Sydney Christmas Markets & Fare

Photo by James Horan and courtesy of Sydney Living Museums

Christmas Fare at Hyde Park Barracks Museum

Christmas is a busy time for families in Sydney with loads of festive events to choose from. This December, the Hyde Park Barracks Museum will also join in the festive celebrations with their Christmas Fare. This event showcases seasonal, sustainable and locally made food which are hand-crafted by over 40 of Sydney's best artisans, producers, chefs and urban farmers. They will be serving up delicious baked, pickled, smoked, crafted and poured delights.

Some of the highlights include charcuterie from Steph's Gourmet Foods, cheese by Pecora Dairy, Pepe Saya's Australian cultured butter, traditionally crafted loaves from The Bread & Butter Project, authentic New York bagel from the Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Carlson's Handcrafted organic fruit cordials and conserves, classic crumbles by the Dessertmakers, Christmas pudding to rival grandma's from PUD Inc, tea blends from The Vegan Teahouse and many others.

Photo courtesy of Sydney Living Museums

In addition to the sampling and shopping, you can head over to the pop-up bar and food stalls. Gourmet food available include fragrant Vietnamese broth from Bar Pho, a reworked American classic by the boys from The Nighthawk Diner, and succulent glazed ham rolls from sustainable meat providores Feather and Bone. There's also the the Hyde Park Barracks Café for more choices.

For a gold coin donation, you can visit Christmas Fare and source unique festive food and gifts for your own Christmas celebrations. Your gold coin also grants you access into the World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks Museum.

When: 4pm - 8pm
Phone: 02 8239 2311
Where: Hyde Park Barracks Museum
Cost: Gold coin donation
Website: sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/events/christmas-fare-artisan-food-gifts-your-festive-table
Source: http://www.weekendnotes.com/christmas-fare-hyde-park-barracks-museum/



Twilight Christmas Markets

St John's Anglican Church Darlinghurst is holding its annual Twilight Christmas Markets on Thursday 11 December 2014, from 5pm to 10pm.

This festive market will transform St John's Darlinghurst to a Christmas wonderland, bringing the excitement and anticipation of Christmas to Darlinghurst with its collection of local market stalls offering a variety of unique Christmas gifts. Whilst browsing and shopping you can enjoy live music performances and rest and refuel with some festive food at the food stalls.

There will also be entertainers performing around the market and a range of interactive activities, including a petting zoo and the rare opportunity to ride a camel just as the Wise Men did so many years ago!

Don't miss out on this fun community event. It has something for everyone.
So come along and bring some friends along to enjoy live music, great food and market stalls where you can get your Christmas shopping done early.

When: Thursday 11 December 2014, 5pm to 10pm
Where: St. John's Darlinghurst
Cost: FREE
Website: www.stjohnsanglican.org.au
Source: http://www.weekendnotes.com/st-johns-darlinghurst-twilight-christmas-market/

Sydney’s New Year's Eve 2014 Fireworks Display

The annual Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks are about as good an advert for the city as it is possible to have.

Paid for by the local Sydney government, the spectacular display is one of the first New Year’s celebrations to be beamed around the globe every year.

The municipal authorities, not generally known for their modesty when it comes to Sydney’s charms, describe their city as “the New Year's Eve Capital of the World” – and they’re quite right in this instance. Each year brings a different (fairly broad) theme. Last year was “Shine”, the previous year was “Embrace”, and this year it is “Inspire”. 

It truly is one of the most memorable places you will find anywhere to welcome in the New Year, with the balmy Australian summer and the wonderful harbour setting making it ideal for spending the build-up outdoors in convivial company.

That said, its popularity does create its own problems – with some areas around the harbour throbbing with crowds. With a little bit of planning and insider knowledge, you can make sure you find the ideal spot to see in the New Year 2015.

Do I need a ticket?

