Good Weekend indeed: Six fun things to do

Six of the best diversions, including what to watch, read, eat and buy.

SPOTLIGHT/ Apocalypse...now?

TikTok users are showing off their “Doomsday bags” or “Bug Out Bags”. Credit: TikTok: @thefreedomwarrior; @selfreliantpatriot; @housewifeprepperr

You think packing for a holiday is difficult? Try packing for the end of the world. According to TikTokkers, there has never been a better time to prepare for the worst.

The latest trend on the platform sees users showing off their “Doomsday bags”, also known as “Bug Out Bags”. The #BugOutBag hashtag has more than 67 million posts and features a mix of practical survival suggestions (fire-starters and a torch are a must), as well as a few luxury items (scented votive candle and caviar cooler), for those determined to see out the end of their days in style.

Learning to survive is all the rage right now, with TV series such as Alone Australia and Outlast testing participants’ skills in the wild. Whether this is a sign of the times, or merely a sign that tapping into our primal fears makes for gripping viewing, remains debatable.

For those worried about what to carry should the apocalypse eventuate, an Australian company called Bug Out Bags Australia sells packs for “survival and preparedness enthusiasts.” If its selection of stubby-holders is anything to go by, this is a group preparing to stare down the mother of all crises with a cold drink in hand. Actually, they might have a point. Thomas Mitchell

WATCH / Succession

The fourth and final season of Succession launches on March 27.Credit: HBO/Foxtel

You can tell a lot about someone based on their favourite Succession character. Big Logan (Brian Cox) lover? You’re likely a rampant egomaniac. More of a Shiv (Sarah Snook) fan? Conniving and calculated. For me, the most fascinating member of the Roy family is undoubtedly Kendall, the heir apparent.

A classic overachiever, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) has spent his whole life aching for his father’s approval while simultaneously trying to overthrow him. So let’s not analyse why he’s my pick of the bunch: suffice to say he’s going to be a key mover in the show’s hotly buzzed fourth (and final) season, starting March 27 on Binge. Thomas Mitchell

FASHION / Initial offering

The logo on this Carla Zampatti belt elegantly announces the wearer’s style allegiance.

Bold belts emblazoned with designers’ initials have become the newest manifestation of logomania as it moves from luggage, handbags and sweaters to the focal point of the waist. It’s okay to want more from a belt than merely holding up your pants or cinching in a baggy dress: the refined hardware on this Carla Zampatti number, for example, also elegantly announce the wearer’s style allegiance. Watch the right belt effortlessly elevate denim from casual to considered and give workwear a splash of glamour this season. Buckle up. Damien Woolnough

READ / I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

I Have Some Questions For You, by American writer Rebecca Makkai.

When Thalia, a beautiful young white student, is found dead in a New Hampshire school swimming-pool, her black athletics coach, Omar, is convicted of her murder. The case quickly becomes an online cause célèbre: was the crime solved or was Omar the victim of racist policing? More than two decades later, Thalia’s former roommate returns to the school convinced she knows who the real killer is. I Have Some Questions For You, by American writer Rebecca Makkai, is a page-turner about racism, class and violence against women – and the men who get away with it. Nicole Abadee

SHOP / Sprouter Kit

Upcycled Glassware’s sprouter container.

Add nourishment to every meal with your very own homegrown sprouts. Produced from a discarded wine bottle and fitted with a 3D-printed lid made from plant-based products, this sprouter ($49) from Upcycled Glassware offers an economical way to add healthy produce to your table while supporting the circular economy. Frances Mocnik

EAT / Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Melbourne is always a food and wine festival of sorts, for both locals and interstate visitors. But now that the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is here, it’s official.

First, check out Federation Square, home of the festivities, for fun venues such as The Convenient Store. Grocery store and pie shop by day, it turns into a bodega from 4pm to 7pm, with canned Melbourne Margaritas from Curatif, Brick Lane beer on tap and even cocktail slurpees, such as Creamy Soda with Nagambie gin. Open from 8am-8pm daily, until Sunday April 2. How convenient. Jill Dupleix

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.