Australia Day 2017 Brightens Up the East Boston Shipyard

KO Pies at the Shipyard. / Photo provided

No need to fret about how you’ll spend your time this weekend without a Patriots game to watch—there’s tennis and cricket on, and the Coopers is flowing at KO Pies at the Shipyard. The always Australian East Boston destination has been throwing down like it’s 80 degrees and sunny all month long, ahead of the annual Australia Day celebration on Saturday, January 28.

“As everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is getting into the gloom of January, back in Australia, it’s the exact opposite,” says chef and owner Sam Jackson.

The national holiday—officially marked on January 26—is comparable to Independence Day here in the U.S., with family barbecues, community festivals, and other merriment. It also coincides with the Australian Open Tennis Championships, and it’s amid cricket season, which give Aussies more reasons to cheer, Jackson says.

A visit to KO Pies’ flagship location is always a bit like taking a trip to Sydney, with classic beef and lamb meat pies, sausage rolls, potato wedges, and other Australian go-tos always on the menu. But every January, Jackson ups the ante with specials, like a loaded Aussie burger, a classic sandwich with grilled onions, grilled pineapple, beetroot, and a fried egg; mini pavlova and custard tarts, and more. All the menu additions will be available on Saturday.

“It’s like a little slice of Australia for the day, for people to forget about the darkness, the cold, and all the other stuff that comes along with January in New England,” Jackson says.

And the pseudo-summer doesn’t end after Aussie Day: KO Pies keeps the party going in February with the next installment of Dundee. The annual pie throwdown challenges chefs from the reigning champion Lincoln Tavern, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Saus, Neptune Oyster, the Townshend Quincy, and more to make a unique, Australian-style mini pie to pair with host Harpoon Brewery beers. There are still a few tickets available for Dundee VIII on February 19.

Australia Day at KO Pies at the Shipyard, Saturday, January 28, noon-10 p.m., Boston Harbor Shipyard, 256 Marginal St., Building 16, East Boston, 617-418-5234, kocateringandpies.com.