The short answer is no. If you don't want to pay, you don't have to - there are plenty of vantage points that do not require payment. However, there are many ticketed events, many of which will be booked up well in advance. See here for the full rundown of what’s going on.

Many places will already have sold out – some of them with astonishing price tags.

When are the displays?

It’s not such a stupid question. There are, in fact, two firework displays in the Sydney. The first is at 9pm, a “family fireworks” event before the main event at midnight. If for some reason you’d rather watch the main event from your hotel television with children tucked up in bed (good luck with that), the early showing will allow you to get back.

Where should I watch it?

The "front row seats" – the area around Circular Quay and the Botanical Gardens – inevitably are the most popular. Many old Sydney-siders think you get a better perspective from the North Shore, as well as marginally less competition for a patch of grass to watch the show.

Those who like to toast the coming year should note that many vantage points do not allow any fizz (including the Central Business District). Some include alcohol in their ticket price. Others do not allow Bring Your Own (BYO) alcohol. If this is a New Year prerequisite for you, be sure to check.

On the water

Alternatively you could take a Harbour Cruise(newyearsevecruise.com.au). Note that you’ll be on the boat for a long evening – typically, setting off at 6pm and you usually have to bring your own food but you’ll have a great, uncrowded, view of the fireworks.

When should I arrive?

Get there early, or miss out (picture: Getty Images)

The broad advice is simply to get there early or you will miss out. Competition for spaces can be fierce. People even start camping out the day before the event in some places. Even in areas where pressure to bag a spot is less intense, plan on spending most of the day there - by noon, many places will already be full. The vantage points information on the official website will have live updates on whether or not they have reached capacity.

Specific information on vantage points will be published on the main website in November: Sydney New Year vantage points

Transport

Don’t even think about driving. Sydney – never the best city for traffic – is simply nightmarish at this time of year due to road closures and crowds.

Extra public transport is in operation to get spectators home after the event. Again, it’s worth planning your journey in advance. Do so attransportnsw.info.

The official Sydney New Year's Eve website also allows you to sign up for updates about road closures and transport disruption.

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Summer Sporting Extravaganza to Boost Australian Economy

In Australia, summer is all about sport. This season the addition of two major international events to the calendar is a big bonus, not just for sports lovers but for the economy as well.

Australians who don't enjoy sport turn off the television and head for the beach at this time of year.

For everyone else, there's a smorgasbord of Test and one-day cricket, PGA golf, an internationally famous yacht race, a grand slam tennis event, cycling and Formula One races.

The country is set to enjoy an unprecedented quantity of world sport worth an estimated A$320m ($267m; £172m) to the economy thanks to the addition of two major events.

The Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup - being held across five cities in January - and the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, which will be played in Australia and New Zealand in February and March, eclipse other events in size and dollar value.

The Asian Cup is the biggest sporting event in Asia and the cricket World Cup is the third biggest sporting event in the world after the summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.

Australia's summer of sport

• December 9 - January 10: Four cricket Test matches, Australia v India.
• December 11-14: Australian PGA golf Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast.
• December 26-30: Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
• January 9 - January 31, 2015: Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.
• January 16 - February 1: Cricket one-day international tri series, Australia, India and England.
• January 17-25: Tour Down Under cycling classic, Adelaide and South Australia.
• January 19 - February 1: Australian Open grand slam tennis, Melbourne.
• February 14 - March 29: ICC World Cup.
• March 12-15: Australian Grand Prix Formula One, Melbourne.

Every year, between 1 December and 1 April, there are five million tickets on sale for sport and entertainment events across New South Wales, according to state government body Destination NSW. For the same period in 2014-2015, there are eight million tickets on sale.

"That's what happens when you add an Asian Cup and a World Cup to the calendar," says Asian Cup chief executive officer Michael Brown. "There's going to be a lot more people spending a lot more dollars."

