There’s some scary flicks hitting the big screen this week, but if you prefer something on the more leisurely side, there’s the final instalment of the Winter Bites food festival in Batlow, and the beloved River & Wren markets return to Wagga (on their eighth birthday!). Delight in the talent of our local artists in Wagga or Cootamundra, with exhibitions throughout the week. There’s free wine tasting near Griffith too … but you’ll have to read on to find out where!
All Week
Rotten Tomatoes’ recommendation to viewers: ‘Want to watch Idris Elba fight a lion? The admirably lean yet ultimately disposable Beast is just the movie you’re looking for.’ Photo: Sony Entertainment.
New Releases @ Forum 6 Cinemas
When: Various times all week; see schedule
Where: Forum 6 Cinemas, 77 Trail Street, Wagga
Cost: Adult $19.50, child (3-14 years) $13.50, concession $15.50, senior $13.50, family (2A & 2C or 1A & 3C) $55, book here.
Head down to the cinema on Thursday to watch superstar Idris Elba lead the cast of Beast as the recently widowed Dr. Nate Daniels, who travels to South Africa with his two teenage daughters to reconnect with Martin Battles, an old friend and wildlife expert. The family’s sabbatical soon turns into a fight for survival when a rogue lion begins stalking them. Also hitting the screen this week, The Invitation is another edge-of-your-seat flick, loosely-inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. After losing her mother, Evie (played by Nathalie Emmanuel), decides to take a DNA test to see if she has any other living relatives. She winds up meeting long-lost cousin, Oliver (Hugh Skinner), who invites her to a lavish wedding in the English countryside where her dark and twisted family history begins to unravel into a terrifying nightmare. If you don’t fancy paying to be terrified, there’s loads more on offer – click the link above to find a movie to suit your tastes.
The Up To Date Store can be hired for seminars and conferences, travelling exhibitions, youth activities, bands, private functions, community markets and other special events. Photo: Fiona Carthew.
UP2DATE Art Exhibition
When: Opening Friday 26 August, 6 pm – 10 pm; Exhibiting Saturday 27 August to Sunday 11 September, 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Coolamon Up To Date Store, 127-129 Cowabbie Street, Coolamon
Cost: Gold coin donation entry
The Up2Date Art Exhibition is not to be missed – with over 400 entries received, and $2700 in prize money up for grabs, it’s sure to be a showstopping day celebrating a diverse range of artworks. The exhibition brings together artists, established and emerging, from across the Riverina in all mediums to present their interpretations of this year’s theme, ‘connections’. The exhibition will run for two weeks in conjunction with Capture Coolamon Photographic exhibition. All funds raised from this year’s exhibition will be donated to four local public schools to support rural staff and students in Matong, Ganmain, Marrar and Coolamon.
Friday
The company will be on the road until November after the widespread pandemic shutdowns in 2020 delayed the show’s debut. Photo: Sydney Dance Company.
Sydney Dance Company’s Impermanence
When: Friday 26 August, 7:30 pm
Where: Wagga Civic Theatre, Burns Way, Wagga
Cost: Adult $60, Concession $55, Group 4+ $55, Youth Under 25 $40, Child U15 $15, Adult Subscriber $55, Concession Subscriber $50, Youth Under 25 Subscriber $35; bookings essential, click here for tickets.
An emotional exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, this full-length work features a new score full of emotional power from Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner. Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes, Dessner draws inspiration from tragedies of the Australian bushfires and the Notre-Dame fire in Paris which filter through into this performance. When combined with Rafael Bonachela’s choreography, the result is “arguably the single best piece created by and for an Australian dance company for many years” according to the Adelaide Advertiser. Don’t miss out on this visceral experience, tickets selling fast.
Bracken has been a committed songwriter for over 20 years. Photo: The Curious Rabbit.
Cody Bracken Live at The Curious Rabbit
When: Friday 26 August, 6:30 pm
Where: The Curious Rabbit, 44 Johnston Street, Wagga
Cost: General admission $25, Concession $15; book tickets here.
