Child pumping water at the Darling Quarter playground in Sydney
Photograph: Supplied/Darling Harbour
Photograph: Supplied/Darling Harbour

The best school holiday activities in Sydney

Here is the ultimate school holiday guide for the best way to keep the kids entertained this spring hols

Advertising

Believe it or not, we're already back at the school holidays, and if the thought of keeping the kiddos entertained for two weeks sends you into a spiral, we have you covered this October with an ultimate list of the best activities and experiences happening in Sydney for kids and families. 

Check out something for the explorers, the budding scientists, the mini-athletes, the musical prodigies and just about everyone in between. 

Looking for somewhere affordable to eat out with the kids? Check out our guide to the best cheap eats in Sydney.

Or visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney.

Things to do during the school holidays in Sydney

  • Sport and fitness
  • Sydney Olympic Park

The new Urbnsurf Sydney is a good place to let kids blow off some steam in the sunshine. The "Bays" offer safe, gentle, rolling green and whitewater waves perfect for those who are learning to play in the waves. To use The Bays, it's just $39 per kid. You can also do a Boog in the Bays session, which are a great way for kids to build confidence on a bodyboard while developing the basic, fundamental skills. They also offer up Spring Multipacks here so you can surf more for less during the holidays.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106189112/image.jpg
Alice Ellis
Editor in Chief, Australia

Roll on into this retro outdoor roller rink

This pop-up rink in Darling Harbour is open for business all school holidays with DJs on deck and dazzling lights aplenty. The mood is '70s but depending on the night you go, you could catch an ABBA, Barbie, Taylor Swift or Latina theme. While the kids catch their feet on deck, mum can kick back with a drink at the cocktail bar. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Sport and fitness
  • South Granville

Ninja Parc South Granville is a perfect stop for kids wanting to burn off some steam while simultaneously finessing their parkour skills. Featuring rope climbs, bouldering challengers, vertical and horizontal doors, a sea of poles and, the ever-classic ‘warped wall’, this gym-meets-play extravaganza is totally equipped to obliterate every last vestige of school holiday boredom. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106018227/image.jpg
Maya Skidmore
Contributor
  • Sydney

The beloved Opera House knows how to put on a killer school holiday lineup to entertain little minds and this October is no different. Stetch those little imaginations with Alien Rescue Mission: an interactive theatre play that may or may not include some extraterrestrial security footage. A stage-adaptation of Edward the Emu by author Shenna Knowles is perfect for the real little ones, and the bigger kids will enjoy Architecture Club. Strap in!

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising

One of the best types of holiday camps is one where they return home with new skills – and ready for a good night's sleep. The school holiday camp put on together by Evolve Tennis Academy & Prodigy Football, which runs across five locations in Sydney's north, ticks both those boxes. The team of coaches across both codes provide a unique structured program that will give them skills in both tennis and football, while having lots of fun.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106189112/image.jpg
Alice Ellis
Editor in Chief, Australia
Advertising
  • Museums
  • Darling Harbour

Who said school holidays were just about the kids? This family staycation has a little bit of fun for everyone. Spend the night at the 5-star Pullman Hotel in Hyde Park and fuel up on scrumptious breakfast spread before venturing out to Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. There's 60 tanks and three oceanaria filled with more than 13,000 animals from 700 different species to discover. The package also includes parking, a wlecome ammenity and surprise kids kit for your holidaying convenience.

 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
  • Things to do
  • Centennial Park

Hidden deep (well, kind of deep) within the heart of Centennial Park is a playground like no other. Fit out with a wild tree house, bamboo forest, a fancy water-play area, banksia tunnels, turtle mounds and dry creek beds, this ‘wild play’ locale is full of wonderful nooks and crannies that keep kids fresh, entertained and connected to the big outdoors, all from within the controlled paradise of Centennial Park. 

 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106018227/image.jpg
Maya Skidmore
Contributor
Advertising
  • Art

Despite the fact it was written in 1917, The Magic Pudding has managed to charm children's hearts ever since. These school holidays visit artist, cartoonist and novelist Norman Lindsay's stone cottage that's been converted into a gallery. Saturday, October 12 is Magic Pudding Day for a pudding competition, a pudding trail, guided tours, children's craft, morning tea, games and facepainting. Read: come on an empty stomach.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Dawes Point

Enrol the little dancer of the house into one of Sydney's most established dance school's school holiday workshops. The classes dabble in everything from jazz, to contemporary, to hip-hop, to theatre. The classes target both beginners and kids who have been dancing since they could walk, so hit up the timetable to find something that suits. Learn from some of the best including performers from Grease The Arena Spectacular, the Moulin Rouge in Paris and Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. The multi-day wokrshops will take place at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
  • Kids
  • Neutral Bay
  • price 1 of 4

The work of the late May Gibbs has given Australian children wondrous fantasies for years, with The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie enduring as an essential component in our collective childhood memory. Nutcote is where Gibbs wrote her books and long-running cartoon strip Bib and Bub. Reminisce about Gumnut babies and Banksia men in that childhood fantasy world when you visit the museum, learn about Gibbs and her characters, and then relax in the gardens.

