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Colourful flowers of Jonima Florist
Photograph: Supplied/ The Rocks

The best things to do in Sydney in September

We're here to help your social life blossom in the first month of spring

Maxim Boon
Maya Skidmore
Written by
Maxim Boon
Written by
Maya Skidmore
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Throw off your doonas and discard your scarves: spring has sprung in Sydney. September not only heralds the arrival of warmer spring weather, but much like the trees and flowers waking up from the winter snooze, life is returning to the city – and we're here for it. 

Shake off those winter cobwebs and go in search of gorgeous spring flowers around Sydney and the state, wander through one of the city’s colourful weekend markets, take a refreshing dip in one of Sydney’s best ocean pools, or if you really want to give yourself a thorough spring airing, bust out the birthday suit at one of Sydney's finest nude beaches.

Stay fresh and brighten up your mind at a new theatre show and art exhibition, follow it up with a bottomless brunch, then soak up the fluttery sunshine in a lush beer garden –  or up high at a dreamy rooftop bar.

It's also the perfect time of year to give your home, garden or balcony a glow-up with some leafy additions, so head to these top plant nurseries where you can pick up a few new fronds.

Stay in a spring state of mind and head to one of these gorgeous camping spots near Sydney, and then go in search of wildflowers on one of the best (and easiest) day hikes in Sydney

September's best events

  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • Willoughby

Spend a leisurely Sunday morning in France without the jet lag at these fabulous French markets in Sydney’s north. Le Marché is the only fortnightly French market in the whole of Australia, popping up every second and fourth Sunday of each month at Laurelbank Cottage in Willoughby. Here, you can say bonjour to more than 45 talented Frenchies selling everything from raclette and rillettes to choux buns and Champagne.   Start your morning in Le Marché’s culinary corner, which channels the vibes of a mini French supermarket. Fill your reusable baskets with farm-fresh eggs, truffles, saucisson, duck confit and of course, all the French cheeses your heart desires. Thirsty? Take a detour to sample fine French wines and locally brewed gin, or skip straight to the Champagne bar for a bubbly start to your day.  Experience the lively spirit of a French village market by chatting with Le Marché’s passionate line-up of artisans selling striped Breton t-shirts, colourful berets, linen tablecloths, straw baskets and more. Take a leisurely browse through the stalls, and when it's time to refuel, hit up the hot food stalls serving everything from buttery escargots and boeuf bourguignon to raclette and truffle-infused rotisserie chicken. Seal the deal on your market rendezvous with a flaky croissant, creamy eclair or delicate choux bun. Bring a taste of the markets home too by buying a freshly baked baguette or colourful box of bite-sized macarons.  RECOMMENDED: Hungry for more? Look at our

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Chippendale

Dust off your street directory: A free laneway party with Ukrainian house DJs, beers from Young Henrys, and sausages by LP’s Quality Meats is going down on the first Sunday of every month in Grafton Lane. And the first one is kicking off in Chippendale on Sunday, April 7, from1-9pm. Spearheaded by Plate It Forward and Kyiv Social – the change-making team behind Colombo Social and Kabul Social – Beers and Bangers aims to be a fun, community-minded event and a celebration of both Australian and Ukrainian culture with delicious eats, cold beers, and ace tunes. And it may be because we’re hungry right now, but beers and bangers is an excellent name – and food and drink combination – and frankly the whole of Sydney should get around this shindig. Clover Moore, The Lord Mayor of Sydney, will be at the inaugural Beers and Bangers party to commemorate a grant by the City of Sydney to officially close Grafton Lane as it transforms into a permanent outdoor dining and drinking laneway. Hell yeah. On the menu there’ll be LP’s Quality Meats’ beef and pork Ukrainian sausages, Ukrainian-style gourmet hot dogs and Kyiv sliders. Plus, the team from Young Henrys will be pouring cold ones from a new outdoor bar. And all this will be soundtracked to groovy beats by Ukrainian artists and DJs. Since opening six months ago, Kyiv Social has provided 3,000 hours of employment to 22 newly arrived Ukrainian refugees. And now with Beers and Bangers, the team is keen to help even more people – and have s

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  • Music
  • Sydney Olympic Park

