Tuck Into The Surry Hills Festival

Surry Hills Festival

Get ready for thrills and spills in Surry Hills this weekend as the annual Festival, spanning the suburb from Ward Park to Shannon Reserve along Crown Street and its surrounding laneways, brings a host of music acts, pop-up exhibitions, culture walks, delicious eats and more to the trendy area of Sydney's inner east. We've scoured the line-up and picked out some of the highlights from this year's one-day urban walkabout.

EAT

As in previous years, you'll find the world on a fork and a taste of the best local culinary artisans. At Formaggi Ocello on Bourke Street, sample a range of imported and locally made cheeses from one of the widest selections available in the city. Swing by the Sparkle Cupcakery for a sweet treat on your way to Shannon Reserve or pick up some tasty international morsels at the Global Food Market in Ward Park. The Chilli Chocolate, Flower & Art Market on Marlborough Street is an annual tradition well worth a look, and once the sun's over the yardarm it's time for a tipple at Yulli's Restaurant & Bar on Crown, where the Gretchen Organic Kolsch Brewery will be hosting beer tastings alongside a ceramics exhibition by Gretel Corrie. Head to the Clock Hotel from 8pm for the official Surry Hills Festival afterparty.

SEE

Both parks have impressive live music line-ups, including the likes of Iluka, Castlecomer and the vaudeville sideshow antics of Danger boy & Verouge. You can also discover some of the next generation of Aussie music stars a little further along Crown Street at the Australian Institute of Music's pop-up stage, located on the corner of Tudor Street. Catch an old-world curiosity at Mr Munkey's Good-Time Flea Circus at Shannon Reserve, cheer on your four-legged favourites at the Ward Park Dog Show or take one of the Australian Architecture Association's tours, celebrating the area's rich history. After dark, watch the streets become a vivid canvas with a series of projection installations by Esem Projects.

DO

There's a heap of pop-up art events, flash mobs and public workshops to get involved with. Apply the finishing touches to art installations at The Popping Pom Poms in Ward Park, experience The Haunted Hoey at the famous but long-closed live music venue, Hopetoun Hotel, or join the Postmodern Zombies in a dance tribute to Pina Bausch, Trisha Brown and Leigh Bowery at St Peters Church. Get your trapeze on at the Wimbo Park Circus in Ward Park, alongside the talented members of Aerialize, or join the Village Voices — a roving art performance by Astra Howard using local stories to refocus discussions on social injustice.