Playground Weekender 2010 preview

Last week I wasn’t shy in sharing with you all what eeked me about the Big Day Out and plenty of you were not shy in telling me where to stick my whinging. Fantastic, I love it. So I thought I’d take a break from being a heckling muppet behind a keyboard and spread more positive vibes by telling you about what I am convinced is Sydney’s premiere festival experience. Note the emphasis on an experience rather than a line up. Aside from the music stages, Playground Weekender is a complete wonderland of tucked away hidden treasures that takes you the entire four days to explore.

Playground Weekender is sandwiched between the Hills and the Hawkesbury at Del Rio Resort and don’t worry before I’d attended a Playground Weekender that meant absolutely nothing to me as well. Add your favourite band, a chilled can of something then pair it with hills that swallow you like a little ant and a riverside breeze to offset heat then my friends, you will understand why venue is everything.




In 2010 Playground Weekender will be scheduled over four days from 18th Feburary right through to 21st February where you will be beamed into a world of camping, market stalls, intimate musical performances and a total bohemian lifestyle where you can escape and still only be an hour or two from home. The kind of event that gets even the most uptight liberal voting nark (a.k.a Me) to get loose and enjoy the fresh air. Playground has won best festival crowds two year running now and I think a crucial ingredient to what Playground Weekender offers is the amazing crowd it attracts, this has always been mine and many others biggest criticism of the Big Day Out. In my opinion the bands you choose dictates the crowd you’re looking to attract and clearly Playground Weekender aren’t looking to attract the masses but rather the seasoned festival goer whom seeks a truly unique boutique (trashy unintended rhyme).



Indeed I’m not trying to sell the line up short as this year they have the likes of Orbital, Lupe Fiasco, The Polyphonic Spree, Blue juice and my personal favourite Jamie Liddell but what made my festival experience when I attended was the pure enjoyment of the total unknown. As I sat and rested I discovered for the first time Cut Off Your Hands (whom gave me their 15 buck ep for 10 because I didn’t have change), Bridezilla (whom I wished I’d stalked a little harder) and at the markets I first came across my favourite fashion designers Pete Versus Toby.



So while of course music is a pivotal draw card to attending any music festival, what makes me love Playground Weekender is that the little cultural discoveries you make at the side shows and the markets are the experiences you remember most. If you want to see a band live, you can go to their sideshow, watch for an hour maybe two and then rack off home or spend a few dirty hours after in the cross (god I hate bourbon bar), but if you want an experience in every sense of the word then for me Playground Weekender trumps anything I’d do on a normal weekend.

Leading up the festival Whiteboydancefloor is going to be giving you plenty more on Playground Weekender so stay tuned.

For a more rational, well thought out and comprehensive look at the sheer scope of what there is to offer, head to the Playground Weekender Website and set aside a good hour to get through it all.

LINK: Playground Weekender Website