44 things to do in Sydney this weekend

Are you ready to chase artistic escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney is back for its 24th edition from March 9 to June 10, 2024. Whether you’re a dedicated arts fanatic or a casual culture buff, you’ll find something to inspire and provoke you along this epic art trail. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale is taking over six different locations with awe-inspiring installations and intriguing exhibitions. Titled Ten Thousand Suns, this year the festival explores a multiplicity of global cultures, taking on a transgressive spirit as it leans into the origins of Carnivale. As always, the Biennale is free for everyone to visit for a total of 16 weeks.   Of all the locations, White Bay Power Station is absolutely the main character of the Biennale’s 50th year anniversary (and 24th iteration – it takes place every second year). This is the first time the revitalised industrial site will officially open its doors to the public in more than 100 years – and what they’ve accomplished is pretty spectacular. Years of accumulated pigeon poop has been cleared out of the enormous factory spaces, making way for art installations that tower multiple storeys high, and more works hidden in various nooks and crannies. Pop-up bars and brand new bathrooms also set the stage for a packed program of live performances and music curated by Phoenix Central Park. Think of White Bay as a replacement for the role that Cockatoo Island has played in Sydney’s

Ray is a farmer. Ray is dying. Ray is falling in love. Ray has had a tough year. Ray mourns his wife. Ray meets his wife. Ray doesn’t want to live in a nursing home. Ray’s kids don’t understand him. Ray doesn’t understand why the world won’t let him live his life. Ray, played with impressive physicality and nuance by veteran actor Colin Friels, is the central figure of Into the Shimmering World – a new work commissioned by Sydney Theatre Company that makes the intimate epic, seesawing back and forth in time but remaining locked in space. The main arena of conflict is the family farm that Ray and his wife, nurse Floss (fellow veteran Kerry Armstrong) have run their entire adult lives. It’s a hard existence, but a rewarding one, contending with droughts, floods, fluctuating markets, and unruly neighbours (one dubbed “The Crook” remains an unseen presence, but a constant source of grievance).  Written by 2020 Patrick White Playwrights Fellow Angus Cerini and directed by STC’s Director of New Work and Artistic Development Paige Rattray, Into the Shimmering World is a study of Australian masculinity – as were the previous works in Cerini’s Australian gothic trilogy, The Bleeding Tree and Wonnangatta. In many ways this play is a study of stoicism, its strengths and its limitations. The laconic Ray meets every challenge with a resigned determination that borders on fatalism, an attitude that has served him well for decades. But the sons his work put through university don’t want to

This is it, we have found the yassification of Shakespeare. Fuelled by a playlist of certified pop hits, this jukebox romp billed as “the greatest love story ever remixed” poses a simple but provocative question: What if, instead of joining Romeo in eternal slumber, Juliet decided to live? A contagiously joyous musical spectacular, & Juliet has finally landed at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre after being met with critical acclaim on Broadway and the West End, not to mention the rapturously received Australian debut in Melbourne.  Filled with sing-a-long-able chart-topping bangers made famous by the likes of Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and more from the songbook of Grammy-winning Swedish songwriter/producer Max Martin, the Aussie cast is overflowing with talent in this feel-good, flashy production. & Juliet is Shakespeare remixed for the girls, the gays and the theys... [but does it] really cut it as the feminist reclamation that we are promised? Will you be entertained? Absolutely. Does & Juliet set a new standard for jukebox musicals? Yes. Will you see one of the most diverse and charismatic casts of triple-threats ever assembled on an Australian stage? Heck yeah. Does the story deliver on the feminist retribution we are promised? Not quite. “What if Juliet didn’t kill herself?” Anne Hathaway (played by the enthralling Amy Lehpamer) posits to her husband, William Shakespeare (the ever-charming Rob Mills). “She’s only ever had one boyfriend, and frankly, the endi

