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Hot cross buns from Humble Bakery
Photograph: Caroline McCredie
Photograph: Caroline McCredie

The best things to do in Sydney this Easter long weekend

Long weekend, here we come

Avril Treasure
Edited by Avril Treasure
Editor, Time Out Sydney
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You know what’s great? The weekend. What’s even better? A four-day weekend. And we’ve got one, thanks to Easter (hoppy Easter, and all). Let’s get into the fun to be had.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is back – and the opening weekend is sure to be fun, but packed. BYO snacks and water, I reckon, and save your money for a yum lunch, rides and showbags. I’ll be heading for the baby goats.

Elsewhere, Watsons Bay Hotel is serving up hot cross ice cream sandos throughout the long weekend, and on Saturday, an Easter Dog Show will be going down at Forrester’s from 12–5pm – including a best-dressed parade. Woof!

Plus, we’ve rounded up our favourite hot cross buns and sweet treats – from crème brûlée buns (yes, really) to spice-rich classics. Hop to it.

The 25th Biennale of Sydney (named among the best exhibitions in the world for 2026) is back. There’s a lot to see and experience – and the best part is that it’s here for two months, so you don’t need to tackle it all in one day. Free Friday night? Art After Dark is going down at White Bay Power Station – one of Syd's coolest venues – with gigs, art and food.

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

Art After Dark

  • Music
  • Rozelle
Art After Dark
Art After Dark
Photograph: Supplied | Jordan Munns
If the end of Sydney Observatory’s summer music series has left a hole in your Friday schedule, the 2026 Biennale of Sydney is here to fill it. From 6pm every Friday night for the next couple of months, the Biennale’s Art After Dark program will transform White Bay Power Station into a boundary-blending live music venue – with an impressive line-up of acts set to light up the cavernous industrial space (along with bars serving local pours and food stalls serving up your Friday night feed).Curated by Naarm/ Melbourne-based outfit Liquid Architecture, the first three events will feature the likes of Tujiko Noriko, Mara Schwerdtfeger, Ruhail Qaisar, Marcus Whale, Liam Keenan and Allara Briggs-Pattison. Next up, the Inner West Council will present three more nights of live music, with Body Type, Yes Boone and BOY SODA bringing home-grown talent to the historic Rozelle site. The final three nights, curated by Vivid Sydney, will include ambient techno trio Purelink, French-Senegalese singer-songwriter anaiis, and the festival’s closing night party on Friday, June 12, which promises to be a multi-stage celebration of global music (with extended hours until 11pm). Beyond the Friday night fun (and the art, obvs), the three-month festival will also operate Memory Lane Food Markets every Saturday, Africa Day celebrations, six new performance commissions, guided tours of White Bay’s historic spaces, Family Days, youth and education programs, and access initiatives. Art After Dark will...
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Ingenia Holiday Parks Sydney Family Easter Show

  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • Moore Park
Ingenia Holiday Parks Sydney Family Easter Show
Ingenia Holiday Parks Sydney Family Easter Show
Photograph: Supplied | Ingenia Holiday Parks Sydney Family Show
Just like the Easter school holidays creep up on you, so does the spending on activities to keep the kids entertained. Skip out on the eye-watering ticket prices and pay a visit to the great-value Ingenia Holiday Parks Sydney Family Easter Show this autumn. The family affair returns to the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, set to put the little – and not-so-little – ones in the Easter spirit without costing you a pretty penny. This year, the festivities kick off on Thursday, April 2 and will run until Sunday, April 19. The jam-packed program features everything from high-energy motorcycle and bike stunt shows to adorable little daschund meet and greets, carnival-style games and a carousel the whole family can enjoy. There will also be an adrenaline-pumping obstacle course, dodgem cars, a thrilling reptile show where you can get up close with snakes and crocs, and an animal nursery with cuddly ducklings, chicks, lambs, goats and piglets. Of course, there will be showbags galore too. For the first time, the event welcomes the Outback Jack Stockman Show. This action-packed spectacle features impressive horsemanship, skilled working sheepdogs and thrilling whip-cracking demonstrations. The humorous performance is sure to be a crowd-pleaser — and you might even get to join in the fun with audience participation encouraged. Be sure to go for a wander through the Easter Basket Zone and stock up on some treats. This year they’re hosting a huge easter egg hunt and as long as you...
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Mov'in Bed Beach Cinema

