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A cook preparing a vibrant dish at Ramadan Nights Lakemba
Photograph: Supplied
Photograph: Supplied

The best things to do in Sydney this weekend

All the best ways to make the most of your weekend

Avril Treasure
Edited by Avril Treasure
Editor, Time Out Sydney
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It's (nearly) the weekend! Let's go.

International Women’s Day is this Sunday, March 8. There are many celebrations, events and talks held throughout Sydney, but perhaps the biggest one is All About Women at the Opera House. There are a handful of tickets available. YTG.

If you're up for a delicious, cultural experience, I really recommend heading to the late-night food market, Lakemba Nights. Running every Thursday to Sunday from now to March 15, Lakemba Nights is on during Ramadan, when Muslims break their fast after sunset. Dress modestly, and come hungry.

An incredible supermarket-like exhibition has popped up in Marrickville's Voluptuary Ceramics studio – and it's got aisles packed with realistic and retro food-themed art. Come check it out this weekend – it'll be the most fun grocery run you’ll ever do.

Broadway’s award-winning show Purpose has been brought to life by Sydney Theatre Company. It’s about a powerful African American family, and how it’s thrown into chaos when its estranged youngest son returns home with an uninvited guest. Oprah Winfrey said it’s “brilliant and funny and serious and complex and powerful” – and our reviewer gave it five stars. Get a ticket here, and you can explore our full guide to all the shows on in Sydney here.

Plus, take a dip at one of Sydney’s best beaches, enjoy some fish and chips and make the most of the air con at an exhibition. Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat and Ron Mueck: Encounter – both showing at the AGNSW – are my picks.

If you'd like to spend some time in nature, check out our guide to the best walks in Sydney – BYO snacks and hat. If you're up for a road trip, you can also cool off with our guide to the most magical swimming holes in NSW. Or clock a few saltwater laps with our guide to Sydney's best ocean pools. 

And if you want more boozy fun, you can work your way through Sydney's best bars here. Oh, and you can suss Sydney’s best restaurants and best affordable eats too.

Hope you have a cracking weekend.

Weather not looking so hot? Check out our list of the best things to do indoors in Sydney.

Looking for weekday fun? These are the best things to do in Sydney this week.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox.

The best things to do this weekend

New Wave Concert Series

  • Music
  • Ultimo
New Wave Concert Series
New Wave Concert Series
Photograph: Supplied
Sydney’s fave foodie playground is about to step up its entertainment offering. The new Sydney Fish Market’s New Wave Concert Series kicks off this Feb, transforming the architecturally impressive foodie mecca into a harbourside stage for three golden-hour Saturdays. From 5pm-8pm for the next three Saturdays, visitors can pair fresh seafood with live performances from some of Australia’s brightest emerging talent. The best news? It’s completely free – meaning more cash left over for sashimi.RELATED READ: These are our fave waterfront restaurants in the city Across the three-night series, we can expect a mix of genres: February 21 brings big country-folk energy, February 28 leans into indie dream-pop, and the March 7 line-up will feature a fusion of R&B, jazz and indie pop. Headliners include powerhouse rock duo Big Wheels, disco-funk faves Bread Club, and indie-pop angel Yorke. Each gig will be steered by Ifeoma (Ify) Peace Obiegbu, the South West Sydney-based creative, poet and storyteller with a knack for making every mic moment feel electric (you might know her from her stint as host of FBi’s Up For It!, where she spent two years championing local talent).If you ask us, it’s the perfect excuse to eat oysters in the open air and people-watch as the sun drops over Blackwattle Bay. As you’d expect, there’s no need to book or register – just rock up with an appetite between 5 and 8pm.RELATED READ: These are our fave things to eat at the new Sydney Fish Market Stay in the...

