The ideas expressed by Julian Assange, Antony Lowenstein, Simon Sheikh and Slavoj Žižek are far from dangerous.

They are seductive and beautiful and offer hope.

Yet they are all speakers at Sydney Opera House’s third Festival of Dangerous Ideas this weekend.

As with any ideas that demand a change of perspective and a call to action, whether their ideas present danger or promise depends on where the listener is standing.

To those with a firm grip on power and wealth, ideas that urge us to demand a world of equality, justice, greater democracy and freedom are a clear and present danger.

For those who are under the boot of an economic system that daily steals our labour and throws us only the scraps, these ideas sustain us with the knowledge that another world is possible, and within our reach.

Slovenian Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek asks if liberal democratic capitalism is the ultimate horizon, or do events like the GFC highlight its fatal flaws.

Antony Loewenstein argues for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the establishment of a bi-national state, an idea dangerous to the United State’s hegemony in the Middle East.

Simon Sheikh, national director of GetUp! campaigns on environmental and human rights issues, ideas that are dangerous to government and big business.

And the most dangerous man in the room, Wikileak’s founder Julian Assange exposed the backroom secrets behind the United State’s mechanisms of power, thereby offering the world a more open democracy. The danger of this is seen in the way whistleblower Bradley Manning suffered mental torture while held in solitary confinement awaiting trial.

Former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Lisa Pryor is the author of “A Small book about Drugs”. She makes a strong case for decriminalisation following the model adopted in Portugal.

“Decriminalisation is a no-brainer. It’s actually a really moderate response. I think it’s sensible but it’s considered dangerous because it makes us rethink the whole issue,” Pryor says.

Festival co-curator Ann Mossop says any idea that goes against the substantial body of mainstream opinion is quite dangerous.

“So someone like Lisa Pryor saying that we’re being extremely hypocritical in terms of our drugs policy, in relation to quite commonly used recreational drugs, is going against a great body of social opinion and a lot of shock jock and media anxiety about young people and drugs,” Mossop says.

“[We] have a society that says we have a war on drugs and has very punitive legal regime where a lot of people are in jail for fairly small scale drug crimes. Someone like Lisa comes along and says ‘we need to look at this in a different way and the current situation is quite ludicrous’. That’s a potentially dangerous idea.

“One of the key things you need to ask with any dangerous idea, is dangerous to whom?”

The Festival of Dangerous Ideas is at various venues in Sydney over October 1-2. Full program at: www.sydneyoperahouse/festivalofdangerousideas

Imagine the madness of a live fashion photoshoot, backstage hair and make-up shenanigans and model casting happening amongst an exhibition of art and photography. Think Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model minus the hours of editing. Chic Petite Events, known for putting together quarterly event Launch My Label to introduce up and coming fashion designers is now going big with a four day fashion and art festival. If you are a fashion designer who has a collection waiting to grace the runway, a make-up artist, hairstylist, model or photographer hoping for your big break, email Chic Petite to be featured at their mega art exhibition slash live fashion event at Queen Street Studios this winter (July 26-29). Let the hair pulling begin! (KS)

Email chicpetiteevents@hotmail.com, chicpetiteevents.com.au

An international food spread, plus music, celebrity spotting, short films, and an after-party at the ritzy Randwick cinema – is there a better way to spend a Sunday? Closing the Australian Film Festival, the streets surrounding the Ritz Cinema aka The Spot will be closed off for a film-themed food festival. You don’t need to get up at the break of dawn to get to The Spot. Take a leisurely stroll in at 1pm as the multicultural cuisine of Randwick tempts you to eat more than you usually would and at 6pm, armed with dessert and coffee, witness Aussie celebrities Gary Sweet, Sigrid Thornton and Jack Thompson as they are presented with the Australian Walk of Fame award. Although, we hear Thornton may be a no-show due to prior commitments. When the food’s been had and the celebrities spotted, walk up to the intimate yet glamorous Ritz Cinema Bar for a sparkling finish to a dazzling food and film festival.