Advertising
  • Film
  • Darling Harbour
  • price 1 of 4

IMAX Sydney closed for a rebuild back in 2016, and after a longggg wait, it's finally relaunched in October 2023, better than ever, in the W Sydney buildingWhen we say this is huge news, we mean it. IMAX Sydney’s new movie screen is the third largest in the world, spanning a staggering 693 square metres. If you're looking to get the title of coolest parent ever, a seat in one of IMAX's private pods or recliner chairs might just bring you one step closer. You can book tickets for IMAX Darling Harbour over here.

 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106189112/image.jpg
Alice Ellis
Editor in Chief, Australia
  • Attractions
  • Farms
  • Sydney

Spend hours cooing over a barnyard of baby animals: chicks, lambs, calfs, kids, ducklings and rabbits, you name it. The almost too adorable experiences at Golden Ridge Animal Farm are largely aimed at human kids wanting to learn about the 500 furry and feathered farm residents – but grown-ups can tag along too.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Penrith

Would you believe kids as young as three can do indoor skydiving at iFLY in Penrith? It’s all about the "look mum, look dad" here, as the indoor skydiving takes place behind glass in the middle of the venue – so even being a spectator is fun. They also have a camera taking pictures throughout your ‘dive’ so you can purchase your most impressive pose – complete with g-force cheeks.

What do Grave Digger, Max-D and Megalodon all have in common? Only that they'll be the most epic monster trucks in Sydney these school holidays. Strap into your seats at Accor Stadium on October 12 for a four wheel drive fest featuring featuring Spider Man, Thor and Black Panther. From superhero battles to crazy dirt tracks, this one is for those mini adrenaline junkies. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Sutherland

Sutherland Shire's state-of-the-art, multi-purpose venue is hosting a massive kids festival this October complete with orchestras, theare, and arts and dance classes. Expect appearances from the ABC's The Listies, comic magicians, and theatre puppets. Show tickets are $29, workshops are $15 and there are also free events in the program so that school holiday fun doesn't need to break the bank. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Darling Harbour

Game on, Sydney. Last summer, Australia’s very first interactive gaming rooms opened in Darling Harbour, offering full-scale, immersive versions of Squid Game, Angry Birds, Ghostbusters and a whole lot more. Little ones aged five and up can come for the adventure, too, with light-hearted games featuring beloved characters from Paw Patrol and Shaun the Sheep. You can find Immersive Gamebox next door to Sea Life, with sessions running daily from 10am until 6pm on weekdays and 8pm on Friday and Saturday nights. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106089369/image.jpg
Melissa Woodley
Travel & News Editor, Time Out Australia
Paid content
  • Things to do
  • Mosman

If you’ve ever wanted to get seriously close to tigers (without there being a terrible ethical or safety problem in the way), this is your chance. Tiger Trek is an entertaining but also hugely educational experience that helps you make better supermarket choices to help protect the endangered Sumatran tiger's habitat. The Tiger Trek is included in your ticket to Taronga, so it's free to zoo attendees.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106018227/image.jpg
Maya Skidmore
Contributor
Advertising
Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Alexandria

This little pocket of Alexandria is the perfect place to hide out on a rainy day. You’ve got 9 Degrees for indoor climbing, Hijinx Hotel for group challenges (more info below), Holey Moley mini golf, boozing for the grown-ups at Rocks Brewing Co – plus an arcade of retro games, bowling and laser tag at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq. Inside, there are bowling lanes, an interactive 3D theatre ride (our pick of the whole venue), a laser tag zone for kids, the tightest dodgem track you’ll ever come across, and a whole lot of arcade games.

Advertising
  • Kids
  • Active events

It's time for the imagination to run wild at the Botanic Gardens. The school holiday program is jam packed with visits from Tinkerbell, ghostly garden tours, rain forest in a jar workshops, and First Nations flower power tours where you'll hear stories of the native Gadigal people and build your own natural pendant. The program also extends from the Royal Botanic Garden right through to Australia's largest botanic garden at Mount Annan so you can have floral fun all over Sydney.  Book yourself and the little ones in for fun that is equally cultural and exciting as it is botanical. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Paid content
  • Art
  • Eveleigh

Carnival of the Animals is a circus like you've never seen it before. Yes, there are the crowd-favourites like elephants and zebras, but strap in for kangaroos and dinosaurs too. The magic? All the animals are played by the bendiest of circus performers. There will be flying, leaping and tumbling, so don't say we didn't warn you. Grab your tickets for shows running from October 1 to 6. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Museums
  • Darling Harbour

