Date	22 January 2010- 29 March 2010
Fee	$65-$297
When the curtain goes up on the buzzing Parisian salon you might be forgiven for thinking you have travelled back in time. Michael Yeargan's sets and Peter J Hall's lavish period costumes are the perfect backdrop to the lush, sweeping melodies of Verdi's magnificent La traviata. It starts with champagne, it continues with song, but when the beautiful courtesan Violetta Valery sets eyes on young Alfredo Germont her life of parties and paramours suddenly seems so empty. Will true love win out? This memorable production is brought to life by an outstanding cast. Russian diva Elvira Fatykhova returns to play Violetta, Australian tenor Aldo DiToro is the love of her life, and Jonathan Summers is his father.

Tosca
Date	Opening 8 January 2010- March 27th 2010
Fee	$65-$297
In this first new production of Tosca in almost 30 years, director Christopher Alden brings us a bold and unflinching vision of this tragic tale of political persecution, rape and murder. Floria Tosca and her lover Mario Cavaradossi are embroiled in a plot to help a friend escape from prison. Baron Scarpia, the chief of police, is determined to extract the truth from Cavaradossi, and a kiss - and the rest -from Tosca. Will she sacrifice herself to save her lover? I lived for art, I lived for love... Tosca's famous aria is one of opera's greatest moments. Hear the soaring voices of America soprano Takesha Meshe Kizart (replacing Cheryl Barker) and Nicole Youl as Tosca, alongside a cast of stars including John Wegner, Rosario La Spina, Carlo Barricelli and Warwick Fyfe plus the unforgettable Opera Australia Chorus.

AAMI Golden Slipper Day
Venue	Rosehill Gardens
Date	3rd April 2010
Fee	$105
Book	early (before 25th of Jan) and save $15

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Venue	Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne: Enter Observatory Gate on Birdwood Avenue, opposite the Shrine of Remembrance
Date	21st Dec-13th March 2010
Book	1300 122 344 or online at Shakespeareaustralia.com.au, Ticketmaster 136 100 or
This summer the Australian Shakespeare Company celebrates 21 years of Shakespeare Under The Stars in the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with a magical summer season of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "The course of true love never did run smooth!" - but it can be very funny, especially as the sun is setting over the Royal Botanic Gardens and you’re sitting Under The Stars, the picnic hamper is a little lighter and the fairies are about to come out to play mayhem with the innocent lovers and well-meaning fools in the madcap world of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Dates: Dec/Jan: Tuesday to Sunday at 8.30pm. Feb/Mar: Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm. Special Gala 21st Anniversary performance on Monday 21 December at 8.30pm and Valentine’s Day. Sunday 14 February at 8pm. No shows 25 â€" 27 December, 1 and 26 January

2010 Royal Melbourne Show
Date	18 - 28 September
The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) announced next year's Royal Melbourne Show will be held from Saturday 18 September to Tuesday 28 September at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Traditionally beginning the Thursday prior to school holidays, the scheduling of next year's event has been moved to encompass the second week of the school holidays, making it even more accessible for a greater number of young families to attend. Held since 1884, the Royal Melbourne Show is Victoria's most popular annual community event, bringing the best of the country to the city to provide a range of unique and memorable experiences to enjoy with family and friends. Attracting an average of 500,000 people each year to the Melbourne Showgrounds, the 'must-attend' event features a variety of fun interactive educational activities and great family entertainment that includes animals and agriculture, art, craft, food, wine, carnival rides, showbags, spectacular fireworks and much more. As well as showcasing the best of rural Victoria, the Show includes a variety of agricultural competitions and demonstrations, with everything from dog judging and woodchopping to the prestigious Garryowen Equestrienne Turnout.

