Things to do in Sydney today

I had high expectations – I won’t lie. As a literary and theatre purist, I am always a little wary of adaptations, but the mix of Y2K child star culture with Shakespeare’s Macbeth had me curious. I mean, what could explore power and unchecked ambition more than the kingdom of Hollywood? Virginia Gay’s modern adaptation, Mackenzie, not only raised the bar but crushed it into rhinestones and scattered it across the stage. This fabulous Bell Shakespeare production, now on at The Neilson Nutshell in Walsh Bay, plays with power without ever wavering from its camp and comedic register. Gay has reminded us that camp, done right, is that serious.  What is the premise of Mackenzie? As a story adapted from Macbeth, Mackenzie (Kimberley Hodgson) is a highly talented background actress and performer on the tween program ‘The Dahlia Show’. However, blood, sweat and tears are literal here, as the weight of such a role comes at the cost of brutality, abuse and meeting network expectations at the tender age of thirteen. While in hair and make-up, both Mackenzie and her co-star Beau (Ryan González) are told of a prophecy by their make-up artist of a future where Mackenzie is promoted on ‘The Dahlia Show’ and becomes the biggest pop sensation in the world. After the promotion occurs, Mackenzie’s mother, Ruth (Nikki Britton), works with Mackenzie to take down Dahlia and help ensure her rise as the biggest pop star. However, after five years, work, guilt, youth and the misogyny of the...

Apparently, books are dying. Fortunately, Garry Starr is here to save them. Fresh from a sold-out run in London’s West End and winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Most Outstanding Show in 2025, comic mastermind Damien Warren-Smith once again transforms into his chaotic alter ego in Garry Starr: Classic Penguins. The show lands at Carriageworks this winter with a literary adventure that’s as absurd as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Armed with little more than a tailcoat, a pair of penguin flippers – and an alarming lack of clothing – Starr sets himself an impossible mission: to perform a whole heap of Penguin Classic novels in under an hour. From Moby Dick and Dracula to Little Women, Frankenstein and The Jungle Book, no literary masterpiece is safe from Starr’s relentless visual gags and perfectly timed physical comedy as a near-naked penguin. And – wait for it – audience members are frequently recruited to help bring the classics to life. You’ve been warned. Time Out Sydney Editor Avril Treasure saw Classic Penguins last year at Redfern’s Grand Electric and says: “I don’t really like using the term ‘must-watch’, but this absurd, ridiculous, laugh-until-you-cry show is exactly that. Starr goes all-in, bush and all, in this not suitable for children homage to Penguin Classics – the funniest, silliest show I’ve seen.” Garry Starr: Classic Penguins is on from June 16 to July 5 at Carriageworks. The show contains full nudity and is strictly 18+. Tickets are...

If you thought Sydney Fish Market was just about freshly shucked oysters and on-point fish and chips, think again. The new harbourside institution is upping its offering by diving headfirst into the arts, with the launch of Seascapes – a free program of live performances, workshops and installations taking over the market for the next few months. Curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham alongside Cultural Capital and the NSW Government, this sprawling series features 14 commissions rolling out through to October 2026. The brief? Respond to everything that makes the Fish Market tick – from marine life and ecology to trade, food and the daily choreography of this bustling waterfront hub. Visitors can expect foghorn orchestras, oyster-shucker design labs, gyotaku (that’s traditional Japanese fish printing), inflatable maritime sculptures and ritual-inspired storytelling sessions. Highlights include Justine Youssef’s Heaven Scent (May 31), a sensory workshop where you’ll distil botanicals using a traditional Lebanese method and take home your own hydrosol (special infused water). On June 7, chef and printmaker Ben Devlin will turn seafood waste into art with a large-scale gyotaku installation – and yes, you can get inky yourself. Then there’s Mark Shorter’s Song for Avida (June 21), which will invite visitors to join a pop-up trumpet orchestra powered by foghorn-inspired instruments. Later in the program, Long Prawn’s oyster workshop (August 16) will blend design, sustainability and...

It’s time to paint the precinct purple! Yes, Qtopia Sydney is dialing up the glam and glitz for Pride Fest 2026, Sydney’s queer arts and culture festival that celebrates International Pride Month this June. Bigger, bolder and more unapologetic than ever, the 2026 program serves up more than 300 events celebrating queer creativity, community and connection for the entire month of June. From theatre that shocks to drag that dazzles, plus film, dance, fitness, workshops, book launches, panels, parties and pop-up restaurant takeovers – if it’s queer, it’s here. For the first time ever, Pride Fest spills out of the walls of Qtopia Sydney and takes over the entire Oxford Street precinct, transforming fab venues including The Loading Dock Theatre, Eternity Playhouse, Ginger’s at the Oxford, Universal and more into a month-long celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride. The festival kicks off with a bang at the inaugural Pride Fest Gala on June 2 – a high-energy, glitter-soaked night showcasing the best of what’s to come. This year’s headliners include award-winning cabaret icon Skank Sinatra with The Name on Everybody’s Lips (10-14 June), Nails: The Musical (June 25-27) and Juicy Riot (29 June), a high-femme variety extravaganza by Kala Gare and Victoria Falconer. Elsewhere, the program is stacked with must-sees including Homo Grown (June 1), comedian Jess Fuchs’ Feral (June 12-13), Dykes on Bikes (June 14), Saddle Club Line Dancing (June 17), and Still Proud: Honouring the 78ers (June 24),...

It’s easy to think that tales of raucous Vikings are the stuff of fiction: horned helmets, fierce warriors and wooden boats that were as intricately carved as they were fearsome on a misty horizon. This year, the Australian National Maritime Museum is displaying an awe-inspiring exhibition with some very real artefacts that show just how pivotal the Viking Age was in forming what we know as modern-day Scotland, England and Ireland.  The Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard exhibition uncovers items that were buried around AD 900. Due to all the looting synonymous with the Viking Age, it was really common for treasure troves of goods to be buried and forgotten about, only to be discovered centuries later.  In 2014, metal detectorists uncovered The Galloway Hoard with five kilograms of precious metals, rare organic materials like silk, heirlooms and more. Sydney's own Australian National Maritime Museum is displaying the collection, on loan from National Museums Scotland, until October. Tickets start from $15 for children, $25 for adults and free for members. You can catch the exhibition open daily from 10am-4pm now, until October 11. Book your tickets here.