Around Sydney

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...

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...

Few songs embed themselves into the cultural DNA quite like Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah”. While younger generations are discovering his talent through TikTok, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg, who grew up on the grunge and punk of the ‘90s, revisits his life in a tender new documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. Pieced together through curated footage of the late singer-songwriter both onstage and off, the documentary is told in large part by the women in his life. We hear from his single mother, Mary Guibert, his good friend Aimee Mann, his former girlfriend Rebecca Moore, and his longtime partner Joan Wasser, who each offer emotional memories and thoughtful insights.  What’s undeniable through their recounts is Buckley’s talent, as Time Out reviewer Elizabeth Weitzman writes: “The punk angel with the four-octave range also had a rare and remarkable mimetic gift – which made him an unusually skilled interpreter of other artists, from Nina Simone to MC5 to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.”  Whether you know him for the myth forged by his untimely death – echoing that of his musician father, Tim Buckley – or for his elegiac take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” a rendition that has moved millions, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley offers another side of the story. “Fans, of course, will fiercely argue that Buckley has so much more to offer. And in the strongest compliment to Berg’s affectionate portrait, she makes a similarly convincing case, with ample and tender grace.”...

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...

While there’s plenty of must-do experiences in Sydney – from the Bridge Climb to a show at the Opera House – the not-so-secret-anymore tunnels under Wynyard station are well worth a visit. Luckily for for any adventurous souls out there, Foot Locker is partnering with On, Swiss sportswear company, to host a one-of-a-kind running experience stretching through the underground tunnels this May.  Foot Locker Fast Lane is set to bring together fitness, fashion and music for an after-dark, five kilometre run on May 21. The exclusive event is almost as secretive as the location with limited spots available to Foot Locker customers only. The event is free, but entry is invite-only. To get in the running, shoppers need to make a purchase of any amount at a Sydney Foot Locker store between May 8 and May 17, then register online via the Fast Lane page with proof of purchase.  The lucky few selected for a spot will be notified from May 19. While the full details are under wraps, runners will have the chance to fuel up ahead of the race and score a finish line reward at the end. There’ll also be rare merch up for grabs and a content crew capturing the action, so no need to worry about where to store your phone on the day. Find out more here.

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...

Architecture lovers, rejoice! Museum of History NSW’s Sydney Open is back for another year, kicking off its 2026 program early with Sydney Open Symposium.  While Sydney Open offers up a chance to take a stickybeak in the landmark buildings that make up the city’s skyline, Sydney Open Symposium dives deeper, with a series of talks and panel discussions.  Running from May 23 to 24, the two-day event will explore the past, present and future state of housing in NSW. Across day one, five talks will run between 10am and 3pm with topics ranging from housing materials to suburbia and whether people or policy create real solutions for housing. Notable speakers include comedian Tim Ross, partner at SJB Adam Haddow, host of The Sydneyist, Dr Elizabeth Farrelly, Wiradjuri Architect and Managing Director at Nguluway Design Inc, Craig Kerslake, Caroline Pidcock and co-founder of Second Edition Amy Seo. For those keen to see theory in practice, add a private house tour to your ticket. Across day two, a curated selection of exemplary residential designs will be available to view – from small-footprint apartments to sustainable projects. Highlights include the renovation of a 1920s waterfront Rose Bay property and the transformation of a historic shop corner in Marrickville. General tickets are $50 with an additional $15 for a house tour but get in quick as places are strictly limited. Find the full program here.