The 6th Sydney Comedy Festival
Date	19 April - 9 May 2010
Book	02 9020 6966 Sydneycomedyfest.com.au
The 6th Sydney Comedy Festival comes laden with promises of more fun and laughter for more Sydneysiders than ever before! New venues, new late night shows, new outdoor free events, a new dedicated program especially for kids plus a star studded line up of comedy's international superstars and home grown champions! First 10 releases: ROSS NOBLE (UK) Adopted Geordie and all round nice guy played to thousands upon thousands in 2009 during his arena tour and is back for some more intimate unscripted performances in 2010. DES BISHOP (IRE) As a bona fide celebrity in his adopted home in Ireland having won many awards for his television productions, Des Bishop is now ready to embark on his first-ever national stand up tour of Australia. In mastering his acerbic observations on life in Australia, Des is sure to uncover many parts of our own identity we don't even know ourselves. JASON BYRNE (IRE) Jason is the highest selling act in the history of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is also the highlight of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's televised Gala every year. The highly anticipated Sydney Comedy Festival debut for this hugely energetic and exciting performer will sell out. DAVID O'DOHERTY (IRE) The winner of the Edinburgh Fringe 2008 if.comedy (formerly Perrier) award David O'Doherty returns to Sydney with his brand new show David O'Doh-Party. Very bad at describing his stand up comedy, this new show will be a bit like when you are going down a flight of stairs in the dark, and you think there are two steps left, but there only turns out to be one. DOM IRRERA (USA) The Italian mobster uncle you never had, all round wise guy and a legend in the American club scene. Did we mention he was on Seinfeld and The Big Lebowski too? PABLO FRANCISCO (USA) After 5 sell out shows in 2009 and millions of YouTube hits the master of voices and sound effects returns showcasing the best impressions you will ever hear of Michael J. Fox, Jackie Chan and of course Don Fontaine aka the movie voice over guy! TONY WOODS (USA) Renowned for his ability to transfix people worldwide with his incredible stories, and for men proposing to their partners during his show but perhaps more notorious for missing his flight the last two times he’s been to Australia! THE PAJAMA MEN (USA) This year alone the duo from Albuquerque have sold out in Melbourne, London, Edinburgh and two shows at the Virgin Mobile Metro in Sydney. The most in demand comedy duo around right now with a new show! Get a babysitter this is not a show for the kids! SHANE MAUSS (USA) The underground comedy hit of 2009. Pronounced 'Moss' not 'Mouse'. You may have seen him earlier this year at the Sydney Comedy Store he performed a handful of dates all of which were sold out, you may have seen him partying in Surry Hills or on Conan O'Brien, he's been on the show multitudes of times and was a smash hit at the 2009 Just for Laughs, Montreal. SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL CRACKER NIGHT The Opening Night Gala of the Festival, Cracker Night has developed into Sydney's biggest annual night of laughter spanning across multiple venues in the city. To be staged on 20 April, the pinnacle event of the Sydney Comedy Festival promises to be the best sampler of comic fare in 2010.

Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress
Venue	the National Gallery of Victoria
Date	2 December 2009 - 27 June 2010
The exhibition will feature over 30 works primarily drawn from the NGV's holdings of fashion and textiles, as well as key loans. Sculpture, paintings, decorative arts and photography, from antiquity to the present day will also be on display. Drape will showcase elegant gowns from the 19th century to more contemporary works including designs by Dolce & Gabbana and Comme des Garçons among others. Drape will explore the practice of arranging cloth on the body in two dominant modes, clinging drape and elevated drape. Clinging drape relies on direct contact between the body and the cloth, as in classical sculpture, while elevated drape shows fabric theatrically sculptured away from the body, similar to the gathering of cloth over crinolines and bustles.

Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and beyond
Venue	National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Date	4 December 2009 - 5 April 2010
The National Gallery of Australia, in association with the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, is proud to present the extraordinary world premiere of Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and beyond, the largest and most valuable collection of art ever to be exhibited in Australia. From December 2009 through to April 2010, the Australian public won't have to travel to Paris to see masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard-they can visit them in Canberra. Among the 112 paintings included in the exhibition are some of the best-known works of modern art. These works draw millions of tourists in Paris to the Musee d'Orsay, one of the great museums of 19th-century art.

Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and beyond
Venue	National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Date	4 December 2009 - 5 April 2010
The National Gallery of Australia, in association with the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, is proud to present the extraordinary world premiere of Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and beyond, the largest and most valuable collection of art ever to be exhibited in Australia. From December 2009 through to April 2010, the Australian public won't have to travel to Paris to see masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard-they can visit them in Canberra. Among the 112 paintings included in the exhibition are some of the best-known works of modern art. These works draw millions of tourists in Paris to the Musee d'Orsay, one of the great museums of 19th-century art.

Novadose
Venue	Cinema Nova, Lygon Street Carlton, VIC
Date	Wednesday 9 December
Time	7pm
Fee	$11
Book	cinemanova.com.au
The Cinema Nova is hosting a Nova Dose Event for Mordy Koots. Created, written and directed by Clayton Jacobson (Kenny), produced by Jim Shomos (Forget The Rules) and starring Shane Jacobson (Kenny, Charlie & Boots), Mordy Koots is a character driven comedy series, and is the first ever MOGIE (Movie Over Game Integrated Entertainment). The 10 x 4 minute series follows the comedic adventures of Mordy an American WW2 air force pilot who has a high opinion of himself as a hero, but in reality mostly stumbles through the war - any success he has is usually by accident rather than talent. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Clayton Jacobson and Producer Jim Shomos. The entire series will be available to watch free on ninemsn.

