Things to do in Sydney this week

Say farewell to fast fashion and hello to shopping secondhand, as Australia’s biggest pre-loved treasure hunt – Garage Sale Trail – returns for two massive weekends this November. We suggest getting a headstart on that spring clean-out to make room for lots of newfound treasures at bargain prices.This year’s event is going down on November 7-8 and 14-15, with hundreds of sales set to pop up across the country. From vintage clothes to classic cookbooks, cult vinyl and rare Lego, Sydenysiders willing to hit the streets will get their hands on some pretty special treasures. If you're roaming through your suburb on the day you'll likely stumble on a sale or too, but it's worth checking out the map if you want to plan out your shopping journey with coffee breaks in mind. Garage Sale Trail started with two Bondi guys, Andrew and Dazz, who decided they would set up a secondhand stall at a local event in the suburb. ‘Don’t dump it. Sell it.’ was their tagline. Fast-forward 15 years, and Garage Sale Trail has become a nationwide festival with more than 300,000 Aussies hitting the trails each year, and Garage Sale Trail sellers making an average of $457.Plan your route by building a trail of sales to visit using the Garage Sale Trail map, here. If you want to turn your stash into cash, you can register for the Garage Sale Trail for free here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your...

The late, great David Hockney (July 9, 1937 – June 11, 2026) passed away earlier this year, but his art is very much alive. You might know the British artist for his sun-drenched Los Angeles swimming pools, including A Bigger Splash (1967), or Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), which fetched a whopping $90.3 million at auction in 2018. Or, perhaps you’ve seen his portrait of pop star Harry Styles that he painted in just two days, or his vibrant digital landscapes that he created on an iPad. Or maybe you just dig the fact that Hockney wore yellow Crocs when he met King Charles.  Now, Sydneysiders can step right into Hockney’s colourful, endlessly curious world as his acclaimed immersive experience, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), makes its Australian debut at Carriageworks. Running until January 24, 2027, this spectacular 360-degree production transforms the vast Bay 17 into a kaleidoscope of colour, movement, sound and light. Created by London’s Lightroom, the experience has captivated audiences from Seoul to Singapore since premiering in London in 2023. Bigger & Closer takes you inside Hockney’s artistic imagination, tracing six decades of creative experimentation. Narrated by Hockney himself and accompanied by an original score by composer Nico Muhly, it reveals the stories, ideas and happy accidents behind his extraordinary body of work. Journey through the San Gabriel Mountains, cruise along California’s Mulholland Drive...

This November, the Inner West is serving up a delicious mix of exclusive craft beers, live music and seriously good food, all wrapped into one big neighbourhood party. Made in the Inner West runs from November 6-15, bringing together 13 breweries and 13 local businesses for ten days of deliciously creative collaborations and limited-edition beers.  In terms of entertainment, Inner Westie singer-songwriter Ben Lee is performing across four breweries along with his favourite local artists on November 7, so get ready to 'catch his disease', if you know what we mean. The festival’s food and drinks menu is full of unexpected pairings between local breweries and eateries. For instance, Grifter is teaming up with A.P Bakery, Heaps Normal with Mapo Gelato, Bracket with Miss Sina, and Pickled Monkey with Donut Garage and many, many more.  Grab a festival passport and collect stamps as you visit breweries and purchase beers. Score ten stamps and you’ll earn a limited-edition tote bag featuring artwork by Aidan Howes. Entry is free and everybody's welcome, so bring your family, bring your friends, and even bring your fur babies.  Made in the Inner West runs from November 6-15 across 13 Inner West Ale Trail breweries. Entry is free. Find out more 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: Hungry for more? Here's where else you can grab a bite to eat in Sydney's Inner West.

