Ghost Pepper Chilli Wing Challenge at Palace Hotel Sydney

The Palace Hotel covers all the bases. Located on the corner of George and Hay Street in Haymarket, it places you in the middle of a business and entertainment district for a great modern pub dinner in a refurbished 1887 building.
  

Unwind before you go to a show at the Capitol theatre which is located close by. Alternately dine alfresco, drink at their bar or watch sport on their many TV screens. The friendly bar staff and waiters who genuinely enjoy what they do will make you comfortable with a bit of friendly banter.
  

The service is fast and it won’t take long before you choose from an extensive selection of tap beer and a great cocktail menu. The delicious cocktails are very reasonably priced. HOT PEAR ($14.90) is a fiery and sweet pear and cinnamon whisky sour and the MEIKO KAJI ($17.90) is a sweet combination of orange blossom liqueur and peach and Japanese whisky, and is a tasty and tangy treat.
  

Don’t miss out on the Thursday special when cocktails are 2 for 1 after 6pm and Friday between 11am until 5pm some meals are $10 when you purchase a drink.
  

Felling brave? Then attempt the Ghost Pepper Chilli Chicken Wing challenge! DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
  

Pay $10, sign a waiver and be presented with chicken wings doused in ghost pepper chilli. If you can eat them in under 10 minutes and don't drink anything for 5 minutes afterwards, you get a full refund…. which you will find you will then spend on drinks to quench the burn anyway.
  

Sign your life away...this is serious stuff!
  

You can do it son! Vinyl gloves are supplied and highly recommended if you choose to participate. There are a lot of takers for this sport so it's is also a lot of fun to watch.
  

If successful, you'll be rewarded with photographs on the WALL OF FAME and a cheer from the onlookers.
  

Smoked salmon salad with avocado, micro greens cucumber and chia seeds (17) On top of a fun vibe and a super hot chili challenge, The Palace also has a serious menu, including entrees and mains, sandwiches, salads, grills and burgers.
  

The Wagyu beef burger with tomato lettuce cheese pickle and beetroot (19.5) A nice all-round aussie burger with a soft sesame bun. I'm a big fan of beetroot in burgers so I thought that was a nice touch.
  

Crispy atlantic salmon served with cauliflower pure, green beans, chorizo and gazpacho (26) The salmon was nicely cooked and served with strong south american flavours to give it a nice boost. Palace Hotel Sydney 730-742 George street Haymarket NSW 2000

 View Source Article: http://www.palacehotelsydney.com.au/2015/07/02/ghost-pepper-chilli-wing-challenge-at-palace-hotel-sydney/

Free Kids Admission Weekend at Australian Museum and Powerhouse Museum

Deputy Premier, the Hon. Troy Grant MP, today announced a NSW Government initiative making general entry for children (under 16 years) free at both the Australian Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse). To celebrate, both museums are throwing open their doors to ALL visitors for a Free for All weekend on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June. 

“Kids Free is an exciting initiative of the NSW Government to create more opportunities for children and families to experience arts and culture,” Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Troy Grant said. “With school holidays starting that weekend, visiting a museum is a great way to get the kids out of the house and into the arts’’ he said. Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, Kim McKay AO, said that removing the entry charges for children would ensure access for every young person across the state. “Museums are places of learning, wonder and discovery and I’m delighted that we are now able to remove general admission charges for children thanks to the State Government’s support.

There should be no barrier for young people to learn and be inspired,” McKay said. “Families will save as much as $8 per child per visit, which is a fantastic bonus, particularly for larger families, making a visit to museum significantly cheaper than one to the movies or other forms of entertainment. In addition to family entry, students attending the museums as part of a school excursion will also enjoy free general admission positively impacting hundreds of thousands of school students across the state,” she said. 

