Things to do
A guide to Sydney events, attractions, outdoor adventures and more
The politics of bushfood now
It's now easier to find lemon myrtle in a bar in Surry Hills than it is in the Byron Bay bushland. Of course, Indigenous Australians were cultivating bushfood tens of thousands of years before René Redzepi came along. For many Aboriginal communities, bushfoods are totemic and essential – not a gourmet fad. While plenty of crops are protected by IP Rights, the laws around Aboriginal lore and knowledge are shaky at best. Do we want the world to become obsessed with crocodile fat without really understanding it?
Muck in at the urban farm
Food scraps come from the restaurant on site, Acre, plus leftovers can be brought in by locals through a community-composting program. They’ve got chooks on site too, which is fun for kids and handy for composting.
Five great reasons to go to Homeground Festival
First Nations culture is front-and-centre stage at Sydney Opera House over two days in October, as Homeground Festival takes over the area with a program of free music, dance and culture.
101 things to do indoors
Get out and undercover with our guide to indoor activities, from entertainment parks to sport and fitness, classes and talks and cultural venues that are warm and dry all year round. Because fresh air is overrated...
What to do in Sydney
The best of Sydney
The Sydney Bucket List
Time Out Sydney editors have selected their favourite things to do in Sydney right now, from activities that show off our city at its best – like kayaking on the harbour or taking high tea with a view – to our favourite weekly treats, such as the best markets around town and the best hidden bars in the city. Take a read through our list and get cracking on that ultimate to do list.
The best yoga studios in Sydney
Ashtanga, yin, vinyassa, hatha, bikram – whatever your style, Sydney's got it. Here are the best yoga studios offering a relaxing place to work on your poses. Reward your efforts with Sydney's healthiest breakfasts, or try something completely different and check out the best kayaking spots.
Escape rooms in Sydney
Puzzle rooms are taking Sydney by storm. Every time we check, another two seem to be popping up out of nowhere – and each one raises the bar with new ideas inspired by the hundreds of escape rooms found across the world. (Apparently Hungary is the place to go for the ultimate mystery room binge – there are more than 100 rooms in Budapest alone). The concept is simple: solve a variety of puzzles placed in and around the room before your allotted time runs out. Each room has a different theme and stimulates all senses, demanding a variety of problem-solving skills. Time Out took the challenge of visiting nine rooms in the city. Whether we got out in time? Well, that's a different matter.
Things to do when it rains in Sydney
Just because the skies are falling, doesn't mean you have to sit around doing nothing... We may be a city that struggles when the heavens part but look hard enough and there's a bunch of fun to be had in a downpour. The key is staying out of it with these great rainy day activities:
The best walks in Sydney
Coastal walks, bush walks, historical walks and inner city ambles: there are many routes to choose from to discover Sydney from a new angle. See our list of ten favourite places to wander and remember to pack a camera – these walks offer some of the best vantage points for snapping our city at its best.
The Sydney tourist hit list
Events coming up in Sydney
Louis Theroux Live on Stage
Everybody's favourite documentary maker will share stories about his fascinating body of work in an Australia-wide speaking tour
Jump First, Ask Later
This show presents the spirit of parkour – a story of triumph from the streets of Western Sydney
EB Games Expo
Australia’s premier gaming event lets you play games that haven't been released yet
Night Noodle Markets
Leave the cash at home, this year’s hawker markets will be card payment only
Fairs and festivals
The Wellness Festival
After a popular run in Melbourne and Brisbane, the one-day festival of health and wellness is coming to Sydney with a line-up of pep talks, lunchtime workouts and a healthy marketplace. Hosted by Australian model and presenter Laura Dundovic, the program includes speakers who’ll talk on the importance of nutrition, movement, professional development and emotional health. Melissa Ambrosini will run through tips on how to access your inner ‘Mean Girl’, Stylerunner founder Julie Stevanja will share her tips on how to build your own brand, and Brown Paper Bag nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill will talk about the effects of stress on gut health. Plus, publisher and author Lisa Messenger will give her insights into how to break the rules and live life to the full, Matcha Maiden founder Sarah Holloway will talk about ditching the corporate job to turn her hobby into a career, and the Base Body Babes Diana and Felicia will host a sweaty workout session during lunch.
Cruelty Free Festival
If you’ve ever wondered if there’s more you could do to help animals, the Cruelty Free Festival is a good place to start. From an ethical fashion parade to speed dating for animal lovers, the Cruelty Free Festival offers a full day of activities and entertainment that promote cruelty-free lifestyle options. Visitors can browse the marketplace, listen to speakers on the main stage or enter the rescue animal photo competition. Stallholders include Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian Butcher, Sea Shepherd Australia, the Cruelty Free Shop, Gogo Vego and Greyhound Rescue. It’s $5 entry for adults and free entry for kids under 12, plus the whole event is dog friendly. Can't wait? Find Sydney’s best ethical shops. Eat our favourite vegan burger. Check out Sydney's first vegan pub.
