The holiday season is upon us, but what to do with all that spare time? Whether you are looking for a way to entertain the kids, thinking of the perfect date-night activity, or needing some ideas for a hangout with the guys, Manspace has you covered with our top ten holiday mantivities.
10 – Music Festivals
There is something about the combination of alcohol, beautiful weather and great music that just works. Australia is packed full of music festivals during the summer including; Falls festival, Southbound, Sounds in the Valley, Basin Concert Series, the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australia Day in the Park… the list goes on. Just about every state and territory has some sort of music festival for you to get along to. Just do us a favour and keep your top on for goodness sake!
9 – Theme Parks
The holidays are a great chance to spend some quality time with the kids, but let’s face it, after four days of playing with their Christmas presents they are going to get bored and start driving you nuts. If you’re in the area, a trip to the major theme parks on the Gold Coast will certainly make you popular with the kids. Nothing says father of the year like traumatising your child on a rollercoaster that goes from 0 to 100km/h in 2 seconds flat, with a belly fully of ice cream.
8 – Ghost Tours
If your partner has been nagging you about always taking them to the same restaurant, or doing the same thing on date night, then we have a hauntingly good activity for you. Australia has some great Ghost tours such as; the Old Melbourne Gaol, Tasmania’s Port Arthur and Sydney’s Rocks ghost tour. Whether you believe in ghosts or not isn’t the point, we are just betting on your partner being so scared that they’ll be desperate to return to your regular date night rotation.
7 – Boxing Day Test
For some people, the idea of slow cooking out in the sun all day, while a bloke adorned with a 70s mo throws a very hard ball at foreigners sounds like a bad day… but those people are idiots. The Boxing Day Test is an Australian institution and a sporting event you have to attend at least once in your lifetime. With a buzzing atmosphere that slowly builds throughout the day, as the crowd becomes more and more intoxicated, a packed out MCG is something you just have to experience.
6 – Rooftop Cinema
Traditional cinemas make for a great winter refuge… but you know the drill; popcorn, coke, choc top, sticky, chocolate chairs etc. Thankfully, there are some new screens popping up outdoors that make for the perfect excuse to catch a new flick or cult classic under the stars this summer. Melbourne’s Rooftop Cinema and Bar has been a raging success over recent summers and with city views and beers on tap, it’s no wonder punters are flocking to it.
5 – Ballarat Beer Festival
Following the theme of festivals, what’s better than a festival that is centred on music? A festival all about beer of course. There are plenty of small ones on around the country these holidays, but the biggest during January is the Ballarat Beer Festival. We can’t think of too many other things we’d rather be doing than spending a day in the sun than sampling some of the best beers and ciders from around the country. Just remember to bribe someone into being the designated driver for the day.
4 – Road Trip
An overseas trip on your holidays is always a great escape, but how often do you say you’re going somewhere and then forget to actually plan and book everything until a week before you want to go? All is not lost though, as there are hundreds of great places to go and things to see all across the country. Pack the car full of the essentials (and not so essential), crank some tunes, and most of all, drive to a place you’ve always wanted to visit, but never got around to. If in doubt, Australia is blessed with some of the most amazing coastline the world has to offer, so the beach is always a good option. Just make sure the kids are well occupied in the backseat… we all know how that can end if they’re not.
3 – New Years Fireworks
There is so much build up to New Years Eve, with the ridiculous expectations people seem to put on it needing to be the best night of their year. For a quality night for the whole family why not head into just about any major city to see the massive firework displays. It may be crowded, but let’s face it; it has to be better than ringing in the New Year at ‘that’ party, with ‘those’ people you painstakingly pretend to like, for the sake of keeping the peace.
2 – Fishing
Fishing provides a great opportunity for people to enjoy the outdoors while doing something productive with friends and family. The outdoor space offers solitude and a place to simply get away from the daily grind. Get out there and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. Whether it’s in a tiny watering hole, the local beach or out on the open water, even if you don’t catch anything, crack a few beers and upon your return, make up a few stories of the one that got away… all fishermen are liars after all. On the flipside, if you do manage a feed, take advantage of the brownie points you’ll rack up from the better half – everyone loves fresh seafood. And if you’ve got kids, drag them away from the Xbox – they may just find a new hobby.
1 – The Pub Crawl
If drinking at a festival surrounded by people you don’t know doesn’t excite you, then what about the legendary pub crawl with your mates. A holiday activity that is simple to organise and as easy, or as hard on the hip pocket as you want it to be. There are even tours that you can join, such as the Gold Coast’s Bogan Pub Crawl, which will take you to some of the best bars and clubs in the city. Just try your best not to appear on a video like this afterwards.
