Around Sydney

Are you ready to chase artistic escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney is back for its 24th edition from March 9 to June 10, 2024. Whether you’re a dedicated arts fanatic or a casual culture buff, you’ll find something to inspire and provoke you along this epic art trail. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale is taking over six different locations with awe-inspiring installations and intriguing exhibitions. Titled Ten Thousand Suns, this year the festival explores a multiplicity of global cultures, taking on a transgressive spirit as it leans into the origins of Carnivale. As always, the Biennale is free for everyone to visit for a total of 16 weeks.   Of all the locations, White Bay Power Station is absolutely the main character of the Biennale’s 50th year anniversary (and 24th iteration – it takes place every second year). This is the first time the revitalised industrial site will officially open its doors to the public in more than 100 years – and what they’ve accomplished is pretty spectacular. Years of accumulated pigeon poop has been cleared out of the enormous factory spaces, making way for art installations that tower multiple storeys high, and more works hidden in various nooks and crannies. Pop-up bars and brand new bathrooms also set the stage for a packed program of live performances and music curated by Phoenix Central Park. Think of White Bay as a replacement for the role that Cockatoo Island has played in Sydney’s

Founder of Sydney-based Local Sauce Tours Justin Steele reckons Aussies are the best in the world at going on tours when we travel – just not when we're in our own country. And he’s on a mission to change that. In 2018, Steele founded his small-group experiences to bring together locals as well as tourists to discover Sydney from different perspectives. As he says: “It’s not about being a better tourist in your city, but about being a better local.” Steele adds that you don’t have to travel overseas to go on a tour, and instead wants Sydneysiders to get out in our local communities, support small businesses and have fun along the way. Enter, Local Sauce Tours. Sounds good to us. Local Sauce Tours run tours of Chinatown, Pyrmont, Glebe, Newtown and more. They'll take groups of up to 12 guests on a foodie’s tour of the suburb, and mix in stories about the area’s history, culture, nightlife and street art. We checked out their Chinatown – Street Food and Stories tour, and can attest that it’s a wonderful (and delicious) way to learn more about an important and significant Sydney area. On this tour we visited newcomers to Chinatown, as well as hole-in-the-wall eateries that have been there for decades. We saw dumplings being made, delved into the story behind the street art, and learnt about the rich and layered history of Chinatown. And of course, we ate. While we don’t want to give too much away and spoil the fun, we can say we tried things from curried fish balls to plump and

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 No

You know about Chinatown, of course. But did you know that Sydney is home to its very own Thaitown? Officially recognised in October 2013, Thaitown is found within the streets of Campbell, Castlereagh, George and Pitt in the Sydney CBD. It’s home to around 60 food and drink spots, making it the second largest Thaitown in the world after LA (and Thailand, of course). In short, there’s a lot going on in this delicious neck of the woods, and it’s about time you got down here and got amongst the action. Don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place. Time Out Sydney recently tied up our shoelaces and went on the Secrets of Thaitown Food Tour run by Local Sauce Tours. Over two-and-a-half hours, we visited the gems, heard how Thaitown has developed over the years, went behind the scenes, and learnt about Thailand’s different regions. And we ate. A lot. From street-food snacks to traditional Thai desserts, the Secrets of Thaitown Food Tour was as delicious as it was eye-opening. Highlights were the fish and beef ball skewers with a punchy sauce at Tawandang; a creamy and aromatic Northern Thai egg noodle curry with chicken known as khao soi at Show Neua; traditional Thai treats at Chat Thai; and a chicken, squid and holy basil sandwich, plus pandan custard toast at Boon Cafe. We also dropped into Thaitown’s first grocer Pontip Thai Market. More than just a place to pick up fresh veg and fruit, Pontip is regarded as the start of Thaitown, having opened more than 30 years a

Comedy, in this economy? Well heck, I don’t know about you, but I could sure do with a good hearty chuckle right about now. So it’s a good thing that the Sydney Comedy Festival is back with its biggest program ever in 2024 – more than 750 artists are gearing up to flood the city with laughter at more than 315 shows scattered across all corners of the city from April 22 to May 19.  From the household names we all know and love to ground-breaking newcomers who are shaking up the comedy scene, you can pick and choose between a kaleidoscopic array of gala showcases, intriguing solo stand-up shows and special events. With a whole lot of tickets coming in at under $30, there really is a “comedy concert” for everyone (just don’t look for Che Diaz on the line-up).  You can catch new shows from legendary Aussie comedians like Rhys Nicholson, Will Anderson, Tom Gleeson, Reuben Kaye, Melanie Bracewell, Steen Raskopolous, regular The Project panellist Peter Helliar, a hilarious night with Judith Lucy and Kaz Cooke, comedy crack pot Reuben Solo, the sassy and sardonic Gen Fricker, Lizzy Hoo (loved for her Prime Video comedy special Hoo Cares!?) and 2022 Australia’s Got Talent finalist Emo Majok. Joining the long list of international stars is the much loved Stephen K Amos, 2016 English Comedian of the Year Josh Pugh, plus the fierce and fiery Irish comic Shane Daniel Byrne, and American history-meets-comedy podcast The Dollop is also heading Down Under for the Festival. Some of the most e

Sydney’s love affair with pop and live music isn’t over now that Taylor Swift has left the building. We can confirm that South Korean girl group aespa is bringing their epic arena tour to Australia for the first time. With a name derived from a combination of “æ” (avatar and experience) and aspect, this powerhouse K-Pop quartet – Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning – has carved a tremendous trajectory since they debuted in 2020 with the hot single ‘Black Mamba’, with record-breaking music releases and live performances including a main stage set at Coachella in 2022. With the SYNK : PARALLEL LINE tour perfectly highlighting their meteoric rise to fame, aespa is exciting fans globally with their incredible stage presence and innovative approach to hyperpop music, and Sydney will finally get our turn to be part of it this winter. Here's everything you need to know. When is Aespa in Sydney? Marking the first time aespa will bring their high-energy pop, electronic and hip hop performances Down Under, aespa will kick off the Australian leg of their tour at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday, August 31 (then onto Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Monday, September 2). How can I get tickets to the Sydney Aespa show and how much do they cost? Tickets for the Australian shows will go on sale to the general public at 9am (AEST) on Friday, May 10, via Ticketek – you can join the waitlist here. Before then, Telstra Pre-Sale will be live from 9am on Tuesday, May 7 - 9am on Thursday May,