Kids activities Sydney

Winter is well and truly here. The shortest day of the year has come and gone, and temperatures are oscillating between beach-worthy and sub-Antarctic. If you want to embrace festive energy this winter, we’ve got just the thing.  Sydney’s beloved Christmas in July Festival will be coming back to The Rocks this July, this time with a magical alfresco cinema, more than 80 twinkling Christmas trees, a European-style winter market and a laneway with real falling snow. The Rocks Christmas in July Festival has transformed the harbour-side precinct in the past, but this year, the program is stepping up its game – with the beloved winter markets back and better than ever, and some super special new additions. The key addition to the festival for this year is the Fire Pit Cinema, a first-of-its-kind winter open-air cinema experience. Here, guests will get to watch classic Christmas movies next to cosy private fire pits while roasting marshmallows and getting giddy on mulled wine and festive vibes. Book a fire pit for yourself and your friends and snuggle up under the blankets with a steaming hot chocolate for a cinematic night under the stars.  On the food front, the market will be home to more than 20 pop-up restaurants serving up your favourite European winter fare: everything from melted raclette to golden schnitzels and sugar-dusted crêpes.  Alongside the cinema and markets, Sydneysiders can expect to find a laneway laced with falling snow, and The Rocks will be illuminated by...

Winter is well and truly here, and if you needed a reason to leave the warmth of your home, we’ve got you. This June and July, South Eveleigh will be transformed into a winter wonderland with its brand new offering, Loco Markets. Inspired by the charm of European street markets, Loco will have a rotating lineup of themed nights, live entertainment, artisan stalls selling handmade goods, delicious food and drink, and family fun from June 19 until July 27. Yes, that’s every Thursday to Sunday for six glorious weeks.  What’s more, each week is a fresh experience with new themes to keep you coming back. The music has been curated by ARIA-nominated Stu Hunter to match each week’s theme, and there will be kid-friendly activities like face painting and creative workshops. Entry is free, though some workshops require bookings. Here’s what’s on each week: Artisan Design (June 19–22)Kick things off with bath bomb workshops, live cartoonists and jazz harp performances. Shop 3D-printed gifts from Mewse, playful cardboard costumes by Paper Pops, and stunning jewellery from Stof Studios. Produce & Wellness (June 26–29)Get your glow on with seasonal produce and health products. Don’t miss natural skincare by Stori of Africa, wholesome foods from Soka Pantry, and tea-based wine alternatives by Junco Drinks. Design & Sustainability (July 3–6)Celebrate slow fashion, botanical beauty and sing-along art workshops. Market picks include earthenware from Ignem Terrae Ceramics, sustainable style...

Australia’s most popular arts event is back in action for 2025, with the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes bringing a fresh batch of painterly expressions to the walls of the Art Gallery of NSW from May 10 to August 17.  They call it “the face that stops the nation”, and the Archibald Prize has indeed been courting controversy and conversation for more than a century now. This popular portrait prize is always filled with famous faces, with artists from all over Australia (and also New Zealand) capturing the spirit of the times through paintings that capture the likeness of the personalities that define their communities. Julie Fragar is the winner of the 2025 Archibald Prize – she won over the judges with a stunning portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams (read more). RECOMMENDED: A beginner's guide to the Archibald Prize. The winner of the 2025 Packing Room Prize was announced a week earlier, with the Packing Room Pickers (a.k.a. the Art Gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries) selecting Abdul Abdullah's striking painting of fellow finalist Jason Phu as their favourite Archibald portrait this year (read more here). Meanwhile, the Wynne Prize awards the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figurative sculpture, and the Sulman is awarded to the best genre painting, subject painting or mural project. (Find out more about the 2025 winners over here.) The annual finalists exhibition is a real must-see, with each prize attracting diverse entries...

If you’ve ever wanted to get seriously close to a Sumatran tiger (without there being a terrible ethical or safety problem in the way), now is your chance. Tiger Trek is an experience that's free (included in the cost of your Taronga Zoo tickets). Attendees are invited to get into a flight simulator that takes them (very quickly) from Mosman to the Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra. Upon landing, you travel through an Indonesian-inspired village, meandering down a path past village shops and through a rainforest that looks uncannily like you’re in Indonesia. At the end, you'll get the chance to meet the three Sumatran tigers who were born at Taronga Zoo in 2019, as well as their beautiful mother, father, uncle and grandmother.  With only 350 Sumatran Tigers left in the wild, these tigers are incredibly important. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, but as seen through Tiger Trek, all is not lost. Deforestation in Indonesian rainforests has decreased by 75 per cent since the folks over at the zoo began monitoring it in 1990. There has been a steady increase in the consumption of sustainable palm oil worldwide, with shoppers far more aware of the devastation caused by unsustainable palm oil harvesting than ever before. It's easy to feel helpless when it comes to this stuff, which is why one of the coolest parts of Tiger Trek is Choice Mart – this end room of the trek has been built to look like a supermarket check-out, complete with interactive touch screens that...

If Bondi Markets were a person, they would a) be very healthy, and b) wearing two (organic) hats. Each weekend, Bondi Public School plays host to two different markets, with the Saturday edition bringing the Bondi Farmer's Market, and the Sunday bringing general marketware, fashion and vintage goods.  The Farmer's Market is an excellent way to kick off your weekend, with the old primary school playground playing host to a variety of lush local produce stalls, freshly fried fritters and brunchy delights a' plenty. There’s also doggy ‘parking’, live acoustic music and pop-up yoga classes on the lawn, with the festivities going until 5pm. In inclement weather the markets still go ahead, but often with reduced stalls. They also don’t open until 9am, so if you’re an early bird, pop across to the beach first for a walk or swim. Once you stock your fridge on Saturday, you can head back again on Sunday for the general fashion and market extravganza that kicks off from 10am to 4pm. Peruse the stalls for vintage finds, sustainable swimwear, delectable market eats and hidden treasures, all within close viewing distance of Sydney's most polarising beach.