March events in Sydney

It seems that across time, the pursuit of creative expression has often been, in itself, an act of rebellion and self-sacrifice. Writers and artists rarely live lives of stability or wealth, and yet, in humanity’s most uncertain and desperate moments, it is to poetry, theatre and art that we turn to make sense of the world. The relentless act of writing, of shaping and sharing one’s perspective on life, still carries a quiet defiance, even in a technological age where everyone has a keyboard and an opinion. It is perhaps for this reason that My Brilliant Career continues to resonate today. Since its publication in 1901, the novel has been adapted across multiple forms, including film and stage, with a television adaptation currently in development by Netflix. Now, it’s on at Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre. What is the premise of My Brilliant Career? This award-winning iteration of My Brilliant Career, which debuted at Melbourne Theatre Company in 2024, is a musical theatre adaptation with a book by Sheridan Harbridge and Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank, and lyrics by Bryant. It follows Sybylla Melvyn (Kala Gare, SIX the musical), a fiercely independent young woman growing up in rural Australia in the 1800s. Chafing against the limitations placed on her as a woman – particularly the expectation that she should marry for security – Sybylla dreams instead of becoming a writer and forging a life of her own making. As she navigates family hardship, social...

If the end of Sydney Observatory’s summer music series has left a hole in your Friday schedule, the 2026 Biennale of Sydney is here to fill it. From 6pm every Friday night for the next couple of months, the Biennale’s Art After Dark program will transform White Bay Power Station into a boundary-blending live music venue – with an impressive line-up of acts set to light up the cavernous industrial space (along with bars serving local pours and food stalls serving up your Friday night feed).Curated by Naarm/ Melbourne-based outfit Liquid Architecture, the first three events will feature the likes of Tujiko Noriko, Mara Schwerdtfeger, Ruhail Qaisar, Marcus Whale, Liam Keenan and Allara Briggs-Pattison. Next up, the Inner West Council will present three more nights of live music, with Body Type, Yes Boone and BOY SODA bringing home-grown talent to the historic Rozelle site. The final three nights, curated by Vivid Sydney, will include ambient techno trio Purelink, French-Senegalese singer-songwriter anaiis, and the festival’s closing night party on Friday, June 12, which promises to be a multi-stage celebration of global music (with extended hours until 11pm). Beyond the Friday night fun (and the art, obvs), the three-month festival will also operate Memory Lane Food Markets every Saturday, Africa Day celebrations, six new performance commissions, guided tours of White Bay’s historic spaces, Family Days, youth and education programs, and access initiatives. Art After Dark will...

If you've ever wondered what would happen if a kid's drawing of their wildest dream utopia suddenly came off the page and into real life, you're in luck, because that's pretty much what's happening right now beneath the Art Gallery of NSW.  Artist and professional disruptor Mike Hewson has taken over the weird subterranean world of The Tank with his one-of-a-kind new exhibition, Mike Hewson: The Key's Under the Mat, where for the first time ever, all the main lights in the normally pitch-dark Tank will be switched on, revealing a weird wonderland of interactive art pieces and play equipment that have to be seen to be believed. We're talking: A steam room with stained glass windows that you can actually sit in, a functioning sauna with bespoke church pews, five actual operating public barbeques that you can cook on, rushing water to play in (seriously, bring your swimmers), a working laundry,  and a free-to-use recording studio, plus a whole plethora of bright and delightful surprises that are all about getting community together, to do cool stuff, for free. Basically, break your imagination and delete all adult expectations. This is unlike anything we've ever seen.  Kids who aren't afraid of some risk are also one of Hewson's big targets with this show (although parents, rest easy, the floor is specially made out of recycled soft rubber that's rated for use in public playgrounds), with the space also home to a wild children's playground. Intrepid kidlets can test their...

After a cancellation the previous evening due to the raging storm and winds, the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera was looking dire. But magically at the stroke of 6pm, when the team of Opera Australia’s Handa Opera rolled out the red carpet, the rain dissipated and a warm setting sun floated over Sydney Harbour. The Phantom still has magic left up his sleeve after all. Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour represents that age-old maxim, “The show must go on”. And go on The Phantom of the Opera shall! Rain, wind, or sun, the show is at the mercy of nature, but overcoming the natural challenges from Mother Nature makes it all the more thrilling to witness. Every outdoor spectacle presented by Handa Opera is consistently infused with decadence, and this restaging of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic is no different. This is a highbrow spectacle at its most luxurious. What type of show is The Phantom of the Opera? The musical version of the mysteriously masked Phantom living beneath the Paris Opera House has captivated audiences around the world for 40 years. His obsession with the young Christine Daaé and subsequent devious nurturing of her talents has played to more than 160 million people in 58 territories and 205 cities in 21 languages.  As a character, Christine is at the mercy of the men she’s surrounded by. Be it the Phantom’s obsessive love, her saviour in the shape of Raoul, Vicomte De Chagny, or the whims of the new owners of the Paris Opera House, Monsieur...

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...

Every Friday from 5pm, Chinatown transforms into a vibrant night market selling Asian street food, desserts and gifts. After a month-long closure, the popular night fest is back, now in a temporary new location – next to Paddy’s Market Light Rail stop. RELATED READ: These are the best Chinese restaurants in Sydney. Chinatown Night Market attracts a wide mix of visitors, from tourists and homesick international students to the post-work crowd, who you’ll find wisely padding their stomachs with cumin lamb skewers before hitting the next bar. During peak times, it can get a bit squishy, but the hustle and bustle is also what makes it fun. A number of Chinatown stalwarts run stalls each week, and you'll find everything from yum cha favourites like har gow and mango pancakes to fluffy roti canai. As tempting as those options might be, ration stomach space for the takoyaki – a Japanese savoury doughnut‑hole snack filled with seafood – or dragon beard candy and potato chips on a stick. You’ll also find stalls selling clothes and sunglasses, jewellery and phone cases. On some weeks, there’s even a Scientology stall offering “free stress tests” to the curious. There are no artisanal goods, but more mass-produced, imported products à la Paddy’s Markets downstream. Find out more here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED READS: These are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend Read more about...

If your idea of a perfect Sydney afternoon involves a swim, a Spritz and front-row harbour views, we’ve got you. After a v successful launch season last summer, Pier One’s pop-up pool is back: this time with a Amalfi-coded makeover.  Live until the end of April, this sun-soaked floating pontoon invites guests to swim, drink and socialise right on the water. Open daily from 11am to 4pm, the pastel pink installation has transformed the hotel’s waterfront into a breezy harbour-side hangout with big beach club energy. Set just steps from Pier Bar (which, btw, serves an excellent happy hour), the netted pontoon pool serves up shark-safe harbour swims, with loungers waiting for post-dip cocktails and Euro-inspired snacks. Access to the pool is included with food and drink purchases from the bar – the perfect excuse to linger over a long lunch by the water. With gorgeous views across the harbour to Walsh Bay, last year’s pool was pretty enough, but this year they’ve seriously levelled up. The space has been styled in partnership with Australian outdoor lifestyle brand Business & Pleasure Co., whose retro-inspired umbrellas and loungers give the pontoon a luxe, hyper femme coastal aesthetic. Pier Bar’s coastal-inspired menu can be ordered to your lounger, so there’s really no need to change out of your bikini all afternoon. Our top pick from the menu? The bay bug ‘Big Mac’ sliders are a playful upmarket take on the Maccas icon, and bloody delicious after a day spent in and out of...

Sydney’s immersive art scene is on the up and up, with Balloon Story, Museum of Illusions and Mike Hewson’s The Key’s Under the Mat all alive and kicking in the Harbour City. Now, there’s more. Landing right in the middle of the CBD, DigiPark is a brand-new digital playground that blends science, art, education and entertainment into one futuristic, all-ages experience. Fresh from huge success across Asia, this is the first DigiPark to open in Australia, bringing 19 interactive attractions to Level 5 of Westfield Sydney, just steps from the centre’s ever-busy food precinct. Highlights include the Space & Time Cube, a trippy 3D holographic tunnel that pulls you into a swirling world of light and colour, and the Orbital Cinema (7D) – a flying adventure powered by a massive 180-degree curved screen, motion seats and special effects like wind, vibration and water spray (no VR headset required). There’s also a 3D Figurine Creator Studio, where you can scan yourself and walk away as a custom mini digital avatar, plus dreamy installations like Wandering Planet, Cosmic Space and the Holographic Studio, which blur the line between reality and the virtual world. According to DigiPark’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Jacques Wong, the venue is designed to hook everyone from curious kids to culture-hungry adults – with VR, holograms, kinetic light art, digital play and 3D printing all under one roof. Open seven days a week from 10am to 10pm, DigiPark welcomes all ages (kids under 12...

If you’re craving something surreal to snap you out of reality for an hour or so, Sydney’s recently opened Museum of Illusions has got your back. The first Aussie outpost of the global concept, this interactive exhibition invites visitors to step into gravity-defying rooms, giant 3D illusions, mind-bending perspective zones, holograms and other sensory experiences – in a vast space spanning over 900 square metres in the heart of the CBD.With more than 80 unique exhibits to explore, the museum doesn’t directly follow its global siblings – it’s packed with bespoke Sydney-inspired rooms that you won’t find anywhere else. There’s a ‘Reversed Room’ inspired by a classic Aussie pub, a ‘Building Illusion’ which echoes Sydney’s iconic skyline, and an immersive exhibit called ‘Following Eyes’ – a playful nod to sunscreen-slapping beach days. Part science, part spectacle, part pure fun, the Museum of Illusions is perfect for families, curious minds, and any office worker who’s finding the return to work a little tricky. Whether you’re chasing an escape from the here and now or an Instagram goldmine, or you’re just keen to see your friends wobble in a room that defies gravity, it’s a one-stop shop for awe, giggles and head-scratching wonder. The experience is open now at 413 George Street in Sydney’s CBD, with regular admission tickets for $47 and family tickets offering slightly reduced rates. We’d suggest giving around 60–90 minutes for wandering, posing, and rethinking the laws of...

Every Saturday, more than 100 stalls line the grounds of Paddington Uniting Church and the neighbouring public school selling Australian-made fashion, handmade crockery and metal costume jewellery. The market has been operating on the same day since 1973, and the all-weather event is a profitable fundraiser for the church. Many of the stallholders return week on week, like the elderly Japanese couple selling Bonsai trees and the Spanish shoemakers selling espadrilles. It’s predominantly an art, clothing and design market – and alongside the kitsch bric-à-brac and Australiana-print tea towels you’ll find straw hats from local milliners and soft Tunisian-made ‘Turkish’ towels from young Eastern Suburb entrepreneurs. Antique, vinyl and vintage stalls are few and far between, but leather satchels, beach photography prints and patterned baby rompers are two a penny. On a hot day locals gather at the shaded tables and stools by the snack stalls. Turkish women hand roll yufka dough at the gözleme tent and vegetables are blitzed in a blender at the fresh juice stand. Chin’s Laksa stall, proudly MSG and gluten free, is a popular choice – as are the vegan cookies and sourdough scones on offer at the bakery stalls. It has a bohemian flair compared to its Oxford Street location and customers joyfully take up fortune readings, as well as reiki and Japanese massage. It’s an oddball mix, but one that works strangely well in an area known for its designer boutiques and gentrified pubs....