Concrete Playground

I first visited the AIDS Trust Sydney Food & Wine Fair in 1993, and not even the embarrassment of running into my English teacher and her girlfriend (at that age, the thought of teachers having personal lives was incomprehensible) could dampen the hungry spirits of my mother and I. Having endured the parent/teacher worlds colliding, we sampled our way up and down the city street, wearing both our red ribbons and appetites on our sleeves.

Now in its nineteenth year, the food & wine fair is held in the more fitting locale of Hyde Park, where one can roam free and eat as far as the eye can see. Sample the delicacies of local favourites such as Cafe Sydney, Longrain, Icebergs and Sailors Thai or the local produce and baked goods of Batlow Apples and Bourke Street Bakery. Retire with your spoils over at the the main stage where performers will be treading the boards for your stomach's pleasure.

Not only is it the very final event of this year's Sydney International Food Festival, but it's all in aid of the AIDS Trust of Australia. Entry to the park is free, but proceeds from all sales made go to the Trust and their work in HIV prevention, support, care and research. So no need to feel guilty about your fourth helping. Or your fifth.