It's been less than a year since global sensation J Balvin was last on Aussie soil (he performed a sold-out show at the Hordern Pavilion in July 2023), and now he's just announced a return as part of his massive Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour (It’s Good To See You Tour). Hailing from Medellín, Colombia, the reggaeton superstar’s first chart-topper was ‘Mi Gente’ with Willy William in 2017, and he quickly rose to fame for his high-octane live concerts. In 2019, Balvin made history as the first Latin headliner in Lollapalooza’s 28-year history and ever since, the artist has worked with musical titans like Justin Beiber, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Skrillex and Pharrell.  When is J Balvin playing in Sydney? The barrier-busting musician will perform at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday, September 6. J Balvin will also head to Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland as part of his five-leg touring route. How can I get tickets to the Sydney J Balvin show and how much do tickets cost? The Frontier Members pre-sale will run for 24 hours from 2pm (local time) on Monday, March 25, or until the allocation is exhausted. General tickets go on sale from 1pm (local time) on Wednesday, March 27. You can get them from the Frontier Touring website here. What will the Sydney J Balvin show be like? It’s time to dust off your dancing shoes and look – and feel – bonita, because J Balvin's shows are known to be epic, high-energy spectacles. You're guaranteed to hear all the bangers, including 'Mi Gente'

Carriageworks Farmers Market
  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • price 0 of 4
  • Eveleigh

It’s imperative that you do not eat before you visit the Carriageworks Farmers Markets. You’ll want to save maximum belly space for your personal version of The Bachelorette where you decide who gets your dollars and what delicious produce gets to come home with you. Maybe you like something soupy and savoury first thing? In that case head to Bar Pho for a traditional Vietnamese start to the day. On the veggie train? Hit up Keppos St Kitchen for a falafel breakfast, or head to Food Farm for a classic bacon and egg roll.Once the hounds of your hunger have been quieted it’s time to prepare for your next meal, or seven. Stock up on artisan cheese from Leaning Oak, smoked salmon from Brilliant Foods and Sydney’s favourite sourdough from AP Bakery and brunch is sorted. You can spend a whole lot of money if you want to here, but equally you could just grab a kombucha on tap from Herbs of Life and find a chair for some of the best dog-watching in the city.   Hungry for more? Look at our list of the best markets in Sydney – produce or otherwise. 

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  • Things to do
  • Milsons Point

Considering that when Luna Park opened in 1935, the only other major attraction in Sydney was the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Art Deco amusement park has long been a significant site for the city – an important destination for escapism, especially considering it opened during the Depression. Although new rides have cropped up over the years, the heritage-listed park has retained a lot of its original features – which is why there’s been much hype since Luna Park announced that it would be opening a brand-new, first-of-its kind, high-tech attraction to appeal to new audiences and reignite Sydney’s love for the park. An immersive experience created right here by a bunch of talented Sydney creatives and technicians.  On December 22, Luna Park swings open the doors to a high-tech ‘Magic Box’ inside Luna Park’s existing 3,000 square metre Big Top building – a venue for the park’s first immersive adventure, ‘Dream Circus’. Time Out got a sneak peek at Dream Circus before opening day, and we have to say, it’s hard to sum up in a few sentences what you’re in for. It’s part-3D movie, where actors take you on an adventure through the circus, to the seaside, underwater and into magical dream-like states. It’s part-musical, except that the action envelops you on three sides of the room, as well as the floor and ceiling. It’s a little like a Van Gogh Alive or Frida Kahlo multi-sensory exhibition, except that rather than images being projected onto flat wall and floor surfaces, the set is b

Paddington Markets
  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • price 0 of 4
  • Paddington

Every Saturday, more than 100 stalls line the grounds of Paddington Uniting Church and the neighbouring public school selling Australian-made fashion, handmade crockery and metal costume jewellery. The market has been operating on the same day since 1973, and the all-weather event is a profitable fundraiser for the church. Many of the stallholders return week on week, like the elderly Japanese couple selling Bonsai trees and the Spanish shoemakers selling espadrilles. It’s predominantly an art, clothing and design market – and alongside the kitsch bric-à-brac and Australiana-print tea towels you’ll find straw hats from local milliners and soft Tunisian-made ‘Turkish’ towels from young Eastern Suburb entrepreneurs. Antique, vinyl and vintage stalls are few and far between, but leather satchels, beach photography prints and patterned baby rompers are two a penny. On a hot day locals gather at the shaded tables and stools by the snack stalls. Turkish women hand roll yufka dough at the gözleme tent and vegetables are blitzed in a blender at the fresh juice stand. Chin’s Laksa stall, proudly MSG and gluten free, is a popular choice – as are the vegan cookies and sourdough scones on offer at the bakery stalls. It has a bohemian flair compared to its Oxford Street location and customers joyfully take up fortune readings, as well as reiki and Japanese massage. It’s an oddball mix, but one that works strangely well in an area known for its designer boutiques and gentrified pubs. Ou

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Markets at Glebe
  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • Glebe

You’ll find massive variety among the 200 stalls that take over Glebe Public School each Saturday morning, but it’s the fashion ones that attract most visitors. There are rows upon rows of eccentric and colourful vintage clothes, alongside hand-crafted jewellery, accessories and new clothing designed by locals. There are vintage stalls scattered all around the market, but the smaller section just off Derby Lane at the back of the school is a goldmine and a slightly quieter place to scour through racks and try things on.  Even if you’re not searching for a new wardrobe, the Markets at Glebe is a great place to grab some lunch and relax on the school lawns where live musicians serenade the crowd. The lane of food stalls – just opposite the lawn – has old market favourites, as well as more high-end offerings. Want to market all day long? Hop, skip and jump over to Rozelle for some more treasures.

