Max your summer in Sydney

It was pure joy when Sydneysiders got to see the beautiful colours of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint’s beautiful abstracts light up the Art Gallery of New South Wales this winter. And then a total bummer when they had to close the doors of Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings less than a month later. The good news is, it’s back on, only this time you can visit without leaving the house, and it’s totally free. They’ve whipped up a snazzy YouTube video walkthrough to ensure that the gorgeous exhibition reaches even further than before while keeping us all safe and happy.   The major survey of af Klint’s pioneering work recognises a game-changing talent who drew on popular spiritualist practices to create large-scale works of a kind that hadn’t been seen before. She believed that her paintings contained messages for humanity, communicated to her through visions, and founded a spiritual group named The Five with four like-minded women who explored esoteric texts and conducted séances. Born in Stockholm in 1862, she was way before her time, and never received the credit she so clearly deserved before dying in a tragic accident at 82, in the autumn of 1944. That's partly because she left a note asking for them to be concealed for at least 20 years. She is behind more than 1300 works which were hidden away in storage for decades until their rediscovery caused a sensation, leading to a 2019 exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum that smashed the New York institution’s attendance records.

While you won’t find greasy-haired potions masters or famed boy wizards at this creative drinking experience, you will have a lot of fun if you’re keen on the occult. The Wizard’s Den invites you to escape to a world of magic and potion-making (read: cocktail mixing, or mocktail mixing, if so desired). The Time Out team was invited to get its wands at the ready and learn the ropes (robes?) at this boozy encounter. First things first, the event name is a ruse* – you won’t find any tall bearded gents of Gandalf’s ilk. Wizards are not the ringleaders here, but a fierce witch by the name of Morticia Le Mort, who nec-romances you with her potions assistant.  With the high-energy acting antics of the cast and the clever set-up of the venue combined, this experience is a whole lot of fun for those willing to play along. You’ll be tasked with a series of escape room-like clues and riddles to work out. Solve them to uncover magical wands for your team, potion bottles and ingredients required to mix up cocktails in your cauldron.  The atmosphere and staging of the venue are a great mix of spooky, playful and immersive – with floating candles, shelves stacked with trinkets, crystal balls, pentagrams, witchy paraphernalia, and even a secret entrance to a witch’s garden (which is sure to please those of us who went green and succumbed to plant fanaticism in lockdown).  If you have already attended Semester I or Semester II of this bewitching experience, be prepared to have the ante up

While the doors of the Art Gallery of NSW remain shut for the time being, the good news is you can still check out Peter Wegner’s Archibald Prize-winning ‘Portrait of Guy Warren at 100’ from the safety of your sofa. That’s because the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize exhibitions have been given the digital treatment, with a swish 360-degree immersive experience you can check out online here. It’s heaps of fun to explore, with the self-guided tour flagging loads of interesting facts along the way as you click on the works to read their labels. Look out for Yolŋu painter and printmaker Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, her silvery depiction of the Seven Sisters star clusters, also known as the Pleiades, titled ‘Garak – night sky’ was the Wynne Prize-winner. Also, look out for Sulman Prize-winner Georgia Spain’s stunning work ‘Getting down or falling up’. We also love German-born, Sydney-based artist Kathrin Longhurst’s stunning, unguarded portrait of singer-songwriter Kate Ceberano, which took home the 30th Archibald Packing Room Prize. Once you’ve had a virtual wander you can vote on your faves for the People’s Choice Award and go in the mix for your own reward. Check out the AGNSW website for more details. Need more culture in your life? Check out these digital events here.

