Bars, dogs, drinks and a month of good times for a good cause: Parched March has kicked off for its fourth year. Once again, Sydney’s bars have whole-heartedly supported the city’s annual charity bar odyssey, joining long-time supporters such as The Keystone Group and Hugo’s.
Parched March: 30 Bars in 30 Days
Wednesday March 31 saw the official wrap party for the Parched March: 30 Bars in 30 Days odyssey.
My Parched March odyssey approached its conclusion last Tuesday night exactly as it should have: three mates cocooned from the bad weather on comfortable seats in a softly lit, inviting bar, talking,
There’s just a week left of our 30 Bars in 30 Days odyssey, and as the journey approaches its end, I’m thinking our final lists will be as much about the bars we didn’t visit as the ones we managed to reach. 30 is a fraction of the bars this city has to offer, and as we hit the home straight, we keep hearing of new places popping up, exciting developments at old favourites and enough bar action to keep us going – well, all the way through to next March.
Well here it is folks a little photo gallery to prove to you that we have not been idle this Parched March. Below is a visual feast of some of the drinks, food and, most importantly, people that we’ve encountered along the way.
I’m over halfway through the Parched March odyssey now, and people often ask me how I feel. Answer: wonderful!
While it’s certainly an amazing journey, 30 Bars in 30 Days is a goal easily achieved within a healthy, balanced lifestyle. We’ve been averaging two bars on our nights out, eating well on the way and during the day I’ve found my energy for exercise – yoga, running, dog walking and swimming – has remained undiminished.
One of the aspects of Sydney bar culture that we should really be celebrating is its growing diversity. Many attribute this to legislative changes like the new ‘small bar license’ and ‘Primary Service Authorities’. Personally I’d like to think that Sydney’s (and indeed Australia’s) drinkers are reaching a new stage of enlightenment. Drinkers are driving change by demanding a new breed of bar.
Here’s what Parched March is about: friends around a table, nursing favourite cocktails, swapping stories, savouring tastes and aromas, welcomed by warm hosts and soothed by music.
When we started our 30 Bars in 30 Days odyssey, we were expecting great drinks and bars. But Parched March is much more than that. So far, it’s been a leisurely stroll through life’s finer pursuits: conversation, friendships, food, music, stories, ideas, interesting strangers, curios, history, philosophy and even a smattering of science. And a giant bull’s head..
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago in my Sun-Herald column, the concept of abstinence as the new black makes me uncomfortable. While I applaud anything that raises charity money…
Get set for a month of bar crawling with the Sun-Herald’s party person, Ms Amy Cooper, as she attempts to have a drink at as many licensed venues as possible in March, focusing on the variety, quality and originality of Sydney’s bar scene and promoting “responsible, mindful enjoyment of alcohol.”