Sydney neighbourhood festivals and street fairs although occurring at usual times of the year and well advertised daytime events, are similar to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern*, in that they are “an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements” and temporary: if you miss them, you have to wait until next year, as happened to us with this year’s Haberfield Primavera street fair.
No matter, Surry Hills Festival in the backyard of Sydney’s CBD is my #1, and on Saturday after my walk on the wild side, I ventured to my old neighbourhood and wandered down Cleveland Street, to immerse myself.
“Surry Hills Festival is a celebration of music, arts and the vibrant community of the City of Sydney’s most iconic suburb. The annual Surry Hills Festival is a primary fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, providing funding for the centre’s community services. Prince Alfred Park will be transformed into an oasis of arts and culture and you can expect: Music, arts and everything in-between; a fantastic array of market stalls – handmade, vintage, ethical, eco – treasures abound; the annual Surry Hills Dog Show – a festival favourite… and much more.”
*”This is not magic. This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it. Look around you,” he says, waving a hand at the surrounding tables. “Not a one of them even has an inkling of the things that are possible in this world, and what’s worse is that none of them would listen if you attempted to enlighten them. They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.”
daleleelife101.blog 
Was it there when I lived in Sydney fifteen years ago Ella? Looks like exhausting, but great fun! Don’t tell me you got away without buying something though?
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I’m not sure how long it’s been going. The first time I went was about 6 years ago. It had a hiatus and was moved a couple of times due to the park improvements. It is usually exhausting but I only did a quick whip around and had lunch this time. Usually I do the rounds and the retire to high ground away from the crowds and just soak it in. I bought Govinda’s vegetarian cook book – A Guide to Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet. Many of go to several/all the festivals and fairs, and aren’t new to me.
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Bugger, missed it. Looks like it was great fun! Did you buy much? 🙂 PS. Thanks for the linky!
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You’re welcome. It was very family friendly this year, different layout, restricted access points and lots of kids’ activities. Just bought a Govinda’s vege cook book because my lunch was so nice. Many of the stalls were samesame as previously, elsewhere and Newtown Festival is on 11 Nov (note 🙂 ) and I’m hoping for a couple of my favourite stalls from past years eg, need a ‘festival’ bag for the G.O. and there’s a few others I like 🙂
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Festivals can be so much fun, especially if they are organised well. I loved the image of the portaloos, what festival would be complete without them. Haha. Looks like a gorgeous day for it.
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The festival was very well organised this year with drinking water, rubbish stations and portaloo clusters dotted around the site. It appeared the organisers had put quite a bit of thought into the organisation and layout, which is just as well as they were expecting 100,000 people. That’s the reason why I went, had my look around and got out of there 🙂
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I would do the same EllaDee.
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