Shelby Reardon

Speed dating may once have carried a stigma that suggested desperation, but in today’s fast-paced, infinitely connected world, it’s become something of a lifeline for those looking to get out and meet new people in the flesh. It’s all about expanding your horizons by meeting new people sans pressure, and having fun along the way. Here, we recommend some of Sydney’s best speed dating nights, for men of all persuasions.

Vivid Sydney is back from May 26 to June 17. There will be luminous light installations stretching from the Botanic Gardens to Darling Harbour, and for the first time this year there’ll be using the streets of Barangaroo as a canvas for light projections, including the terrifying Trapdoor by Sydney special effects studio Spinifex Group. You can also expect manga and Steampunk in Chatswood, a giant Port Jackson shark at Taronga Zoo and kiwis in the Botanic Gardens. See our top picks of the Vivid Ideas program. Nick Murphy tells us his Vivid Live show will be unlike anything he's done before. 

Ever been to Burning Man? No, no. Not the one on the Playa with the tech-bros, fire-spitters and huge RVs. We're talking about the other Burning Man. The tiny, but fiery, pagan festival in Huon Valley where yes, indeed, a man is burnt in effigy to ensure a great harvest. Running for only three days, from Fri July 15 until Sun July 17, the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Fest is set to be a pretty wild weekend away. The festivities kick off on Friday night at cidery, the Apple Shed, with an evening of craft cider, music and feasting by the fireside.That day you can also join in on the ancient British tradition of 'wassailing' by singing to the orchard trees and banging on drums to scare away 'nasties' and ensure a strong crop. The Huon Valley is only a 30-minute drive southwest of Hobart, and is worth it for the stunning scenery and waterways alone. The Mid-Winter Fest is a brilliant showcase of how beautiful Tassie looks in the colder months – that, the live music and fantastic produce are what draws in both locals and travellers to experience it first hand. No car? No problem, on Saturday and Sunday there are free shuttle busses to the festival site from Ranelagh and Huonville, and you can get to the festival from Hobart by bus on Friday and Saturday. There's more info about that right here.  Tickets range from $5 to $35. Friday night activities start at 5pm and end at 11pm, Saturday sees more than 12 hours of fun from 10am-10.30pm, and Sunday is all about the daylight hours – making

The modern man’s accessory and grooming arsenal can take many forms. Some keep it simple with a bit of pomade and a decent pair of sneakers, while others may have a whole cupboard full of lotions and tonics as well as belts, shoes and bags in matching leathers at the ready. The quantity and combination of grooming and sartorial accessories is up to you; here are some of the best places to buy them.

There are seemingly limitless options in menswear today, thanks in no small part to fast fashion and e-commerce. Still, there’s nothing like a garment perfectly fitted to the individual’s body and reflective of their personal style, like a bespoke or tailored suit for special occasions, dinners, and meetings (or just for fun). Thankfully, a handful of tailors in Sydney still practice their time-honoured craft, while a number of businesses offer high-quality bespoke suits for the maximum in comfort and refinement for men of exacting standards.

The well-known adage goes that the shoes make the man. If there’s any truth to that idea, the sneakers that the following stores stock make very good men indeed. Here’s our round-up of the best sneaker stores in Sydney, including a joint that also serves as a barber and another that also serves fried chicken.

Even if you're not a pro swimmer you can still have a great time at Sydney Olympic Park's Aquatic Centre. Playing on the water playground might look a little strange if you're not under 12, but there isn't a height limit on the water slide so take the plunge anyway. Next, try out the rapid river – this is the opposite of a leisurely river swim and it'll get your blood pumping. The water whips you around in circles surprisingly quickly, get in a workout by trying to fight it or see how fast you can zoom around. These pools are usually full of kids, so don't expect to have it to yourself unless you go in the middle of the week. For more serious swimmers, there are three lap pools to choose from. No one expects you to go as fast as Ian Thorpe or Grant Hackett but it's a pretty cool feeling to know you're swimming in the same space as them. If you're more of a gym bunny, work up a sweat at the health club before cooling down in the water. The club has a cardio room, a weight room and offers classes. Plus, there's a sauna if you fancy a child-free pamper session.  Splashing around is exhausting, so after all that exercise you'll probably want a snack. Head to Aqua Café for sandwiches, burgers, pasta and ice cream.