Test Cricket

Australia's golden summer begins with the first of four Test cricket matches between Australia and India on 9 December. The fixtures were rescheduled to start later in the month because of the sudden death in late November of 25-year old Australian Test player Phillip Hughes.

Golf

The first Test now clashes with the Australian PGA golf event, while the Sydney to Hobart yacht race - which organisers claim is the largest spectator sporting event in the world - competes with the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

An estimated one million spectators will watch the start of the yacht race - about 300,000 of them from the water and another 700,000 lining Sydney's harbour and coastline, says chief executive officer of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Mark Woolf.

Economic Ipmact

The economic impact, however, is incalculable, says Mr Woolf, because it is a free spectator event.

"The metrics that come out of this race are enormous," he says. "It's not a stadium event. We don't have a captive audience. But there are tentacles everywhere.

"There's the investment of transporting and accommodating 118 boats and crew for the start. The crews bring their friends and families. Then there's provisioning and fuelling and self-catering for spectator picnics.

"Even the NSW town of Eden gets an economic lift. It's the last safe harbour for boats to refuel and restock before crossing Bass Strait. Once they reach Hobart the boats and crews have to get back to Sydney.

"Then there's the impact of those TV pictures of a perfect Sydney harbour beaming into Europe and America in the middle of winter on their Christmas night. It's hard to quantify the publicity and future tourism impact."

Asia Cup Soccer

As the Test cricket ends the Asian Cup kicks off on 9 January, with 16 teams playing 32 matches in Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

According to Mr Brown, PricewaterhouseCoopers has said the event will pump A$225m into the economy. Asian Cup organisers target ticket sales of 500,000, with 50,000 international visitors expected to attend.

Three of Australia's top ten trading partners - China, Japan and South Korea - have qualified, which means hosting the Asia Cup is a unique tourism, trade and investment opportunity for the country and the region, he says.

"The Asian Cup is Asia's biggest sporting event and football is the biggest team sport and the most popular sport in Asia," Mr Brown says. "In Asia, football outstrips cricket as a sport."

Tourism Tsunami

But the Asian Cup will also have to compete for spectators and TV audiences with the Tour Down Under cycling classic in South Australia and the Australian Open grand slam tennis tournament in Melbourne.

ICC World Cup Cricket

Then, the biggest sporting event of the summer begins on 14 February. More than one million people are expected to attend 49 one-day matches featuring 14 teams playing in the ICC World Cup at venues in Australia and New Zealand.

ICC World Cup chief executive officer John Harnden says 500,000 tickets have already been sold and tens of thousands of international spectators are expected to attend, creating a tourism tsunami between the two countries.

"There will be a lot of travel between Australia and New Zealand, and then India, the UK and the US are the three primary points of origin (for spectators)," says Mr Harnden.

"It is a great opportunity to showcase ourselves to the world and benefit from that great word of mouth from all those tens of thousands of tourists saying what a great time they had. If the Australian and New Zealand teams do well, that will be an even bigger bonus."

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Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 Transport Info

Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 Transport Info

Date: Wednesday 31 December
Road Closures Map: www.sydneynewyearseve.com/road-closures-public-transport/

On New Year’s Eve there are many ways to celebrate, one way to get around. With over 4,500 extra services, public transport is the way to go this New Year’s Eve.

Use the Trip planner to plan your trip with up-to-date train, bus, ferry and light rail information. You can also use one of the many real-time apps to track your service.

Trains
There are over 1,000 extra trains running on New Year’s Eve, but large crowds are expected so plan to get into the city early to get your spot for the fireworks.
Extra trains to the Sydney CBD and North Sydney will run from 14:00 to get you to your New Year’s Eve celebrations and back home again.

Please consider the the following information carefully when planning your night:
Circular Quay: Between 18:00 and 01:00 you will not be able to get off at Circular Quay station. You can walk to the harbour foreshore from Wynyard, St James or Martin Place.

Domestic Airport and International Airport: Between 01:00 and 05:00, trains leaving Central will not stop at Domestic Airport and International Airport stations.

