Every week FBi curates a selection of the best events going on around town. Need Culture? Need to leave the house? FBi’s Culture Guide has you sorted…

Monday 2nd

Celebrating Newtown Festival Week

All the good things deserve week-long celebrations – like birthday week, and Hanukkah. That’s why Newtown Festival has kicked off with a week long celebration. There’s so much room for activities! The bars and pubs down King Street are providing fun times (that may or may not include jugs of beery goodness). The Coopers Hotel is throwing a Tranny Bingo this Monday night, hosted by Penny Tration & Tora Hymen. There is no better way to celebrate Newtown.

WHAT: Newtown Festival – Tranny Bingo
WHEN: 7.30 pm
WHERE: Coopers Hotel, 221 King Street, Newtown
HOW MUCH: Free

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Women’s Refuge Project

Earlier this year, a group of third year Interior and Spatial Design students began exploring the idea of creating a women’s refuge in a disused building on Oxford Street. They examined how the notion of refuge can be integrated into the inner city fabric, how the refuge deals with the intimate domestic language of the residential units, and the institutional language of the refuge.

WHAT: Women’s Refuge Exhibition: UTS Interior + Spatial Design Students
WHEN: Opening: 6 – 8 pm | 2 November – 8 November
WHERE: aMBUSH Gallery
HOW MUCH: Free

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Story Club

Stories about you being a real scallywag. Stories about that time when you took a long, hard look in the mirror and realised that you were actually the bad man/lady. It’s happened to the best of us. Hear stories from the likes of Chris Taylor from the Chaser or Alex Lee from Buzzfeed, and remember that you are not alone.

WHAT: Story Club: You Know What? I’m a jerk
WHEN: 7.30 pm
WHERE: Giant Dwarf
HOW MUCH: $20 – buy tickets online

Tuesday 3rd

Liveworks continues..

This is your last chance to check out the festival of experimental art that has taken over Carriageworks for the last few weeks. There are still amazing sculpture and performance works to experience. Three generations of artists will answer the question ‘what is the future of performance art?’ – including heavyweight Mike Carr and up and comer Giselle Stanborough. Or see the impressive sculptural work gugma guriin | Black stump by Jonathan Jones.

WHAT: Liveworks
WHEN: Various
WHERE: Carriageworks
HOW MUCH: Buy Online

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Celebrating  Inner West Film Makers

Keeping in this weeks theme of celebrating all things Newtown, The Commune has pulled together a bunch of short films and web series from local film makers. Newtown is packed with talented writers, directors and producers – this is their time to shine.

WHAT: Film – The Commune Presents: Kaleido Shorts
WHEN: 6.30 – 8.30
WHERE: 19 Eve Street, Erskineville
HOW MUCH: Free

Wednesday 4th

Do Something / Do Nothing

We are regularly told that it’s too late to have any impact on global warming. The damage has been done. But we also like to think that if we turn the lights and taps off, we are making a difference. This exhibition explores the tensions between humans and the environment. The choice between doing something and doing nothing. Part one of this four part series features Underbelly favourites 110%. The collective’s work is an open apology to nature. Dear Nature, You’ve Changed, but we still love you. Expressing sentiments of love and longing to a long suffering planet.

WHAT: Art Opening: Do Something / Do Nothing
WHEN: Opening 6 – 8 pm, 5 – 8 November
WHERE: Corner Cooperative
HOW MUCH: Free

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Theatre of Blood

This is the ultimate revenge fantasy flick for any artist who has ever had the unpleasant experience of reading a bad review about their work. Graphic novelist Greg Sindel and Studio A will introduce the film. Greg will be bringing his spooky life-size automaton story-telling machine ‘Lord Fabian’. If you are hung up about Halloween now being a year away – this one is for you.

WHAT: Film – Theatre of Blood Presented by Greg Sindel
WHEN: 6 pm
WHERE: Golden Age Cinema
HOW MUCH: $20 – Buy Online

Friday 5th

Embassy of Water

The Paddington Reservoir is one of Sydney’s most beautiful and often overlooked historic spaces. It used to supply the city with water from Botany. Thankfully this week Sydney’s creative communities are taking over the space with a video installation that explores the nature of an Embassy of Water. Head down into the sunken garden and immerse yourself.

WHAT: Exhibition; Embassy of Water
WHEN: 7.30 – 9 pm
WHERE: Paddington Reservoir
HOW MUCH: Free

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Lennox Street Studios

The Lennox Street Studios is turning thirty! The studios have been consistently supporting emerging artists for the last few decades by providing affordable spaces. To celebrate, they are throwing open to doors to their 35 rooms. It’s an exciting opportunity to get a behind the scenes peek at the artists and their process.  The festivities kick off on on Friday night and run throughout the weekend.

WHAT: Open Studio Trail: Lennox Street Studios
WHEN: Friday 6th – Sunday 8th November
WHERE: Lennox Street Studios, Newtown
HOW MUCH: Free

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Suitcase Stories

Witness 30 stories of the refugee experience; powerful fusions of spoken word, movement, sound, light and projected imagery. Experience first-hand stories direct from the young people who lived them. Originally from Iraq, Syria and Sudan, these students now attend Miller Technology High School and Intensive English Centre.

WHAT: Treehouse Theatre Presents: Suitcase Stories
WHEN: 5th – 6th November
WHERE: Seymour Centre
HOW MUCH: $25 – $18

Saturday 6th

SafARI Fundraising Bash

Sydney Biennale’s little cousin SafARI is at it again. Affectionately but not officially referred to as the Biennale’s fringe festival, SafARI is throwing a fundraising party at Freda’s. There will be live performances from musos including Orion and Mathew Brown, along with visual arts and performances. All the funds go towards supporting the festival so go, and next year you can explore the great line-up of artists that our local artist run initiatives (ARI’s) have to offer.

WHAT: SafARI Fundraiser
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Freda’s
HOW MUCH: $10

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Creative Non-Fiction Festival

Our 2015 festival is for aspiring and practising writers looking to hone their non-fiction skills in memoir and essay, criticism, profile and biography, science and medicine, opinion and columns, investigative journalism and travel writing. The day is curated by the legendary Benjamin Law and there will be representatives from the Monthly, the Saturday Paper, the Guardian and any other reputable publication you can think of. One for all the writers out there.

WHAT: Creative Non-Fiction Festival
WHEN: 7 November
WHERE: NSW Writers’ Centre, Callan Park, Balmain Rd, Rozelle
HOW MUCH: $60-90

Sunday 7th

Newtown Festival!

Today is the day. The annual festival of of Newtown and this year’s theme is Newtopia. There will be live music, stalls of food, clothing and everything else you can imagine. Most importantly, FBi is having a BAKE SALE! Pop by and say hello to our lovely volunteers and fill your belly with delicious cakes.

WHAT: Newtown Festival
WHEN: 12 – Late
WHERE: Newtown
HOW MUCH: Free

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Tune in to Arvos on FBi 94.5 for the Culture Guide – each weekday at 4:30pm