Picasso: Masterpieces
Saturday 12 November 2011 - Sunday 25 March 2012, NSW Art Gallery, Sydney
The largest Picasso exhibition ever in Australia brings over 200 works from the famous artist direct to Sydney from Paris's National Picasso Museum.
Harry Potter The Exhibition
Saturday 19 November 2011 - Sunday 18 March 2012, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Movie fans rejoice! The blockbuster Harry Potter The Exhibition hits Sydney's Powerhouse Museum for an Australian exclusive.
Get up close to hundreds of original props, sets, costumes and creatures from the film series, including for the first time, two new displays from The Deathly Hallows. From the Great Hall to Hagrid's hut, dragons, Dementors, Dumbledore and Dobby, the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry comes alive.
One of the Forbidden Forest's creaturesThere are also plenty of chances to relive the movies be it getting sorted by the sorting hat; marvelling at the moving paintings; pulling a squealing Mandrake; or tossing a Quaffle in the Quidditch area. And, as you'd expect, there's even a shoppe with a magical menagerie of souvenirs for us mere muggles.
Peak sessions Friday 5pm to 9pm, Saturday, Sunday and School holidays: Adults $32, Children (4-15 years) $22, Concession $29, Families $95.
Off-peak sessions Monday - Friday 9.30am to 5pm: Adults $28, Children $19, Concession $25, Families $79.50
Related Links
Suzuki Night Market
Thursday 1 December 2011 - Wednesday 29 February 2012, Queen Victoria Market, North Melbourne
The popular Suzuki Night Market reopens for the summer months (the first Wednesday in December).Wander the night market and indulge in the variety of local and international cuisine from over 35 stalls includes cuisine from India, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Spain, Holland and the Middle East.
Fully licensed bars provide a range of Victorian and regional wines by the glass or bottle. Two stages provide live entertainment and there are local and regional products to sample and buy.
Related Links
Matisse: Drawing Life
Friday 2 December 2011 - Sunday 4 March 2012, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) Brisbane
'Matisse: Drawing Life' is a major exhibition of works on paper by Henri Matisse and includes more than 300 drawings, prints and illustrated books. Presented in partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this will be the definitive exhibition of works on paper by one of the twentieth century's greatest artists. Exploring the themes and subjects to which Matisse repeatedly returned throughout his long career, the exhibition will provide a unique insight into the artist's daily practice of drawing.
Curated by Céline Chicha-Castex, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Prints, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and independent Paris-based curator Emilie Ovaere-Corthay, the exhibition brings together works from several international museums as well as private collections to explore the extraordinary range and depth of Matisse's engagement with the graphic mark.
This exhibition coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Gallery's iconic second site, GoMA, which has become a national cultural hub for modern and contemporary art and ideas. This will be one of several exhibitions marking GoMA's fifth anniversary at the end of 2011.
Related Links
Renaissance Exhibition
Friday 9 December 2011 - Monday 9 April 2012, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Raphael, Botticelli, Bellini, Titian. More than 70 masterpieces from some of Europe's greatest renaissance artists will grace the walls of Canberra's National Gallery of Australia for four months from December.
Direct from Italy, this priceless collection of extraordinary 15th and 16th Century paintings is the first of its kind in Australia, and a must-see for anyone with even a passing interest in art.
Tickets $25 adults, $16 concession.
Save with YHA's Canberra Renaissance Package
Related Links
I Packed the Postcard in my Suitcase Pipilotti Rist
Wednesday 21 December 2011 - Sunday 4 March 2012, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
Her ACCA exhibition, the first major presentation of her work in Australia, will bring together several key works from Rist's recent exhibiting history, as well as a new commission which will spread across ACCA's main exhibition hall with kaleidoscopic glee.
Her works are epic and lush and often deal with issues related to gender, sexuality and the human body, but in a way that evokes a sense of unadulterated happiness and innocence..
Related Links
Mary Poppins - Brisbane
Friday 30 December 2011 - Sunday 26 February 2012, QPAC - Brisbane
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh invite you to let your imagination take flight as you step into the magical world of Mary Poppins.
Brilliantly adapted from the beloved books by Australia's own P.L.Travers and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins arrives at the Lyric Theatre QPAC, Brisbane in December 2011 for a strictly limited season.
Mary Poppins has captured the hearts of millions since premiering on the West End and Broadway, and now you can experience the unforgettable songs, stunning choreography and unsurpassed stagecraft of this extraordinary theatrical event.
Related Links
Strandbeest @ Federation Square
Wednesday 1 - Sunday 26 February 2012, Federation Square, Melbourne
Dutch artist Theo Jansen's kinetic 'artificial life' sculptures - colossus Animaris Umerus, with its graceful rolling movements, will roam Federation Square for the whole month of February!