When the fantastically over-decorated, Christmas-themed bar Tinseltown popped up in Kings Cross over the festive season, it packed in all the seasonal jollies and wrapped it all up with an adults-only, boozy bow.  Suddenly we’re halfway through 2021, and we don’t know about you, but we could use a dose of those nostalgic, tinsel-trimmed vibes. Decidedly so, the elves at Tinseltown agreed – and they’re bringing it back for Christmas in July.  Get into the holly jolly spirit (or get jolly on the spirits, at least) at this bar where the Christmas cheer is dialled up to eleven. The halls are more than decked, with a sleigh load of baubles, trees, bows, wreaths and all manner of festive paraphernalia filling every nook and cranny. It’s like a Christmas store threw up on a bar – and with festive games, themed cocktails, seasonal tunes, Christmas pudding, and appearances from Santa and his elves to boot, it would be hard to leave this twinkling den without feeling at least a touch wistful.  The Yuletide fun is filling the top floor at the Alice in Wonderland-themed Wonderland Bar for the whole month of July. Tickets are required to enter and can be purchased here for $15, which includes a themed cocktail or mocktail on arrival. The bar is generally open Wednesday to Sunday, and you can book in for a 90-minute session starting from 5.30pm to 9pm on weekdays and from 3pm on weekends (some family friendly sessions available). No grinches allowed! Fancy a tipple minus the tinsel? Check

UPDATE, June 28: As of June 26, the Greater Sydney region including the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong is under a compulsory two-week lockdown until 11.59pm on July 9. Many events in Sydney have therefore been cancelled or postponed until after this period. Oh starry, starry night – we have been utterly transfixed by the blinding glow of lush exhibition Lumen. Currently on show at White Rabbit Gallery until August 1, if you haven’t had a looksee as yet, then prepare to be dazzled. The magnetic collection brings together glimmering works from more than 25 artists from China and Taiwan. We particularly love the work of collective LuxuryLogico, they fuse music, theatre, dance, film, architecture, installation and technology into their practice. Their mesmerising installation ‘Miniature’ corrals a starfield of LED lights into a large scale pendant work that transfixes you with its cellestial beauty. They also field the flickering awe of ‘Solar’, mimicking the interstellar eruption of solar flares on the surface of the sun via 300 donated desk lamps converted with low-energy bulbs. Elsewhere, Dai Hua’s ‘Chinese Dream’ presents a wearable lightbox parodying the national flag, utilising bold colours and typeface. The exhibition also explores the evolution of AI though digital artist Wei Wei’s interactive ‘Mood Machine’. It harnesses a Tesla coil’s arcing lighting to spark a wide range of emotional responses. Wei collaborated with musician Jia Di Wang on eight accom

Slide on your glass slippers and get ready for a feast that will leave you feeling happily ever after. Affordable fine dining favourite Nel has announced the return of its hugely popular Disney-themed degustation. ‘Once Upon a Time’ involves eleven dishes with a nostalgia-inducing creative touch. In 2019, the menu gained international notoriety for the controversial ‘Bambi’s Mum’, which came complete with dukkah served in rifle casings. In 2021, chef Nelly Robinson is focussing his attention on happier childhood memories, but much of the menu is under wraps – though, we have been granted a quick peek into the magic mirror. If Disney references galore are what you're hungry for, this bounty is the Cave of Wonders you seek. A little taste of Piglet (pork belly) is served up glazed in Pooh’s favourite honey, and topped off with Eeyore’s carrots in the dish 'Hundred Acre Wood'; the 'Boo’s Best Friend' is a white chocolate and mint parfait made to look like Mike Wazowski’s eye; and the 'Dead Man’s Chest' serves up seafarin' squid topped with a black garlic emulsion. There are lovely bunches of coconuts, flounder from the deep sea, and elote and chimmichurri to celebrate the Day of the Dead, just like in Coco. Bookings are now open for this fantastical degustation, which will be on the table between June 28 and October 9. The Once Upon a Time menu will set you back $145 per person, with optional drink-matching packages available in alcoholic ($105) and non-alcoholic ($50) beverage

