Things to do in Sydney today

Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel, Otto Ristorante and a luxury Sydney cruise company are offering some very spesh offers for Vivid.  If you want to stay the night in the city for Vivid (between May 26 and June 18), you can book into the Ovolo hotel and live it up with their ultimate Vivid Sydney Cruise, Dine and Stay package, called Ocean. Beats. (Sydney), where you get: Overnight accommodation at the beaut Ovolo hotel on Woolloomooloo Wharf (including the perks of a complimentary breakfast, social hour, mini-bar and arrival loot bag – who doesn’t love a loot bag?); A sparkly 1.5-hour Vivid Sydney Harbour cruise on the beautifully crafted classic 1954 cruiser, Suellen, so you can get the best vantage point to see the lights; Handcrafted SYP bottled cocktails plus a selection of beer and wine; Gourmet canapés by modern Italian fine diner, Otto Ristorante; Followed by a two-course limited a la carte menu at Otto. This epic package starts from $1,047, but this could well turn into the best night of your life. You can find out more about and book the Ocean. Beats. (Sydney) package, here. If that’s out of your price range, and you’re a local who doesn’t need the bed in town anyway, you can also take up the Suellen cruise and Otto part of the offer, without the stay.  You can choose from two cruise and eat packages: the Vivid Sydney cruise with Otto canapés onboard only; or the cruise followed by the two-course dinner at Otto. This very sweet deal starts at the not-too-OTT price (consid

The Sydney Opera House will be transformed inside and out as it hosts an unbelievable line-up of shows for its centrepiece contemporary music event as part of Vivid Sydney. Vivid Live will feature more than 45 artists, including 19 international artists, six Australian exclusives, three orchestral collaborations and four party collectives. Swedish folk-pop guitar master José González (eeep) will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his game-changing debut Veneer; Indie rock royalty Cat Power (!) will recreate Bob Dylan’s legendary 1966 ‘Royal Albert Hall’ performance; genre-defying future-soul outfit Hiatus Kaiyote (!!!) expand into new sonic territory with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Coodjinburra R'n'B sensation Budjerah (swoon) will mesmerise fans with his soulful chops; and Grammy-award-winning singer-songwriter Kimbra (ooft) brings a night of eclectic, experimental pop and acrobatic vocals. There will also be performances by Jaguar Jonze, Jen Cloher, Becca Hatch, Ethel Cain, Thundercat, and even more than that. In the mood to cut some shapes in a collective boogie? The best of local club culture will be unleashed under the sails with local party collectives bringing the vibes. Legendary local collective House of Mince will celebrate a ripper 12th birthday; the Inner West’s longest-running dance institution Mad Racket will converge with British legends Plaid for a massive night of beats, bleeps and bangers; Sydney club gurus Picnic return with a wild party featuring some o

Australia loves Tina Turner – the one-two punch of her appearance, both in the film and on the soundtrack of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and the use of her cover of Bonnie Tyler’s The Best to promote the NRL back in the day made sure of that. Will they love Tina, the acclaimed jukebox musical based on her life and, naturally enough, packed with her tunes? Well, yes, probably – as long as your appreciation of that music outweighs the shortcomings of the writing. That writing is by Pulitzer-winner Katori Hall, along with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, but as a piece of drama Tina struggles to encompass the life of its subject. We begin in Tina’s childhood in Nutbush, Tennessee, when the pre-fame protagonist – then simply Anna Mae Bullock – was deserted by her mother (Ibinabo Jack). We then follow her through her soaring career and abusive, drug-sodden relationship with Ike Turner (a role carried well by Tim Omaji), her eventual break from him, forays into solo work, and ultimately her ascent into superstardom under the stewardship of Australian manager, Roger Davies (Mat Verevis, doubling down on Australianisms), along the way finding love with German PR rep Erwin Bach (Matthew Prime). They’re still together, as it happens, and both are executive producers here. Ruva Ngwenya is revelatory, fully embodying the real deal’s strength, charisma, power, and talent. The issue is that Tina has difficulty covering so much territory, even at two hours and 45 minutes (interval included),

If you’ve ever wanted to submerge yourself in another (considerably more frightening) world of plane crashes and ghostly séances, look no further. After a long time away, the terrifyingly brilliant alt-universe of Darkfield has finally made its grandiose return to Sydney – and boy, are we shivering in our wee little boots already.  Over 15,000 people have flocked to the experience already, causing most sessions to sell out. So due to popular demand, the season has been extended through to July 2. Darkfield is an experience that straddles technology, theatre and horror movies, with punters made to sit inside a tiny space in total darkness while an immersive audio experience (through headphones, shall we add) takes them far, far away to a scary someplace else. Séance and Flight are the two wild experiences that Sydneysiders have the chance to sit in on, and each of them brings their own individual brand of eeriness for those willing to take the ride. Designed by UK-based creative directors Glen Neath and David Rosenberg, these experiences go down in specially-made shipping containers that are temporarily popping-up outside the Powerhouse Museum. We went down to see what all the fuss is about, read on for our reviews: Séance  Darkfield’s set-up outside the Powerhouse Museum may appear unassuming, but the extraordinarily dark interior provokes more than enough of the unease necessary for a premium immersive horror experience. Believe me when I say that the interior of the shippin

It is a fact universally acknowledged that Vivid Sydney is a spectacular affair. And this year, it’s promising to be bigger, better and far more spectacular than ever.  With more than 60 different light attractions, glowing spectacles, huge immersive installations and countless experiences on the menu, there’s only one way you can guarantee yourself that you’ll see it all – the Vivid Light Walk. Running from May 26 to June 17, this year’s Light Walk will include a gorgeous variety of  free and ticketed artworks and immersive experiences that all deserve a look in.  This year’s track will span a hefty 8.5 kilometres, and can be tackled over the span of one night if you’re feeling very strong and adventurous. If you’re not, just do part of it, and remember that you can stop for food, drink and ticketed events along the way. Really, it’s all in your hands.  If you like to keep it classic, kick off at Circular Quay. The epicentre of all Vivid shenanigans, you will get to walk through a cube made of double mirrors, gaze at a nebulous network of LED lights under Circular Quay station, and be awed by the gigantic Inside Out – a textile light show inspired by three decades of Aussie décor, fashion and style. After you leave the Quay, head to the MCA lawn to see Barerarerungar transform the museum’s front facade, then over to Dawes Point to see the Lighting of the Sails on the Opera House’s wings. After that, you can walk to Dawes Point Park where you can stand under the Harbour Brid