Your ultimate guide to Sydney
Discover the city's best things to do, culture, dining, nightlife, bars and theatre
Eight Sydney institutions for your dining bucket list
New restaurants are often in the spotlight, ready for their Instagram close-up. But Sydney is also home to a host of long-running venues that are still at the top of people’s dining hit lists – hell, Time Out has been writing about them from our very first issue, back in 2007.
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Little Creatures Fremantle Brewery Tour
It’s the last Friday afternoon of summer, and Freo’s calling. I wander through the limestone lanes of town until I reach the grassy Esplanade. As I look out past the spinning ferris wheel, I spy a cheeky cherub peering through the pines. It’s just a hop, step and a jump to the docks and Freo's harbourside brewery, turning hops into bevs by the sea. Little Creatures isn’t hidden away behind bricks and mortar – it’s all glass and timber beams and corrugated iron roofs. Later, I learn from my tour guide Iain that the Creatures’ space used to be home to a crocodile farm. Iain’s love of beer is infectious as he lets us in on the secret world of beer, from the birth of beer in Babylon to current day Creatures. “Beer is linked with civilisation as we know it,” he tells the tour. Before I know it, there’s a pinch of hop flowers in my hands, and I’m sifting through roasted grains. Trust your own unique perception of flavours, Iain tells us. “It’s your nose. You're wearing it.” He waves at a man in orange as we explore the buzzing brewhouse. “Over there! There’s a Creature!” It’s Cam, the brewer on duty. He weaves around the enormous silver tanks, picks one, and pops a ‘pig’s tail’ in to pour a pale ale. "We’re all really different, all the staff, but it’s the one thing that sort of pulls us all together. We’ve all got this love of beer… It’s our common bond.” Reggae beats roll over the great hall as the clock hits five – boats putter round the docks, Bathers Beach
Time Out Food Awards
Forks at the ready, Sydney: the Time Out Food Awards are back and bigger than ever. Join us on Monday September 25 as we toast the city’s best fine dining restaurants and casual diners; degustations and sensational takeaways; top chefs and rising stars. Expect delicious drinks, sweet tunes brought to you by Flex Mami, and great food by Porteño – not to mention all the suspense of the awards as we give back to those venues and talent that make feasting in Sydney superb. Tickets are $70 + BF and include food, drink, fun and a copy of the annual Time Out Food Awards issue ($4.95 value), hot off the presses before it hits newsstands. Keen? Limited first release tickets go on sale Thursday July 20. For a taste of last year's action, check out our 2016 winners. You can also have your say by voting in the People's Choice awards. Powered by Eventbrite in association with
Get tickets to Sydney Contemporary
Australasia’s largest international art fair returns to Sydney this spring for four days of curated installations, exhibitions, tours, panel discussions, sculptures, after dark activities, artist talks and more. Sydney Contemporary kick starts at Carriageworks with an official opening night party on Thu Sep 7. The space will morph into an art lover's playground with immersive art, live music and performance pieces, alongside appearances from Sydney's hottest restaurants. The following four days will see local galleries including 107, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery and Sarah Cottier showing, alongside appearances from galleries travelling from Singapore, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Santiago, New York, Auckland and Melbourne. Works will span experimental video installations, print-making, soundscapes, drawings, paintings, sculptures and more. This year Time Out readers can get 20 per cent off tickets, including tickets to the opening night and daily tickets. Head to Sydney Contemporary and enter the code TIMEOUT to redeem this discount.
AACTA’s Festival of Australian Film
AACTA's Festival of Australian Film gives AFI and AACTA members the opportunity to see the best films made in Australia in the past year before they cast their votes in the 7th AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel. Complimentary to members, the screenings at Event Cinemas George Street and Bondi Junction include the nominated feature length documentaries and shorts, as well as the feature films competing for a nomination for the 7th AACTA Awards. Highlights include Ali's Wedding, a terrific comedy with a major chance of winning all the top awards; eerie serial killer chiller Hounds of Love; and That's Not Me a low budget comedy about a struggling actress and her successful twin. Films screen from August 28 until September 21 around the country, and to get in on the action you'll need to join the AFI or AACTA from just $70. You'll enjoy benefits including access to a year-round program of events, and discount tickets to the AACTA Awards.
Where to drink Espresso Martinis with a view
Sydneysiders get a little forlorn in winter. Which is terribly sulky of us. Even when it’s too cold to be getting in the water, we should still be enjoying that Harbourside life. The best pick me up? An Espresso Martini of course. Sip one while you stare out into the gorgeous distance – at these venues, it’s all about the view. Vote for the bar making your favourite Patrón XO Café Espresso Martini and win a $200 bar tab.
Top picks of the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival
Forget forking out for a plane ticket to Japan – the cherry blossoms are coming to you this year. Running from August 18 to 27, the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival is making its return to Auburn’s Japanese Botanic Gardens in what promises to be the biggest Japanese festival in the country. While the blooming cherry blossoms are the centrepiece, the week-long festival promises a spectacular showcase of Japanese culture with food, drink, music, garden shows, art, anime, cosplay and even a sumo competition.