Vino fiends, glasses at the ready! Winemakers from more than 35 NSW wineries will be descending upon The Rocks for Sydney Cellar Door, a huge celebration of the state’s best wine. For its third year since being founded, NSW Wine Month will see the best homegrown wines take over First Fleet Park, where top tipples will be paired with panoramic harbour views – truly the stuff of dreams. At this three-day féte, running from Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15, wine lovers will have the opportunity to meet the minds behind top wines – including regional vignerons, winemakers and venue owners – and sample the fruits of their labours. Plus, you’ll get to experience exclusive collaborations with NSW bars, restaurants and venues. Beyond the vino, the scenic space will be stacked with freshly shucked oysters and crowd-pleasing Italian bites, including arancini and wood-fired pizza. Make the most of the fest’s free entry and spend the weekend sipping your way through the state’s best wine regions, from the Hunter Valley through to Orange and Mudgee, with a stunning harbour backdrop. On this year’s bill of top-notch drops, you’ll experience acclaimed craftmanship from Silkmans wines, Brokenwood wines, Lowe Family Wine Co., Ross Hill, Via Pola, Stein Winery and De Beaurepaire Wines, to name a few. Take your pick between each winery’s finest bottles, ranging between crisp whites, juicy reds and deeper, more indulgent sips. Or, let the curators do the thinking for you by opting...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. If your little ones are already making a list for Santa and checking it twice, there’s something special waiting for them right in the heart of Sydney. After delighting families in London, Wundrful World of Christmas is returning home from November 6 to December 24, bringing festive cheer to Sydney right opposite the QVB. Created by Sydney-based immersive entertainment company Wundr, it is designed especially for young children. This enchanting 50-minute adventure invites kids and their grown-ups to step inside a Christmas wonderland where they’ll be immersed in the action, surrounded by dazzling animation, twinkling lights, actors and animated characters. The adventure begins with a thrilling simulated journey to the North Pole. Families can wander through a snowy Enchanted Forest, peek inside the Elves’ Workshop and discover where the Christmas magic happens. Little helpers can lend a hand sorting letters to Santa before visiting Mrs Claus in her cosy cottage. Of course, no Christmas adventure would be complete without meeting the jolly man in red himself: Santa Claus. Families can take home a photo with Santa, choosing from a range of Christmassy backgrounds. Wundrful World of Christmas Sydney runs from November 6 to December 24 at Wundr Store on Market Street (opposite the QVB). There are timed entry slots which last for about 50 minutes. Tickets start at $27.50 and children under two years are free. Check the website for...

Love a bit of razzle dazzle? Want a bit of risqué business? Sydney, it’s time to welcome back Blanc de Blanc to The Grand Electric in Surry Hills. Celebrating ten years since it first astounded audiences at the Sydney Opera House in 2016, this burlesque show is back with an all-new cast. Get ready for an adults-only spectacular serving up a heady mix of cabaret, cheeky humour, Champagne and jaw-dropping circus acts. Leading the line-up is charismatic American host Alex Makardish, fresh from extended seasons in London and Melbourne, along with world champion contortionist Misha Makarov. Aerialists Duo Coco and Marie also join the cast, with French performer Marie Lebot and Canadian performer Corentin Lemaitre Auger making their Sydney stage debuts. Watching these artistes twist, tumble and soar through the air, you can’t help but marvel at their incredible athleticism and flexibility. Produced by Jess Copas, Blanc de Blanc has charmed audiences from London’s West End to Las Vegas with its intoxicating blend of cabaret, circus and comedy. Whether you’re planning a date night or a fun evening out with the girls, prepare to leave everyday life at the door and embrace your wild side.  Blanc de Blanc runs from October 28, 2026 to January 24, 2027 at The Grand Electric, Surry Hills. Tickets start at $75. Find out more and book tickets 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....