Following the commanding Broadway Revival in 2023 starring Ben Platt and a sell-out season in Melbourne, Tony Award-winning musical Parade is coming to dock in the Harbour City. Hitting the Sydney stage in May 2024, Parade is a moving examination of one of the darkest episodes of America's history. With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a rousing, colourful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (Songs for a New World, The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County), this is the true story of an unsolved murder that divided a nation. Set in early 20th century Atlanta, Georgia, with its legacy of slavery and the Civil War, the story follows Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew, who is put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan. Undercurrents of racism and bigotry, and a mistrial, result in Frank’s condemnation by a conservative community still grappling with the aftermath of the 1906 Atlanta race riots. A sensationalist publisher fans the flames of religious paranoia to demonise and scapegoat Frank – coupled with a janitor’s false testimony, Frank’s fate is sealed. His only defenders are a governor who risks being politically ostracised for following their conscience, and his Southern Jewish wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. “Bringing this production of Parade to Sydney in 2024 is thrilling for us as a company,” said director Mark Taylor (Next to Normal, Rent). “Now, more than ever before, it feels

The Met Gala might be behind us, but the biggest annual event of Sydney’s fashion calendar is just around the corner. Australian Fashion Week (AFW) will be taking over Carriageworks this month – transforming the cavernous post-industrial space into a central hub of talks, workshops and runways featuring everyone from emerging student designers to Australia’s fashion royalty from May 13–17.  And though it might seem like an exclusive concept, don’t let the epic outfits intimidate you, there are plenty of ways you can get involved with Sydney’s biggest celebration of style. The spectacular showcase of design was once an industry-only event, but now they've opened the doors – it is no longer only restricted to the fashion world’s elite few. Though not every runway offers tickets to the paying public, many do – with the varied program also featuring panel discussions, consumer activations and other special events and parties. (Hot tip: There is no cover fee required to hang out at the festival hub, suss out the brand activations, grab a refreshment at the pop-up bars and settle in for some people watching.) AFW 2024 will feature boundary-pushing runway shows alongside presentations from new and well-established names alike. Though Carriageworks will serve as the hub, additional AFW-related events will be popping up across the city, and runways will be streamed virtually at australianfashionweek.com. On opening night, after a Hair Masterclass presented by Shark Beauty, a Sustainab

Comedy, in this economy? Well heck, I don’t know about you, but I could sure do with a good hearty chuckle right about now. So it’s a good thing that the Sydney Comedy Festival is back with its biggest program ever in 2024 – more than 750 artists are gearing up to flood the city with laughter at more than 315 shows scattered across all corners of the city from April 22 to May 19.  From the household names we all know and love to ground-breaking newcomers who are shaking up the comedy scene, you can pick and choose between a kaleidoscopic array of gala showcases, intriguing solo stand-up shows and special events. With a whole lot of tickets coming in at under $30, there really is a “comedy concert” for everyone (just don’t look for Che Diaz on the line-up).  You can catch new shows from legendary Aussie comedians like Rhys Nicholson, Will Anderson, Tom Gleeson, Reuben Kaye, Melanie Bracewell, Steen Raskopolous, regular The Project panellist Peter Helliar, a hilarious night with Judith Lucy and Kaz Cooke, comedy crack pot Reuben Solo, the sassy and sardonic Gen Fricker, Lizzy Hoo (loved for her Prime Video comedy special Hoo Cares!?) and 2022 Australia’s Got Talent finalist Emo Majok. Joining the long list of international stars is the much loved Stephen K Amos, 2016 English Comedian of the Year Josh Pugh, plus the fierce and fiery Irish comic Shane Daniel Byrne, and American history-meets-comedy podcast The Dollop is also heading Down Under for the Festival. Some of the most e

Calling all amateur Egyptologists, history buffs and lovers of gold and glamour: you can explore a blockbuster exhibition packed with priceless Ancient Egyptian artefacts. Exclusive to the country's oldest museum – the Australian Museum in Sydney – Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is an interactive museum experience more than 3,000 years in the making, and featuring 181 priceless artefacts. The popular exhibition has sold over a record-breaking 330,000 tickets in the first three months alone, becoming the biggest hit in the history of the Australian Museum. Ramses is still in town until May 19, 2024, and the Australian Museum has recently extended its visiting hours, giving you more chances to explore the exhibition after dark. In February, it is now open from 9am–9pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (last entry at 8pm). The museum also continues to be open from 9am–5pm from Thursday to Sunday (last entry at 4pm).  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Sydney (@timeoutsydney) Ramses is the largest cultural exhibition to visit Australia in more than a decade, and in a huge coup, the Museum even managed to ship over the actual coffin of Ramses the Great for it. You can also excavate further with the museum's Gateway to Egypt public program, an exclusive season of lectures, conversations, and experiences designed to give visitors of all ages a richer understanding of Ancient Egypt, whether an Egyptophile or justEgypto-curious. RECOMMENDED: Thre

