The Christmas season has popularly been associated with snow, building a snowman, throwing snowballs at each other, enjoying a Christmas party feast near the fireplace, and waiting for Santa to come in his reindeer sleigh bearing gifts for all. But for everyone in Australia, a ‘white Christmas’ is mere fantasy!

Being in the Southern Hemisphere, the country experiences summer during the month of December. With this unusual weather, Christmas celebrations turn out to be quite unique. Sydney, being one of the most popular cities in the continent, gets dolled up with fairy lights and glittery stars to welcome a large number of outsiders who come in to experience something different.

Numerous fun events and mouth-watering feasts are hosted at many Christmas party venues in Sydney to celebrate the joyous occasion, Sydney Christmas party cruises being the most popular. But what will mesmerise you the most are the unimaginable views you will come across as you stroll through these venues.

Be ready for these!

Santa ride on BOOMERS

The Santa gives rest to his reindeers when he is in Sydney. Thus, nobody here knows ‘Rudolph the Reindeer’ or any of the reindeer songs. Sydney, in unison, sings ‘Six White Boomers’ for Christmas – a song which tells the story of how the heat is too much for the reindeers. He rides here with his boomers (Aussie slang for a male kangaroo) to deliver the toys and even help a little joey (a baby kangaroo) find his mother.

Santa loves Shorts and Surfboards too

Santa sheds his red woollen suit when in Sydney. The juxtaposition of Santa costumes and surfer dudes may be bizarre to a lot of us, but in Australia it is an actuality. To be honest, it’s a pretty amazing sight. If you cannot spot a surfing Santa anywhere, keep an eye out for the Instagram hashtags – they will take you to the right place.

Replace SNOW with SAND

Sydneysiders are not ready to give up the idea of building a snowman. But Christmas means summer and summer means the beach. So try your luck with building a sandman. If you want to follow the conventions, give him a carrot nose and a scarf. But don’t expect the nose to be there for long, the many sea-shore birds might snaffle it away.

And with WATER

With over 100 beaches around the city, Sydneysiders find it easy to replace snow fights with water fights. And when it comes to official business, Christmas party cruises are the first idea that pops up when shortlisting corporate Christmas party venues in Sydney. Families too love spending time cruising around Sydney Harbour as most of the operators come up with impressive deals, including a delightful feast.

CRICKET, any time!

Be it anytime of the year, Sydneysiders love playing their national sport. But the breezy summer holiday forces them to get out with a bat & ball and a couple of sticks to make a rudimentary wicket. The Australian professional Twenty20 cricket league, Big Bash League, is also held in the summer and usually hosts a match on Christmas eve. The entire city gathers at the Sydney Cricket Ground cheering their team along with the tunes of Christmas carols!

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When in Sydney, a harbour cruise is a must-do experience. And when you can have one comprising entertainment featuring world-class performers who will wow you with jaw-dropping performances, why settle for an ordinary cruising experience. When the sun goes down, the night heats up on Sydney Harbour dinner cruises with high-stakes thrills of live music, comedy shows and much more. Complemented with a sumptuous dinner right in the middle of the city and roving views of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and the spectacular Opera House. These cruises are an infallible option for a delightful night.

Check out these amazing cruises for an out-of-the-box night on Sydney Harbour:

Sydney Showboat

Fancy a cabaret performance to go with your dinner? Step aboard Sydney Showboats for a three hour dinner cruise and a night full of glitz & glam. Say hello to the glamorous Australian showgirls in shimmering costumes who will welcome you on board and relish on a delicious 3-course entrée. Steal a glance of amazing nightscapes of Sydney Harbour as you pass Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Drumrolls! It’s time for ‘Voyage of Love’, a mindblowing, high-energy cabaret show by talented Australian cast. The exuberant music and flamboyant acts are definite to hark you back to the time when cabaret was king.

Bob Downe Comedy Cruise

Bust your gut with the Prince of Polyester. When in Sydney, do not miss the comedy cruise presenting Bob Downe, the man of enduring comedy characters. Enjoy a delicious three-course meal and spectacular Harbour views as Bob entertains you with with his unique moves and cheeky laughs. Sydney Harbour also has many other comedy cruises that run daily, serving you a sumptuous dinner sided by plenty of laughs.

Latino Dinner Cruise

Rave up your night with Latino entertainment, live drum beats and energetic music aboard Vagabond cruise. With a live floor packed with performers in vibrant Brazilian costumes dancing to explosive music topped by a tantalizing menu and million dollar views of Sydney Harbour, every second here feels like a fiesta.

Tribute Cruises

Are you a concert-goer? Enjoy a gig on water aboard one-of-the-many tribute cruises on Sydney Harbour. Trip down memory lane with bands and solo artists singing to repertoire of greatest performers like ABBA and Elvis Presley. Some cruises also host crossover shows like the ‘Beatles meets Elvis Tribute Show’. And if your legs get tired of dancing, lean back and relax to take in amazing views of Sydney nightscapes.

Retro Cruises

A fan of classic hits? Jollo at spectacular 80’s party on board a retro cruise on Sydney Harbour. The lurid colours, freaky hairstyle, dodgy mullets and wide moustaches will take you back to memories of old school discos, prom night and also of the first time you ever stepped on a dance floor. Adding to the fun is a sumptuous meal to fill your stomach. Most cruises also have an on board bar for offering martini to go with your samba moves.