Lakemba Nights

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Lakemba
Lakemba Nights
Lakemba Nights
Photograph: Supplied
For people of Islamic faith, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year. During this time, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. But once the sun sets, iftar begins – a fast-breaking feast that runs late into the night, bringing family and friends together to enjoy an array of rich treats and moreish morsels. To coincide with this time of year, Sydney’s popular month-long celebration Lakemba Nights is back, running every Thursday to Sunday from February 19 to March 15, 2026. RELATED READ: The 5 must-try dishes at Sydney's Lakemba Nights Ramadan markets. What time does Lakemba Nights during Ramadan open and close? From 6pm until 2am, Thursday through to Sunday, more than 60 local businesses will transform Lakemba’s Haldon Street into a vibrant, global food bazaar with traditional cuisine from Indonesia, Burma, Pakistan, India, Lebanon, the Cocos Islands, Syria and more. Time Out tip: We recommend getting there early, around 6pm, and making a beeline straight for the busiest stalls (they're the ones with fences up for lines!). It’s not only Sydney’s Muslim communities that comes together during Lakemba Nights – people of all backgrounds are welcome to flock to sample the fare of pop-up kitchens and food trucks lining Haldon Street. What started as a single street barbecue back in 2012 has grown into what many consider one of Australia's best places to celebrate the ancient tradition, with the event from previous years drawing in more than one million people across the...
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Pandora and Bridgerton QVB Pop-Up

  • Shopping
  • Sydney
Pandora and Bridgerton QVB Pop-Up
Pandora and Bridgerton QVB Pop-Up
Photograph: Supplied | Pandora
Dear gentle readers, if you’ve ever imagined being Her Majesty Queen Charlotte’s diamond of the season, then here’s your chance. While a trip back to Regency-era London isn’t on the cards, Pandora is set to bring the world of Bridgerton to life with an immersive pop-up at Queen Victoria Building from February 3 to March 8. Alongside the pop-up comes a swoon-worthy 14-piece collection inspired by the Netflix hit series, giving fans the chance to take a little piece of finery home – and you might even spot your new jewellery in the hotly anticipated fourth season, of which the first part lands in late January.  Drawing on the lavish universe of Shonda Rhimes’ period romp, the Pandora and Bridgerton Rules to Love By collection reimagines classic Regency-era jewellery through a modern lens. Crafted in 100 per cent recycled sterling silver and 14k gold plating, the range will feature pearls, bows and crystal accents in pastel shades, including lilac wisteria (a Bridgerton staple). There’ll be everything from ear climbers to necklaces, adorned with hand-finished flowers that nod to the secret love messages of Regency romance.  Watch the Pandora QVB space transform to a salon gorgeous enought to make all the ladies of the ton jealous. The QVB's romantic architecture is already a step back in time, but now the Pandora store will be adorned with wisteria wallpaper and flourishing wall mouldings. Don't miss the regal ceiling-to-floor drapery that's perfect to snap a pic in front...
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Purpose

  • Dawes Point
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Purpose
Purpose
Photograph: Supplied | Prudence Upton
The question of meaning has long shaped the human condition, at once a source of existential anxiety and a catalyst for some of the world’s most powerful artistic expression. For some, purpose is not pursued but inherited – something life quietly unfolds in its own time, revealing itself only in hindsight. For others, it is a relentless obsession, a restlessness that has driven monks, scholars and countless others towards faith, philosophy and protest in the hope of naming and securing it. Whatever the path, one thing remains certain: purpose is a question that sits within all of us.  Sydney Theatre Company has built a reputation for championing African American voices, staging landmark works by writers such as August Wilson (Fences, 2023) and Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun, 2022). While those productions connected Australian audiences with enduring American classics, Purpose offers a voice unmistakably of the present, one grappling with the complexity of living in a world that is hyper-aware of itself.  The play premiered on Broadway in the 2024-25 season, winning the 2025 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It's rare for Australian audiences to encounter work with such immediacy; more often, international successes arrive years after their debut. Its programming signals that new artistic director Mitchell Butel may be shaping a tenure characterised by currency. At a moment when conversations around race, human rights, identity, politics...
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All About Women