Mar 13, The Spot, St Paul’s Street & Perouse Road, Randwick, free

Some say this is the best festival in Australia. The biggest fancy dress costume party, gorgeous views of the Hawkesbury River, superb music all with the gathering of people who love to have fun and care about the environment. Those some people may just be right. This year, the festival organisers are adding shower stalls (“please use vegetable base soaps” says the website) to the other usual facilities like free water, pass outs throughout the festival and an international food spread like no other. 2011’s artist line-up goes a little something like this: Lamb, Tricky, Cut Copy, Kool & the Gang, De La Soul, Kate Nash, The Beautiful Girls, Roy Ayers, Architecture in Helsinski, Midnight Juggernauts and Norman Jay MBE amongst many others. Come out come out wherever you are. It is time to play this weekend away.

Feb 17-20, Del Rio Riverside Resort, Wisemans Ferry, playgroundweekender.com.au

It was a battle of wills. My friend who was visiting Australia over the Summer desperately wanted to watch the fireworks over Sydney Harbour. They have such a huge international reputation and she thought it was the quintessential Sydney New Year’s Eve experience. I desperately wanted to go to Peats Ridge festival. Fireworks don’t really excite me at all. I used to love Firecracker night as a kid, but that was when we got to light them ourselves around a bonfire in the backyard. But watching all those pretty lights exploding? I’m not interested in watching the spectacle. I want to be it.

For me what better way to start the new year than three days hanging out with friends in a beautiful bush setting. Away from the concrete jungle, swimming in the river, dancing all night, the perfect break to clear the head.

I lobbied hard, sending my friend YouTube videos of drunken yobbos around the harbour watching the fireworks and others of scenes of dancing in the Glenworth Valley. Eventually I won her over, so we were off to Peats Ridge.

Without a doubt, the highlight of my festival was dancing like a maniac on new Year’s Eve to Bomba, a funk and reggae group, starring the drummer from the John Butler Trio. They played a lot of old school reggae that I loved and the energy was positive and upbeat. After getting everyone truly hooked on their vibe, Bomba instructed everyone in the audience to turn their backs to the stage and crouch down on the ground. Then we had to jump up turn around and dance like crazy, letting go of all the negativity of the past year. It sounds incredibly hippy to anyone not there, but after three days of Peats Ridge, my cynical city soul had melted just a bit, and it was just what I needed.

Freqnasty had some great samples of Rage Against the Machine and Bob Marley, some of my favourite revolutionary musicians. It was just such a massive shame that the video behind him was screening some of the most misogynist images of a woman’s crotch dancing for the camera. I couldn’t stay and enjoy dancing while watching that.

The Dub Shack was consistently awesome for having a good dance. I also loved popping into the Disco Tent and the Hawaii themed tent. But from me, the prize for the best space in the festival goes undoubtedly to the Land of the Hopeless Utopians. The lifesize chess game was a classic hit there, and also dancing to Mashy Pete’s incredible Eastern European gypsy beats. I also made my first ever stencil and silk screen print at Mashy Pete’s workshop at his new gypsy caravan.

We were amused to say the least when dancing right in front of the stage for Watussi’s set, when the singer stripped fully naked and started dancing around the stage baring all. It just made me laugh that he is so incredibly lacking in self-consciousness and inhibition.

I even woke super early one morning to do a yoga class, a great way to start the day if you can drag yourself out of bed.

It really was sad to leave at the and of it all.

Surrounded by tents, river and bushland, Peats has truly found it’s feet as an event that mixes both crowd-pulling live music and a relaxing, sustainable environment, and has evolved into one of the best options for New Year’s on the Australian festival scene.

The unrelenting heat of the 3 day festival tempted many revellers to the cool shade of the riverbank throughout the days, but those who braved the scorching weather were rewarded with an endless array of live arts and music.

Whether you were squeezing into the packed Underworld stage to catch the childlike charm and golden era bluesy tunes of Lanie Lane, lolling by the shade of riverside gums to soak in the haunting lyricism of Ernest Ellis, getting your dancing shoes on to Jonothan Boulet’s joyous indie collaborative pop, or stumbling upon a variety of wonderfully zany theatre troupes at Boudoir De La Fox, something was always waiting to catch your fancy.

As the sun began to sink each evening, the scorching heat abated, and the crowds began to drift up from the creek side to absorb the kaleidescope of live music on offer. The predominantly local line up this year stood testament to the plethora and strength of Australian talent, and the intimate surrounds provided the perfect atmosphere to soak it in.

