Max your summer in Sydney

It’s easy to think that tales of raucous Vikings are the stuff of fiction: horned helmets, fierce warriors and wooden boats that were as intricately carved as they were fearsome on a misty horizon. This year, the Australian National Maritime Museum is displaying an awe-inspiring exhibition with some very real artefacts that show just how pivotal the Viking Age was in forming what we know as modern-day Scotland, England and Ireland.  The Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard exhibition uncovers items that were buried around AD 900. Due to all the looting synonymous with the Viking Age, it was really common for treasure troves of goods to be buried and forgotten about, only to be discovered centuries later.  In 2014, metal detectorists uncovered The Galloway Hoard with five kilograms of precious metals, rare organic materials like silk, heirlooms and more. Sydney's own Australian National Maritime Museum is displaying the collection, on loan from National Museums Scotland, until October. Tickets start from $15 for children, $25 for adults and free for members. You can catch the exhibition open daily from 10am-4pm now, until October 11. Book your tickets here.

Let's face it: beach weather is behind us. But thankfully, every winter, Australia’s most famous sretch of sand levels up its entertainment offering with a soul-warming multi-week festival. Running from Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 19, this year’s fest brings 17 days of music, theatre, comedy, visual arts and immersive experiences to the sand – all anchored around Bondi Pavilion and its surrounds. But 2026 isn’t just any year: it marks a once-in-a-lifetime alignment with Bondi’s postcode (2026), and the festival is going bigger to match. The winter staples are, of course, back. Expect the crowd-favourite ice rink, the ever-iconic Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel (complete with sweeping coastal views), and the technicolour chaos of the Bondi Beach Sea Wall, where artists will once again transform the shoreline into an open-air gallery. New for 2026 is Accordion by Amigo & Amigo – a large-scale, playful light and sound installation taking over the Bondi Pavilion Courtyard from late June through July. Foodies are also in for a treat, with the Blue Sky Markets returning after a buzzy debut last year. Across multiple weekends, Bondi Park will transform into a beachside feast of street food, artisan drinks and sweet treats, soundtracked by live DJs and musicians as part of Music in the Park. The festival kicks off with the opening of the 40th annual Waverley Art Prize – a milestone year for one of Australia’s leading contemporary art awards – alongside the always-sold-out Bondi...

Sydney’s Darling Harbour is turning to ice once again. No, the harbour itself hasn’t frozen over (though the winter chill might have you fooled), but the much-loved ice skating rink has officially glided back into town for the 2026 season – and it’s bigger, busier and more entertaining than ever. If you’ve always dreamed of landing a triple axel – or simply recreating your own Home Alone 2 moment under twinkling city lights – consider this your cue. Whether you’re planning a wholesome date night or looking for a foolproof way to tire out the kids these school holidays, this icy pop-up delivers. From Friday, June 27 until Sunday, July 19, you can head down to the Palm Grove Forecourt (just outside IMAX Sydney) to lace up your skates and take to the rink. Sessions run daily from 10am to 9pm, giving you plenty of time to channel your inner figure skater – or wobble your way around like Bambi on ice. (Pro tip: thick pants are still your best friend.) The rink welcomes skaters of all levels, with handy skating aids available for little ones still finding their footing. But the big new addition for 2026? Friday night performances. Each week at 5.45pm and 6.45pm, six professional skaters will take to the ice for a dazzling 12-minute show, bringing a touch of winter magic to the waterfront with elegant choreography and serious skill. Once you’ve had your fill of spins (intentional or otherwise), Darling Harbour’s surrounding precinct is packed with dining options – from quick...

’Tis (almost) the season: Christmas may still be six months away, but you won’t have to wait that long for a festive-style fix. A new winter festival is landing at Hay St, bringing an ice-skating rink, winter cocktails and immersive events, from July 1 to August 2. The month-long celebration will see Hay St embrace the season with a special Winterfest menu as the market is decked out with twinkling lights, falling snow in a dedicated laneway, and a pop-up photo booth, where you can snap a souvenir pic to take home. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, lace up for a 45-minute skate sesh on the synthetic ice rink. Tickets are $10 and include skates as well as a 25 per cent off voucher for food from any stall of your choice.  If you’re less of a skater and more of a spectator – especially when it comes to the hockey-player romance craze currently taking over our screens – Hay St is hosting a one-off American-themed Off Campus Party on Thursday, July 9. Take a study break and step into a real-life campus movie, with cheerleaders, hockey players and campus officers roaming the halls. Entry is $5, with a DJ spinning party tracks all night for anyone keen to hit the dance floor. As if you needed another reason to visit, the market is also hosting the most wholesome date-night activity, with two cosy nights of candlelit jazz performances on July 25 and August 1 from 6-9pm. Winterfest at Hay St runs every Wednesday to Sunday from July 1 to August 2, with free entry. Find out more here.

Few things in life manage to bridge generational divides, and one of them is Animal Crossing. Whether you’re looking for activities these school holidays or feeling nostalgic for the hours spent catching fish on your Nintendo Switch, head to Darling Harbour from July 1 to August 23 to experience a dreamlike underwater world where your favourite virtual characters and the real marine world collide. Back by popular demand, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience returns with a fresh and even more immersive take, giving returning fans the perfect excuse to come back. Snap a pic with Isabelle, everyone's favourite secretary, or check out panels from Blathers about the aquarium’s real-world marine life. In between lessons, see if you can spot a washed-up Gulliver alongside giant cutouts of other island residents hiding around. You can also take part in a stamp rally inspired by the game. If you collect all the character stamps, you'll take home a postcard as a reward that’s worthy of a spot on the fridge.  Tickets start from $99 per family, with 30 per cent off until July 19. Plus, students save more than 50 per cent, with $24 tickets available weekdays anytime (outside school holidays) or every day after 3pm. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience at Sea Life runs for a limited time from July 1 to August 23, 2026. To learn more and get tickets, visit the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium website.

