Around Sydney

Theatre fans, take note. Sydney Theatre Company – Sydney’s largest and most prominent theatre producer – has just dropped the details for its 2026 season. The beautifully varied 2026 season will comprise 13 productions, with more than 80 beloved and emerging performers set to take to the stage throughout the year. Following Kip Williams' departure from the company, the 2026 season will be the first curated by new Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, who joined STC in late 2025. Reflecting on what theatre-goers can expect in 2026, Butel described the 2026 program as a "season of dream teams: celebrating the diversity of Australian storytelling. Highlights from STC’s 2026 season will include three world premieres of brand-new Australian works, the Australian Premiere of the most awarded Broadway play of 2025, the Sydney premiere of a new Australian musical and a handful of other Australian and international plays. If you’re keen to see something new, get in line for the season’s key world premieres: Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical (from award-winning writer and director Jack Yabsley), Bennelong in London (by Jane Harrison, the brilliant playwright behind The Visitors and Stolen) and Strong is the New Pretty by Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller. Bennelong in London will be showing from July 24 until August 16 2026, Strong is the New Pretty will be playing from October 26 until December 5 2026, and Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical will be showing...

No Lights, No Lycra is an afterwork activity unlike any other. Beloved by its loyal followers for decades, this pitch black anonymous dance class is all about two things: total and unfettered freedom and the chance to seriously, seriously dance.  With locations all over the world, No Lights No Lycra has been bringing sweet tunes, sweat and a total lack of inhibition to people who are keen to boogie like nobody’s watching them for years. And for interested Sydneysiders, opportunities to let loose in the pitch dark are plentiful.  How does it work? You arrive (solo, or with whoever you want to bring as your anonymous dancing companion), enter a community hall, and dance for a good hour and a half to absolute bangers. The catch? It’s so dark you can’t see your feet.  The joy of this dance class is that it cuts out all the surface bullshit of judgement and fear and leaves space just for you, your joy and time for you to move your body in a way that thrills you, and you alone. In Sydney, there are weekly classes going down in Bondi, Newtown, Parramatta and Sutherland – plus a whole lot more. You can find out all the details of your closest local event by just typing in your location into their online interactive map.  Tickets generally seem to cost around the $10 to $15 mark for an hour or so, which feels pretty worth it to us, and you can book online through your location (which can be found using the aforementioned map). Forget Saturday nights and 79 tequila shots. No Lights...

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...

With all the doom and gloom in the world today, we sure could use a belly laugh. Good news – the Sydney Comedy Festival is turning 21 and you're invited to the celebrations from April 13 to May 17, 2026. That’s five glorious weeks and more than 400 shows that guarantee plenty of LOLs.  SCF has two exclusives this year: Star power shines through the likes of Tiffany Haddish who brings her stand-up to the State Theatre on April 25 and the Enmore Theatre on April 26. And, if you loved the 2024 Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, catch its creator Richard Gadd for a special in-conversation event at the Sydney Opera House on May 11. Consider your funny bone officially tickled. We’re super happy to report that the Sydney Comedy Festival Comedy Crawl is back with six offerings across top-notch bars. Led by a stellar host, you will join a group and proceed to sip and laugh your way from one bar to the next for bite-sized comedy sets. All sessions sold out in 2025, so get in quick.  Love seeing multiple acts in one night? The Comedy Gala is for you – with a massive show at the Sydney Opera House and the closing event at Enmore Theatre. Also returning is Comedy Gala on the Green at Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park on April 18, with global superstars and the delightful Guy Montgomery as host. Make sure to return the very next day for the outdoor comedy showcase Great Laugh in the Park (April 19). Kids will get a hoot out of seeing ABC Kids' Giggle and Hoot host Jimmy Rees OAM and their fave...

If your fave kind of night out involves wandering between bars filled with live music and accidentally stumbling into a laneway gig, clear your calendar: Great Southern Nights is dialling things up for 2026. Running from May 1–17, this statewide celebration of live music is back with a stacked lineup (headliners include Missy Higgins, Jessica Mauboy, Lime Cordiale and Genesis Owusu, to name a few) plus a fresh drop of 110 additional gigs. The big name gigs are the headline stealers, but the real magic is the return of the much-loved Gig Trails – popping up this year in even more remote corners of NSW. Think of the Gig Trails as your choose-your-own-adventure night out. Each precinct transforms into a walkable music playground, where you can dip in and out of venues depending on what’s calling you. Expect buskers on corners, surprise acoustic sets in tucked-away rooftops, and pop-up performances lighting up laneways you’ve probably walked past a hundred times without a second glance.RELATED READ: This free community will score you $25 tix to live gigs across NSW Kicking things off is Newcastle’s Midtown precinct, which will host a one-night-only music takeover from 5pm on Friday, May 1. With 11 venues involved – including faves like Bernie’s Bar, The Happy Wombat and The Rogue Scholar – you can bounce between gigs, jump on a karaoke rickshaw (yes, really) and hop a courtesy bus home when your feet need a break. The following weekend, Sydney gets its turn. On Saturday, May...