Festival highlights included PVT, delivering an electrifying performance on the festival’s second night. Their sound combines the destructive and the beautiful, the consuming and the cataclysmic. As a live act, they hold nothing back, rendering the pulsating crowd into a dizzying near frenzy with their anthemic song O Soundtrack My Heart.
The last sunset of the year was brought in with gusto by Kyu, a female duo from Sydney, who captivated the crowd with their spine-tingling harmonic vocals and heart-pounding percussion, their visible joy in performing leading the audience onto their feet and to an incredible musical climax.
Cloud Control delivered an impressive set of indie-ballads, coaxing their audience into a euphoric mood in time for Watussi to finally reign in the New Year with style and funk among confused shouts, scramblings, kisses and tears. However it was the Dub Shack that ultimately prevailed each night as the final destination where crowds could frolic and stomp the morning in beneath a blanket of stars.

After three days of glorious sun and a sprawling spectrum of fantastic music, festival goers packed up slowly for the road home bone-achingly weary, yet sharing smiles and glances of recognition in the knowledge that they’d experienced something pretty special.

Here’s our pick of the pithiest events on the Sydney Festival calendar.

Mike Birbiglia: This American Life regular and comedic storyteller par excellence explains the bittersweet pain of being trumped in love, again … and again. Jan 13-16

Driven to New Pastures: Local performance artist Rosie Dennis teams up with Minto-native June Hickey in this evocative exploration of home. Jan 11-16

Eddie Perfect in Misanthropology: He may star in the addictively bad sitcom Offspring but he’s also a Helpmann Award-winner and pitch perfect performer. What’s he got to be misanthropic about? Find out. Jan 9-30

Trocadero Dance Palace: Ahoy hillbillies! Get set to swing in the seriously deluxe Town Hall alongside the all-girl Sirens Big Band. Jan 19-22

Power Plant at Darling Harbour: The Chinese Gardens are transformed into a wonderland of sound and light by five site-specific artists. Jan 15-30

The annual Peats Ridge Festival at the beautiful Glenworth Valley is known for its colossal musical line-up (2010 performers include Angus and Julia Stone, Washington, The Jezebels, Watussi, Deep Sea Arcade and Cloud Control amongst many others) but this year we want to bring your attention to the sustainable festival’s equally impressive arts and theatre program. A culmination of alternative picks like cult storytelling series Campfire Stories, thought-provoking art installation Tangible Memories and the Power of Possibility and an eclectic range of circus, cabaret and theatre productions, get your alternative arts fix at Peats Ridge this year. Check the website listed below for a range of ticket options.

Dec 29-Jan 1, Glenworth Valley, 9516 0639, peatsridgefestival.com.au

If you are a documentary nut, you are going to love this. The Margaret Mead (queen of anthropology) Film Festival is touted the oldest showcase of international documentaries in the US. In its first year in Australia, expect  docos that are bound to make you think, feel and be entertained. See the humble story of cooks in the military in Cooking History, the definition of who a “real” refugee is in Hotel Sahara, the mysteries of the former Breadbasket of the Soviet Union, Ukraine in The Living, everlasting love in Babaji, An Indian Love Story, the fantasies of the blind in Blind Loves and the realities of climate-change in The Last Days of Shishmaref (pictured). Ticket includes cheese and wine before the film.

Until 16 Nov. 7pm. The Australian Museum. 70 Riley St, East Sydney. $20-$30. 9320 6225, austmus.gov.au

Sydney may be famous for its harbour, the bridge and some beautiful beaches, but its architecture? Not so much. The annual Sydney Architecture Festival invites residents to celebrate the often overlooked buildings and spaces that surround us. Talks, tours, exhibitions and open houses celebrate the city’s most beautiful and innovative buildings and remind us of the beauty in the every day. Events include the ever-popular Sydney Open weekend, which invites visitors behind the facades of some fascinating and historic buildings such as the State Theatre and the Goldsborough Building. At Government House six well-known Australians including eco-architect Richard Leplastrier and Ruth Ritchie discuss the concepts of home and shelter. Plus at Customs House an exhibition by architecture students titled The Shape of Things to Come imagines Sydney in 2030. What we see is a vision of the city through the architects of the future. Curator Mark Szczerbicki says, “In 20 years time the students of today will be established architects and be designing and shaping how the city is.” Find out why Sydney’s buildings are more than just bricks and mortar.

Oct 20-Nov 7, various locations, free-$40, sydneyarchitecturefestival.org

BY NICOLETTE LORRAWAY