Round She Goes 2010
Venue	Kingston City Hall (formerly Moorabbin Town Hall) 979 Nepean Highway, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Date	Sunday 11 April 2010
Time	10:00am-3:00pm
Fee	$2

Sydney Film Festival
Venue	Sydney Australia
Date	Jun 4, 2009 - Mar 31, 2010
Sydney Film Festival is New South Wales' pre-eminent showcase for contemporary cinema from Australia and around the world. Established in 1954, Sydney Film Festival is a major cultural event on the city's social calendar and one of the world's longest running film festivals Screening the new international films, provocative documentaries, short films, classic cinema and cutting edge new media.

Ash St Cellar's new Film Nights
Date	November 2009-March 2010
Time	every Monday night
Fee	$35 includes a plate of tapas + glass of wine or beer and a front row seat to a great outdoor film night.
For the next five months, the ivy laneway will be transformed into a cozy outdoor cinema, screening a selection of great food-themed art house flicks every Monday night. For November 2009, the theme will be 'big' films - kicking off with the Coen Brothers' black comedy The Big Lebowski, followed by the 1978 surfing classic Big Wednesday, a youthful-looking Tom Hanks in Big, Luc Besson's visually stunning The Big Blue and the steamy New Orleans crime drama The Big Easy.

FREE live music, night markets and fabulous food at The Rocks!
Venue	The Rocks
Date	every Friday evening from 6 November 2009 to 26 March 2010 (excluding Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
Time	5:30pm-10pm
Fee	FREE
Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority has extended the popular The Rocks Markets by Moonlight so you can enjoy the festival for the whole summer - every Friday evening from 6 November 2009 to 26 March 2010 (excluding Christmas and New Year's Days). Friday November 6: Jason Lowe, The Paper Scissors, Friday November 13: Liz Martin, Sui Zhen Friday November 20: Endusk, Melanie Horsnell Friday November 27: Eli Wolfe, Amanda Baker

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2010: Tim Burton
Venue	ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria.
Date	Begins on the 24th of June and runs until 10th of October 2010
The largest exhibition to ever be presented in ACMI's Gallery 1 has been curated in direct collaboration with Burton and features artworks and objects drawn from his personal archive, as well as studio archives and the private collections. Also featured are his student and early non-professional films; his long-unseen television adaptation Hansel and Gretel (1983); examples of his work for the flash animation internet series The World of Stainboy (2000); a selection of the artist's oversized Polaroid prints; graphic art and texts for non-film projects, like The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories (1997) and Tim Burton's Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys (2003) collectible figure series; and art from a number of early unrealised projects. The exhibition follows the course of Burton's career, with childhood ephemera, juvenilia, and amateur short films from his youth in Burbank, California; cartoons and drawings from his time at California Institute of the Arts; and examples of his first professional work at The Walt Disney Studios. Burton's artistic output includes shorts Vincent (1982) and Frankenweenie (1984); and 15 feature films including Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Sweeney Todd (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010); as well as writing and web projects such as Stainboy (2000).

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Venue	The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Date	December 4, 2010
Baz Luhrmann's magical Dream is back at the Arts Centre with an exciting cast of young singers in the leading roles and Paul Kildea conducting. A Midsummer Night's Dream features Tobias Cole and Lorina Gore as Oberon and Tytania, with Tyler Coppin as the beguiling Puck and Conal Coad who reprises his acclaimed interpretation of Bottom.

The Marriage of Figaro
Venue	The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Date	November 17, 2010
To open the Spring Season in Melbourne, Opera Australia presents a new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, starring Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Peter Coleman-Wright, Hye Seoung Kwon, Sian Pendry and Tiffany Speight, with conductor Marko Letonja and director Benedict Andrews making their Opera Australia debuts.

Fledermaus
Venue	Arts Centre, Melbourne
Date	May 11, 2010
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers step aside: Yvonne Kenny is set to make a grand entrance as life and soul of the party in the world's favourite operetta, Fledermaus.

La sonnambula
Venue	Arts Centre
Date	April 30, 2010

Bliss
Venue	Arts Centre
Date	April 20, 2010
Bliss is based on Peter Carey's novel of the same name, with music by Brett Dean and a libretto by Amanda Holden.

Puccini's Tosca
Venue	Arts Centre
Date	April 14, 2010
Time	7.30pm.

