Making the Winter Magic Happen

By jimmyhutton on June 26, 2018 in

A Bondi Feast for the senses, by Cole Dickens.

Bondi Winter Magic is on again this year, with its ice-skating folly in the Bondi Pavilion Forecourt from June 28 to July 22 and the beachside ferris wheel, the Bondi Vista, delighting beachgoers until July 29. There will also be an art trail with sea wall murals, street music, history walks, a gallery program and a jewel-studded theatre program, Bondi Feast.
We, the People Who Live for the Beautiful will get the program of events off to a vibrant start from June 25 to July 15 in the Bondi Pavilion Gallery. The exhibition marks 40 years of Mardi Gras with workshops, screenings, panel discussions and documentaries celebrating the power, beauty and diversity of our LGBTQI community.
We, the People Who Live for the Beautiful is part of the Bondi Memorial Project, a public artwork recognising the history and the legacy of violence towards LGBTQI people in the Bondi area. It features Gerwyn Davies, Justin Shoulder, Liam Benson, Helen Grace, Deborah Kelly, Kim Luetwyler, Shahmen Suku and Daniel Mudie Cunningham.
Heating up the Winter Magic program is Bondi Feast, a fringe-style festival celebrating the best in theatre, comedy, music, circus, visual arts and food.
Watch out for a pop-up kitchen by 2017 MasterChef contestant Callan Smith, and get ready to explore the carnival playground as this year’s Bondi Feast spills out of the pavilion into a specially crafted festival garden, complete with the parlour tent.
This year’s Bondi Feast design includes sculptural works by Amanda Seddon, and there’s the return of the ever popular 24 Hour Party Playwright, featuring six playwrights, six directors and only 24 hours to come up with six new plays overnight.
The Late Night Buffet, presented by Bondi-based production company Plastik Soup, is an explosive cabaret and degustation of entertainment for the senses, with a feast of comedy and burlesque served by some of Australia’s top international performers. Hosted by the charming Brisbane comedian and fringe-regular Dani Cabs, The Late Night Buffet will burst the tent seams to create a fabulous, frivolous party.
You can also try Swing Man by Damian Callinan, who suffers from OTTD (Over the Top Dance Syndrome) – apparently the only cure is to learn how to swing dance! Swing Man sends Damian on a journey back to the incidents in his adolescence that set him on his path – a fracas at a bush dance, unrequited love at ballroom dancing, and the revelation that, as a 17 year-old, he was abducted by swing era-obsessed aliens who set him an ultimatum to learn how to swing dance by the time he was 51. Lindy Hop on down to watch the three-time ‘Barry ’nominee shag his way through this boogie-woogie midlife crisis.
Or there’s Showko, an Australia’s Got Talent finalist and “absolutely normal character in a crazy world”, who blends stand-up, puppetry and ventriloquism in an utterly unique performance.
Seen & Heard comes up from Melbourne to make its Sydney premiere. A selection of Sydney’s most beloved chanteuses, comedians, drag stars and burlesque artists will provide a glimpse into the souls beneath the sequins as they share personal stories, along with the acts that made them alt-cabaret favourites.
Here’s a summary of what’s on…
• Ice Rink: June 28 to July 22 in the Bondi Pavilion Forecourt.
• Bondi Vista: June 28 to July 29 in the Dolphin Court.
• Bondi Feast: July 17 to 28 in the Pavilion (multiple spaces).
• Art Trail: Sunday, July 8 in Roscoe Street Mall and a meandering trail including the promenade and Bondi Pavilion Gallery.
• Music on the Street: July 29 at various locations including the Bondi Pavilion Forecourt.
• History Walks: every Sunday in July.

Bondi Winter Magic is a partnership between Waverley Council and Bondi and Districts Chamber of Commerce. Bondi Feast is a Council-run festival. For more information, please visit waverley.nsw.gov.au.