Saturday, December 21st is coming, and that means one special thing for Aussie music lovers – it’s ‘Gravy Day’.
Paul Kelly’s iconic “How To Make Gravy” has been increasingly reflected on and celebrated when December 21st rolls around every year. Good luck not hearing it on one of your favourite radio stations if you’re listening on Saturday.
Kelly wrote the song back in 1996 after he was approached to contribute to the Spirit of Christmas charity album, which used to be flogged everywhere in MYER stores. It was loosely based on a personal experience – his brother Michael Kelly was in prison at the time, but Kelly instead used two characters named Dan and Joe in the song.
The song is framed as a letter from a man in jail (Joe) to his brother (Dan), who is preparing Christmas dinner for the family. Joe offers detailed instructions on how to make gravy for Christmas, but also reflects his feelings of regret, longing, and separation from his family, particularly during the holiday season.
“How to Make Gravy” has become one of Australia’s favourite Christmas songs, so much so that a movie of the same name has been made about it this year. It was released exclusively on Binge on December 1st after it was filmed on the Gold Coast, adapted for the screen by ARIA Award-winning musician Meg Washington and Director Nick Waterman. The stars of the film include Hugo Weaving, Brenton Thwaites, Daniel Henshaw, and Damon Herriman.
To celebrate Gravy Day on Saturday, Palace Theatres is putting on a series of free screenings of the How To Make Gravy movie at their venues around the country.
All of them are scheduled at 4pm, and you need to register to secure your free tickets at this link.
How to Make Gravy ‘Gravy Day’ Screening Details:
All screenings on Saturday, December 21st at 4pm.
Locations:
- Victoria: Palace Cinemas Como, South Yarra
- New South Wales: Palace Cinemas Moore Park, Sydney
- Queensland: Palace Cinemas Barracks, Brisbane
- Australian Capital Territory: Palace Cinemas Electric, Canberra
- Western Australia: Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Perth
- South Australia: Palace Nova Eastend, Adelaide
You can also stream How to Make Gravy on Binge.