  • Film
  • Outdoor cinema
  • Barangaroo
Mov'in Bed Beach Cinema
Mov'in Bed Beach Cinema
Photograph: Supplied
Get a glass of wine, crawl under the blankets and settle in on the beach for another season of movies in bed at Barangaroo. Yep, Mov'in Bed is back! This fun twist on the classic outdoor cinema has been running since 2016 – and from 2023, it's been bringing in 280 tonnes of white sand to transform Barangaroo into a pop-up beach, offering film buffs the chance to see new releases and beloved classics on the big screen. Located in Barangaroo's Harbour Park, it's close to the new Metro station, which means that snuggling under the stars in this beautiful harbourside spot has never been easier.  Hate sitting on grass for hours? Mov'in Bed has 150 queen- and king-sized beds, perfect for two or three people to share. Tickets start at just $12 for sand positions (BYO blanket), with queen-size bed experiences from $45 per person and VIP packages from $75 per person including sparkling wine, butler service, unlimited gourmet popcorn and premium viewing. The season kicks off with romance in Regretting You, followed by action-packed thrills like Tron: Ares, dramas including Twinless and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and blockbusters such as Now You See Me Now You Don’t and Fantastic Four. From mid-December, the program goes full festive mode with Christmas favourites like Home Alone, Love Actually, Die Hard, Elf and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Find out what's screening and book your tickets here.  
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Biennale of Sydney

  • Art
  • Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
Photograph: Narelle Wilson
The Biennale of Sydney returns for its 25th edition from March 14 to June 14, 2026 – and, as always, it’s completely free. Titled Rememory, this year’s festival is curated by internationally renowned artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi. Inspired by the writing of Toni Morrison, the theme explores how memory and history shape who we are. Through powerful artworks from Australia and around the world, artists reflect on their roots to connect with communities by telling their stories. At its heart, Rememory shines a light on voices that haven’t always been heard. It highlights First Nations stories, diverse diasporas and the layered histories that have shaped Australia.  As Australia’s largest contemporary art event, the Biennale stretches across five major venues: White Bay Power Station, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery. Extra talks, performances and events will pop up across Greater Sydney, with a big opening night concert, Lights On, kicking things off at White Bay Power Station on March 13. This year's festival features 83 collaborations from artists across 37 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Lebanon, Argentina and Ethiopia. Expect large-scale installations, immersive works and site-specific pieces from both international and Australian artists. A major highlight is the Ngurrara Canvas II at the Art Gallery of NSW – an 80-square-metre...
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Foodie Sleepover at Crystalbrook Kingsley

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Newcastle
Foodie Sleepover at Crystalbrook Kingsley
Foodie Sleepover at Crystalbrook Kingsley
Photograph: Avril Treasure for Time Out Sydney
Newcastle is a ripping place to visit year-round – home to my favourite sandwich shop, incredible ocean baths and pumping surf – but if I had to pick a month, it would be in April, during the city’s annual food and wine festival. When the ocean’s still warm, the mornings are fresh, and the city comes together to eat, drink and celebrate the best the region has to offer for Newcastle Food Month. It’s around a 2.5-hour drive from Sydney to Newy (including stops), meaning you could do the trip in a day, but that’s no fun. Enter Crystalbrook Kingsley – Newy’s first five-star hotel, conveniently located on King Street – with just the package for you. During April, the heritage-listed hotel is offering a ‘Foodie Sleepover’ – designed for food lovers, couples, or anyone looking for some rest and relaxation – complete with delicious cheese, cocktails and other treats. Here’s what’s included: 15 per cent off the best available rate on overnight accommodation for two at Crystalbrook Kingsley Two Earp Distilling Co x Crystalbrook Kingsley cocktails on arrival (yes, please) A cellar door wine tasting experience for two in the city with the award-winning First Creek Wines A delicious local cheese package featuring treats from Binnorie Dairy, Baked Uprising and Pukara Estate. Enjoy it in your room (and in your robe) – or take it to go for a picnic in the afternoon sun A bottle of First Creek vino If it’s been a while since you last visited Newcastle, or you’re just in need of a...

