10 March 2024
In the Western Foyers | Sydney Opera House Presents | Talks & Ideas
The Chaotic Social Lounge will have a range of fun social activities based in the Western Foyers throughout the day of the festival.
| Date | Event | Time |
| Sunday 10 March 2024 | Speed Mating | 9.30am - 10.15am |
| Sunday 10 March 2024 | Book Club | 10.45am - 12.15pm |
| Sunday 10 March 2024 | Stitch and Complain | 1.15pm - 4.15pm |
Free foyer activations. Registration is required for Speed Mating and Book Club.
Speed Mating
Looking to make a fun new connection to spend the festival with? Look no further than Speed Mating, a delightful and inclusive speed session open to all genders, persuasions, adult ages, and relationship statuses. This unique experience promises a light and frothy morning of cute chats and the opportunity to meet and mingle with like-minded individuals. There’ll be some fun questions to help get you started making friends and influencing people. You will have five minute conversations with a range of people and where there’s a match, be put immediately in touch! You'll receive a link to fill out your SpeedMatch profile 72 hours prior to the event.
Book Club
If there's one thing Chaotic Social love, it's a good yarn. A story for the ages, a tale as old as time, a narrative we can lose ourselves in to forget the bin fire that is the world sometimes. Covid did a number on all of our attention spans, so you absolutely do not need to be someone who 'reads a lot' (whatever that means) or even at all normally to come along - and if you don't finish the book, who's going to know? Come alone or with a mate and yell your opinions across the room at people you've just met. We'll be reading Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang!
Stitch and Complain
What's more relaxing than getting together for a good old stitch and complain? Bring your knitting, crochet or needlework along to beaver away with a solid chat. Whether you're experienced or a beginner, you're totally welcome and absolutely at home. It's an open, participatory environment, so come ready to make new friends along the way.
Not working on a project at the moment? You can pick up one of our collaborative knitting pieces, the results of which will become wall art at Chaotic Social club in Petersham.
Chaotic Social
Chaotic Social is a place to do stuff and meet people. The small social club in Petersham caters to Sydneysiders wanting to expand and deepen their connections, while also prioritising play, fun and personal growth. Regular events include choirs, book clubs, speed mating, stitch and complain and chaotic sewing circle. It’s a safe and inclusive space to bring your whole self and welcome those of others. ‘Chaotic Socialite’ Chrissy Flanagan, of local Tiktok prominence, is the force behind Chaotic Social and fosters a kind and playful atmosphere for all comers.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We remind our audiences and visitors to please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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