Joshua Hauville

It’s that time again. Every year, we ask thousands of city-dwellers to tell us the coolest spots in their cities. What are the places locals love and visitors flock to? Where are the exciting new openings across food, drink and culture? Where are people going out, hanging out and having fun? For the sixth year running, the results are in. Over 12,000 people had their say in this year’s shortlist, naming the neighbourhoods in their hometowns where everyone wants to be right now. Then, we narrowed down the selection with the insight and expertise of city editors and local experts who know their cities better than anyone else. To create and rank the final list, we considered factors including community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. In 2023, our neighbourhoods are more global than ever before. The rise and rise in post-pandemic digital nomadism has led to an explosion of brand-new community spaces, multi-purpose culture centres and more cafés than we can count on two hands. But while most of these neighbourhoods have experienced a transformation over recent years, they remain resolutely local at heart. Slick new developments and cool cafés might bring in new crowds, but neighbourhood stalwarts – from old pubs to family greengrocers – keep it real.  The world’s coolest neighbourhoods this year are, therefore, places with big personalities. Each area’s diversity is reflected in its food, culture and festivals. Community is key: local

Summer has come and gone, so you might be thinking that your opportunity to get a natural sun-kissed glow has passed, too – especially if you've had bad experiences with self-tanners leaving your skin streaky, stinky and orange. We get it, but there are some fabulous products out there, and to help you out, our team risked looking like Oompa Loompas to separate the wheat from the chaff.  We trialled products from Spray Aus, St Tropez, Isle of Paradise, Three Warriors and EleEffect – scroll for before and after photos and read about factors like ease of application, scent, longevity and colour outcome.  Spray Aus Clear Self-Tan Mousse Photograph: Leah Glynn Leah Glynn, Melbourne editor Ease of application: I used the Spray Aus mitt and it was the perfect buff for applying the thick and fluffy mousse. Despite my husband (and go-to tanning support person) being unavailable, I still managed to evenly apply the tan to some hard-to-reach sections of my back – mostly because the mousse spread so smoothly. The only tricky part is because the tan solution is clear, you can’t actually see on your skin where you’ve applied it. This leaves you at risk of missing spots or creating streaks, but I just made sure I was super thorough in my application: when in doubt, just go over your skin again with another layer. How did it feel on your skin: Really nice and light; I’ve been fake tanning (both at home and in-salon) for years now, and hate anything that leaves my skin feeling sticky, wet

Partying in Sydney can be a hit or a miss, especially for queer identifying folk. It’s easy to feel discouraged when venues created to cater to LGBTQIA+ community become overrun with squealing hens parties, glittery harnesses and hetero gogo dancers. However, if our recent visit to the Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art at Carriageworks tells us anything, it's that if you know where to look, there is plenty of grungy, alternative artistic flair sitting just beneath Sydney's flashy surface.  Day for Night was one such exception. Back for its sixth edition, the legendary queer party exhibiting wild peformance art, artists and DJs ran for a whopping 12 hours, transforming a giant warehouse space in Carriageworks into a Berlin-esque artistic haven that saturated the senses.  The legendary party experience had a splash of everything; including leather-clad men performing a razor blade shave, sparkly humans twirling for their lives with light-up hula hoops, and drag king sailors grinding beneath a flowing sail, all bathed in the persistent glow of a deep red light. All main performances were supported or followed by a variety of DJs, treating us to a range of EDM tracks and camp hits, finishing with the event's drivers, Stereogamous. Together, the queer musical duo comprised of Paul Mac and Jonny Seymour did all they could to create a queer community safespace.  A miniature version of Rush – the immersive art installation about the queer clubbing experience – added another laye

Reuben Kaye is bringing his loose late-night show back to Forum Melbourne for two queer, messy, fast and furious nights. We went along to one of last year's shows at the same venue – keep reading for our 2023 review of The Kaye Hole. An irresistible cocktail of spicy, sweet and sexy, Reuben Kaye’s variety extravaganza, The Kaye Hole, had us addicted from the first hit. We were welcomed into the holy church of Reuben Kaye with open arms and naked butts. It was a delayed service, with the audience on the edge of their seats, frothing with anticipation. However, we all know good things come to those who wait (and that we queer folk are fashionably never on time).  Smiling with a devilish grin, Kaye was hauled onto the Forum stage by “the tail of Satan”. The tail, in this instance, was a rope hooked under a man’s penis, and not the tail tucked into the back of Posie Parker’s pants. Dressed head-to-toe in a ravishing red, Kaye extended the official welcome to “his hole” with a sinfully-charged rendition of 'Celebrity Skin', met with symphonic praise.  Unlike many religious/cult leaders, Kaye’s moments were laced with candid self-awareness. Addressing his recent controversial appearance on The Project, he lamented that his longing for an illustrious television career was cut short. He cooed with exposed chapless cheeks, “baby did a boo boo”, and shamed the media for “crucifying a Jew this publicly so close to Easter”.  The Kaye Hole was a variety show true to its name, as all the a