Four venues. Four comedians. One fun afternoon. That’s what you get at the YCK Laneways Comedy Crawl, part of the always-hilarious Sydney Comedy Festival. Back for its second year, this crowd-fave takes comedy out of the theatre and into the heart of the CBD on May 2. In case you’re wondering what YCK refers to, it’s the buzzing area of small bars and restaurants in the city centre clustered around York, Kent and Clarence Streets – hence the name 'YKC Laneways'.  Part pub crawl, part comedy showcase, it's an initiative by the NSW government’s Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner to connect districts, venues and major events.  Your ticket includes four comedy shows at four bars, with the session time indicating the start time for your group. Once you join a group, your host will guide through a trail of four small bars: Stitch Bar, Papa Gede's Bar, The Barber Shop and Since I Left You. Watch rising stars and festival favourite comedians do their thing – with plenty of chances to grab a drink, share laughs and discover a new favourite act (or bar) along the way. Attending with friends? Make sure you all book the same session to be the same group. Last year’s sessions sold out fast, so book your spot here.  If you can’t make it to the YKC Comedy Crawl, there’s more. This year, the concept is expanding beyond the CBD: there’s the Rozelle Crawl through craft breweries and pubs, the Queer Comedy Crawl through the City’s Rainbow Precinct, the Manly Comedy Crawl and The...

For a few special days every year, Sydney comes alive with writers, journalists, public intellectuals and book lovers – who gather for the Emerald City’s long-standing celebration of literature, reading and ideas: the Sydney Writers' Festival.In good news for literature lovers who like to plan ahead, SWF has just unveiled its sprawling 2026 program, promising more than 200 events featuring over 250 writers from Australia and around the world. Running from May 17-24, the week-long literary takeover will once again centre on Carriageworks, with other events popping up across the city. This year’s theme, “Show Me the Truth,” explores trust, storytelling and the murky business of separating fact from fiction in uncertain times. Expect conversations spanning everything from fantasy epics to political memoirs, with 39 international authors joining more than 220 Australian writers on the program. It’s a celebration of Aussie creativity at its heart, but big-name international guests headline the lineup. Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will discuss leadership and her memoir A Different Kind of Power, and Patrick Radden Keefe will unpack his investigative reporting career and bestselling nonfiction. Superstar author R. F. Kuang will reflect on her meteoric rise, and Slow Horses creator Mick Herron will share insights into adapting crime fiction for the screen. There’s more literary star power in the form of Booker Prize luminaries including Roddy Doyle, Susan Choi...

When winter rolls around in Sydney, Vivid steps in to bring a little light to our streets for those first chilly weeks. And while Circular Quay sparkles with kaleidoscopic projections, the real magic often happens indoors – on the stages and dancefloors where the festival’s music program comes to life. Keen to plan ahead this year? Two of the city’s most iconic live music venues – Sydney Opera House and Carriageworks – have just dropped the details of their music programs for 2026. From May 22 to June 13, Vivid Live will take over Sydney Opera House, with more than 50 artists lighting up every corner of the World Heritage-listed landmark. Masterful tastemaker Ben Marshall (Head of Contemporary Music at the house) has curated another divinely diverse program spanning genres, generations and geographies – featuring everything from Detroit techno to Arnhem Land surf rock and the one and only Erika de Casier. In the Concert Hall, indie icon Mitski will headline four sold-out nights, performing in-the-round with songs from her new album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me alongside all-time fan faves. Meanwhile, Matt Berninger – best known as the frontman of The National – will deliver a rare, intimate set featuring material from his reflective solo album Get Sunk. Scottish post-rock pioneers Mogwai will celebrate 30 years together with a career-spanning performance, while Yolŋu rock heroes King Stingray make their Opera House debut (indoors at least, they opened for Parcels on the...