As we all moved online in 2020, the concept of escape rooms did too. You no longer have to be locked in a physical space to complete a series of puzzles and save the day. All you need is a computer or tablet and an internet connection.  Online escape rooms take many forms, from fully interactive (an actor is on the Zoom call with you and will look at and report on clues in their physical room) to a hybrid (an escape room employee straps a GoPro to their head and takes direction from you) to a fully digital setup, which can be either an interactive digital space, sort of like the 360-degree tours you find on real estate websites, or a videogame-type setup.  Bad Altitude is more in the last category, and it probably properly belongs more in the category of story-based online videogame than actual escape room. But let's not quibble. The setup is this: You are with some number of friends, either clustered together around one computer screen, using different screens in the same room or in different locations and linked via Google Hangouts, Zoom or any other video chat you want. If you're in the same physical space, we suggest clustering around the largest screen you have and nominating one member of your team drive the action. Your mission is to solve problems aboard a plane, from overly sensitive passengers to lost luggage to, as you might expect, landing the whole damn thing.  There is no human on the other end in real time, but several different cartoon characters help or hinde

Darling Harbour's Chinese Garden of Friendship will soon be lit up in an immersive world of lights, colour and natural splendour, transforming this tranquil sanctuary in the heart of the city into a digital art playground.  Using augmented reality technology, the heritage-listed gardens will transform into a reflection of the four seasons. You can meet AR sprites, take part in a treasure hunt wander through the illuminated world with a cocktail in hand, as the dulcet sounds of a string quartet fill the air. Hot tip: dumpling house Lotus will be open during the event, so why not fill up with a steamer-full before exploring?  Entry is $50 per adult and $30 per child, with after-dark sessions running from July 1 to October 1. Tickets will be released on Tuesday, May 18 – sign up to get updates on when sales open.  Want more? Here are the best public gardens to explore in Sydney. 

Movie lovers are spoiled in Sydney right now. The tenth anniversary of the Iranian Film Festival may have wrapped up in-cinema, but you'll be able to kick on, with the program heading online July 15-30. The country has become a hotbed for excellent cinema, despite the onerous obstructions placed in front of filmmakers. It has fielded masterpieces from the likes of Abbas Kiarostami (Palme d’Or-winner Taste of Cherry) and Asghar Farhadi (Oscar-winner A Separation). This year’s crop includes proud feminist writer/director Ida Panahandeh’s mind-bending TiTi. It features Elnaz Shakerdoost as a hospital worker with supernatural powers, who performs an arcane ritual to save an esteemed physicist working on black hole theory and a prediction about the end of the world. Oh, and she’s also acting as a surrogate mother for an infertile couple in order to serve humanity. Natch. It premiered at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival to rave reviews, and we are so hooked in. Elsewhere in the Iranian Film Festival, superstar Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s movie Sun Children introduces us to a group of canny 12 year olds working odd jobs and small-time crime to support their families. Though it didn’t make the final noms, it was Iran’s official Oscar hope this year. The Wasteland by Ahmad Bahrami tells a story about a community that's centred on a traditional brick-making factory in a remote corner of the country. It won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. Prolific

Do you love the cut and thrust of MasterChef a little too much? Do you scream at the TV screen, urging your favourite contestant to kill it? Is your snarling fervour just a wee bit more than might be deemed healthy? Like, bloodthirsty Hunger Games too much? If your answer is yeah, well, have we got the show for you. Parramatta-based Blush Opera took the brutality of reality TV to the next level with their wicked fun show Chop Chef earlier this year. Slicing and dicing the fates of six wannabes locked in a battle to the death over creating the best dish, this wickedly sharp satire of the mores and frankly too muches of cooking shows is opera, but not as you know it. Add a delirious dash of musical theatre and a pinch of viciously dark comedy and the recipe is a winner. Sure, some bodies are gonna be DOA by the end of the show – that’s nothing new for the operatic form – but they won’t be daintily fading away. Only one fierce competitor will be left standing, and no dirty trick is too hot for these kitchen rules. Created by Blush co-artistic directors Jermaine Chau and Paul Smith (Fancy Me Dead) and music director Luke Spicer, Chop Chef will cut a bloody swathe through Riverside Theatres. It's directed by Nicole Pingon and Kenneth Moraleda, with the knives out cast of Ayako Ohtake, Lisa Cooper, Jermaine Chau, Gavin Brown, Benjamin Caulkwell and Nick Geddes. Recorded live, it's been heated up in the microwave for an online watch party you can stream from home on Friday, July 16