Throughout the Free for All weekend on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June, visitors to the Australian Museum will be among the first to see the new indigenous exhibition, Bayala Nura (Yarning Country), which complements the recently opened Garriagarrang (Sea Country) and participate in activities including Aboriginal animal totem craft and making animal masks. As a special bonus, admission charges to the Australian Museum’s popular Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will also be waived over the weekend, a saving of $51.00 for a family of four. 

Favourite galleries such as Skeletons, Dinosaurs, Surviving Australia, Birds and Insects and Planet of Minerals will also be open along with the recently opened Pacific Spirit gallery, and visitors will be able to take a sneak peek at Wild Planet, a new animal gallery opening in August featuring some 400 animal specimens and biodiversity displays. 

“Museums have a vital role to play in engaging children and their parents in our natural world -­‐ they explain who we are, and it’s those early museum experiences that become seared into our memories and help inform our decisions about the natural world in the future,” she said.

Activities available for all visitors to the Australian Museum on 27 & 28 June, 2015

The FREE for ALL weekend puts a spotlight on what happens daily at the Australian Museum. Alongside favourites such as the Skeletons, Dinosaurs, Surviving Australia, Birds and Insects, Search & Discover and Planet of Minerals, visitors will be among the first to experience the brand new exhibition, Bayala Nura (Yarning Country) in the newly refurbished heritage gallery, First Australians. Bayala Nura complements the recently opened exhibition, Garrigarrang (Sea Country) highlighting Indigenous Australian culture.

In addition, the newly opened preview exhibition Pacific Spirit brings rare masks and other stunning objects from the Museum’s Pacific collection out on display. These exhibitions draw on the Museum’s extensive collections to showcase the history, cultural diversity and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and provide a glimpse of the Museum’s extensive Pacific collection, one of the world’s largest.

While you’re here, remember to see striking photographs of wildlife and nature from the around the world in the ever popular Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. The photographs celebrate an amazing array of animals and highlight pressing environmental issues such as animal extinction and the destruction of natural landscapes. And as a special promotion for this weekend only, visitors can receive a 20% discount off the full price of membership. Members receive special benefits such as our Explore Magazine, discounts at our Shop and Cafe, Private Members Lounge, Free National Geographic Traveller magazine, 10% discount when you book with Adventure World holidays and giveaways and deals through the fortnightly newsletter.

Centrally located opposite Hyde Park in Sydney and a short walk from Museum Station, the Australian Museum was established in 1827 and has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and cultural studies, community programs and exhibitions. Experience all this and more when you visit the Museum as part of FREE for ALL at the Australian Museum on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June.

KIDS ACTIVITIES on the FREE FOR ALL weekend. 27 and 28 JUNE, 2015. • Come and learn about Indigenous Australian totems and make your own animal mask to take home at Aboriginal animal totem craft on Level 2. • Explore our wild planet in Surviving Australia and get up close and personal to some of our native Australian wildlife –snakes, baby crocodiles, lizards and skinks.

• Meet some legendary Australian creepy crawlies in Search and Discover.
• Discover Australia’s unique and abundant bird life in the Birds and Insects gallery.
• Budding palaeontologists can complete their museum expedition with a visit to the Dinosaurs gallery where they can touch 100 million year old dinosaur fossils.
• Come face to face with the Museum’s very own Muttaburrasaurus dinosaur, Winny-­‐saur.
• Find out about Winny’s busy life at the Museum, as well as what life was like for Australian dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago, then have your photo taken with Winny-­‐saur.
• As well as nurturing young imaginations, Australian Museum will also look after young tummies.

The new cafe on Level 4 will offer healthy hearty food and drinks along with stunning views over the city for the whole family.

See the Australian Museum Website

Madonna Announces Australia Shows - March 2016

Madonna announces first performances in Australia in over two decades & first ever appearance in New Zealand! 

Madonna will make a historic return to Australia performing live for the first time in 23 years as well as her first ever shows in New Zealand, with her Rebel Heart Tour.

