Things to do in Sydney today

The Comedy Store in Moore Park has been Sydney’s go-to spot for belly laughs since 1981. Venture inside and watch the stage come alive with top-notch talent with comedic timing – think homegrown favourites, international stars, rising newcomers and the occasional surprise guest. The Comedy Store Showcases run Thursday through Saturday, packing in 90 minutes of back-to-back stand-up with plenty of comedians on the bill. In fact, you can even catch The Saturday Late Show at 8.30pm if you prefer a later line-up. No two nights are the same, but each one guarantees tons of chuckles with new acts added constantly. RELATED READ: Make Tuesdays more fun with this affordable comedy show in the Inner West, featuring a rotating line-up of cracking comedians – plus, you get a free drink. The calendar is also dotted with solo shows and special events, from household names debuting their latest routine to the next big comedian testing out fresh material. What’s more, all tickets come with an alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage. Still feeling thirsty? Get more drinks and nibbles at the Lounge Bar that keeps cocktails, cold beers and wine flowing with tasty antipasti also on offer. They even have table service, so you’ll never miss a punchline. It’s true what they say: laughter really is the best medicine, so gather your mates and go. Find out more and book your tickets here. Weather not looking so hot? Check out our list of the best things to do indoors in Sydney. Looking for weekday...

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...

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...

Hop into the passenger seat and settle in for a road trip unlike any other. Making its Australian debut at the Sydney Opera House this June, Truck Driver is a compelling one-person play written and performed by multidisciplinary artist Jonny Hawkins (AKA Aunty Jonny), a familiar figure in Sydney’s nightlife and arts scene. Over 85 minutes, audiences are invited to travel shotgun alongside Bev, a fifth-generation owner-operator long-haul truck driver whose colourful stories, rough-around-the-edges humour and deeply ingrained beliefs reveal a complex portrait of contemporary Australian masculinity. So, buckle up and come along for the ride.  Says Hawkins, "The character of Bev and the ride he takes us on is a love letter of sorts to my working-class background, and the people who find themselves at the margins of society through no active decision of their own." As Bev reflects on life behind the wheel, his genial nature mixed with his confronting attitudes comes into sharp focus, distilling what happens when people spend too long inside their own echo chambers. Co-created with director Nell Ranney, Truck Driver is a companion piece to Hawkins’ acclaimed solo performance Maureen: Harbinger of Death.  Commissioned by the Sydney Opera House as part of its New Work Now program, Truck Driver runs from June 16-20 in the Studio. Standard tickets are $55 ($39 concession), plus booking fee. Find out more here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for...

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...