Milsons Point: After the fireworks the only entrance to Milsons Point Station will be from Ennis Road (off Broughton Street). If you are walking up Alfred Street you will be asked to continue walking to North Sydney Station.

Buses
There are over 3,500 Sydney Buses services to get you to and from the celebrations, but extensive road closures will be in place and bus stops will be moved.
Temporary bus stops and diversions will be in place from 15:00 in North Sydney and from 14:00 in the CBD until 06:00 on New Year’s Day.

The following temporary bus stops will be in place for New Year's Eve:

In Sydney CBD
Stop location	Bus routes
Elizabeth Street near Park Street	Anzac Parade and Bunnerong Road services
Park Street	Randwick Junction, Coogee, Clovelly and Kingsford via Gardeners Road (Route 343) services
College Street	Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, New South Head Road and Elizabeth Bay services
Elizabeth Street near Park Street	Inner West suburbs and Ryde via Pyrmont (Route 501) services
George Street near QVB	Pyrmont, Balmain and Victoria Road (except Route 501) services
George Street near Martin Place	Chatswood and Eastern Valley Way services Castle Hill, Rouse Hill and Dural services
Carrington Street	Military Road and Northern Beaches services Castle Hill, Rouse Hill and Dural services
Clarence Street	Pacific Highway and Epping Road services

In North Sydney
Stop locations	Bus routes
Miller Street	Northern Beaches, Military Road and Eastern Valley Way services
Pacific Highway	Epping Road, Pacific Highway and Chatswood services Castle Hill, Rouse Hill and Dural services

While the Harbour Bridge is closed for the fireworks, all buses to Wynyard, the QVB and Railway Square will stop at North Sydney.

NightRide bus services
Night Ride services are operating on New Year’s Day to get you home.
Buses will leave from the following alternative locations due to road closures:
Routes N10 to N80 services run from Bathurst Street (between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets).
Route N90 services depart from North Sydney.
Route N100 services do not stop at Town Hall and Martin Place stations.
Sydney Buses services will be operating to a Sunday timetable on New Year's Day.

Hillsbus services
Hillsbus will be running extra daytime buses into the City and North Sydney. A New Year's Eve timetable will be available closer to the event date.
Due to the road closures in the Sydney CBD, City services depart from Clarence Street, Wynyard after 18:00.
Hillsbus services will be operating to a Sunday timetable on New Year's Day, with additional late night buses.

Ferries
Sydney Ferries will run until the harbour exclusion zone commences. The last service time from some wharves is as early as 17:35, so plan your trip ahead.
Ferries are expected to be very busy and are likely to reach capacity, so have a back-up plan in case services are full.
After the midnight fireworks, extra ferries will run on some routes to get you home. However they are expected to be crowded and may be delayed if the harbour exclusion zone time is extended.

Locations and departure times are as follows:

F1 Manly Ferry service
From Circular Quay	00:40, 01:00, 01:30, 2:10, 02:50, 03:30 and 05:00
From Manly	00:30, 01:30, 01:50, 02:20, 02:50, 03:30, 04:15 and 5:45
F6 Mosman service (does not stop at Cremorne Point)
From Circular Quay	01:00 and 02:00
F5 Neutral Bay service
From Circular Quay	00:55, 01:35 and 02:15
F3 Parramatta River service (special stopping pattern)
From Circular Quay	01:05 and 02:05
Circular Quay, Milsons Point, McMahons Point, Birchgrove, Greenwich and Woolwich. Returning: Woolwich, Balmain East, McMahons Point, Milsons Point and Circular Quay.

Cockatoo Island is closed to the public. Only customers with pre-purchased tickets (staying overnight) will be permitted onto Cockatoo Island. If you have a pre-booked ticket we strongly recommend you arrive at Cockatoo Island by 15:00 to avoid delays and large crowds.
Garden Island Heritage Centre will be closed. F7 Eastern Suburbs ferry services will continue to operate, but will not stop at Garden Island Wharf.

