FESTIVAL OF DANGEROUS IDEAS

Curators Simon Longstaff and Ann Mossop promise that the speakers in this year’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas (the third to date) have been briefed to: “Take their ideas just beyond the limits of comfort and convention and bring the audience with them.” Sound awkward? It should – these are dangerous ideas we are talking about, not run-of-the-mill how-de-dos. A number of sessions are sold out already (including All Women Are Sluts and Australia is a Third-Rate Country) but if you’re quick you can squeeze into these hot picks: Julian Assange’s Wikileaks Has Not Gone Far Enough (Sept 30); Jonathan Safran Foer’s What We Are & What We Eat (Oct 1) and Simon Sheikh’s panel Anyone Can Make a Revolution (Oct 2). Plus there’s a variety hour (and a quarter) to cap everything off featuring the Space Cowboys and monologist Mike Daisey, as well as a good old-fashioned session of soapboxing Saturday 11am-1pm in the festival lounge. (AB)

Oct 1-2, Sydney Opera House, prices vary, check sydneyoperahouse.com for more info