It was pure joy when Sydneysiders got to see the beautiful colours of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint’s beautiful abstracts light up the Art Gallery of New South Wales this winter. And then a total bummer when they had to close the doors of Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings less than a month later. The good news is, it’s back on, only this time you can visit without leaving the house, and it’s totally free. They’ve whipped up a snazzy YouTube video walkthrough to ensure that the gorgeous exhibition reaches even further than before while keeping us all safe and happy.   The major survey of af Klint’s pioneering work recognises a game-changing talent who drew on popular spiritualist practices to create large-scale works of a kind that hadn’t been seen before. She believed that her paintings contained messages for humanity, communicated to her through visions, and founded a spiritual group named The Five with four like-minded women who explored esoteric texts and conducted séances. Born in Stockholm in 1862, she was way before her time, and never received the credit she so clearly deserved before dying in a tragic accident at 82, in the autumn of 1944. That's partly because she left a note asking for them to be concealed for at least 20 years. She is behind more than 1300 works which were hidden away in storage for decades until their rediscovery caused a sensation, leading to a 2019 exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum that smashed the New York institution’s attendance records.

Level up the vibes on your locked-down Friday night and pump the beat into your downward dog with this funky livestreamed flow. Music-maker Matt and yoga teacher Angel have been helping music lovers and yogis of all levels get bendy to clubby bangers with their fusion events for the past decade. Their usual setup involves nightclub lighting and a big sound system (sometimes in an actual church). Now they're channelling the good vibes into a 75-minute virtual session live from the studio. The flow kicks off from 7pm AEST on Friday July 30. You can grab a ticket for $20 here. Want more? Check out the best online workouts you can do at home.  

While you won’t find greasy-haired potions masters or famed boy wizards at this creative drinking experience, you will have a lot of fun if you’re keen on the occult. The Wizard’s Den invites you to escape to a world of magic and potion-making (read: cocktail mixing, or mocktail mixing, if so desired). The Time Out team was invited to get its wands at the ready and learn the ropes (robes?) at this boozy encounter. First things first, the event name is a ruse* – you won’t find any tall bearded gents of Gandalf’s ilk. Wizards are not the ringleaders here, but a fierce witch by the name of Morticia Le Mort, who nec-romances you with her potions assistant.  With the high-energy acting antics of the cast and the clever set-up of the venue combined, this experience is a whole lot of fun for those willing to play along. You’ll be tasked with a series of escape room-like clues and riddles to work out. Solve them to uncover magical wands for your team, potion bottles and ingredients required to mix up cocktails in your cauldron.  The atmosphere and staging of the venue are a great mix of spooky, playful and immersive – with floating candles, shelves stacked with trinkets, crystal balls, pentagrams, witchy paraphernalia, and even a secret entrance to a witch’s garden (which is sure to please those of us who went green and succumbed to plant fanaticism in lockdown).  If you have already attended Semester I or Semester II of this bewitching experience, be prepared to have the ante up

While the doors of the Art Gallery of NSW remain shut for the time being, the good news is you can still check out Peter Wegner’s Archibald Prize-winning ‘Portrait of Guy Warren at 100’ from the safety of your sofa. That’s because the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize exhibitions have been given the digital treatment, with a swish 360-degree immersive experience you can check out online here. It’s heaps of fun to explore, with the self-guided tour flagging loads of interesting facts along the way as you click on the works to read their labels. Look out for Yolŋu painter and printmaker Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, her silvery depiction of the Seven Sisters star clusters, also known as the Pleiades, titled ‘Garak – night sky’ was the Wynne Prize-winner. Also, look out for Sulman Prize-winner Georgia Spain’s stunning work ‘Getting down or falling up’. We also love German-born, Sydney-based artist Kathrin Longhurst’s stunning, unguarded portrait of singer-songwriter Kate Ceberano, which took home the 30th Archibald Packing Room Prize. Once you’ve had a virtual wander you can vote on your faves for the People’s Choice Award and go in the mix for your own reward. Check out the AGNSW website for more details. Need more culture in your life? Check out these digital events here.

