Sydney Design Festival 2009
Forget awkward phases. The Sydney Design Festival, which turns 13 this August 1, is a scarily beautiful teenager. 

Prodigious in every subject, the festival offers arts and crafts workshops that will feed your inner nanna, Da Vinci or dilettante, exhibitions that will make you wonder and a speaking program that will forge many an unrequited brain crush on the creative geniuses behind the podium.

Listen to Paul Cocksedge talk about his plans to stop rain falling on Londoners with nary a physical structure between sky and head, channel some Chanel and learn the Esmod Méthode of fashion drawing or indulge your vampiric tendencies at the Young Blood Markets where you can buy jewellery, clothing and furniture directly from the bright, young makers. 

Wanna stay up? You can with the Play Late night on August 7 where you can settle in for some guerrilla knitting, a comic making workshop with Matt Huynh or shoot the breeze with West Australian video artist Jerrem Lynch. 

All that activity making you hungry? Stop in at the Eat Green Design temporary restaurant for a meal that will feed your body and your imagination on the same plate. 

Sydney Design Festival 
1 – 16 August 2009
Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris Street, Ultimo 
T: (02) 9217 0111
Tickets from $5