Spend your humid summer evenings basking under the big trees of the Seymour Centre courtyard with Banyan Nights. Bringing the look and feel of a Southeast Asian market to the courtyard, Banyan Nights is a lively celebration of Cambodia and its rich and artistic culture.
Tuck into traditional Cambodian, Indonesian, Malay and First Nations food and join us for free live performances from incredible local artists from Southeast Asian-Australian communities, including Maggie Tra, Rainbow Chan, Dyan Tai and more.
Kids can celebrate the event A Bucket of Beetles by drawing their own beetle and including it in the forest inside the foyer (from 10-13 January).
Explore the full program below for Banyan Nights at Seymour Centre. Come for a show, stay for the music.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
TUESDAY 9 JANUARY
7:45pm – 9.30pm
A hint of sweet with a dash of spice, spellbinding smooth selector Maggie Tra uses the world as her playground. The Australian-born Vietnamese/Cambodian DJ kicks off Banyan Nights – be sure to stick around after White Gold and A Bucket of Beetles.
FRIDAY 12 JANUARY
4pm – 9pm
DJ collective Pho The Girls is taking over the Courtyard, featuring Nadia Sandiego, Maggie Tra, Xanthe and Mökki.
SATURDAY 13 JANUARY
1pm – 3pm
Suara Indonesian Dance presents an energetic mix of traditional Javanese dance, body percussion and song, roving throughout the Courtyard.
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Spend your Saturday night with guitarist-singer-songwriter Alisha K, a force to be reckoned with.
8:55pm – 10pm
Banyan Nights kicks on with Sydney-based experimental pop musician Marcus Whale.
TUESDAY 16 JANUARY
6:30pm – 7.30pm and 8.30pm – 9pm
Celebrate the opening night of The Chosen Haram with tunes from Nergal-ito.
WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY
5pm - 6:15pm
Wytchings is a project from Western Sydney artist Jenny Trinh, with haunting vocals and electro sounds.
7pm – 8.30pm
Sculptor of Sound on Gadigal land, AnSo is a bilingual artist manipulating sounds to create eclectic and edgy music.
THURSDAY 18 JANUARY
5pm – 6:15pm
Begin your evening with Blanche, a First Nations (Wiradjuri) singer-songwriter who straddles musical styles.
7pm – 8.30pm
Putrika is a Jakarta-born, Gadigal Land-based multi-disciplinary artist with a soulful, detailed and off-kilter approach to music-making.
FRIDAY 19 JANUARY
5pm – 8.30pm
Ring in Mutiara opening night with a lineup of incredible First Nations singer-songwriters and performers, including the modern 90s nostalgic pop of Tessa Thames, alt/hip-hop project Glenfield Park and funked-up psychedelic rock from Sydney's Lemonise.
SATURDAY 20 JANUARY
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Join the fabulous Filipina beauty CASSANDRA THE QUEEN for a curated evening of drag, DJs and dance performances – featuring BVT (LIVE), Balinese dancer Fio, Jeremy Santos (LIVE) and Wen Pei Low.
SUNDAY 21 JANUARY
1:30pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Known for melding catchy melodies and off-kilter beats, Rainbow Chan closes out Banyan Nights with an early arvo and evening DJ set. Your Sunday session is sorted.
FOOD AND DRINK
AAGAPE ORGANIC , SATAY BROS and YAN'S DUMPLINGS food trucks will be in the Seymour Courtyard throughout the festival on alternate nights, serving a tasty menu of specials alongside well-loved classics.
There’ll also be an outdoor rickshaw bar serving drinks, plus outdoor games such as giant chess and jenga.