When the fantastically over-decorated, Christmas-themed bar Tinseltown popped up in Kings Cross over the festive season, it packed in all the seasonal jollies and wrapped it all up with an adults-only, boozy bow.  Suddenly we’re halfway through 2021, and we don’t know about you, but we could use a dose of those nostalgic, tinsel-trimmed vibes. Decidedly so, the elves at Tinseltown agreed – and they’re bringing it back for Christmas in July.  Get into the holly jolly spirit (or get jolly on the spirits, at least) at this bar where the Christmas cheer is dialled up to eleven. The halls are more than decked, with a sleigh load of baubles, trees, bows, wreaths and all manner of festive paraphernalia filling every nook and cranny. It’s like a Christmas store threw up on a bar – and with festive games, themed cocktails, seasonal tunes, Christmas pudding, and appearances from Santa and his elves to boot, it would be hard to leave this twinkling den without feeling at least a touch wistful.  The Yuletide fun is filling the top floor at the Alice in Wonderland-themed Wonderland Bar for the whole month of July. Tickets are required to enter and can be purchased here for $15, which includes a themed cocktail or mocktail on arrival. The bar is generally open Wednesday to Sunday, and you can book in for a 90-minute session starting from 5.30pm to 9pm on weekdays and from 3pm on weekends (some family friendly sessions available). No grinches allowed! Fancy a tipple minus the tinsel? Check

It’s imperative that you do not eat before you visit the Carriageworks Farmers Markets. You’ll want to save maximum belly space for your personal version of The Bachelorette where you decide who gets your dollars and what delicious produce gets to come home with you. Maybe you like something soupy and savoury first thing? In that case go for the pho stand for a traditional Vietnamese start to the day. There’s a bibimbap stall that will even replace the rice with shredded cauliflower if you don’t believe in cheat days, and a classic bacon and egg roll for creatures of habit, from Farmer Rod’s Free Range stall. Once the hounds of your hunger have been quieted it’s time to prepare for your next meal, or seven. Maybe you need the sweet bite of Pickle Hill’s Worcester sauce for the pantry? Or some fresh goat’s curd from Willowbrae? While you’re there you may as well get some smoked salmon, fresh ravioli from Pasta Emilia, free range eggs, a load of beer and barley bread form the Bread and Butter Project, and some jersey milk butter to go on it. Chef Josh Niland of Fish Butchery and Saint Peter in Paddington now has a permanent stall selling inventive seafood using lesser known varieties and flavours. His prawn toast is a certified hangover buster, and the few cooked items sold change with the tide. There are usually take-home packs of fish sausages and Ballina prawns as big as your hand. You can spend a whole lot of money if you want to here, but equally you could just grab a kom

UPDATE, June 28: As of June 26, the Greater Sydney region including the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong is under a compulsory two-week lockdown until 11.59pm on July 9. Many events in Sydney have therefore been cancelled or postponed until after this period. Oh starry, starry night – we have been utterly transfixed by the blinding glow of lush exhibition Lumen. Currently on show at White Rabbit Gallery until August 1, if you haven’t had a looksee as yet, then prepare to be dazzled. The magnetic collection brings together glimmering works from more than 25 artists from China and Taiwan. We particularly love the work of collective LuxuryLogico, they fuse music, theatre, dance, film, architecture, installation and technology into their practice. Their mesmerising installation ‘Miniature’ corrals a starfield of LED lights into a large scale pendant work that transfixes you with its cellestial beauty. They also field the flickering awe of ‘Solar’, mimicking the interstellar eruption of solar flares on the surface of the sun via 300 donated desk lamps converted with low-energy bulbs. Elsewhere, Dai Hua’s ‘Chinese Dream’ presents a wearable lightbox parodying the national flag, utilising bold colours and typeface. The exhibition also explores the evolution of AI though digital artist Wei Wei’s interactive ‘Mood Machine’. It harnesses a Tesla coil’s arcing lighting to spark a wide range of emotional responses. Wei collaborated with musician Jia Di Wang on eight accom

