What's happening in Sydney
The best things to do this week
The Stephanie Lake Company is bringing its large-scale dance work back for Sydney Festival
This monstrously inappropriate take on the New Testament is not for the faint of heart
Celebrate the world’s oldest surviving culture at this popular annual festival
This family-friendly party in the Hills brings together music, history, food and fireworks
The entertainment hub celebrates Lunar New Year with 3 weeks of dining specials and festive shows
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with an Aussie twist and dine with furry tree-dwellers
Join the other revellers in Chinatown to celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year
Reg Livermore's celebrated show returns with a brand new Betty
A CBD bar is transforming into a playpen for grown-ups for the long weekend
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Competitions and announcements
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:
It’s now an annual tradition that producers Tim Lawson and Simon Painter bring a Vegas-style spectacular to the Opera House each summer, with shows like The Illusionists and Circus 1903 packing out the place with good, old-fashioned razzle dazzle. But their next offering is taking one small step into the future with the spacey-themed Cirque Stratosphere. Expect acrobats flying overhead in the Opera House's biggest venue, the Concert Hall, with a space-age wheel of death, rollerskating stunts and a contortionist soaring through the air in an aerial sphere. While we wouldn't necessarily recommend taking the tiniest of children, it is a show that's appropriate for the whole family, which is why there are special ticket prices for kids and a whole bunch of matinees. Time Out readers can also get 20 per cent off adult and kids tickets when you book through this link and using the promo code 56074.
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A meal at Aria is always a special occasion, but even more so when it features a once-off menu available for just one week. From January 22-29, the fine dining establishment is offering a six-course, Chinese-inspired degustation to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The limited edition menu, designed for the occasion by executive chef Joel Bickford, showcases prestige ingredients to match the dining room’s prestige view of the Opera House. The feast opens with South Australian rock lobster, dressed with smoked apple vinaigrette, oyster emulsion and sterling caviar. This is followed by slow-cooked pork jowl, green lip abalone and king oyster mushroom in XO sauce. Red Emperor from the Great Barrier Reef comes traditionally steamed, accompanied by the untraditional flavours of creamed eggplant, buttermilk, almond and miso. Next up is organic, free range Maremma duck breast, aged in-house for seven days and glazed with cherry, black vinegar and molasses. Dessert is no less spectacular. A sorbet of seasonal blood plums refreshes the palate, served with sorrel, shiso and elderflower jelly. And finally, a showstopping red chocolate square is filled with lychee and mango and finished with gold leaf, resembling a lucky New Year gift. The Chinese New Year menu costs $260 per person; bookings are available now.
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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.
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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.
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Sydney is an outdoor city and summer is its traditional time to shine. When the weather's gorgeous, locals are enticed down to the water's edge. The temptation to stay here all day is strong when there are so many stunning places to swim, play cricket and generally revel in nature. Among Sydney's many attractions are the free outdoor electric barbecues to be found along the harbour foreshore, by the beach and in hundreds of inland parks. Australians' love of barbies is not just a tourism catchphrase, it's an integral part of life – so pack up your meat (or veggo) patties, hit up the petrol station for some refreshing Lipton Ice Tea, and make the pilgrimage to one of these top Sydney barbecue spots... and don't forget your tongs! Find out more about Lipton Ice Tea.
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.
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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.
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