Max your summer in Sydney

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. To celebrate the return of The Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience, we're...

Isobel McArthur’s Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) strips away the intellectual exclusivity of Jane Austen’s classic, not only making it accessible to a wide variety of audiences, but also making clear the sort of tools that Austen herself was using in her original novel: gender, satire, romance, and – most of all – comedy. There’s no Colin Firth here – but there are plenty of karaoke songs to hum along to. What is the premise of Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of)? Told by the servants who work tirelessly behind the main characters within Austen’s work, we’re given a slapstick comedy version of Pride and Prejudice. Dressed in white gowns with Doc Martens poking out underneath, the five-strong cast clean their way through the audience with yellow rubber gloves and individualised accents from across Great Britain. The fourth wall is destroyed immediately – they want you to be a part of the story. After a rather disturbing entrance involving a plunger and a rather messy toilet, Elvis Costello’s ‘Everyday I Write the Book’ launches us into literary territory and the premise is set up. Though you may only know the main characters of Pride and Prejudice, there were unsung heroes helping to push the Bennet sisters along their journey towards love and stability. Now, it’s their turn to tell a version of the events, with a song or two along the way – it’s best not to reason about the artistic merits or reasoning behind this addition, just go with it. Perhaps the jumbled selection of songs...

You probably walk past hundreds of everyday objects without giving them a second glance. But what if you slow down and look at them in a whole new light? Step inside the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) to view Hany Armanious: The Planets – an exhibition that transforms objects from our daily lives into thought-provoking works of art. Running from July 10 to 26 October 26 in the Macgregor Gallery, the exhibition celebrates the work of artist Hany Armanious. Born in Egypt and based in Sydney, Armanious rose to prominence in the 1990s and represented Australia at the 2011 Venice Biennale. His practice has long explored the idea that nothing is ordinary – all it takes is how we choose to look at things to alter our perception. Bringing together 19 new works created especially for the exhibition along with sculptures from the MCA Collection, The Planets presents a collection of curious forms scattered throughout the gallery. Arranged across the gallery floor and walls, and sometimes cast in coloured polyurethane resin, the sculptures – ranging from burnt down candles and used coat hangers to a broken polystyrene cup and an old noticeboard – encourages you to pause, observe and discover unexpected beauty hiding in plain sight. Hany Armanious: The Planets is on at the MCA until October 26, 2026. Get the details here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Also check...

The opening note of ‘The Circle of Life’ may just be one of the most recognisable in a Disney musical. If you don’t agree, then you may have to convince the entire theatre-going audience who were at Disney’s The Lion King on opening night. The full house’s roars could be heard all the way out of the Capitol Theatre’s front doors as the king of musicals triumphantly returns to Sydney – the first time in more than a decade. What type of show is The Lion King? It’s called The King of Musicals for a reason. If it’s not Elton John’s iconically recognisable music, or Tim Rice’s lyrics you’ve sung over a late-night karaoke session, then its Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi’s book featuring the characters you love, the characters you hate, and the ones you undoubtedly cry over – tears were definitely still shed during that scene. What’s so beautiful about The Lion King is the blurring of worlds and culture that merges in between all of these. Julie Taymor’s directorial conception blends African culture, language, movement and costume underneath masks and puppetry of the animal characters. Mufasa’s “crown” is a stoic, strong and towering headdress. The elegant lionesses soar and leap through the sky through Garth Fagan’s choreography as wing-like gowns flow behind them. The animals of Pride Rock are adorned with larger-than-life puppets of intricate designs and architecture: a re-engineered bicycle becomes leaping antelope, birds fly above the crowd on poles manipulated by performers,...

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...

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...

Australia’s most popular arts event is back in action for 2026, with the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes bringing a fresh batch of painterly expressions to the walls of the Art Gallery of NSW from May 9 to August 16.  They call it “the face that stops the nation”, and the Archibald Prize has indeed been courting controversy and conversation for more than a century now. This popular portrait prize is always filled with famous faces, with artists from all over Australia (and also New Zealand) capturing the spirit of the times through paintings that capture the likeness of the personalities that define their communities. Melbourne-based artist Richard Lewer is the winner of the Archibald Prize 2026 – he won over the judges with a stunning portrait of Pitjantjatjara Elder, senior artist and ngangkari (traditional healer) Iluwanti Ken. RECOMMENDED: A beginner's guide to the Archibald Prize. The winner of the 2026 Packing Room Prize was announced a week earlier, with the Packing Room Pickers (a.k.a. the Art Gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries) selecting Sean Layh's striking painting of actor Jacob Collins as their favourite Archibald portrait this year.  Meanwhile, the Wynne Prize awarded the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figurative sculpture to Yolŋu artist Gaypalani Waṉambi, and the Sulman was awarded to Lucy Culliton for the best genre painting, subject painting or mural project.  The annual finalists exhibition is a real must-see,...

Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, is the preserver and protector of the universe. He is believed to restore balance whenever chaos or evil threatens the world, appearing in different forms – or “avatars” – to protect humanity. Some well-known avatars include Krishna, the playful cowherd and spiritual teacher; Prince Rama, hero of the Ramayana; and Narasimha, the fierce half-man, half-lion figure. Over thousands of years, stories of Vishnu have inspired artists across South and Southeast Asia – and now those stories are coming to Sydney in a major new exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW). Opening on June 20, Avatar: Forms of Vishnu is the first Australian exhibition dedicated to Vishnu and will feature more than 200 artworks spanning ancient sculpture, textiles, paintings, photography and large-scale contemporary installations. The exhibition brings together remarkable works from museums in India, Cambodia, London and beyond, many of which are being shown in Australia for the first time. Alongside centuries-old treasures are striking new works by contemporary artists including Gitanjali Das, Jumaadi, Nalini Malani and Sumakshi Singh. Says Art Gallery of New South Wales senior curator of Asian art, Melanie Eastburn, "Across South and Southeast Asia, tales of Vishnu's avatars have inspired contemplation and devotion, as well as entertainment. Vishnu’s avatars are responsive, dynamic and shaped by the cultures and communities that embrace...

As any horror fan will tell you – from Dracula to this year’s Oscar-winner Sinners – the art of bloodsucking is all about stealth. But the real masters of the craft? You’ll find them at the Australian Museum’s fascinating new exhibition, Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires. Opening on April 2, this showcase dives into the fascinating world of creatures that live on blood – think mosquitoes, ticks, leeches, fleas, bed bugs, vampire bats and even those strange-looking ancient fish called lampreys. In fact, around 30,000 species on Earth are hematophagous i.e. they rely on blood to survive. Wild, right? Developed by the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada, this award-winning exhibition unpacks the science behind these often misunderstood creatures – and the myths they’ve inspired. Through immersive displays, you’ll discover how these animals have evolved to pierce, slice and slurp their way through the animal kingdom, plus the surprising role some play in modern medicine. You can get hands-on with interactive installations, microscopes and even a mozzie swarm simulator (yikes!). And if you’re feeling squeamish, don’t stress – there are no live animals or real blood involved. Equal parts creepy and captivating, it’s a must-see for curious minds aged eight and up. From April 2 to October 11, 2026 at the Australian Museum. Pre-booked tickets are priced lower than same-day bookings. Get all the details here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news,...

Back in May, sommelier Nick Hildebrandt and chef Brent Savage announced they would be closing their fine diner Bentley Restaurant and Bar this winter after more than 20 years at the top of its game (and five-star reviews from Time Out). The award-winning restaurant, which originally opened in Surry Hills in 2006 before moving to its current home in Sydney’s CBD on O’Connell Street in 2013, is housed within a heritage sandstone building dating back to the 1850s, now part of The Paradox Hotel Sydney. It will have its final service at the end of August. But because this is the Bentley Group we’re talking about – talent who are always one step ahead of the curve and not afraid to change things up, close the curtains when the time is right, or start fresh when opportunity arises (see: Monopole, Cirrus, Yellow, King Clarence, Watermans, and the soon-to-open Ashe and Bar Vespertine, for example) – this isn’t goodbye for good. Instead, Hildebrandt and Savage are on the lookout for the next perfect home for Bentley’s third act. “This feels less like an ending and more like a natural moment to pause and reset,” says Hildebrandt. “The move from Crown Street to the CBD was a defining evolution for Bentley, and now it feels like the right time for that next transformation.” For the final few months of service, Bentley Restaurant and Bar has rolled out the culinary red carpet with a greatest hits menu for both the tasting menu and bar menu – featuring the restaurant’s best dishes over...