SYDNEY – If almost all flights to Sydney this week from any airport are fully booked, it’s because this week is like D-Day of globally impactful activities in Australia’s famous city.
First, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are on a Royal Tour of Australia with Sydney as their first stop. Then there is the upcoming 2018 Invictus Games founded by Prince Harry for wounded, sick and injured veterans to be held in various locations with 500 athletes from 18 nations. Then there is the 2018 X Games – the world’s premier action sports festival — at the Spotless Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park. Add to those the many other festivals, art markets, fairs and pop-up events that make October consistently live up to be one of the best months to be living in, or visiting, Sydney and you have a city exploding with sights and sounds, feels and flavours.
As Australia enters the middle of spring, there’s a true celebratory air across the city. One reason is another huge event that is drawing ticket buyers from all over Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and countries as far as the U.S. “ASAP Live in Sydney” – the eighth leg of the ongoing global live concert tour of the longest-running TV variety show from ABS-CBN – is all set for October 20, this Saturday, at the amazing ICC Sydney Theatre in Darling Harbour. As the countdown to the big event happens, the ASAP team is making sure that it soaks in Sydney’s spirit by making key visits in the community.
On Tuesday, “ASAP Live in Sydney” cast members VJ-actor-host Robi Domingo and Filipina-Australian singer-actress Ylona Garcia, both “Pinoy Big Brother” alumni, joined ABS-CBN officers to visit SBS – Australia’s national multicultural and multilingual broadcaster – where both of them with ABS-CBN Country Manager Jay Santos were interviewed on the talk show, SBS Filipino, by radio talk show host Ronald Manila which was streamed also on Facebook Live.
After the SBS visit, the ASAP team headed for the Philippine Consulate General on Wentworth Avenue to pay a courtesy call on Philippine Consul General of Sydney Maria Teresa L. Taguiang. The Consul General and her staff warmly welcomed the team. Consul General Taguiang shared that prior to taking her new post in Sydney, she was the Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe where she had the pleasure of working under Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel M. Lopez. She promised the good ambassador in a recent conversation that she will take care of the huge ASAP contingent coming from the Philippines who are all out to represent Filipinos and give a one-of-a-kind show in Sydney.
The Cast
Last weekend, ABS-CBN Australia announced that on top of the already confirmed star-studded cast, “ASAP Live in Sydney” leveled up with the addition of the wildly popular Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano, known as the reel and real love team, “LizQuen”, and the historic first-ever ASAP Live special guest stint of Asia’s Songbird, Ms.Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, the current best-selling OPM artist of all time. She will join husband and ASAP mainstay Ogie Alcasid and the ASAP team for a guaranteed one-of-a-kind-show in Sydney.
It’s an A-list rol-call: Angeline Quinto, Bamboo, Daniel Padilla, Darren Espanto, Daryl Ong, Enchong Dee, Erik Santos, Enrique Gil, Gary Valenciano, Gerald Anderson, Inigo Pascual, Jed Madela, Joshua Garcia, Julia Barretto, Kim Chiu, KZ Tandingan, Liza Soberano, Luis Manzano, Maja Salvador, Moira Dela Torre, Ogie Alcasid, Piolo Pascual, Robi Domingo, Toni Gonzaga, Yeng Constantino, Ylona Garcia and ZsaZsa Padilla. Joining as special guests are Yassi Pressman, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Paulo Avelino, Cristine Reyes, Ariel Rivera, Randy Santiago, 2014 The X-Factor Australia winner Marlisa Punzalan and Ms. Regine Velasquez-Alcasid.
“The entire community here is excited and at the same time ready to represent at ‘ASAP Live in Sydney’,” said ABS-CBN Australia Country Manager Jay Santos. “It is going to be an amazing time and experience for us in Australia, particularly in the state of New South Wales where most of the Filipinos in the country live. With ‘ASAP Live in Sydney’, Filipinos are celebrating their presence and injecting their unique, delightful cultural flavours that add to Sydney becoming a must-visit destination city at this time of the year.”
The ICC Sydney Theatre is the latest among the world-class venues that ASAP Live is performing, after sold-out shows in Singapore, Dubai, Los Angeles, London, New York, Toronto, and Honolulu. It is part of the new $1.5-billion International Convention Centre Sydney complex, Australia’s first and largest fully integrated convention, exhibition and entertainment centre. It is a monster technology job: it has 1,000 access points plumbed into a 10Gbit network. So, forget about wi-fi issues; the complex IS connected. Inside the theatre, every one of the venue’s seats is focused on the centre of the stage, and a fan-shaped vertical seating layout ensures an optimal view from every seat in the house.
The Theatre is in the heart of Darling Harbour, a splendid waterside location in Sydney which ticks off all the destination boxes: marvelous aquarium and zoo, great dining options, funky nightclubs, wine bars, bistros, shopping centers, ferries and cruises, the world’s largest cinema screen, laser skirmish and tenpin bowling, museums and parks, among a rich buffet of attractions.
“ASAP Live in Sydney” is expected to be among the area’s world-class entertainment offerings this October.
For the event day schedule, to check updates and to buy tickets now to “ASAP Live in Sydney”, download the TFC Live App from the App Store or Google Play and register. You may also visit https://www.iccsydney.com.au/visit-icc-sydney/whats-on/ASAP-Sydney.
For the event day schedule, to check updates and to buy tickets now to “ASAP Live in Sydney”, download the TFC Live App from the App Store or Google Play and register. You may also visit https://www.iccsydney.com.au/visit-icc-sydney/whats-on/ASAP-Sydney