  • Things to do
  • Talks and discussions
  • Sydney
  • Recommended
All About Women
All About Women
Photograph: Sydney Opera House/Jami Joy
Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern. Author Zadie Smith. Podcaster and author Yumi Stynes. Opera star Deborah Cheetham Fraillon. Journalist Emily Maitlis. Novelist Laila Lalami. These are just a few of the fun, fearless females taking over the Sydney Opera House for the annual All About Women festival, on March 8, 2026. The annual festival of feminist ideas marks International Women’s Day with a stellar line-up of over 30 guest speakers and storytellers who will engage in incisive yet inclusive conversations and commentary on gender, culture and equality. Now in its 14th year, the festival will run from 10am to 7.30pm across multiple venues at the Opera House. The day-long event dives into the conversations shaping our world, from gender and power to culture, identity, money and modern love. Expect Jacinda Ardern to reflect on "radical empathy" and redefining leadership. Yumi Stynes will tackle the mental load of long-term relationships. Chanté Joseph and Dr Lisa Portolan will unpack dating, digital romance and "heterofatalism". There’s a sharp look at medical misogyny with Summer May Finlay and Zoe Wainer. While Laila Lalami will explore AI, surveillance and belonging in her eerily timely novel The Dream Hotel. You’ll also find practical empowerment in MoneyGirl, a financial literacy workshop designed to build confidence and control, plus vibrant discussions on ageing unapologetically, and the lived experiences of Arab-Australian women navigating identity and migration....
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Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Woolloomooloo
Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop
Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop
Photograph: Supplied | Oakridge
Make your next Sunday session sparkle with a brunch that screams summer. Taking place on the rooftop of the gorgeously decked out Woolly Bay Hotel, Ovata Sundays promises a whole heap of bubbles and banging tunes.  While you’d be hard pressed to find a decent all-inclusive brunch in Sydney for less than $100, let alone less than $80 – Ovata Sundays delivers on value and good vibes. For just $75, you’ll score a dedicated spritz menu (including a citrusy number and a classic Hugo spritz), Ovata sparkling wine (including the newly launched Ovata by Oakridge Sparkling Rosé) and fresh canapés for an hour and a half – all while a DJ is mixing it up on the decks from 3pm to 5pm.  For nibbling on, there will be pork san choy bow, wagyu sandos, citrus-cured salmon bites and jamon croquettes – don’t mind if we do. If you’re feeling a bit more peckish there are other deliciously paired items you can add-on like South Coast rock oysters and tempura Yamba prawns. Plus, if you like what you’re drinking, you can score special deals on glasses and bottles of Ovata by Oakridge wine on the day.  Rather a mid-week bevvy? Arturo’s is putting on spritz specials from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays to Sundays. Get the crew together for Ovata Sundays on Arturo’s Rooftop from February 15 to April 19 (excluding March 29). Seatings are $75pp – bookable on the hour from midday – and you can lock yours in here.
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Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Sydney
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Art Gallery of New South Wales | Mim Stirling
If you've ever wondered what would happen if a kid's drawing of their wildest dream utopia suddenly came off the page and into real life, you're in luck, because that's pretty much what's happening right now beneath the Art Gallery of NSW.  Artist and professional disruptor Mike Hewson has taken over the weird subterranean world of The Tank with his one-of-a-kind new exhibition, Mike Hewson: The Key's Under the Mat, where for the first time ever, all the main lights in the normally pitch-dark Tank will be switched on, revealing a weird wonderland of interactive art pieces and play equipment that have to be seen to be believed. We're talking: A steam room with stained glass windows that you can actually sit in, a functioning sauna with bespoke church pews, five actual operating public barbeques that you can cook on, rushing water to play in (seriously, bring your swimmers), a working laundry,  and a free-to-use recording studio, plus a whole plethora of bright and delightful surprises that are all about getting community together, to do cool stuff, for free. Basically, break your imagination and delete all adult expectations. This is unlike anything we've ever seen.  Kids who aren't afraid of some risk are also one of Hewson's big targets with this show (although parents, rest easy, the floor is specially made out of recycled soft rubber that's rated for use in public playgrounds), with the space also home to a wild children's playground. Intrepid kidlets can test their...

