Things to do in Sydney today

You know it's December when streets and suburbs across Sydney turn sparkly. But sometimes, it’s worth heading out of the city. For instance, just over two hours' north of Sydney you’ll find the Hunter Valley Gardens with its Christmas Lights Spectacular – the biggest Christmas lights display in the Southern hemisphere. Now in its 18th iteration, the Christmas Lights Spectacular is on from November 7, 2025 to January 26, 2026 (closed on Christmas Day) and is brighter than ever. It's got more than 4.5 million lights sparkling across eight acres, transforming the Gardens into a Christmas wonderland. There are illuminated pathways, immersive installations, festive food stalls and endless photo opportunities — including a towering 3-metre mistletoe (perfect for romantic moments, we say).  What's new in 2025? How about HO HO Harvest where you can wander through the Italian Grotto Garden for the first time; a playful Aussie Christmas cricket display with Santa and the elves playing a match; a Christmas tree farm with a new 6-metre Christmas tree centrepiece; and Santaville, where you can meet Santa and his helpers. Long-time favourites like Candyland, 12 Days of Christmas and family rides like the Spinning Teacups and Ferris Wheel are open from 6pm to 10pm nightly. As for food, they'll have woodfired pizza, gourmet burgers and dumplings as well as sweet treats like donuts, churros and gelato on offer.  Christmas Lights Spectacular is on from 5.30pm till 10.30pm every day,...

Cue the jingle bells for your office commute: the beloved annual Martin Place Christmas Markets are back for 2025, kicking off on Thursday, November 27 and ending on Saturday, December 20. The merry CBD markets will then be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (and on one Sunday, November 30) leading up to Christmas (AKA the biggest day in Mariah Carey’s calendar). It's your chance to get gifts for your loved ones and support small businesses at the same time. How’s that for Christmas cheer? From ripe and juicy cherries to festive wreaths, deliciously-scented candles, boutique wines, Christmas puddings, handcrafted jewellery and chic homewares, these markets are stacked with excellent stalls and passionate stallholders, set to bring festival cheer to even the most Grinch-identifying CBD worker. This year, they will also introduce a washable service system in partnership with Betizen, aiming to significantly reduce single-use waste.  You’ll find the Christmas markets in the pedestrian boulevard of Martin Place in the heart of the city – just above the huge Martin Place metro station.Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. Get in the festive spirit with these Christmas markets running all throughout the November and December.

Sydneysiders don’t need many excuses to roll out a picnic rug, pop a bottle of pét-nat and spend a balmy evening under the stars – but this summer, Moonlight Cinema is making an especially solid case. Australia’s most well-established outdoor movie night is officially turning 30, and to celebrate, it’s handing the programming reins over to the people. Yep: for the first time ever, you get to help shape the season’s line-up. Since its debut back in 1995 – opening with a now-iconic screening of Pulp Fiction – Moonlight Cinema has become a staple of the Sydney summer. More than five million people have sprawled across the lawns since then: first dates, proposals, celeb sightings, and countless delighted doggos who’ve come to expect their own bean bag and biscuit as standard. This year, the beloved Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Parklands will once again transform into one of the Harbour City’s most picturesque open-air theatres, with films running throughout the summer from Friday, November 21, 2025 to Sunday April 5, 2026. And while the November–December program is already on sale, the real thrill lies in The People’s Program – a nationwide vote to decide which nostalgic favourites will hit the big screen from January through March. Voting is now open, with film choices including Shrek, Dirty Dancing, The Castle, Jurassic Park and more. Everyone who casts a vote gets 30 per cent off General Admission to People’s Program screenings – plus a shot at winning a Double...

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.  

In 2025, we're all rolling around in the screen-fuelled dystopia of the AI-verse, and things are feeling pretty weird. Strangely convincing videos and eerily-real (yet not quite) photos have taken over the internet, and with it, our collective perception of reality. Whether it's the current US President or your mum, there are few folks on the planet today who aren't grappling with the inane and mysterious powers of artificial intelligence. It is this truth that has launched the MCA's newest exhibition, aptly titled Data Dreams: Art and AI, an immersive and first-of-its-kind art show that will sweep through a series of interconnected gallery spaces in the MCA from November 21, 2025 through to April 27, 2026. Featuring the groundbreaking works of ten otherwordly artists from all around the world, Data Dreams is setting itself up to be a guide for all of us confused, bumbling humans who have suddenly found ourselves thrust into the AI age. Through immersive installations, AI-films and hallucinatory imagery, the exhibition aims to make you really and truly question what it means to exist in the AI era, and what we can expect from the years to come.  You'll be pointed through Big Questions, like how technology influences power, how our algorithims are shaping each of our individual world views, and how to navigate an illusory "reality".  The artists asking you to expand your mind come from all over, and each of them have something very fascinating to say. From palawa artist...