Japan vs United Arab Emirates | AFC Asian Cup - Quarter-Finals Sydney

Japan vs United Arab Emirates | AFC Asian Cup - Quarter-Finals Sydney

Reigning Asian Cup champions, Japan, take on the United Arab Emirates in this crucial Quarter Final clash at Stadium Australia.

Having breezed through the group stage with a straight run of wins, the star-studded Samurai Blue squad are a contender to once again take out the comp.

But the UAE can't be written off just yet, with impressive wins in their group stage, particularly over Qatar. 

Will Samurai Blue progress to the Semi Finals, or will the United Arab Emirates cause a surprise upset? Be here to witness world class football at it's best.

About the AFC Asian Cup Quarter Final 

Sydney will be hosting one of the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals at Stadium Australia in Olympic Park. Get your tickets early and see two of the greatest teams battle it out to make a semi-final.

The AFC Asian Cup 2015 is one of the most exciting sporting events to come to Australia. It is the largest football tournament in the Asia Pacific region and will be hotly contested by some of the best teams and players in the world.

Featuring Asia's top 16 qualifying teams, this much anticipated competition promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for football and sport fans alike.

EVENT SCHEDULE

TIME	ACTIVITY
6:30PM	Gates Open
8:30PM	Japan v United Arab Emirates

Venue Address:

Stadium Australia
Sydney Olympic Park
NSW 2127

Find out more at www.afcasiancup.com

25th Art of Sydney Awards Exhibition

25th Art of Sydney Awards Exhibition

The 25th “Art of Sydney” Awards Exhibition is a unique opportunity to view over 300 original artworks. All artworks are offered for sale.

It is an annual celebration showcasing the wonderful diversity of Sydney’s leading local artists and features artworks from 13 Art Societies around Sydney. In addition the “Art of Sydney” exhibition also raises funds for CareFlight.

CASS (Combined Art Societies of Sydney Inc.) is celebrating its Quarter Century! 25 years is an amazing success story especially as CASS is a non-profit group run totally by volunteer lovers of art.

Time: Daily 9.30am to 7pm on Sat 24 & Sun 25 Jan.
From: 9.30am to 10pm on Australia Day, Mon 26 Jan.
From: 9.30am to 6pm on Tues 27 Jan – when Exhibition closes

More Information on the Combined Art Societies of Sydney website

Thriller Live | Sydney Lyric Theatre 2015

THRILLER LIVE, a spectacular theatrical production now in its record breaking 6th year in London’s West end, celebrates the career of the world’s greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five.

THRILLER LIVE is over two hours of non-stop hits that pays homage to Michael Jackson’s legendary live performances and the magic of his 45 year musical history.

Featuring all of Jackson’s favourite songs including: I Want You Back, ABC, Can You Feel It, Off The Wall, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean, Dirty Diana, Bad and Thriller!

Australian star of Michael Jackson 'Thriller' show says it's a dream come true

It's not impersonation, it's celebration. That's the heavily underlined message from performer MiG Ayesa and executive producer Torben Brookman about Thriller Live, a touring stage show featuring the songs and stylings of pop great Michael Jackson.

"We don't want to impersonate Michael Jackson. First of all I'm not black so it's a different thing," said Filipino-born, Sydney-raised Ayesa, who is one of five singers taking on Jackson's legacy.

"I'm not pretending to be Michael Jackson, I'm being MiG singing Michael Jackson songs with four other singers and 16 dancers. Having said that we need to hint at his style, try and emulate his flavour without ever mimicking. It's a really careful balance because of course he has those serious fans who will know if you've hit the wrong angle on a particular dance move."

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes (including a 20 minute interval)

Show Dates: 26 February - 16 March 2015

Perth International Arts Festival 2015

As part of the line-up for the $22.4 million festival, World War I themes feature prominently, with giant puppets set to roam the streets and the stories of Indigenous soldiers presented on stage.

In total, more than 1,000 artists will feature in the festival's 63rd year.

"We're very fortunate this year that almost everyone we wanted to come to the festival has said yes, so actually the scale of it and the intensity of it is increased by the fact that people around the world, artists around the world really want to come and play in Perth," festival director Jonathan Holloway told the ABC.

"It's by far the largest festival Perth has had."

This is the fourth and last year Mr Holloway will sit as director of the festival, before handing over the reins to a yet to be announced successor.

His first festival included the grand spectacle of Place Des Anges, which saw high-wire performers dump nearly two tonnes of feathers on ecstatic crowds above St George's Terrace on a hot summer night in 2012.

He said while Perth audiences have always been "incredible", there was a courage and willingness to engage with performances that had emerged during his four years at the helm.

"We've seen them really engage in unusual and unexpected ways of connecting with arts," he said.

"Whether that be through iPads, or under feathers or on the beach at dawn, whether that be rolling about with death in wheat, or breaking bread with deaf-blind Israeli performers, it's been an audience all along that's really taking creative risk

A Word from the Director:

My four Festivals as Artistic Director in Perth have been about two things – stories and experiences

The stories have spanned millennia and have explored who we are, where we have come from, our current situation and where we might be going.

They are stories about this land, between the desert and the sea, defined by and beholden to both. Stories of our relationships with each other and with the rest of the world. The truth of our digitally complex, environmentally conscious, culturally diverse world and how we reconcile with it.

While the stories are intellectually complex, it is the visceral experiences that have the power to transform and define us.

Curating experiences is less straightforward than telling stories. No two people approach a Festival moment in the same way, and no four people will agree on the meaning – or indeed value – of the experience they just shared.

No two Festival journeys will be the same, and our hope is that your travels through this Festival will include experiences both intimate and epic. Experiences that whet the appetite and stimulate all five senses. Moments that allow us to remember something we all knew as children – that the map is not the territory, that the best discoveries are made by straying from the path or committing to a fantastic voyage.