Movie nights are fun. Movie nights with front-row seats overlooking Sydney Harbour? Now we're talking. Pier One Sydney Harbour is giving movies a decadent glow-up with Harbourside Cinema by Pier One – a private open-air cinema set on its Sunset Balcony Suite. Available until September 30, the experience transforms the suite's waterfront terrace into your own luxe outdoor cinema, complete with a cosy love seat, blankets and a projector screen framed by our spectacular harbour. You pick the movie – whether it’s a rom-com or an action-packed adventure – then settle in as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Luna Park provide a stunning backdrop. Getting to the all-important movie snacks: a dedicated Ultimate Movie Night trolley rolls up to your suite loaded with buttery popcorn and DIY Yo-Chi frozen yoghurt, complete with toppings. Feeling hungrier? Order everything from loaded fries and Wagyu cheeseburgers to baked brie and artisan cheeseboards from the Pier Bar food and drink menu which is sent straight to your room. Harbourside Cinema by Pier One costs $150 per experience on top of the nightly suite rate, so this is definitely a treat-yourself experience. Additional guests are $50 per person, with a maximum capacity of eight guests per booking. Once you book the Harbourside Cinema package, their team will be in touch to organise any additional guests, movie night trolley timings, plus food and drink pre-orders. All you need to do is pick the movie. Find out more here.  Stay in...

Inner Westies, rejoice – King Street Crawl is back on July 12, so get ready for this music-fuelled festival across Newtown, Enmore and Erskineville. The 2026 Crawl promises more than 250 artists performing across 40 venues and stages. From punk and indie rock to hip-hop, jazz, funk and electronic beats, there’s something happening around every corner – and most of it is free. For the first time ever, the legendary Enmore Theatre will join the action as a ticketed headline stage, hosting an all-star lineup featuring Tropical F*ck Storm, Winston Surfshirt, Miss Kaninna, Human Movement, Body Type, Djanaba and more. Tickets start from just $50 and double as a Priority Pass, helping you skip the queues at selected venues throughout the day. Prefer a street party vibe? Head to Eliza Street for free live music performances all day, plus drinks from local favourites like Young Henrys and Doomjuice and food by Volkswurst.  Families are catered for too, with dedicated all-ages spaces at the Inner West Pride Centre and St Georges Hall at Newtown Performing High for music and more. The beauty of King Street Crawl is that there’s no set path. Wander between pubs, bars, breweries, cafes and pop-up stages, discover your next favourite band and soak up the atmosphere that makes Sydney’s Inner West music scene so special. Our tip: wear comfortable shoes. Get all the deets here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity...

I had high expectations – I won’t lie. As a literary and theatre purist, I am always a little wary of adaptations, but the mix of Y2K child star culture with Shakespeare’s Macbeth had me curious. I mean, what could explore power and unchecked ambition more than the kingdom of Hollywood? Virginia Gay’s modern adaptation, Mackenzie, not only raised the bar but crushed it into rhinestones and scattered it across the stage. This fabulous Bell Shakespeare production, now on at The Neilson Nutshell in Walsh Bay, plays with power without ever wavering from its camp and comedic register. Gay has reminded us that camp, done right, is that serious.  What is the premise of Mackenzie? As a story adapted from Macbeth, Mackenzie (Kimberley Hodgson) is a highly talented background actress and performer on the tween program ‘The Dahlia Show’. However, blood, sweat and tears are literal here, as the weight of such a role comes at the cost of brutality, abuse and meeting network expectations at the tender age of thirteen. While in hair and make-up, both Mackenzie and her co-star Beau (Ryan González) are told of a prophecy by their make-up artist of a future where Mackenzie is promoted on ‘The Dahlia Show’ and becomes the biggest pop sensation in the world. After the promotion occurs, Mackenzie’s mother, Ruth (Nikki Britton), works with Mackenzie to take down Dahlia and help ensure her rise as the biggest pop star. However, after five years, work, guilt, youth and the misogyny of the...

Anastasia (1997) was among the first musical films I knew in its entirety. While many children frolicked to Timon and Pumbaa’s playful anthem in The Lion King, I was instead reenacting “Once Upon a December” in my living room, captivated by a heroine whose quiet determination carried her through danger and uncertainty. At the time, I could not have anticipated how deeply this film would shape my relationship with musical theatre. “Journey to the Past” soon became a staple audition piece, and Anya’s unwavering belief in her own worth quietly informed my own developing sense of confidence.  What I did not yet understand, however, was the historical context behind the story: the execution of the Russian imperial family in 1918 and the long-standing myth that Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov survived. The 1997 animated film leans fully into fantasy, using magic and spectacle to distance itself from historical reality. The stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2017 with a book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, takes a different approach, removing the supernatural elements in favour of a more realistic political setting. This creative decision has lingered uneasily over the production since its premiere, inviting criticism for its revisionist narrative – a species of theatrical “fake news,” further undermined by the musical’s questionable commitment to American accents. In performance, now at Sydney Lyric Theatre, this shift...

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...