Parramatta Lanes, Joe Avati star in October entertainment guide
From a mouth-watering food festival to stand-up comedy, get your fix of fun by starting with some ideas from our entertainment guide.
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Parramatta Lanes food festival is celebrating its 10th birthday with an array of sweet and savoury delights, while those looking to escape their worries are sure to get a good laugh with stand-up comedy shows in October.
Here’s what’s on this month.
Diwali
Diwali celebrations are set to take over Wentworthville on Saturday October 29 as Cumberland Council celebrates its diverse subcontinent cultures.
Known as the “festival of lights”, the ancient festival of Diwali is one of the most important events celebrated in the subcontinent, symbolising the victory of light over darkness. Thousands around the world decorate their houses and come together to exchange gifts, feast on sweets and share in the joy of traditions and culture.
At Wentworthville, Station St will be transformed into a bustling hive of cultural celebrations. The evening will begin with the main stage program featuring the traditional lamp lighting ceremony, Tamil drums and dances.
There will be a range of cultural activities, workshops and performances, including learning the art of sari draping and Turban tying.
Festival goers are encouraged to wander through the main street and explore the street bazaar which will feature a variety of pop-up stalls with women and children’s clothing and accessories, henna and traditional jewellery.
They can also discover the Yarn Wrapping Public Art Installation at Friend Park and test their catching and fielding skills at the Sydney Thunder Cricket Activation.
There will be fun and entertainment at the Bollywood Block Party and a range of Indian and South Asian cuisines from restaurants, street food stalls and food trucks will also be on offer.
The festival runs from 5-9pm.
Joe Avati
Prairiewood-raised Joe Avati prides himself on dumping political correctness in his Have Some Respect World Tour show, coming to Wenty Leagues’ Starlight Room on Saturday October 8.
After surviving the world’s longest lockdown in Melbourne, Avati has plenty of new material with 25 shows to celebrate his quarter-century of comedy.
“For this show here I drew a blank page and started again,’’ Avati told the Fairfield Advance.
I really smash the woke people and really tackle the kids today, who don’t have respect. I offend a lot of people without swearing.”
The show draws on humour and sharp observations as Avati’s life as a “wog kid” as well as a husband and father to a newborn.
The show starts at 8pm and tickets cost $54.90.
Arj Barker
Wenty Leagues continues its comic line-up with Arj Barker — Comes Clean on Friday October 21 at 8pm.
Barker does not swear to tell the whole truth “but I’ll swear while telling the partial truth”. “And trust me, it’s a lot more fun that way. If you truly want to laugh, then take my word for it. This is honestly the best hour of BS around; I kid you not.’’
The US-born comic has become Australia’s adopted son of comedy and audiences should be prepared for “some home truths, some vague truths and some information none of us are ready to hear”.
Tickets to the show in the club’s Starlight Room cost $49.
Parramatta Lanes
Parramatta’s jam-packed food festival is turning 10 and a smorgasbord of street food, music and free desserts are just some of the highlights on offer when the epic Parramatta Lanes reaches its decade milestone.
Running from October 12 to 15, local restaurants, food trucks and pop-up stalls will offer some of Sydney’s most delicious and Instagrammable dishes across 10 sites.
Newcomers Tokyo Lamington, Firepop, The Pharoah BBQ, Pocket Rocketz, Satay Bros, Burger Head and Hyderabad House will join familiar favourites including Butter Parramatta, LilyMu, Koi Dessert Bar and Mrs Wang’s Dumplings.
There will be a mix of music on show, including Parramatta Lanes regulars and locals DJ Levins, Bodega Collective and Planet Trip Beat Kitchen Records.
Some of western Sydney’s best talent will take to the stage including rapper Mung Mung, Mike Champion, Nicole Issa, Liyah Knight, Good Pash, Rainbow Chan, Boy Soda, Jade Kenji, and DJ Fried Pork Chop.
Visitors can make their own musical contributions with an outdoor karaoke stage in Parramatta Square – complete with disco ball and multilingual song selection. If singing isn’t your thing, over in Centenary Square, you can join a drumming circle playing beats as the sun sinks each night.
Mouth-watering baked treats are on offer at Centenary Square and sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Archie Rose Distillery is toasting the 10th anniversary with two bespoke Parramatta Lanes cocktails – Red Centre Negroni and Espresso Martinique — and incorporating native ingredients such as riberry and strawberry gum.
On Friday 14 October, a special Diwali event will take over Centenary Square to mark the Festival of Light. International Bollywood actor and model Kangan Sharma hosts the night which will include local dance groups and entertainment.
The free event runs from 5-10pm.
Phive
Parramatta’s breathtaking new library and cultural hub has opened just in time for the school holidays and if you haven’t had a chance to inspect Phive yet, now is the perfect opportunity not just to discover 2km worth of book shelves but participate in the activities on offer.
Until October 9, there will be Combat Robots, Slime Sherbet and Bubbles, and Puppet Workshops sessions.
Slime sessions are for youngsters aged eight and older, who will get the chance to create bubbles, make tasty sherbet and whip up slippery slime in the cool chemistry workshops.
For those aged between eight and 14, build your strongest, smartest robot with engineering tips from the experts at Snapology during the Combat Robot sessions.
Those aged five and older participating in Junkyard Beats can transform everyday items into musical instruments and discover how unwanted junk can be upcycled in surprising ways.
If you prefer to unleash your creative flair with puppet workshops, learn how to make your own handcrafted animal puppets with Erth Visual & Physical Inc’s master puppeteers.
Book early to avoid disappointment.
How to thrive: A Practical Guide To Happiness
Directed by Duy Huynh, this screenings will be shown at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres from October 14 to 29 as part of National Mental Health Month.
The film follows psychotherapist Marie McLeod, who takes on a group of volunteers with mental health issues and offers them interventions grounded in positive psychology, neuroscience and wellbeing science.
The film questions whether happiness is a skill that can be taught - to live a happy, healthy and meaningful life.
Screenings on October 14 at 7pm, October 22 at 4pm and October 29 at 7.30pm.
Tickets range from $9-$12.
Simon Tedeschi and the Orava Quartet
Lovers of classical music are in for a treat when accomplished pianist Simon Tedeschi joins forces with the extraordinary Orava Quartet to present a “masterwork of classical chamber music”, Brahms’ Piano Quintet op. 34 at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres on Sunday October 9.
The 70-minute production, in the Lennox Theatre, also features Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 at 4pm.
Tickets range from $31 to $49.
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