As the end of Daylight Savings approaches on April 7, the bi-annual wave of complaints begins. Why does Daylight Savings have to end? We love the daylight after clocking off from work! My body's not going to know what time it is! Who invented this inconvenience? I feel jetlagged. But before you get in a tailspin about winding the clocks back, think of it this way...  1. You get a bonus hour ... Or even on Saturday. Yep, the most obvious awesome thing about Daylight Savings ending is gaining an additional hour of sleep (or play the night before). While clocks don’t technically change until the early hours of Sunday, on Saturday night you can tell yourself that midnight is only really 11pm. Suddenly, you have an extra hour in your life. To sleep or to party? That is the question. We say blow that hour out on the dance floor. You know what they say: what happens in the Daylight Savings hour stays in the Daylight Savings hour*. 2. You can wake up with the sun The lame thing about Daylight Savings after summer's ended if that many of us have to start rising for the day in the pitch black, which makes waking up way harder to do. Thanks to the end of Daylight Savings, the sun will be peeking above the horizon closer a whole hour earlier. So you can wake up whistling ‘Here Comes the Sun’. No? The only unfortunate thing is having the sun in your eyes driving into Sydney from the west. But a dramatic rendition of the opening scene of 'The Lion King' is sure to cheer you up. 3. You can

Watching a match, lounging on your couch, eating ice cream is a great pass-time. That is, until it dawns on you that the whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s you just consumed has more fat than the athletes on the screen in front of you have in their whole body. This is usually the point where we swear to start dieting. Tomorrow. Believe it or not, those super fit, muscular athletes on your TV eat just like you. They may workout as often as we sit in a desk, but the fuel that goes into those super bodies? The same.. Time Out asked Olympic-bound athletes exactly what they eat at the unveiling of the Opening Ceremony uniform.  Josh Dunkley-Smith, Olympic silver medalist in rowing may look like a sculpted god, but he’s actually a carboholic. He loves to eat Italian, and lots of it. “We spend a lot of time in Italy so pizzas, pastas, they’re great. There’s this place we go in Italy near where we train that do big gigantic pizzas. They’re bigger than car tire pizzas.” Lucky for Josh, Sydney has some great Italian restaurants to satisfy his cravings while he’s in town. Ken Wallace is no newbie to the Olympics. Rio will be his third go at the games. The 32 year old knows what it takes to be a successful athlete. Even though he’s striving for his third medal, he still indulges in his favourite foods. “I do like your standard pub food. A big T-bone. Beer, chips and veg. I’m a pretty plain and basic kind of guy. Just some Aussie food. Or even just going down to the park to have a barbecue wit

H&M and M.I.A. are pairing up to launch a global sustainability initiative as part of World Recycle week, which takes place April 18-24. The recording artist is releasing a music video on April 11 on H&M's website emphasising the environmental impact of clothes going to landfill. Why? Because H&M wants to encourage its shoppers to recycle clothing. They're collecting 1,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes from customers in their 3,600 stores worldwide. Since 2013, the Swedish retailer has acquired over 25,000 tonnes of clothes through a global initiative to close the loop in fast-fashion waste. Two years ago, the brand released their first line of recycled clothing and now they've coined ‘World Recycle Week’ to encourage people to donate items of unwanted clothing in exchange for vouchers. From April 18-24, you can bring unwanted clothes to your nearest store and receive a voucher to use next time you shop. You can even bring an old towel, or socks half chewed by your dog. The clothing will be broken down, so nothing is considered too worn. In addition to gathering more garments, H&M are asking bloggers to make their own music videos inspired by M.I.A. If you've ever spent time on YouTube you'll have come across a ‘haul’ video – Mylifeeaseva’s Black Friday Haul 2015 video has over two million views. H&M is calling on people to film the pieces they are bringing back to the store using the hashtag #HMrehaul.