You should know the premise by now – divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived all set to a fiery, feminist live band. Henry VIII’s six ex-wives reclaim their stories and their thrones in the worldwide sensation that is Six the Musical. This is the fourth time in (wouldn’t you know it) six years that the queens have graced Sydney stages, the second at the Theatre Royal. So has Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ Tony- and Grammy-nominated electrifying pop-concert hit lost some of its glam? The short answer is “No Way”. What is the plot of Six? What started as an Edinburgh Fringe hit went on to capture the hearts of the West End, Broadway, and beyond. At its core, Six retains those fringey roots in its tight 80-minute, one-set, one-act pop-concert musical in what is a song-cycle of the Tudor Queens turned Pop Princesses who remix five hundred years of history to win their crowns. Who had it the worst under Henry’s reign? Who deserves the most sympathy? And is it all about his-story or is it time for a bit of herstory? The beauty of Six is that it’s a star vehicle for female and gender diverse talents. Thankfully, the creative team have offered up six of the best to fangirl over, from young veterans of the stage through to mainstage debuts: Sarah Murr as Catherine of Aragon, Mia Paris Scalise as Anne Boleyn, Cara Bessey as Jane Seymour, Kadesa Honeyhill as Anna of Cleves, Angela Brischetto as Katherine Howard, and Lorinda May Merrypor as Catherine Parr. Alongside them...

In an Instagram-flooded world, it’s easy to forget the way good photography can truly make us see the world a little differently. Here to remind us, Australia's biggest photo fest is coming back to Sydney – bringing 93 free exhibitions and more than 700 photographers from over 30 countries to venues across the city. Running from November 6-29, Head On Photo Festival's three key locations are Bondi Beach promenade, Bondi Pavilion and Paddington Reservoir Gardens, where the major Featured Program exhibitions will be presented. The wider program extends into galleries, cafes, bookstores and community spaces across Sydney, with additional independent exhibitions taking place interstate. And what can we expect to see this year? From what we can tell, there are some seriously powerful international stories in the mix. American photojournalist Carol Guzy, the first journalist to win four Pulitzer Prizes, presents ICE: Broken Families, documenting the impact of US immigration enforcement on children and families. Other heart-wrenching depictions come from British photographer Giles Clarke, who brings rare images from inside war-torn Sudan, and Palestinian photojournalist Abdelrahman Alkahlout who captures everyday life and displacement in Gaza. Closer to home, Australian photographer Trent Mitchell explores the landscapes, rituals and contradictions of regional Australia in Australian Lustre, and Sydney photojournalist Glenn Lockitch revisits the city's after-dark characters...

Keen to add some colour to your life but don’t have $80K to drop on an artwork? Same. That’s where the Affordable Art Fair comes in. div:has([data-free-thinking-preview-answer=true])+:is(.text-message,.relative:has(>.text-message))]:-mt-2 grow"> div:has([data-free-thinking-preview-answer=true])+:is(.text-message,.relative:has(>.text-message))]:-mt-2" data-streaming-response-group=""> The four-day art party returns to Carriageworks in Redfern from November 5-8 for its biggest Sydney edition yet, bringing together more than 75 Australian galleries and thousands of original artworks priced from $100 to $10,000, all available to buy and take home on the day. Expect everything from paintings, photography and textiles to large-scale sculptures, alongside a packed program of live art demonstrations, interactive installations and family-friendly activities. Highlights include Chris Riley’s colourful, immersive installation Blue Sky World, a new mural by Struan Hopwood and the return of Jackie Case’s Art ATM. Young artists can get creative at the children’s art studio, while the Artists in Action program offers the chance to watch artists bring new works to life. Australian Fair Director Georgia Huestis says: “For us, it’s about creating an environment where art feels approachable and enjoyable. This year’s program adds another layer to that experience, with sculptures, live artmaking, hands-on activities for kids and plenty of opportunities to meet the people behind the...

Every Wednesday evening, the Art Gallery of NSW welcomes you into its hallowed halls and throws the ultimate in absolutely free mid-week social and cultural events. Until 10pm, Art After Hours offers a regular program of live music, lectures and celebrity talks, drawing workshops, film screenings, gallery tours and other events – and, of course, nocturnal access to its latest exhibitions.  The program is usually themed around the exhibitions currently showing at the gallery, and you can join guided tours around the gallery at 5.30pm – it's free and no booking is required. Plus, a free courtesy bus runs every 20 minutes from 7pm until closing from the gallery to various city locations that are all close to public transport – so, no matter where you need to go, they have you covered.  Head to Art After Hours to jazz up your Wednesday night, and to inject a liberal splash of arty delight into your week, and your life.  Want more high culture? Check out our list of the best art exhibitions on across Sydney right now.