It’s been almost a decade since Cody Bracken released his debut original album Ashes & Rust in 2014, but his dedication to his craft has not faded. He is a master storyteller and his songs have a clear Australiana theme. This will be a cosy, intimate gig, so if you don’t have the energy for a night on the town, this one is definitely for you.
The artist in action at Ladysmith Park Perennials. Photo: Renelle Harrison.
Nellie Rose Art Exhbition: ‘We Are Trees’
When: Friday 26 August, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: Trail Street Coffee, 34 Trail Street, Wagga
Cost: Free entry
Come for an evening celebrating creativity (and great food and coffee!) with Ladysmith-based artist Renelle Harrison. Harrison’s newest exhibition We Are Trees explores the Riverina landscape as a metaphor for our own ‘internal landscape’ and sense of connectedness with our world and those in it. Abstracted landscapes with a focus on the horizon dominate Harrison’s work. Head to local favourite Trail Street to immerse yourself in local landscapes like you’ve never seen them before.
Saturday
Happy festival goers at Adelong, the first stop on the festival trail in June. Photo: Winter Bites Festival.
Winter Bites Festival: Final Event
When: Saturday 27 August, 12 pm – 6 pm
Where: Batlow Showgrounds, Memorial Avenue, Batlow
Cost: General admission $57.63; bookings essential, no ticket sales at the gate. Click here to book.
Rug up and head to Batlow to support bushfire relief efforts in the Snowy Valleys. The top quality stallholders include Courabyra Wines, Crafty Cider, Junee Licorice & Chocolate, Ladbroken Distillery, MKS Café, OMG Decadent Donuts Gundagai, Pimientoas Paella, Riverina Gin, The Smoking Butcher, Tumut River Brewing Company and Woodfire Desire Pizza. Enjoy a bev and a bite while grooving to the elite lineup of live music – Australian rock royalty You Am I is headlining, supported by Kingswood, who’ve sold out multiple tours across the country and toured with AC/DC and Aerosmith. Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows, Jack Biilmann & The Black Tide and The Barren Spinsters will also be hitting the stage.
A stunning March sunset over the vines at Mino & Co. Photo: Mino & Co Winery.
Mino + Co presents Live Entertainment and Free Wine Tasting
When: Saturday 27 August, 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Mino + Co Wines, 113 Hanwood Avenue, Hanwood
Cost: Free entry
Spend the day mooching through the vines with some great tunes wafting through the crisp winter air, or park up at Mino & Co’s cellar door for a free wine tasting. Located on the old drive-in cinema block in Hanwood, mere minutes from Griffith, the Mino & Co team draw on their Italian heritage to produce their wine, which has already been well received by industry critics. Join the Guglielmino family and learn about their business while enjoying some of the newest Riverina wine.
Held at Easter this year, the sale was such a success it has been brought back as a part of the ongoing A Taste of Italy Festival. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Banna Avenue Sidewalk Sale
When: Saturday 27 August, 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Banna Avenue, Griffith
Cost: Free
Pop down to Griffith’s main street and wander through the shops, grab a coffee, a bite to eat and browse the street stalls from the local businesses lining Banna Avenue. You’re guaranteed to find yourself a bargain! Griffith City Council’s director of economic and organisational development, Shireen Donaldson, said the Sidewalk Sale is aimed at encouraging residents to shop local, noting that Griffith businesses have dealt with “a tough couple of years, and the council team wanted to promote the importance of the shop local message and the flow on effect it has in the community”.
Sunday
Visitors have browsed the local wares for sale since River and Wren Market began in 2014. The massively popular market has been held six times a year since. Photo: #VisitWagga.
River & Wren Markets
When: Sunday 28 August, 10 am – 2 pm
Where: Wagga Showgrounds, Bourke Street Entrance
Cost: Free entry.
River & Wren Market is a beautiful indoor country market attended by more than a hundred local artists, creatives, foodies and businesses from all over the Riverina. This Sunday is their extra special birthday market celebrating eight years of River & Wren! Over 120 stallholders will descend on the showgrounds, but don’t fret if you can’t make it this weekend – they’ll be back on 13 November.
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