The tour will kick off at Vector Arena on March 5th and 6th in Auckland, followed by the Australian dates presented by Telstra Thanks® and including concerts on March 12th & 13th in Melbourne, March 19th & 20th in Sydney and March 26th & 27th in Brisbane.

Tickets and VIP Packages go on sale Monday, July 6th at 10am.

Icon is Madonna's official fan club. In celebration of Madonna's return visit to Australia, Icon will host a pre-sale for current registered Icon members. Lifetime Legacy members of Icon will receive first access to tickets and VIP Packages starting Tuesday, June 23rd at 10am local times. 

Members of Icon from Australia and New Zealand, registered before June 15th 2015, will receive a special code to access to Icon pre-sales beginning on June 23rd at 12-noon local times. Details at http://www.madonna.com/

Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour in Australia is presented by Telstra Thanks. Telstra Thanks will be offering customers the chance to jump the queue for tickets to the Australian leg of the Rebel Heart Tour through a pre-sale starting at Tuesday, June 30th at 11am and running until Thursday, July 2nd at 5pm. Telstra customers can register for a unique code NOW at http://telstra.com/music.

In both New Zealand and Australia Citi® Cardholders will be eligible for a pre-sale opportunity beginning Wednesday, June 24th at 10am through Friday, June 26th at 5pm.

My Live Nation members can access tickets during the pre-sale commencing Friday July 3rd at 10am through Saturday, July 4th at 5pm. To register to be a My Live Nation member, go here: http://lvna.co/registerN

For more information about VIP Packages available via VIP Nation Australia & New Zealand, go to the Rebel Heart VIP page:http://lvna.co/RebelHeartVIP

Ticket prices: 

• Platinum: $499.90 + transaction and credit card fees
• Gold: $299.90 + transaction and credit card fees
• Silver: $199.90 + transaction and credit card fees
• Bronze: $99.90 + transaction and credit card fees

TOUR DATES:


Melbourne:

12th March Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Victoria
13th March Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Victoria

Sydney: 

19th March Allphones Arena - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
20th March Allphones Arena - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney

Brisbane:

26th March - Brisbane Entertainment Centre Boondall, QLD
27th March - Brisbane Entertainment Centre Boondall, QLD

Metro Hotels have ideal Australia Show Hotel and Apartment accommodation:

Melbourne Accommodation 
Sydney Accommodation
Brisbane Accommodation

Sound of Music - Capitol Theatre Sydney December 2015

Following its record-breaking run at the London Palladium, the world’s best loved musical, The Sound of Music is coming to the Capitol Theatre! This lavish and critically acclaimed production tells the uplifting true story of the von Trapp family’s flight across the mountains and works its magic, for young and old alike.

Returning to the stage in the role of Captain von Trapp is the multi-talented Cameron Daddo. Starring alongside Cameron are many of Australia’s favourite stage performers; Marina Prior in the role of the Baroness Schraeder,Lorraine Bayly as Frau Schmidt, Jacqui Dark as Mother Abbess, and joining them in the coveted role of Maria is one of Australia’s newest and most outstanding award-winning musical theatre stars, Amy Lehpamer.

 
As a Capitol Club member, you can access tickets to performances from 13 December - 10 January before they go on sale to the general public! Book now using codeword CAPITOL to access this presale via the link below.

Vivid Photowalk Competition Winner Announced - Vivid Sydney 2015

2015 Vivid Sydney Instameet @ Metro Hotel on Pitt lobby

Over the past couple of weeks at Metro Hotel on Pitt has been running a competition on Instagram using #vividsydneymetro. We then held an #instameet with the delightful @razzy_b and @photogra_fi and asked you all to come along and share your images on our tag for a chance to win a free night at Metro Hotel on Pitt. We are delighted to announce that @chrisp78_ is the WINNER our competition!

Metro Hotel on Pitt staff would like to take this opportunity to thank all the attendees who joined us to make it such a memorable night!