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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My Brilliant Career

  • Drama
  • Dawes Point
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
My Brilliant Career
My Brilliant Career
Photograph: HollyWard
It seems that across time, the pursuit of creative expression has often been, in itself, an act of rebellion and self-sacrifice. Writers and artists rarely live lives of stability or wealth, and yet, in humanity’s most uncertain and desperate moments, it is to poetry, theatre and art that we turn to make sense of the world. The relentless act of writing, of shaping and sharing one’s perspective on life, still carries a quiet defiance, even in a technological age where everyone has a keyboard and an opinion. It is perhaps for this reason that My Brilliant Career continues to resonate today. Since its publication in 1901, the novel has been adapted across multiple forms, including film and stage, with a television adaptation currently in development by Netflix. Now, it’s on at Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre. What is the premise of My Brilliant Career? This award-winning iteration of My Brilliant Career, which debuted at Melbourne Theatre Company in 2024, is a musical theatre adaptation with a book by Sheridan Harbridge and Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank, and lyrics by Bryant. It follows Sybylla Melvyn (Kala Gare, SIX the musical), a fiercely independent young woman growing up in rural Australia in the 1800s. Chafing against the limitations placed on her as a woman – particularly the expectation that she should marry for security – Sybylla dreams instead of becoming a writer and forging a life of her own making. As she navigates family hardship, social...

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...
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Pool by Pier Bar

  • Things to do
  • Dawes Point
Pool by Pier Bar
Pool by Pier Bar
Photograph: Supplied
If your idea of a perfect Sydney afternoon involves a swim, a Spritz and front-row harbour views, we’ve got you. After a v successful launch season last summer, Pier One’s pop-up pool is back: this time with a Amalfi-coded makeover.  Live until the end of April, this sun-soaked floating pontoon invites guests to swim, drink and socialise right on the water. Open daily from 11am to 4pm, the pastel pink installation has transformed the hotel’s waterfront into a breezy harbour-side hangout with big beach club energy. Set just steps from Pier Bar (which, btw, serves an excellent happy hour), the netted pontoon pool serves up shark-safe harbour swims, with loungers waiting for post-dip cocktails and Euro-inspired snacks. Access to the pool is included with food and drink purchases from the bar – the perfect excuse to linger over a long lunch by the water. With gorgeous views across the harbour to Walsh Bay, last year’s pool was pretty enough, but this year they’ve seriously levelled up. The space has been styled in partnership with Australian outdoor lifestyle brand Business & Pleasure Co., whose retro-inspired umbrellas and loungers give the pontoon a luxe, hyper femme coastal aesthetic. Pier Bar’s coastal-inspired menu can be ordered to your lounger, so there’s really no need to change out of your bikini all afternoon. Our top pick from the menu? The bay bug ‘Big Mac’ sliders are a playful upmarket take on the Maccas icon, and bloody delicious after a day spent in and out of...
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Sydney Royal Easter Show

  • Things to do
  • Sydney Olympic Park
  • Recommended
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Photograph: Supplied
Roll up, roll up! The 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show is back from April 2-13 with all the old-time favourites and some new treats. Get ready for woodchopping contests, livestock competitions, showbags galore, roller coaster rides, stunt cars, fresh fruit and vegetable displays, cake decorating comps and fireworks at 8.50pm nightly. Whether it’s your first time or a long-standing family tradition, it’s time to make your way to Sydney Showground. Did you know that the Easter Show dates back to 1823? Hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), it celebrates the hard work of our NSW farmers and producers and gives us city folk a chance to see farmyard animals and fresh produce up close and personal.  Make sure you line up to see the cutest baby animals, catch those cowboys at the rodeo and marvel at world-class show jumping. There's sheep and alpaca shearing, dog shows, tractor rides and panning for gold, plus more than 400 different breeds in the livestock competitions.  There’s also the carnival area with thrilling rides like the Cliff Hanger, Crazy Cars, Extreme Speed, Rebel Coaster and more. Prefer something more nostalgic? Take a spin on the classic Helter Skelter, dodgem cars or the carousel.  Make time to check out the incredible entries in photography, art, woodworking, pottery, and the most beautifully decorated cakes you’ve ever seen at The Arts and Crafts Pavilion. You also can’t go past the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome for all the freshest fruit and veg...
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