Laneway Festival
St Jerome's Laneway Festival has managed to go from just that – a festival in the backstreets of Melbourne for friends – to an internationally renowned tastemaker in a matter of year. 2017 will be no different, when the festival returns to the Sydney College of the Arts for a day of grassy fun.
Sydney Festival
If you were in Sydney in January, you’d have seen the Flaming Lips play a free concert in the Domain, built a giant cardboard tower in Darling Harbour, watched ferries race under the Harbour Bridge and you’d have ridden a flying fox at Barangaroo – all thanks to Sydney Festival. The annual cultural celebration is the big one in Sydney’s summer must-do list, and the festival’s contemporary programming always manages to surprise. Events take place across Sydney and Parramatta, attracting an audience of over 500,000 each year. In 2017, it’ll be the festival’s 41st year and they’ve already announced shows from multi-award winning artist PJ Harvey, who is playing the new ICC venue in Darling Harbour, plus the homegrown musical Ladies in Black – a toe-tapping trip back in time based on the comic novel by Madeleine St John. Look out for more announcements when the full program is released on October 26.
You might also like...
Sydney's local favourites
Stellar service and optimum convenience is the order of the day at these local favourites. It doesn't matter if you're ducking in for a quick fix solution, or you don't even know what you're looking for, they're going to help out. And when it comes to the cash register, they're savvy enough to let you pay the way you want to, with no worries and no minimums.
Sunday Tex-Mex Brunch at El Camino Cantina
Tex-Mex food has put zing into café menus Australia-wide. Now Tex-Mex experts El Camino Cantina in the Rocks have a brunch special that will perk up your Sunday like a proverbial jumping bean. From 11am to 2pm every Sunday, $29 gets you a breakfast item plus unlimited beverages (Bloody Marys, Margaritas, draught beer and soft drinks) for an hour. Those brekky selections include a Breakfast Burrito packed with scrambled eggs, chorizo, diced potatoes, bacon and cheese with arugula salad; Huevos Sopes, namely poached eggs on fresh corn and chilli fritters with smoked pork and chipotle hollandaise; and Huevos and Chorizo – build-your-own tacos with flour tortillas, chorizo, scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, crema, black beans and guacamole. And if you’re lucky, there might even be a mariachi band playing. El Camino Cantina is a big, bold venue at 18 Argyle Street (right next to the Argyle) that also offers Happy Hours Sunday to Friday (with free chips, salsa, queso and drink specials), Ghost Chilli Mondays (a burger and a beer for $20) and Wing Wednesdays (with a dozen wings for $15). Book your visit at the website.
The Bank held a backyard barbecue party and we bet you're sorry you missed it
Can you think of a better way to send off winter and let the spring come in than with a Latin American barbecue cook out in a freshly re-done beer garden? Neither can we, and neither could the Bank, which is why on the 31st of August, they invited DJ Gonzo to take over the decks, and held a good old fashioned cook off, with barbecue corn, pinto beans, and plenty of charcoal chook to go around. They invited the whole neighbourhood down to celebrate and sample the new menu, and there was much feasting, drinking, and even a spot of dancing. Sorry you missed out? Don't be. That party may have been a good one, but it was just a warm up to what'll be happening at the Bank every day this spring and summer. The Bank in Newtown has been a drawing crowds to the Inner West for decades. With a famous beer garden, live music at Waywards bar where entry is always free, and craft beer bar Uncle Hops, the Bank is a one-stop party shop. Now the Bank has unveilied a new charcoal barbecue in pride of place in the venue’s famous beer garden. It's operated by a new head chef, Zac Smart (SoCal in Neutral Bay), who has devised a fresh menu based around the flavours imparted by barbecue techniques. But don’t expect the American style of barbecue that’s all too familiar to Sydney pub goers. Smart is more interested in the Latin American side of the equation, with flavours like house-made chimichurri and romesco sauce, chancaca and chillies. The menu features dishes such as cauliflower an
Liveworks
Liveworks festival is the main event in Performance Space's annual program, showcasing local, interstate and international artists pushing the frontiers of art and performance. In 2016, artists include dancer/choreographer Kristina Chan, who offers a meditation on impermance in the era of climate change, 'A Faint Existence'. Mish Grigor (of the collective post) will give 'The Talk' – in which she re-enacts awkward conversations about sexuality she had with her family members. Visual artist Ross Manning will transform CarriageWorks' public spaces into a psychedelic landscape with his installation 'Melody Lines'. Meanwhile Indigenous acoustic outfit the Stiff Gins will give a music-based performance about Indigenous artefacts held in museums.Experimental musician and composer Jon Rose will showcase his extraordinary collection of hand-built instruments for 'The Museum Goes Live'. Taiwanese performance artist River Lin will ask visitors to nominate 'unclean' parts of their bodies in a work titled 'Cleansing Service'. And there's more besides: check the website for the complete line-up. For a limited time CarriageWorks is offering an Earlybird discount of 20 per cent off all tickets for Liveworks.