Monday, October 11, 2010

Manly Jazz Festival and Darling Harbour Latin Fiesta


The October long weekend (1st weekend of October) saw a variety of activities across Sydney. I picked 2 of these to attend:
1. Manly Jazz Festival
Held across 6 stages in the beach suburb of Manly, this festival makes for a pleasant outing. On the ferry crossing from Circular Quay, I started talking with an elderly Aussie gentleman who has been living in the US for the last 30 years or so. He was thinking of coming back to Australia, and I enjoyed talking with him, hearing his experiences of Sydney from before he left for the US to the current economic scenario there.
The music at Manly was, as always, good. I listened to a school jazz band, a band from Queensland playing Latin jazz, and a solo artist who does not use any instruments! It made for an eclectic mix!

Latin Jazz inside a Church in Manly

2. Darling Harbour Latin Fiesta
The next day, Monday, I headed to Darling Harbour for the Latin Fiesta. It was a lovely, sunny, spring day, and the fiesta was well attended. Flamenco, tango, salsa, lambada, and Mexican pop, the festival had it all.
Stage at Darling Harbour