There are about 30 extra reasons to emerge from the house this winter, thanks to a new festival taking over Enmore Road with a thrilling lineup of more than 30 arts, music, food and cultural events.
Spread over three days between June 18-20, Third I will celebrate their three ‘I’s’ – Indigenous, international and Inner West communities – with programming that spotlights diverse and exciting new voices while activating this beloved part of town. The new festival forms part of Sydney Solstice, Destination NSW’s two-week extravaganza of music, arts, food and drink designed to coax the city out of hibernation.
Third l also has a huge social purpose at its heart. They’re partnering with PlateitForward, a not-for-profit providing meals, training and employment to disadvantaged communities in Sydney, to raise funds and create job opportunities off the back of the festival.
Get across all the action with our handy guide to the festival.
Tickets
There’s a dizzying array of things to eat, drink, see and do, and the best way to buy in is with a Third I Passport. These will give you access to exclusive events and value-for-money bundles. The best value for money is the $45 Cultural Passport ($20 with a Dine & Discover voucher), which will take you inside three activations that can range from comedy gigs or slam poetry to pop-up art exhibitions. The Cultural Passport will also get you lots of festival-only food and beverage specials at partnering bars and restaurants. Tickets will also be made available to individual events.
Arts & Comedy
On Saturday, the Urban Hotel will host ARTiculate, a one-of-a-kind, multi-dimensional art exhibition with a twist. Twenty artists from diverse backgrounds – Indigenous, those living with disability and asylum seeker artists – will share their personal stories. Acclaimed Aborignal artist Nicole Monk is launching an impactful installation, ‘Healing’, and there will be live collaborative artpiece being painted in front of viewers as Aboriginal and asylum seeker artists create a 'Welcome to Our New Home' piece. There'll also be comedy with Cameron James and Demi Lardner taking the stage at HiWay Bar, and live music at the Duke of Enmore, Cottonmouth Records and Jacoby's.
Conversations with Change Makers
On Saturday, Dendy Newtown will host six panels exploring some of our biggest contemporary topics such as Diversity in Media, Multiculturalism in Sport, Women in Leadership, Expression through Music, and the Asylum Seeker Experience. Festival curators have gathered an impressive mix of speakers with the likes of Swans legend Michael O'Loughlin, veteran sports broadcaster and refugee advocate Craig Foster, MP Jenny Leong, South African-born rapper Ecca Vandal, slam poet Hani Abdile and corporate leader Sam Mostyn all lending their words.
Eat and Drink
Third I will bring together many of Enmore Road’s beloved bars and eateries for one-off offers, special festival menus and fun events. Swing by an epic Inner West barbecue in the Young Henrys courtyard or get down at a launch party with cocktails by Empirical, the team behind the drinks at Noma. A passport gets you a Carbon Offset beer by the guys over at Atomic Brewery at a choice of four pubs (the Duke, Jacoby's, Enmore Hotel and Hopsters Co-Operative Brewery) and a one-off festival-only special such as Hot & Numbing Popcorn Chicken at Queens Hotel or international food from beloved neighbourhood joints Nigerian bistro Little Lagos and Sri Lankan social enterprise restaurant Colombo Social, with drinks to match. There’ll also be a series of insightful workshops, including a whisky masterclass at Cottonmouth Records and a cocktail masterclass with industry legends from the Fortunate Son and Earl’s Juke Joint.
Party for Good
The festival culminates in a massive Sunday night concert at the Metro, featuring a stacked line-up of local and international hip-hop and rock artists. Book your ticket to see Ziggy Ramo, Kobie Dee, Dallas, Becca Hatch, Thandi Phoenix, King Stingray and L-Fresh the Lion all on the one stage at Party for Good. You’ll be boogying for a good cause too, with all profits from the closing party donated to PlateitForward. Organisers estimate funds raised will provide three budding young Aboriginal chefs with a paid scholarship to cooking school and 30,000 meals to the community. They have also donated hundreds of tickets to community youth organisations so everyone can see their idols on stage.