The Australian National Maritime Museum know exactly how to cater to creative minds. School holiday workshops this October are pretty wild, including a shipwrecked torchlight tour, musical storytellings of the sea and fossil model making. There are free educational trails all around the museum and the Kids on Deck section will be open all holidays with a heap of interactive activties. You can check out the full program here.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Sydney Olympic Park

VR experiences are picking up steam in Sydney, and they're only getting cooler and more realistic as time goes by. Horizon of Khufu takes you back in time over 4000 years back to places that only pharaohs (and tomb raiders) dared go. The event is even approved by the NSW Department of Education so the kids won't even know that they're learning while they're gaming. The only other cities you can currently purchase tickets for this event are Montreal, London and Atlanta so don't miss out on this worldwide thrill.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
  • Travel
  • Sydney

The Fullerton is a hotel partly housed in what used to be the Sydney General Post Office (GPO), a heritage building that was built back in 1887. It was Sydney's first major development, and regarded as a building that would come to symbolise Sydney in the way the Houses of Parliament in Westminster represent London, and the Eiffel Tower, Paris. You can discover the rich history of the building and the Post Office on the 90-minute GPO Heritage Tour. Their resident guide will take you on a journey through time, sharing the tales and legends of the city’s iconic Grand Dame. Book here.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106189112/image.jpg
Alice Ellis
Editor in Chief, Australia
Advertising
  • Attractions
  • Theme parks
  • Alexandria

Swim in a giant cereal bowl ball pit, tip-toe around a floor of lava, or enter a neon polka dot universe or an old-timey carnival in this incredible challenge rooms 'hotel' where no two rooms are the same. You’ll have just four minutes in each room to earn as many points as you can – it's a fun, high-energy vibe for the whole family.

 

  • Art
  • Sydney

If the Art Gallery of NSW wasn't already on your radar for the school holidays (how could it not be?), you might want to put it on now. The gallery is a super kid-friendly space for exploring art and it's a great place to foster creative minds. These winter school holidays, kids can craft their own little paper headpiece inspired by the ethereal Alphonse Mucha exhibition. Some other workshops for little hands include printmaking portraits and sketching botanicals.

https://media.timeout.com/images/106041634/image.jpg
Caitlyn Todoroski
Contributor
Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Luna Park was already pretty magical, and then they went and launched ‘Dream Circus’, an enchanting $15 million immersive experience. A high-tech ‘Magic Box’ inside Luna Park’s existing 3,000 square metre Big Top building has custom-designed 360-degree projections, motion-activated LEDs and hologram technology. Tickets for the Dream Circus experience are on-sale over here. The hour-long experience is priced at $35 for children and $45 for adults. 

https://media.timeout.com/images/106189112/image.jpg
Alice Ellis
Editor in Chief, Australia

Want your kid to get benefit out of their screen time? Children aged 5-13 can develop valuable computer skills at a two- to three-day Code Camp. There are 121 Code Camp locations around Australia, though they can also join in online. Choose a camp based on their interests – there are themes such as Roblox Legends Camp (where they'll learn to code their own Roblox game), Drone Camp (program and code a drone), YouTube Creators camp (for budding content creators), and even a DJ Camp.

Advertising
Advertising

Bowling is a lark for all ages, and Strike Bowling has multiple venues throughout Sydney, inclduing the harbourside location at King Street Wharf, complete with a cocktail bar, three escape rooms and gourmet nibbles; the Entertainment Quarter location in Moore Park, as well as the Chatswood, North Ryde and Castle Towers bowling alleys.

Advertising

If your child is a budding Mozart, the Sydney Youth Orchestra school holiday program could be just the place for them this break. They'll be led by some of Australia's finest conductors and musical tutors to develop their musical skills with an orchestral and band setting. Their final learnings will be showcased in a big concert at Sydney Conservatorium of Music on the final day of the program. Tune those instruments!

  • Things to do
  • City Life

Taronga TV isn't a bad way to while away a gnarly weather day, when you don't feel like leaving home. Taronga TV features some live streams from animal enclosures, as well as behind-the-scenes 'sneak peeks’ and after-hours footage revealing what the keepers and animals get up to when the park is closed to the public.

Advertising
  • Kids
  • Active events

Sydney Olympic Park has you covered with an action-packed program of autumn holiday activities. Their school holiday fortnight of fun is designed for kids of all ages and abilities. Choose from $22 archery sessions, beginner diving lessons and ball game clinics led by sports stars, or opt for the full experience with all-day recreational and aquatic camps. Plan ahead and book your spots before they sell out.

Paid content
Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising