June events in Sydney
Face the frost and enjoy wonderful winter events this month
Feeling a little despondent as the days grow shorter? Well, we’re here to help you out of that seasonal affective disorder hole. This month's-worth of adventures can be all yours if you brave the blustery outdoors. We’ve got tips for staying cultured in the cold with cheap theatre tickets and costume shops for that cosplay outfit you’ll wear at Supanova.
Rug up and travel the short distance between cinemas for Sydney Film Festival or gawk at the remaining Vivid events. Feeling underdressed? Head to one of Sydney’s best op shops, antique stores or vintage havens to stockpile full knitted outfits and blanket scarves.
Find the biggest events in June
Round She Goes Fashion Market
Rummage through a mix of vintage and modern clothing – it leans towards traditionally feminine attire – and accessories, as well as handmade jewellery and funky trinkets. You’ll find high-end designers like Ferragamo and Carla Zampatti, as well as good quality high street styles from Gorman and Sass & Bide among the 60 stalls.
Apollo 11
It’s 50 years since Neil Armstrong took that giant leap for mankind, and the Powerhouse Museum is hosting a cosmic exhibition dedicated to the Moon landing. It'll feature more than 200 objects involved the momentous 1969 space journey and other pieces exploring the science, design and historical impact of the event, plus the popular 'Museum of the Moon' installation.
Dead Central
Long before Central Station opened in 1906 and became an essential hub for Sydney life, it was an essential hub for Sydney death. This exhibition at the State Library of NSW is a haunting look back in time to 19th century Sydney. It's experienced with a 35-minute audio track, telling the story of the site.
A Drone Opera
When Matthew Sleeth premiered A Drone Opera in Melbourne in 2015, audiences were seated inside a cage for their own safety. Sleeth is now reimagining the work for Carriageworks, presenting it as an immersive three-channel video installation that will recreate the sensory overload of the live performances.
Once
Sydney has had to wait a while to get to see Once. The musical, based on the 2007 Irish romantic comedy movie of the same name, opened in New York in 2011 and headed to Melbourne in 2014. It's finally our turn, with this new production by Richard Carroll, the director behind the massively successful Calamity Jane.
Michael Armitage: The Promised Land
Kenyan-born artist Michael Armitage is only in his mid-thirties but his uniquely beautiful paintings are in huge demand around the world. The MCA is presenting his first exhibition in Australia, which includes recent work and new large-scale paintings telling stories of folklore, history and memories from East Africa.
Muriel's Wedding The Musical
Sydney, Muriel has arrived. With an updated book by original screenwriter PJ Hogan and music by pop intelligentsia Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, Muriel’s Wedding the Musical will leave you smiling for days. This is a five star film-to-stage adaptation critics, audiences and creatives dream of.
Madama Butterfly
After endless revivals of Elijah Moshinsky beloved Butterfly, Opera Australia is finally staging a new production. This is the first of the company’s 2019 "digital" productions, using 12 massive high-definition LED panels, which fly in and out of the space, spin around and feature custom-made animations and film content.
Here is Your Horizon
Cement Fondu's current exhibition features work by artists from Australia and New Zealand with Pacific heritage, pushing the boundaries of the traditional practice of “adornment”. Niki Hastings-McFall has created a new installation for the exhibition with leis (the flower wreaths you probably associate with Hawaii), looking at and challenging persistent stereotypes.
Ghostly Garden
Ready your torches and your nerves for this nighttime garden ghost tour. As you’re led through shadowy paths and under dark canopies, your guide will share spine-tingling stories about the area, introducing you to long-dead historical figures who’ve visited the park and the secretive nocturnal creatures who now inhabit it.
The Essential Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp more or less abandoned his successful painting career to originate the idea of ‘readymades’ – existing objects elevated to the status of art through virtue of being ‘selected’ by artists. The official mid-20th century reproductions of his most renowed lost works are at the centre of The Essential Duchamp.
Dedicated to the Dedicated: Whitlam, the Arts and Democracy
There was arguably no greater prime minister arts champion than Gough Whitlam, who revolutionised arts funding and controversially purchased Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles' for the National Gallery of Australia for $1.3 million in 1973. The collection is the centrepiece of this exhibition, which traces Whitlam's commitment to the arts.
Glide through the month
Where to go ice skating in Sydney
We’ve found chilly pop-up rinks during winter and permanent icy fun in Sydney for the whole family to practice their ice skating twirls, double axles and graceful tumbles.