So board a cruise and let the dazzling stage sets, brilliant performers, modern hits and timeless classics come together to create a night forever to cherish!

http://www.sydneychristmaspartycruises.com.au/

https://www.sydneyshowboats.com.au/sydney-harbour-cruises/christmas-party-cruise

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When we look at the history of dining, ancient Romans were the ones who started hosting dinner parties with exotic and intricately prepared dishes. During or after the dinner, the Roman Emperor and senators would congregate and discuss matters of state. The English dinner parties hosted in the late 1880s were more formal affairs, with printed invitations and elaborate food displays. They would be followed by entertainment that included singing or poetry recitals.

The first entertainment accompaniments with dinner were string music and jazz. Having a live band playing tunes gave the place an elegance that was missing from the average restaurant. As times progressed, there would sometimes be a lead singer accompanying the band, or there would be a routine from a stand-up comedian who would make the audience erupt into peals of laughter, as they tucked into their meals.

A little later, dining started to get more innovative, especially in cities like Sydney, which boasts the most beautiful natural harbour in the world. There are many dinner cruises on Sydney Harbour that offer it’s guests a luxury dining experience, while enjoying brilliant views of the city’s iconic attractions. There’s even one that offers a gourmet three-course meal as well as a live cabaret show on a vessel that’s designed like a New Orleans-style paddle wheeler.

As the world moved to new ages, multiple activities were being clubbed with dining. Dining became less of a recreational pastime, and more of a stage for other activities. It’s the stage for business meetings or interviews for potential job aspirants. The food aspect of dining seems to have been side-lined with other activities taking centre stage.

You get more for your money’s worth now though, with all the added entertainment inclusions. But are we missing out on something – the core part of dining, the food? We used to select a restaurant or a diner based on the dishes they were known for, and not the entertainment options available. Dining used to be a passionate affair, tasting eclectic flavours and enjoying the flavours and spices that went into making it. All these added accompaniments might have also lowered the standards of cuisine, as the main focus has shifted from dining to entertainment elements.

The experience of dining is only remembered during festive occasions like Christmas or Easter, when everyone sits down to share a meal, taking in the flavours and expressing gratitude to the ones who toiled in the kitchen to put the feast on the table. There will be lively discussions and conversations with each other, but the food and feasting always hold centre stage!

It’s sad though, that we are not able to experience this joy of dining more often, appreciating the flavours and the good work that goes into making each dish.

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Beginning in 2009, this event kicked off with humble hopes of creating an event that would attract tourists from across the globe during the onset of a bleak winter! Humble hopes changed into daring aspirations when the three-week long winter carnival celebrating the beauty of lights, music, innovation, and creativity, attracted more crowds with every passing year. Today, with crowds that throng the Vivid precincts every year, the visual spectacle is best experienced on Vivid Sydney cruises on Sydney Harbour! Excited to know how this happened? Read on…

Known today as the celebration of creative minds, the dynamic nature and novelty associated with Vivid was the magnet that attracted multitudes from all over the world. A platform for everyone, the interactive nature of Vivid also proved a breath of fresh air when compared to exhibitions elsewhere.

Vivid, by nature, is not your average exhibition offering galleries to scour through and some food for thought. Instead, it is the coming together of many fun and interactive displays involving light, music and ideas. Also, it entertains everyone from children to seniors alike.

Vivid Sydney is also about inexpensive deals of all kinds, offering excellent value for money. Throw in the infectious energy of the Sydney siders and it’s no wonder how it became such a rage in just a decade!

Though, if truth be told, Vivid initially saw quite a feeble start. An initiative of Tourism NSW, now known as Destination NSW, Vivid kicked off with four components, namely Smart Light Sydney, Luminous, Creative Sydney and Fire Water. While the first was a harbour side light exhibition, the second was a music festival, though it sounds otherwise. The third was all about interactive talk-fests and the last was a show centred on the explosion of a convict ship. All four of these, though rich in creativity, were a hotch-potch of activities lacking clarity to the average eye.

With time, the concepts of events held under Vivid were defined better and categorised into Vivid Lights, Music and Ideas, offering a clear picture to all. This led to more and more people attending the event every year, constantly breaking records of the previous year’s attendance.

Also, the transformation of Vivid into a cutting edge event, featuring innovation in every aspect, became a massive hit with the crowd. With light demonstrations taking centre stage, the festival became more and more about interactive with thought-provoking, thematic displays encouraging visitor participation as well. Installations like Screaming Rapture in 2012, which had lights being lit up in response to screams from the crowd, are still talked about!

Sydney Harbour, the crowning glory of the city, is as always the hubbub of major activity during this time. It is one precinct you definitely shouldn’t miss during Vivid! Book a seat on a Vivid Sydney cruise and enjoy a seamless and memorable Vivid Sydney experience, far from the madding crowd. Feast your eyes on the changing colours of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the lighting of the Opera House Sails, not to mention all the other spectacular installations you can enjoy from the decks of your luxury vessel!

Now that you know the tale, let your creative genes guide you to Vivid 2019! Have fun!

http://www.sydneychristmaspartycruises.com.au/

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