The Pirates of Penzance
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	August 25, 2010.
Pirates is Gilbert and Sullivan's fifth collaboration, and one of their most successful. It had its official premiere in New York in 1879, chiefly with the aim of dodging the theatrical pirates who had copied HMS Pinafore in the US without paying any royalties. After Pirates opened theatrical entrepreneur extraordinaire Richard D'Oyly Carte launched four companies, each rehearsed by Gilbert and Sullivan themselves, to tour the United States for six months. The story is characteristically tongue-in-cheek. Pirates drop anchor in the sleepy English seaside town of Penzance. The police are concerned but the ladies are delighted. Then naive young apprentice pirate Frederic meets Mabel, the beautiful daughter of one of the pillars of society and the swashbuckling begins...

The Girl of the Golden West
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	July 14, 2010
Opera meets the Wild West when Puccini's The Girl of the Golden West bursts onto the stage of the Sydney Opera House in a spectacular new production directed by Nigel Jamieson and designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell and Zoe Atkinson. Dennis O'Neill and John Wegner lead a huge ensemble cast, conducted by Arvo Volmer.

La sonnambula
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	August 5, 2010
Opera Australia presents its first ever production of Bellini's bel canto classic, La sonnambula. Richard Bonynge conducts, Julie Edwardson is director and the dazzling Emma Matthews makes her Sydney debut as Amina. La sonnambula opens on August 5, 2010 at the Sydney Opera House.

The Marriage of Figaro
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	July 23, 2010
Opera Australia presents a new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, starring Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Peter Coleman-Wright, Rachelle Durkin, Taryn Fiebig and Sian Pendry, with director Benedict Andrews making his Opera Australia debut.

A Little Night Music
Venue	Sydney Opera House
Date	opening on June 28, 2010
A Little Night Music is one of Stephen Sondheim's most sophisticated creations. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, the setting is Sweden in midsummer, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the land of the midnight sun. Sondheim's score is almost entirely written in triple time - the rhythm of the waltz - which gives it a quaint and lyrical air which contrasts violently with the punchy style of, say, Sweeney Todd or Company. To conduct it is Australian musical theatre expert, Andrew Greene.

Art Month Sydney
Date	1st - 31st of March 2010
Art Month Sydney is an impressive new destination event running from the 1st-31st of March 2010, celebrating the importance and diversity of the Sydney art scene. Art Month Sydney will be staged over multiple locations, with artwork spanning over two hundred years, from Colonial and Landscape painting to the cream of contemporary art. Highlighting the best in photography, sculpture, indigenous, traditional and contemporary art, Art Month Sydney 2010 will showcase a veritable visual feast of creativity and expression. Founders Vasili Kaliman (Kaliman Gallery) and Michael Reid (Michael Reid at Elizabeth Bay) will bring together some 50 art galleries, 3 art auction houses and public art institutions to participate in one large co-ordinated visual art happening. A month of visual art experiences that presents the best Sydney has to offer to all lovers, collectors and practitioners. More than just a visit to your local gallery, Art Month Sydney will be presenting a calendar of FREE, fun and informative happenings including rare viewings of private collections, guest speakers, celebratory evenings and opportunities to meet and mingle with artists that contribute to this vibrant scene. A special 'treasure map' of the event will be published to enable visitors to plot their journey to discover the art world of Sydney. Art Month Sydney 2010 aims to celebrate the private galleries that shape, nurture and grow an artist's career as well as the depth and breadth of the Sydney art scene.

Harrigan's Irish Pub and Accommodation Hunter Valley
Date	All rates are available from 1st April 2009 until 31st March 2010
Fee	From $169 per person midweek
Book	Harrigan's Hunter Valley and Harrington Waters visit www.harrigans.com.au or call Harrigan's Hunter Valley on 02 4998 4300 or Harrigan's Harrington on 02 6556 0555.
Harrigan's Irish Pub and Accommodation Hunter Valley and Harrigan's Irish Pub and River Lodge in Harrington Waters in the mid North Coast, have announced some fabulous themed winter getaway packages to indulge all the senses and beat the winter blues. Harrigan's Hunter Valley is an easy 90-minute drive from central Sydney. Nestled in the vineyards at the foot of the Brokenback ranges alongside the spectacular Hunter Valley Gardens, it offers award winning accommodation and bistro with 48 beautifully appointed 4-star Studio rooms and suites overlooking some of the Hunter's best wineries. Harrigan's Harrington Waters is the hidden jewel of the picturesque Mid-North Coast, on the mighty Manning River, nestled between popular NSW holiday destinations Foster and Port Macquarie. Harrigan's River Lodge accommodation provides a gorgeous river side abode with 22 rooms that include deluxe features such as king size beds, luxury bathrooms with spa baths, stunning decor and views to the Manning River, surrounding national parks or Harrigan's own meticulously landscaped gardens. Visit: www.harrigans.com.au for more details