Using the expanses of Orange Grove primary school, these markets fill the playground with covetable goods on a weekly basis. Farm fresh fruit and veg is everywhere here and you’re spoilt for choice for truss tomatoes, plump berries, technicolour capsicums and leafy greens. There’s also a glut of small producers for all your smallgood and fancy condiment needs; grab a fragrant saucisson (an air-dried pork sausage); or rummage through bright yellow, ice-filled eskies for some juicy free-range steaks and nab a carton of free-range eggs.The popularity of the bacon and egg rolls from Bowen’s has reached celebrity status, with queues long enough to make you think Bieber is signing autographs at the end of the line. They’re undeniably delicious. But our breakfast of choice is a steaming carton of Eat Fuh pho, purveyors of one of the most fragrant broths in Sydney. Try their vegan option, too; the broth has a rich mushroom aroma that almost overshadows the meat version. And, if the crisp crunch of an organically grown carrot isn’t your thing on a Saturday morning, the market also has tables laden with top notch baked goods. Grab a slab of Flour and Stone’s popular lemon cake or a goat cheese and zucchini savoury tart from Croquembouche patisserie, or collect flavoured seed varieties at Brooklyn Boy Bagels.Food isn’t the only thing on the menu – there’s also a range of handmade and environmentally conscious clothing, second-hand records and jewellery. Find the best markets in Sydney.

These dog-friendly markets aren’t just a ritual for locals – loyal visitors from all over Sydney trek to Addison Road Community Centre for organic groceries and a wander around Reverse Garbage. You can find pretty much anything here; vintage clothes, books, rugs, eco food wraps to healing crystals, rice bread and tarot reading. There are plenty of stalls selling seasonal fruit and veg, plus Asian greens, honey and fresh seafood. Pick up a paper lunch bag filled with sweet, mini plums and stop by Brooklyn Boy Bagels for a poppy seed dough with cream cheese, lox, dill and caper schmear. If you visit on the first or fourth Sunday of the month, the longest lines will be found at La Casa Latina – a pop-up diner where you can eat authentic Mexican food. It’s a major drawcard for tamales, chilaquiles, tacos al pastor and pazole. Wash it all down with a Michelada – a popular Mexican drink that combines beer, lime, tomato juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce. If the picnic tables are full, there’s plenty of grass behind the community hall to throw down a rug – just watch out for the pony rides passing through. Find the best markets in Sydney.

Slide on your glass slippers and get ready for a feast that will leave you feeling happily ever after. Affordable fine dining favourite Nel has announced the return of its hugely popular Disney-themed degustation. ‘Once Upon a Time’ involves eleven dishes with a nostalgia-inducing creative touch. In 2019, the menu gained international notoriety for the controversial ‘Bambi’s Mum’, which came complete with dukkah served in rifle casings. In 2021, chef Nelly Robinson is focussing his attention on happier childhood memories, but much of the menu is under wraps – though, we have been granted a quick peek into the magic mirror. If Disney references galore are what you're hungry for, this bounty is the Cave of Wonders you seek. A little taste of Piglet (pork belly) is served up glazed in Pooh’s favourite honey, and topped off with Eeyore’s carrots in the dish 'Hundred Acre Wood'; the 'Boo’s Best Friend' is a white chocolate and mint parfait made to look like Mike Wazowski’s eye; and the 'Dead Man’s Chest' serves up seafarin' squid topped with a black garlic emulsion. There are lovely bunches of coconuts, flounder from the deep sea, and elote and chimmichurri to celebrate the Day of the Dead, just like in Coco. Bookings are now open for this fantastical degustation, which will be on the table between June 28 and October 9. The Once Upon a Time menu will set you back $145 per person, with optional drink-matching packages available in alcoholic ($105) and non-alcoholic ($50) beverage