Some harbour wharves are currently closed as part of the Ferry Wharf Upgrade Program. For more information, see RMS Ferry Wharf Upgrade Program.

Light rail
Extra light rail services will operate every 7–8 minutes between 18:00 and 02:00.
The last light rail service to Dulwich Hill will leave Central at 02:00 on New Year’s Day, and the last light rail service to Central will leave Dulwich Hill at 02:00.
Getting home

Large crowds will be leaving the Sydney CBD and North Sydney at the end of the fireworks, and you may need to leave from a different location than you originally planned.
Staff will be on the ground to help direct you to your nearest transport location.
Leaving a little later might mean you avoid the crowd, but plan your trip to make sure you don’t miss your ride home.

Road
There will be significant road closures and special event clearways in place in the Sydney CBD, North Sydney, Lower North Shore, Inner West and the harbour foreshore.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be closed between 23:00 and 01:00.

There are over 4,500 extra trains and buses running on the night, so consider the public transport options when planning your travel during New Year's Eve.

For specific road closure information and changes to regular bus stops, including an interactive map, visit www.sydneynewyearseve.com. You can also call 132 701.

Taxis
The demand for taxis will be high on New Year’s Eve, so be prepared for delays and queues at taxi ranks. Please be patient and considerate of others while waiting for taxis.

Taxi pick-up and drop-off may be restricted in some areas due to road closures.
Secure taxi rank locations and operating times from Wednesday 31 December 2014 to Thursday 1 January 2015 are as follows:

• Elizabeth Street, CBD: between Liverpool Street and Nithsdale Lane from 21:00 to 05:00.
• Darling Harbour: the northern end of Lime Street between 22:00 to 04:00.
• World Square: from 22:00 to 04:00.
• Oxford Street, Surry Hills: from 23:00 to 06:00.
• Bayswater Road, Kings Cross: next to Hugo’s Lounge from 21:00 to 06:00.
• Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross: next to the Empire Hotel from 21:00 to 06:00.
• For wheelchair accessible taxis please call 8332 0200 to discuss your requirements prior to New Year’s Eve.

For details of taxi networks servicing the Sydney area, visit NSW Taxi Council.

For more info & sources: http://www.transportnsw.info/en/transport-status/events/2014/12/sydney-new-years-eve-2014.page

Sydney Expecting 17 Million Tourists With Massive Line-Up of Events over Summer

Last year more than 16 million visitors flocked to Sydney between October and March. Picture: Destination NSW

Tourism is massive business in Sydney — last year’s 16 million visitors, from regional, interstate and international origins, stayed more than 48 million nights and added a whopping $8 billion to the NSW economy.

There are a host of premier sporting events taking place in the city over Summer, including the Cricket World Cup, the AFC Asian Cup and the Australian Open of Surfing.

These are in addition to the regular sporting smorgasbord that takes place in Sydney each season including a Test series against India, the Sydney International tennis and A-League matches.

But it’s not just sport that tourists will be able to enjoy.

Known the world over as throwing one of the best New Year’s Eve celebrations, Sydney will again put on an incredible fireworks display come January 31.

There’s also Tropfest, the Sydney International Art Series and Dirty Dancing.

“Summer in Sydney will once again give every visitor something to enjoy — from our beautiful beaches, fantastic food and wine, great shopping and of course our major events and festivals,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Troy Grant said.

“With over 20 Sydney events supported by Destination NSW, covering everything from sports, arts, entertainment and lifestyle, there’s plenty to choose from.”

EVENTS COMING UP IN SYDNEY

• Cricket World Cup
• AFC Asian Cup
• The Extreme Sailing Series
• Tropfest, Australia Day
• AACTA Awards
• Hurley Australian Open of Surfing
• Sydney International Art Series and
• Dirty Dancing

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