3 ways to celebrate the GABS Hottest 100 and Triple J Hottest 100 countdown day in epic fashion.  

Are you aware that today is a day for celebration? In a beautiful stroke of fate, the GABS Hottest 100 and the Triple J Hottest 100 have fallen on the same day. Yes, it’s Countdown Day. We feel that it is our duty as your local Good Times suppliers, to provide suggestions on how we believe today should be spent. 

Before you read any further, please ensure that any plans you have today that don’t include Countdown Day are cancelled. Lessgo!

Backyard BBQ 

Nothing says party like a classic Aussie barby!

Tried and true, a backyard BBQ is the obvious choice for today’s festivities. What makes the humble BBQ a great choice is how easy it is to host a good one. 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Meat (and lots of it)

• While we’re not against the occasional Woolies thin beef sausage, we do recommend paying a visit to your local butcher for your meat requirements. Mention backyard BBQ and they’ll hook you up with everything you need faster than you can say rissole. A couple of our favourite butchers are Cotton Tree Meats in Maroochydore and Boocock’s Quality Meats in Birtinya. Mention us while you’re in there and you probably won’t get a discount, but at least they’ll think you’re a legend. 

Adequate seating 

• Perhaps the most underrated element to a backyard BBQ, enough seating for all your mates. There’s nothing worse than rocking up to a shindig with four chairs between fifteen guests. You make do by sitting on an esky, but every time you start to get comfy, you’re asked to stand up so someone can grab another drink. Or you actually plan for a lack of chairs and bring your own, only to find it snaked by your slippery mate as soon as you take five steps away from it. You can’t blame him though, as the real travesty is the LACK of chairs. 

Eskys for all guests

• Similar to the lack of chairs dilemma, inadequate esky space can cause some frustration, for you and your guests. The kitchen fridge suddenly becomes the only drinks cooling location. The contents of the fridge are pulled apart like a hot chook by mates looking for room. You wake up the next morning to find it in absolute shambles. You only have yourself to blame though. MULTIPLE eksys - get onto it.

Poolside session

Sun’s out, beers out. 

We had to wait to suss the weather out today before we could include this one. But looking outside now, the sun is shining and a poolside sesh is calling. 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Sunscreen and shade

• It is an absolute scorcher today. Our greatest piece of advice for staying sun safe today is slip, slop, slapping BEFORE you crack your first drink. The more beers you sink, the harder it gets to take ten minutes for a sunscreen application session. ‘Yeah nah, she’ll be right, I never get burnt.’ These are the words of a bloke/sheila who cracked their first drink before applying cream. And yes, they will get burnt. Grab a mate and double team it. Nothing says mate ship like two friends rubbing sunscreen on each other. 

Flotation devices

• Between Marco Polo and chucking phat Manu’s off the fence, you need something to lay back on whilst enjoying the countdowns. We recommend grabbing a couple lilo’s or an inflatable bin chicken from Kmart. 

A solid speaker

• It is absolutely essential that all guests can hear the countdown today, no matter where they’re hanging out. As the party is going to be spread between the pool and the house or outdoor setting, you’re going to need a decent speaker that reaches both areas. We recommend a UE Boom 3 or above (or similar). This should get you all the sound you need, so no one misses out on their favourite banger slapping on the 100. 

Other basic necessities for BBQ and pool party 

• Triple J Hottest 100 pumping 
• GABS Hottest 100 playing on a computer or TV
• Larry and Sally tinnies from your local beer dealer   

At your favourite local brewery

Vibes will be high. 

For many independent breweries, today is the big dance. If you don’t feel like hosting, we recommend paying a visit to your favourite local brewery. There you’ll find passionate beer lovers coming together to celebrate good beer made by good people. Check out the list of Sunshine Coast breweries here. 

Cheers to everyone who voted in the GABS Hottest 100, whether it was Larry or another indie beer. We hope you have a pearla of a day and we’ll see you on the other side!