Art

  • Comedy
  • Millers Point
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Art
Art
Photograph: Supplied | New Theatricals/Brett Boardman
"You paid a hundred and sixty thousand euros for this shit?" Marc asks his old friend Serge at the start of Lee Lewis’s restaging of the 1994 satire by French writer Yasmina Reza, Art. It feels sort of meta to be reviewing and speaking to a show whose literal tagline is “Everyone’s a critic. Especially your friends.” But, here we are.   Art has been having its own sort of renaissance on world stages, with the most recent revivals featuring three well-known male celebrities to draw in crowds. In London, it was Rufus Sewell, Paul Ritter and Tim Key, while on Broadway it was Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden and Bobby Cannavale. Australian audiences have been gifted with three long-time friends and collaborators Richard Roxburgh (Rake, The Correspondent), Damon Herriman (Justified, Together), and Toby Schmitz (Boy Swallows Universe, Gaslight). It’s a massive drawcard for audiences to have three actors of this calibre together on stage in a play about the worth of art and what holds together a friendship. And it’s one that has been proving to be working, if the “House Full” sign that’s been sitting outside Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre during previews is anything to go by. What type of show is Art? Marc (Roxburgh) is filled with “some indefinable unease” by his friend Serge’s (Herriman) most recent extravagant spend on a painting that essentially appears to be a blank, white canvas. It’s the recurring gag, the somewhat theatrical McGuffin to Reza’s satiric...
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Powerhouse Materials: Paper

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Castle Hill
Powerhouse Materials: Paper
Powerhouse Materials: Paper
Photograph: Supplied | Powerhouse Museum
In a city where culture is constantly evolving, the Powerhouse Museum has no problem keeping up. Spanning four sites – including Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse Castle Hill, the heritage-listed Powerhouse Ultimo site currently undergoing a $300-million transformation and a brand-new Powerhouse Parramatta location set to open in late 2026 – it’s officially the largest museum group in Australia. Now, Powerhouse Castle Hill is taking centre stage with its latest instalment Powerhouse Materials – a new series of exhibitions and events that showcase the Powerhouse Collection (home to more than half a million objects!) through the lens of a guest curator and a chosen material. Actor and activist, Chloe Hayden was the first to curate a colourful and quirky exhibition focused on textiles, and now Andy Griffiths is in the hot seat. The second iteration continues to embody imagination and eccentricity with Powerhouse Materials: Paper. Curated by best-selling children’s author Andy Griffiths (the mind behind the Just! and Treehouse series), this exhibition dives deep into the world of paper. From November 22 to March 8, this free exhibition features a quirky collection of paper objects from the Powerhouse Collection, ranging from the ordinary to extraordinary. Every visitor will receive a self-guided activity book packed with drawing and story prompts developed in collaboration with Griffiths – perfect for sparking young imaginations, and giving older ones a blast from the past. For...
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Ron Mueck: Encounter

  • Art
  • Sculpture and installations
  • Sydney
Ron Mueck: Encounter
Ron Mueck: Encounter
Photograph: Supplied | Art Gallery of NSW
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of our fave places to hang out year-round – and this December it welcomes a banging new exhibition from Melbourne-born artist Ron Mueck. Ron Mueck: Encounter is the artist’s largest exhibition ever in Australia, bringing together a stunning selection of his hyperreal human sculptures from around the globe.  The life-like and scaled up sculptures aim to challenge perceptions by offering a profound and observational look at the human experience. Grounded in realism, the captivating figures tenderly embody themes such as birth, death, alienation and togetherness.  After making his start in children’s television, Mueck trained under Jim Henson (The Muppets) in puppeteering and model making where he made a name for himself on major projects including Sesame Street and the film Labyrinth. Soon after he relocated to London to run his own animatronic studio, before finding his way to figurative sculptures in the late ‘90s and revitalising the medium.  Ron Mueck: Encounter runs daily from December 6 to April 12, 10am–5pm, and until 10pm on Wednesday nights, as part of the Sydney International Art Series, a government initiative that teams up with Destination NSW to bring the world’s most prolific artists exclusively to Sydney. Tickets are $35 for adults on weekdays, $37 on weekends and public holidays, with two-for-one Art After Hours deals on Wednesday evenings, or $45 flexi tickets (which are un-dated single entry tickets). You can book...
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