To the floor-filling tune of Kylie Minogue and on the grounds of the Queen Vic Market, the backdrop was set for a night of bacchanalian revelry. Our stewards for this voyage? The comedy duo Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh who whisked us away on a journey of wine, wit and whimsy. “We can get a bit loosey-goosey around here,” Captain Sweeney warned me with a cheeky grin. And in fairness, the night was just that, a gaggling hour of no holds barred fun. Nestled adjacent to Queen Vic market, ReWine made for the perfect intimate space. The cosy venue undoubtedly contributed to the overall flow of the evening, where the audience was invited to engage (and mock) not only the hosts but one another.  Starting the night with bottles of energy, Sweeney and Ethan offered up vines-worth of jovial, banter-heavy jokes and introduced us to the “bullshit bell.” The little prop was given to an audience member, with the permission to ring anytime there was any instance of, you guessed it, bullshit. Safe to say, the room reverberated with a symphony of rings throughout the show.  After a quick round of questions to gauge our level of vino-based knowledge, our hosts boasted that they were no experts themselves. In their words, this was the one instance where going to see non-experts do something is successful, telling us, “You don’t go to a shit dentist for fun”. Although for many this may be true, witnessing non-experts give authority on strange topics is what our world is built on (hello poli

In a world with an abundance of performers and a shortage of medical staff, Jason Leong’s transition from doctor to comedian seems like quite the leap. As the old adage goes, laughter is the best medicine, but the opening night of Leong’s newest show, Brain Drain, left us feeling a little undermedicated.  Dr Jason Leong is shockingly not just a PhD graduate flouting a doctor title for a reason to puff his chest, nor a talk show host delving into the problems of modern-day Americans à la Dr Phil. He is an actual doctor. Opening with his humorous desire to become Malaysia’s first uncircumcised prime minister, Leong emerged to his opening night set at the Greek Centre’s Mezzanine stage in a dazzling red suit, looking, in his own words, like a bank teller. His infectious enthusiasm made you want to root for him from the get-go; however, some of his material did not have the anticipated punch.  We devoured his set at the Comedy Gala this year, but his longer opening night set did not have the same defibrillating hit we know him for. It could have been the crowd's energy on a dreary Thursday eve or the need to adapt the material to an audience that doesn’t understand the nuances of Malaysian rivalries. Most of the opening content centred around racial stereotypes and the current political system in Malaysia. Some of the funny cracked through, but for those not so versed with the intricacies of the Malaysian comedy scene – albeit insightful – his jokes felt more informative than the

There's no doubt that Sammy J brims with talent and is supercharged with confidence. From the moment the comedian shimmy J'd his way onto the stage, the Forum Theatre sprang to life for his show Good Hustle.  Opening the show with energy and pizzazz, Sammy J had the audience hooked from the offset, and we felt left in the hands of a true professional. Best known for his sketch characters on ABC, Sammy is truly jazzy, jolly and a Jack of all trades.  As is the case for any ABC-focused content, there was the expected social criticism-focused line-up of jokes that covered the depths of all things Australiana. But for a politically disengaged Australian citizen like myself, a handful of references to politicians occasionally drifted over my little brain. However, for most of the sketch performances, the references did not matter, given the unbridled piss-taking of politicians that could easily be copied and pasted slapped onto the face of any ol’MP. Even for those unfamiliar with his characters, the comedy of Sammy’s show pierced through all his well-adorned fake facial hair wigs, speedy outfit changes, and medley of accents. The sheer variety throughout the show meant that any flatter interpretations were quickly forgotten about with the next energy-filled hit of a take on stereotypes that local audiences know all too well.   Part of Sammy’s magic was ignited by inviting us into his performances. Within the first few minutes, we were up on our feet doing Boomer-specific yoga str