Your ultimate guide to Christmas in Sydney

Time Out Sydney magazine is now completely free.  While newsagencies will no longer stock the quarterly magazine, you can pick up a copy at selected cafés, shops, entertainment venues and hotels around the city. In addition, friendly Time Out helpers will be handing out copies at major city light rail stops on the day of publication.  The current issue is the Bar Awards issue, where we reveal our top picks in 11 different categories, including Bar of the Year. The magazine is also packed with food reviews, Sydney Festival coverage, events, things to do and places to go this summer. That's your social calendar sorted!  You can pick up a copy of our Bar Awards issue from 7am, Wednesday-Friday December 18-20, 2019 at light rail stops in Circular Quay, Martin Place, Town Hall and Surry Hills.   Missed out? You can read past issues of Time Out Sydney magazine digitally through the links below: 

We all know if Sydney were a person she'd be Kylie Minogue: all that sunny disposition and extravagant aesthetics makes for a good embodiment of our harbour town. But what if we broke each neighbourhood down to their bare bone traits – who would they be then? Well, we've designed a sophisticated algorithm (we haven't) and narrowed it down to the new light rail route to find out just that in this highly-technical quiz (repeat: absolutely no scientific research went into this). Take our test to find out if you're more of a sassy Surry Hills or a flashy Circular Quay. Answer the questions below and we'll fire up the calculations (you get it, we're nerds) to reveal what neighbourhood along the light rail route you are and remember to play it safe around light rail.   // (function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src='https://embed.playbuzz.com/sdk.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,'script','playbuzz-sdk')); // Got your neighbourhood? Good. Now, enter your name and email through the link below for the chance to win a $100 voucher to one of the featured venues, plus an Opal card loaded with $100 so you can travel around your designated neighbourhood.  Enter now

January in Sydney means the arrival of Sydney Festival, with mind-bending art installations, thrilling theatre performances and live music turning the city into an exciting cultural playground. Our city also loves to express its creative spirit through food, with a melting pot of cultural cusines as diverse as the people that live here and modern culinary creations to excite your palate. Eateries across the city are joining the creative momentum of Sydney Festival, offering Sydney Festival Feast menus to enjoy before you head into a show or to debrief over afterwards. From the city centre to Parramatta, from Circular Quay to the Inner West restaurant district, there are options covering everything from Chinese feasts to modern Australian cuisine with sharing in mind. Check out the full list of participating venues and their menu options. 

Ravi, you’ve been operating in Newtown for a while now – how did Parliament on King come about? What’s its origin story?The café, co-founded and operated by myself and my wife Della, was always gonna be a love project. I like spaces where people come together and they sit and they talk and they hang out. It's something I've always dreamed about doing. It also happened at a time in my life where I wasn't finding my professional career very fulfilling. I really felt like I had been part of the problem for a very long time.  At Parliament on King the big things we do, aside from just running a café, are that we train asylum seekers and refugees with basic hospitality skills. It’s all real work for real pay for everyone in the kitchen, no matter how inexperienced they are or how strong their English confidence and competency is. Everyone gets paid from the very first hour they walk in the door. A prime motivation was to get them some local work experience and references so they can take the first step on that ladder to getting a job in Australia. It also addresses a really important factor for a lot of people arriving in Australia – isolation and loneliness are a huge thing. They carry great burdens of heartache out of the experience of leaving friends and family. So the outcomes we reach are not just vocational: what we really address is how to start making a new life. We provide a place where people are welcome, where they are treated as equals and regarded as friends, and whe

Redfern has a deep-rooted history of Indigenous culture, as well as an industrial past, that’s now home to exciting new bars, creative community hubs and historically significant street art. There's alot to take in and if you find yourself wanting to tackle it all in a swift two days, we've got you covered with this ideal skip around bars, eateries, and cultural hot spots. We think you’ll like it. 

Sunshine just makes things better, and summer is when Sydney truly comes alive. Ready to get outdoors, soak up the sun and make the most of Sydney with your friends? Whether it's kicking back in the great outdoors or trying out the latest event that guarantees a good time, here are five great places to be with your mates this summer. Fresh ideas for catch-ups deserve a refreshing drink like Lipton Ice Tea to help you cool down. Find out more about Lipton Ice Tea.

Sydney’s biggest party is trackside this year with Royal Randwick hosting two spectacular horse racing events on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. While the rest of Sydney’s entertainment scene takes a well-earned rest, Royal Randwick will be welcoming revellers to the Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand, where the Moët & Chandon will be flowing. Each of these race days will feature several nail-biting races, where you can witness some of the finest jockeys in the country vying for glory on the home straight.  For overseas visitors in particular, there's a special Boxing Day offer that is the perfect way to experience a unique facet of Sydney culture first hand. Australian Turf Club’s Boxing Day deal invites international passport holders to enjoy free access to Royal Randwick on December 26 from noon. Either pre-book tickets online using the promocode PASSPORT19 or bring your international passport to the Gate B box office on the day to redeem your complimentary race pass. Once the winners have galloped their way past the post, you can explore and enjoy everything that Royal Randwick has to offer: from food trucks and pop-up bars to relaxing trackside in the Christmas Palms precinct in your very own cabana, with trackside beats from some of Sydney’s hottest DJs in between races. While all eyes will be fixed on the jockeys' silks once they bolt from the starting gates, the fine garb of the crowd are also an attention-grabbing part of any day at the races. From fabulous fascinators

January in Sydney is set to be magical again with the announcement of the program for Wesley Enoch’s fourth Sydney Festival (January 8-26, 2020).  It’s another ambitious line-up spanning eye-opening art installations, boundary-pushing drama and dance, gravity-defying circus, and thrilling musical performances. There are 75 events happening across the city, from new Australian work through to blockbuster international shows.  Not sure where to start? Try these five essential events. Tickets are on sale now. Want more? Read Time Out’s 20 top picks of Sydney Festival.