12 metres long, 4 metres high and 2 metres wide with wing-like sails, the wind-walking Strandbeest, could easily be mistaken for prehistoric mammoth skeleton.
Strandbeests are giant, self-propelling examples of nervous
systems. Mostly made of plastic tubes and plastic bottles, they are equipped with their own artificial intelligence, and change course to avoid obstacles.
Since 1990, Jansen has devoted himself to constructing animals that can walk powered only by the wind. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into increasingly complex creatures with a rotating spine, legs, stomach (plastic bottles for storing wind energy) and lengthening muscles (pistons within the plastic tubing).
Strandbeest means "beach animals" in Dutch, with the beach being the natural habitat for testing his creations. Eight Strandbeest 'fossils' will be on display in The Atrium, charting the evolution of the Strandbeest from simple structures, to complex forms with a highly developed nervous system.
Says Jansen "...eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives."
Related Links
Grampians Jazz Festival
Friday 10 February 2012, Halls Gap/Grampians, Victoria
Over 130 bands, performing across eight venues!
The weekend officially commences at 12 noon on Friday and continues all weekend until 6.00pm Sunday.
The sleepy hollow between the magnificent mountain ranges will swell from 300 to around 5,000 over the weekend as musicians and lovers of jazz flock into town for this yearly event that is being described as Australia's "most popular festival".
Streets, organised venues and any patch of bare ground will ring to the sounds of saxophones, trombones, banjos, trumpets and more as around 130 bands perform over the weekend.
Tickets from $25
Related Links
Perth International Arts Festival
Friday 10 February - Saturday 3 March 2012, Perth
A month of music, visual art and performance with something for everyone.
A multitude of events are on every day, so expect to see the best in alternative music (incl. Bon Iver and Ryan Adams), lectures by writers (incl. Germaine Greer and Annabel Crabb), theatre performances (inc The Winter's Tale and The White Divers of Broome) and so much more.
Related Links
Melbourne Adventure Travel and Backpackers Expo
12:00pm, Saturday 18 - Sunday 19 February 2012, The Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens
This year, YHA's expo stand is going to pop!
Every person who purchases a membership at this year's expo has the chance to win from a $7,000 prize pool - and everyone's a winner!
Here are just some of the prizes on offer:
* Great Ocean Road Tour
* Grampians Tour
* Phillip Island Tour
* 2 free nights at the Grampians Eco YHA
* 2 free nights at the Apollo Bay Eco YHA
* 1 year membership for a friend
* 10 night ePack
* Lonely Planet Guides
* 2-4-1 Yarra River Cruise
* Golden Mile Walking Tour double pass
* Extra passenger rides free on Tours On Trike Melbourne
* 25% off Global Ballooning save up to $85
* $50 off skydiving
Bonus: purchase a membership at the Expo and you will be entered into a draw to win one of two adult double passes for Puffing Billy Steam Railway.
Entry is 100% free, plus there is a complimentary BBQ at 1pm so lunch is covered! Discover the latest in world travel, listen in to travel talks, and drop in and visit the YHA stand for your chance to win huge prizes - see you there!
Related Links
Commonwealth Bank One Day International - Australia v India
1:20pm, Sunday 19 February 2012, The Gabba, Brisbane
Head to the Gabba to see Australia take on India at Brisbane's home of cricket at day one of the Commonwealth Bank One Day International series.
Related Links
Commonwealth Bank One Day International - India v Sri Lanka
1:20pm, Tuesday 21 February 2012, The Gabba, Brisbane
It's one-day cricket at its finest when India tangle with Sri Lanka in a one-day contest designed to thrill.
Related Links
Soundwave Festival 2012
Saturday 25 February 2012, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
The Heaviest of heavy festivals comes back to Australia in 2012.
2012 promises to be the best yet with a massive lineup including:
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
SLIPKNOT
LIMP BIZKIT
MARILYN MANSON
and HOLE
Why not make a weekend of it and stay at Brissie City YHA, close to all the public transport to get you to and from the festival.
Related Links
Brisbane Comedy Festival 2012
Tuesday 28 February - Sunday 25 March 2012, Brisbane Powerhouse
It's that time again! It's time to get 'laugh fit'! Yes, that's right, time to start getting your laughing gear into shape ready for Brisbane Comedy Festival 2012.
It's the 4th annual Brisbane Comedy Festival and some of your favourite comedians return to tickle your funny bone in Brisbane's annual festival of laughs.
You don't want to pull a laughing muscle so start getting ready to ROFL now! See you at the Brisbane Comedy Festival 2012!
