Celebrate Australia Day in London

This Friday, 26 Janaury, is Australia Day, the Aussies national day that commemorates the landing in 1778 of the First Fleet and the setting up of the colony at New South Wales.

With tens of thousands of Australians in the UK they’ll be a lot of partying around central London this weekend. The Australia Day Foundation UK is organizing a number of events, they had a Gala Dinner last Saturday, tomorrow 23 January there’s a Showcase of Young Australian Talent at Australia House in the Strand featuring Australian performers working in London from theatre, musicals, classical and pop music and comedy. The doors for this open at 7pm and tickets are £25.

On Friday 26 January they’re holding their Australia Day Party in Bishopsgate in the City of London. Tickets for this are a whopping £105 and but includes dinner and a live band.

Cheaper options are the many Aussie pubs in London. The Walkabout at Temple Place near the Embankment is holding their Bundy’s Australia Day Party sponsored by Bundaberg Rum tomorrow, 23 January from 7pm-late. There are ten other Walkabout’s in the London area and they’re all having a party on the 26th, so is Waxy O’Connors Irish Bar off Shaftsbury Avenue on the same day. Here’s a list of Aussie orientated bars around London from the Fluid Foundation website.

TNT Magazine is holding their Mr & Mrs Australia competition at the Sports Cafe in the Haymarket from 5pm-3am on 26 January, they also give a list of other bars and pubs getting into the swing of things.

The Vue Cinema in Shepard’s Bush has special screenings this week of the classic Australian movies Mad Max, Chopper, The Castle and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. You can get a pass for all four films for £15.50. Enjoy Australia Day.