A smorgasbord of street food, live music, outdoor karaoke, and free desserts are just some of the treats on offer at this year's epic Parramatta Lanes as the flagship event celebrates a decade of fun.
This year marks the festival's 10th anniversary, with a jam-packed and free four-day program of eats, beats, and art, from Wednesday 12 October to Saturday 15 October.
"Our much-loved Parramatta Lanes event was created to highlight the diversity and vibrancy of our city and tempt people who work in the CBD to stay after dark. It has truly achieved its goal," City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis said.
"Lanes has grown year-on-year and is now our flagship event bringing together amazing food, music and art in the heart of Western Sydney. This year's program features some of the best bits of the past ten years with some added extras to mark this wonderful milestone. If you've never been to this incredible event, this is the year to lose yourself in Parramatta Lanes."
Over four nights, local restaurants, food trucks and pop-up stalls will offer some of Sydney's most delicious and Instagrammable dishes across ten sites. Newcomers Tokyo Lamington, Firepop, The Pharoah BBQ, Pocket Rocketz, Satay Bros, Burger Head and Hyderabad House will join old favourites including Butter Parramatta, Lilymu, Koi Dessert Bar and Mrs Wang's Dumplings.
There will be a mix of music on show, including Parramatta Lanes regulars and locals DJ Levins, Bodega Collective and Planet Trip & Beat Kitchen Records. Some of Western Sydney's best talent will take to the stage including rapper Mung Mung, Mike Champion, Nicole Issa, Liyah Knight, Good Pash, Rainbow Chan, Boy Soda, Jade Kenji, and DJ Fried Pork Chop.
Visitors can make their own musical contributions with an outdoor karaoke stage set up in Parramatta Square - complete with disco ball and multilingual song selection. If singing isn't your thing, over in Centenary Square, you can join a drumming circle playing beats as the sun sinks each night.
Across the City, it will be hard to miss Fantastic Planet by Parer Studio's larger-than-life glowing 'humanoid' inflatables, as they loom over crowds and peek around corners. Visitors can also interact with 3D-printed model avatars known as 'Flower People' created by Parramatta Artists' Studios alumnus Kalanjay Dhir.
You can't have a birthday without cake, and Parramatta Lanes will be sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. A dessert giveaway in Centenary Square will offer mouth-watering baked treats from a different vendor each night.
Archie Rose is toasting the occasion with two bespoke Parramatta Lanes cocktails - 'Red Centre Negroni' and 'Espresso Martinique' - incorporating native ingredients like riberry and strawberry gum. Renowned multidisciplinary artist and Parramatta Artists' Studios alumna Rosie Deacon has created bright and cheerful street banners marking a decade of Parramatta Lanes.
On Friday 14 October, a special Diwali event will take over Centenary Square to mark the Festival of Light. International Bollywood actress and model Kangan Sharma will emcee the night which will include local dance groups and entertainment.
There will be a stage dedicated to featuring Western Sydney artists at Parramatta Lanes. This is proudly funded by the NSW Government's CBD Recovery Grants in association with City of Parramatta Council.
Parramatta Lanes was recently awarded the RH Dougherty Award for Innovation in Special Events at the Local Government Week Awards, recognising its creative approach to adapting the event post lockdown.
