Gather your crew. Make a night of it. Friday at Parramatta Lanes moves from live jazz to rooftop parties, with Music in Exile, hardcore performances and Latin rhythms giving you plenty of ways to welcome the weekend.
Pick your headline moments, arrive with an appetite and leave a little space between sets. Your next favourite sound could be waiting in the next lane.
Start with a car park worth exploring
Eat Street Car Park is getting a festival sized makeover. The Bossman Experiences takeover brings six levels of food, culture, shopping and entertainment, from Texas State Fair-inspired eats to flavours from around the world and a rooftop celebration of Filipino food and culture.
Start with something savoury, browse the market stalls and explore the Art Car Boot Sale, scheduled from 5pm to 10pm. Vehicles become spaces for installation, design and unexpected encounters, with a changing lineup across the four nights.
While you’re here, discover You Are Me, where puppetry and technology turn a miniature greenhouse into an imaginative world shaped by the audience.
Ease in with live jazz
Lapis plays Lanes Jazz Bar at Riverside Live at PHIVE from 6.15pm to 7pm, presented by the University of Sydney.
Start your night with a little jazz, then see where the music takes you. Between sets, follow the flavours, explore the art and leave room for a few unexpected discoveries.
Pick your Friday flavour
Ready for dinner? Follow the smoke to BAR30 & Parilla on Phillip Street, or seek out Hungry Paulie’s Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken, double-fried and tossed with fragrant fried Thai basil.
At Parranda Down Under, Sir Bolivar plays from 7.15pm to 8.15pm, followed by Son Patacore from 8.15pm to 9.15pm. Stay here if your ideal Friday pairs a food stop with a lively soundtrack.
For a heavier route, head to Erby Stage, where beastmode’s lineup includes Half Man from 7.10pm to 7.35pm, Feel the Pain from 8pm to 8.30pm and Whispers from 9pm to 9.35pm- The Bangkok hardcore band brings crushing riffs and punishing breakdowns to the night.
Tune into Music in Exile
For another Friday pathway, make your way to the Ngurra Gunya stage for Ausecuma Beats, scheduled from 8pm to 8.30pm, as part of Music in Exile’s evening program.
The stage’s lineup also includes Riah from 6.30pm to 7pm, with DJ sets woven through the night. Drop in for one performance or make this your base for the evening.
Add hip hop to your Friday lineup
Make Wingstop WRLD part of your Friday route, with DSP, MRVZ and Taktix on the bill. Wingstop and music partner 92WRLD bring live hip hop to the block party, with performances between games as eight street ballers battle for cash prizes in a 1v1 tournament.
Watch the court, catch a set and check out the live graffiti, with custom T-shirts and merch giveaways adding to the action. Chicken deserves a spot on the itinerary, too.
Take the weekend to the rooftop
Head upstairs for Ellen Rose at Eat Street Rooftop, from 8.50pm to 9.30pm, as Blend Theory takes over the Rooftop Stage.
The Sydney collective draws on R&B, hip-hop, future-soul and connected scenes. Add city views and a stop at the CINCiN Spritz bar, and you’ve got a very good reason to linger.
Staying rooftop-side? Jazmine Nakitta follows from 9.30pm to 10.30pm.
Close with Keanu Nelson
For a different finish, leave time to reach Ngurra Gunya for Keanu Nelson, performing from 9.45pm to 10.30pm.
The Luritja singer-songwriter brings songs shaped by Country, family and life in Papunya, moving between Luritja and English. It’s a performance to stop and listen to, and a memorable way to close your Friday.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Still deciding between the rooftop and the headline set? Let the music lead the way. There’s another night of Lanes waiting tomorrow.