  • Things to do
  • Walks and tours

Summer is all about getting outside and enjoying the sunshine – but when day turns to night, balmy weather makes for the perfect conditions to keep exploring long after the sun sets. By day, Jervis Bay is home to some of the most beautiful (and clearest water) beaches in NSW (heck, the world), but in the evening she’s just as glorious, thanks to less light pollution than in Sydney. If you’d like to dig your toes into the sand and marvel at the canopy of lights in the sky, then a guided stargazing tour in Jervis Bay should go to the top of your summertime activities list. Astrophysicist Dimitri Douchin, along with Caroline Boulom, invite you on a 90-minute experience that will open your eyes to the wonders of the universe right on the water's edge. Sounds magical, right? (They're the same people who run Blue Mountains Stargazing – and Dimitri sure knows his stuff, considering he's a TED speaker with a PhD in astrophysics. He’s a big thinker with a breadth of knowledge about how the world out there works, so we can’t think a better star-expert to take you on this very special journey.) You’ll get a chance to peep at the moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and The Orion Nebula through a telescope – and you might even spot a shooting star if you cross your fingers and toes. You might even witness the bioluminescence phenomenon, where a chemical reaction lights up the sealife, making their bodies glisten a shiny blue light. All participants who embark on the Jervis Bar stargazing t

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Kirribilli Art, Design & Fashion Markets
  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • price 0 of 4
  • Kirribilli

Fans of expertly curated market events such as the Finders Keepers will be happy to know there is a bi-monthly market offering a comparable experience a stone’s throw from Luna Park. The second Sunday of every month sees the art, design and fashion iteration of Kirribilli’s historic (est 1976) markets, centred on the weather-proof location of the Burton Street Tunnel right under Milsons Point Train station.  You’ll find quirky millinery by Nitascraft, hilarious knitted parrots, octopuses and Barbie outfits by Irene, and cool laser-etched wooden phone cases by Bare-wood. An antiques corner features groovy typewriters from the 1960s and several stalls offer funny and handmade greeting cards. Vintage spoons are refashioned as bracelets, and if you’ve ever hankered after a large photographic portrait of a wombat, you can get it here – the place is a goldmine for non-tacky Sydney souvenirs. On the last Saturday of the month is the general and fashion market, where punters have been known to snap up luxurious, one-of-a-kind finds from labels like Gucci, Zimmermann and Acne, thanks to the well-heeled crowds selling their wares. Arrival by train is recommended as parking is expensive and hard to come by.  There is an excellent food court area where you can get a roast pork roll, quesadillas, churros, gözleme, paella, blynis, dim sum, banh mi or gelato and sit down undercover to eat them while watching a talented teenage girl reinventing ‘Sweet Child ‘o Mine’. Afterwards, head over t

Rozelle Collectors Market
  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • price 0 of 4
  • Rozelle

A new wardrobe doesn’t have to mean popping tags on hundreds of dollars worth of swag, especially when you’re shopping at this long-standing secondhand market in Rozelle. The schoolyard of the Rozelle Public School has been a hive of weekend crate digging for more than 20 years, and while some stalls have almost earned long service leave, there are always newcomers keen to swap their good and chattel for some cold hard cash.The market runs on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm, and you can find bargains for less than you’d spend on a coffee – it’s all about the chase. Don’t be afraid to dig down into the tables of tops and skirts, T-shirt piles and racks of leather jackets. And if you don’t need vintage boots, a floral dress or a designer bargain, stroll through stalls selling antiques, cut glass crystal, old suitcases, DVDs, furniture and bric-a-brac. When you’re completely overstimulated head to the top right corner of the market where a handful of food stalls sell Himalayan fare, fresh juices squeezed on demand, gozleme, and dim sum. Because it’s a school there are no soft drinks sold on site, but a watermelon and rockmelon juice should sort out any dusty heads, and if nothing in the second-hand market grabs your attention, you can always grab a plant from the garden stall on your way out.   Want to know about markets in other parts of Sydney? Here's our guide.

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