As a novelty, our Metro Hotel on Pitt Instagram cutout was hugely successful with sometimes lines of people off the street lining up to take photos with it. Here's a pic of a gorilla who took part!

Metro Hotel on Pitt Instagram cutout featuring a gorilla

WINNER - Photo Credit: chrisp78_ 

Brisbane Festival 2015: Tim and Jeff Buckley's Music to be Celebrated

A musical tribute to the life and times of Tim and Jeff Buckley, overseen by the man who co-wrote 'Mojo Pin' and 'Grace', will close this year's Brisbane Festival.



Produced by legendary New York Guitarist Gary Lucas, A State of Grace: The Music of Tim and Jeff Buckley will head to Brisbane as part of its world premiere tour for two performances at QPAC's Concert Hall on the 25th and 26th of September.



Lucas not only helped write some of Jeff's most iconic songs but was also a close friend and confidant to the 90's crooner, making this concert a definitive portrait of two of the most beloved voices in alternative music.



The show brings together images and stories of the pair and will include performances from folk songstress Martha Wainwright, The Church frontman Steve Kilbey and Casper Clausen of Danish indie-rockers Efterklang, all backed by Lucas' own band Gods and Monsters.



Brisbane Festival Artistic Director David Berthold said the concert was sure to appeal to a very wide range of music lovers.



"The opportunity to experience the matchless music of Tim and Jeff Buckley, through the remarkable gifts of the artists we've gathered, is one many people will be thrilled by. It will be a profoundly poignant show," Mr Berthold said.



"The artists we've assembled are legends in their own rights. Martha Wainwright is a glorious singer with her own complex family heritage, and Irish-French chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan and Australian rock legend Steve Kilbey are unrivalled in their fields. It's not hard to see why this show is set to create a stir".



The cult status of both father and son's careers has only grown since the release of Jeff's Grace in 1994, a masterpiece which cut through the sea of mid-nineties Grunge and introduced a whole new generation to the Buckley family's charm.



While never quite gaining mainstream recognition during his lifetime, Tim produced 8 studio albums between 1966 and 1974 with the most commercially and critically successful being 1969's Happy Sad.



But the father and son legend was sealed once and for all in 1997 following the tragic drowning of Jeff at the age of 30 – just two years older than his father who died of a heroin overdose in 1975 aged 28.



A State of Grace joins the Brisbane Festival alongside Congolese musical theatre productions Coup Fatal and Prize Fighter as well as Simone Young, Renee Fleming and Paul Lewis.

The festival runs from September 5 to 26 and will culminate in Brisbane's ever-popular Riverfire event. More information and tickets are available via brisbanefestival.com.au.



View Source

KISS - 40th Anniversary World Tour Australia

Ready for one of THE greatest bands in rock'n'roll history with one of THE most spectacular shows Australia will see this year?



Ready for a stage production called 'The Spider', moved by 38 computer controlled winches, featuring 220 automated lights, weighing in at 43,000 kgs, incorporating 900 pieces of pyrotechnics and powered by 400,000 watts of sound?



Add in showmanship that continues to thrill audiences around the world, some of the best damn rock anthems in music history and there's only ONE band we can be talking about....... KISS!



Get your face paint ready Australia because Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer are on their way Down Under in October as part of their 40th Anniversary world tour.



Special guests are The Dead Daisies, a powerful musical collective created by a rotating line-up that features some of the world's best rock musicians. This tour features Richard Fortus (Guns N'Roses, The Psychedelic Furs), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake), John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, RATT), Dizzy Reed (Guns N' Roses, Hookers & Blow), David Lowy (MINK, Red Phoenix) and Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol).



KISS TOUR DATES:

Perth Arena, Perth, WA

Sat 3 Oct

Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA
Tue 6 Oct

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC

Thu 8 Oct

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC


Fri 9 Oct

Allphones Arena, Sydney, NSW
Sat 10 Oct

Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW


Mon 12 Oct

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD Tue 13 Oct

Get Tickets to Kiss & Find Out More