Stories and experiences in perfect collision can propel us around the world in one Festival. In our constant search for and celebration of the extraordinary, we have looked far and near, seeking out ever new ways to harness the greatest talent from around the world and nurture the best artists from Western Australia.

Perth International Arts Festival is a beautiful and much loved thing, and I have been honoured to spend half a decade getting to know its character and its desires, and to have guided it to new places.

And so we come to another crossroads, and the beginning of our next great adventure …

Bon voyage.

EVENT DATES - 13 Feb–7 March 2015

Find out what is on at the Perth International Arts Festival 2015 at the official site

Explore Sutherland Shire Just 20 Minutes From Sydney CBD

Explore Sutherland Shire Just 20 Minutes From Sydney CBD

Shopping, superb eateries, entertainment and endless possibilities for those who seek adventure has made Sutherland Shire a popular holiday hot spot. Whether you want to spend just a day, weekend or several days, the Sutherland Shire area offers you an exciting time.

The best known coastal resort in the area is Cronulla, a waterfront township with classy hotels and numerous holiday accommodation where you can stay and enjoy the beach, swim, surf, kayak, go fishing as well as enjoy some of the best alfresco dining precinct Sydney has to offer. Just circa 25 kilometres south of Sydney city, even the locals plan it a relaxing day out in the Shire area when they want to getaway from the busy city surroundings.

You will find Cronulla hotels, motels, Bundeena bed and breakfast in Sutherland Shire when you are looking for a place to book for your seaside vacation south of Sydney city.

We have itemized below some of the things you can get up to during your holidays in Sutherland Shire.

Enjoy beautiful Cronulla beach - swim, surf, kayaking, wind surfing, diving and wine and dine at the alfresco restaurants and cafes at the waterfront. The township also offer you plenty of great shopping opportunities to those who love some retail therapy while on holiday.

You could catch a ferry across Port Hacking to Bundeena.

You can visit the Lucas Heights Nuclear facility. Make sure you make an appointment before you visit.

Head to the Royal National Park in southern end of Port Hacking where you will discover the surf beaches, amazing walking tracks and cycle tracks. While you are here hire a boat or a canoe and explore the waterways. 

This heritage listed national park offers you picnic areas to enjoy a leisurely day out with family and friends.

Visit the art galleries, theatres and museums in the Shire. Art galleries in Bundeena and Maianbar are generally open to the public on the first Sunday of each month. You will love following the art trail in these to townships.

Head to Kurnell known to be Captain Cook’s landing site in 1770.

If you head to Sutherland Shire during the migration season, you will be able watch migrating whales from the cliff tops of Botany Bay National Park.

When you are planning to visit Sutherland Shire and if planning to stay a few days, there are Cronulla hotels, motels and Bundeena bed and breakfast accommodation in Sutherland Shire available for you to book.

Since it is so close to Sydney city you will also be able to book a city accommodation and continue your Sutherland Shire explorations (select state New South Wales and region Sydney when you are searching).

Australia Day 2015 | Darling Harbour Sydney

Darling Harbour is home (and host) to the nation’s biggest harbourside party every year on 26 January.

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is proud to once again bring Darling Harbour to life for you on Australia Day, as part of our commitment to supporting the NSW visitor economy.

There are so many ways to be Australian; celebrate them all at Darling Harbour with our program of family fun, festivities and fireworks!

We’re all about free entertainment! The kids will love the colourful Circus Playground at Palm Grove, where they can learn to juggle, hula hoop and stilt-walk.

Enjoy live world music as artists from the Culture Beats program return to the stage, showcasing sounds from traditional Cretan music to West African rhythms.

Watch out for musical lifeguards and kangaroos on stilts around the bay, and look out for a Bollywood flash mob, lawn-bowling swing-dancers and contemporary Indigenous performers busting out their best moves at Pier 26.

Witness a heart-warming twilight concert from The Voice’s Darren Percival, enjoy the official NSW Australia Day ceremony, catch international superstar DJ Havana Brown performing live at Darling Quarter, then be wowed by spectacular fireworks and music shows lighting up Cockle Bay and NEW location, Tumbalong Park.

With all this and more on offer and so many bars and restaurants to choose from, Darling Harbour is the only place to celebrate our nation’s day with your family and friends.

Event Accessibility:

An accessible viewing area is available at Palm Grove located at the southern end of Cockle Bay, opposite IMAX.

View accessibility map

Month of Love at Darling Harbour

If you believe in love, share it, swoon it, smooch it and shout it from the rooftops for the Month of Luuuurve.

An affair destined to make your heart go pop; we’re feelin’ the love all the way up to Valentine’s Day and on to Mardi Gras with outdoor movies, romantic picnics, date night deals, fireworks and row boats on the bay.

Eat your heart out with dinner for two deals, loved up cocktails and dreamy desserts. Play around with cheeky photo booths, message of love lanterns, pop-up drag shows, heart-stealing deals and a super-charged competition. Love oh so passionately and take the time to express your love with romantic row boats on the bay, serenades and even personalised fireworks.

Every day during the Month of Love is Valentine’s Day at Darling Harbour and as  Mardi Gras brings the Darling Festival to the Bay, there is every reason to love and be loved in between.  We’ll take you and your favourite people to wherever your heart desires.

When: 7 February to 7 March Daily
Where: Darling Harbour - Sydney





Source: http://www.darlingharbour.com/whats-on/month-of-love.aspx

Want accommodation with beautiful views of Darling Harbour? 

Try Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour and get a free upgrade: http://www.sydney-metro-apartments-darling-harbour.bookings.metrohotels.com.au/free-upgrade-hot-deal-accommodation