In paintings dating back to the 18th century, the Nayika (the heroine) can be seen with her Sakhi (her confidante). In ancient Tamil poetry, songs and dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, the cherished Sakhi – the friend, accomplice, and at times, the witness – is a catalyst for the heroine to wrestle with and ultimately to accept her truth. It is thus fitting that in Nithya Nagarajan and Liv Satchell’s Nayika: A Dancing Girl, we meet our heroine (Vaishnavi Suryaprakash – Counting and Cracking) as she is reconnecting with her childhood best friend. Beginning with a meeting over over-priced entrees in Sydney, the story explores bursts of the forgotten joy and sorrow the pair shared in Chennai, India, over four formative years as our heroine learned about love, met a boy, began a relationship and ultimately escaped its perils with her own scars. Satchell and Nagarajan’s script is moving, humorous and sensitive in its exploration of heartbreak and trauma. With dramaturgy support from Nick Enright Prize winner S Shakthidaran (the creator of critically acclaimed works Counting and Cracking and The Jungle and the Sea), Satchell and Nagarajan’s script is moving, humorous and sensitive in its exploration of heartbreak and trauma. As the only actor on stage, Suryaprakash is a captivating performer – she utilises accents effectively to indicate shifts in time and place, and is infinitely expressive as a smitten 13-year-old, finding the giddy exasperation of love with ease.  On the violin

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, if you’re the first named character in the title of a play. Particularly when almost every other legend written about you has you named second, or not at all. This is the plight of Isolde, an Irish princess, star of many stories, but most notably Wagner’s influential opera Tristan und Isolde. Her legend is centuries old, one of the most famous involving a love potion – and now, Sport for Jove brings it to the beloved basement stage at the Old Fitz Theatre in the form of a play written (and crucially, named Isolde and Tristan) by German playwright Esther Vilar, and translated by Udo Borgert and Laura Ginters. The original legend features Tristan, a prince of Cornwall, and Isolde, the princess of Ireland, whose countries are at war. After Tristan defeats the Irish giant Morholt (the Irish King’s brother-in-law) he is tasked with traveling to Ireland to bring Isolde back to marry his uncle, the King of Cornwall. However on the journey, Tristan and Isolde fall madly into forbidden love, thanks to a love potion. Deception, punishment, and death ensue.  Vilar’s play not only switches the names, but also some of the details, and turns the legend from a sweeping and dramatic warning against being “consumed” by love into something pointier, and more complex. It’s certainly not your regular medieval romance, or even your regular opera… clever, biting, and appropriately eerie. Damien Ryan (Artistic Director of Sport for Jove) directs this production, setti

It might not get much better for booze lovers than Circular Quay’s Overseas Passenger Terminal transforming into rows upon rows of booths holding endless spirit tastings.  The Sydney Spirit Festival debuts in town from May 10 to 12, but don’t let the name fool you. The event has rounded up talent from around Australia including “Australia’s godfather of whisky” Bill Lark of Lark Distillery. Plus you can expect everything from the classics (I’m looking at you, vodka, tequila and gin) to grog from around the world like grappa and soju.  There are actually 148 brands of whisky on offer, to be precise. A standard $80 ticket will give you access to sample every last one of those drops in a three-hour session, and a tasting glass and a tote bag. Or if you want to ball out you can snag a premium $120 ticket that gives you access to the boozy masterclasses like how to shake up a mean Espresso Martini, or exploring the differences between Spanish and Italian vermouth.  With all that sipping, some lining of the stomach won’t hurt. Look forward to a range of cuisines on site, from Japanese noodles, to Italian cannoli and Mexican tacos. Word on the street too is if you purchase a bottle from Hugo exclusive Vodka, you’ll get to knock back a luxe little bump of caviar with your sample.  Every ticket also includes a gin and tonic on the house, and by house we mean one of the many bangin’ Sydney bars that have partnered up with the Sydney Spirits Festival. Whether you choose to visit Apollon