Mary’s, Alpha, Bodega, Messina and more for Meriton Festival Village

In less than a month Sydney Festival will be kicking off their 2018 program, which is as diverse as ever with its intelligent blend of art, performance, theatre, music and more. Though for many it’s the festival’s beating heart, the pop-up village that will be set in Hyde Park, that’s most exciting.

From 5th to 28th January the Meriton Festival Village will be the defining Sydney summer spot with everything from a big karaoke carousel (yes you read that correctly) and a gutted shipping container used for 10-minute dance parties. Plus there’s a virtual reality ghost train, party bot, glitterbox (for the shameless), a whole heap of performances in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, and perhaps most importantly a whole heap of food and drink from the city’s finest.

And that’s what we want to focus on here; the food and drink. The Village Sideshow, presented by China Southern Airlines, may draw people in with its various pop-up swimming pools (built from shipping crates) and roaming entertainment but it’s the food that will really keep them coming back from more. Each year features a quality curated lineup, and 2018 will be no exception.

The food and drink lineup, which was announced just last week is the festivals most impressive yet, with usual suspects Gelato Messina bringing their classic milk bar pop-up to the village, promising a menu that includes a reimaginging of the classic Golden Gaytime plus other treats like splice, a weis bar, maxibon, milo cup and more.

Other festival regulars coming back include Mary’s as well as the crew behind Porteno and Bodega who will be serving up South American street food at the Bodega Cantina. Other food stalls on board come from pizza champs Happy As Larry, Nudefish Poke, El Capo Food Truck, Brudo’s Coffee, and perhaps most interestingly, Alpha Restaurant, the nearby Greek dining institution who should be bringing a bunch of delicious modern Greek eats to Hyde Park.

There will also be a special bar at the village to help fuel the older crowd. It’ll feature drinks from 4 Pines Beer, Tyrell’s Wines and Four Pillars Gin, maintaining a sharp focus on some of Australia’s best producers and pairing up with all that food quite nicely.

Sydney Festival

Dates: 5th – 28th January 2018
: Hyde Park
Website: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2018/

Feature image: Jamie William/Sydney Festival

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Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.