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Bronte Baths at Bronte Beach
Photograph: Andrew Gregory; Destination NSW
Photograph: Andrew Gregory; Destination NSW

Things to do in Sydney this week

Wondering what to do across Sydney? Our list will guide you in the right direction

Avril Treasure
Written by Avril Treasure
Editor, Time Out Sydney
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Did you know it’s the last week of spring? Wild. Bring on summer, I say!

Heading to see AC/DC on Tuesday? The legendary Aussie band will be Back in Black for one more Sydney show at Accor Stadium – here's everything you need to know. Plus, check out our guides to Sydney’s best rooftop bars, best restaurants and best cheap eats for your pre-gig bites and drinks. 

Not going? No worries – there’s lots of fun to be had this week in the harbour city.

The AGNSW is spotlighting the trailblazing Australian and New Zealand females who made art history at its new exhibition Dangerously Modern – on now.

If you feel like splashing out this week, Crown Sydney is throwing one big pool party on Thursday. Peking Duck will be headlining, with Touch Sensitive supporting. Plus, expect pop-up stalls serving food from Nobu, A’Mare, Icebergs Harbour Bar, Woodcut and Golden Century. Get a ticket here.

A special Xmas pop-up featuring affordable vintage treasures curated by interior designer Briellyn Turton is going down on Friday and Saturday at The Kirk in Surry Hills. Turton is teaming up with ReLove for the collab, with 100 per cent of proceeds going towards supporting women and children impacted by domestic violence and long-term homelessness. Find out more here.

Calling all movie buffs – Laneway Cinema is back, transforming The Rocks’ historic cobblestone laneways into an open-air cinema every Wednesday night. Think beanbags under the stars, cult flicks – and it’s free. Want to buy popcorn? Proceeds go to a new charity every month – how good’s that? Find out more here.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is on now in Sydney – check out our five-star review and then book tickets to see it.

If there’s one thing you do this week, I reckon it should be to see La Ronde at The Grand Electric in Redfern. I went recently and was captivated from the get-go (see a sneak-peek here). Part circus, part comedy show, and 100 per cent a good night out. I promise you’ll love it. Find out more here. You can check out our full guide to all the shows on in Sydney here.

If you’re in need of a laugh, The Comedy Store runs comedy shows every week, Thursday to Sunday – and tickets are cheap. It’s a great date night idea, too.

Keen to get into the Xmas spirit? Check out our guide to the best Christmas markets in Sydney for festive food and shopping – we’ve also got a fab round-up of all the top markets in the city.

Plus, take a dip at one of Sydney’s best beaches, get your sweat on with a pretty bushwalk, or pack drinks and snacks and throw out a rug at one of our fave picnic spots.

Scroll on for our full list of the best things to do in Sydney this week.


Mapping out your weekend? These are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.

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The best things to do in Sydney

Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Sydney
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Art Gallery of New South Wales | Mim Stirling
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...

Moonlight Cinema

  • Film
  • Outdoor cinema
  • Centennial Park
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended
Moonlight Cinema
Moonlight Cinema
Photograph: Supplied/Moonlight Cinema
Sydneysiders don’t need many excuses to roll out a picnic rug, pop a bottle of pét-nat and spend a balmy evening under the stars – but this summer, Moonlight Cinema is making an especially solid case. Australia’s most well-established outdoor movie night is officially turning 30, and to celebrate, it’s handing the programming reins over to the people. Yep: for the first time ever, you get to help shape the season’s line-up. Since its debut back in 1995 – opening with a now-iconic screening of Pulp Fiction – Moonlight Cinema has become a staple of the Sydney summer. More than five million people have sprawled across the lawns since then: first dates, proposals, celeb sightings, and countless delighted doggos who’ve come to expect their own bean bag and biscuit as standard. This year, the beloved Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Parklands will once again transform into one of the Harbour City’s most picturesque open-air theatres, with films running throughout the summer from Friday, November 21, 2025 to Sunday April 5, 2026. And while the November–December program is already on sale, the real thrill lies in The People’s Program – a nationwide vote to decide which nostalgic favourites will hit the big screen from January through March. Voting is now open, with film choices including Shrek, Dirty Dancing, The Castle, Jurassic Park and more. Everyone who casts a vote gets 30 per cent off General Admission to People’s Program screenings – plus a shot at winning a Double...
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Eton Mess Music Festival

  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • Sutherland
Eton Mess Music Festival
Eton Mess Music Festival
Photograph: Supplied | Eton Mess
As every Aussie knows, summer equals festivals – and luckily, there’s no shortage of options. Joining the pack this year is the inaugural Eton Mess Music Festival, which is here to kick off summer early.  Taking over the leafy Peace Park in the coastal haven of Sutherland (recently dubbed Australia’s friendliest neighbourhood), this small but mighty event is set to bring the vibes of a big festival, complete with a killer line-up, food and drink vendors and an inclusive setup that’ll keep you going from day to night. On the bill? Brisbane DJ and producer sensation Young Franco will be spinning tracks from his debut album, supported by a line-up including electronica duo Hellcat Speedracer, DJ and TikTok star MAD.DAY, pop-leaning muso Harry Hayes and Triple J presenter turned DJ Lucy Smith.  Just a 30-minute train ride from the CBD (and two-minute walk from Sutherland station), the open-air party will take over Peace Park’s The Pavilion on Eton Street — and yes, that’s where the festival gets its witty name from. Because whether you’re team pav or not, it all ends up in an Eton Mess.  Tickets to this 18+ event are on sale now for $55. Time Out readers can score two-for-one tickets with the booking code: ETON2FOR1. Grab yours here. 
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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  • Drama
  • Millers Point
  • price 2 of 4
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Photograph: Prudence Upton
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can spit out venom so lethal that there is no antidote. There are not many works which can produce such poisonous sparring and emotional violence with the same acclaim and excellence as Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner’s work is a gruelling feat of art, which director Sarah Goodes tackles with a fresh ferocity and with all the classical nuance and complexity that comes with Albee’s work. What is the premise of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martha (Kat Stewart) and George (David Whiteley) are a middle-aged couple who have spent their married life at New Carthage University where George works as an associate professor in the history department. The couple arrive home at two o’clock in the morning after attending a faculty party hosted by Martha’s father, who is also the University’s president. During what seems like a slight marital dispute after the party, Martha informs George that she has invited a younger couple who have recently joined the university to their house. As the argument begins to heat up, Nick (Harvey Zielinski) and Honey (Emily Goddard) arrive at the couple’s place just as Martha is cursing at George, foreshadowing the tumultuous night ahead.  The story uses the two couples’ relationships to explore ideas of truth and illusion. By using the privacy of a vicious domestic argument, the audience, like Nick and Honey, become a witness to a generally...
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The Book of Mormon

  • Musicals
  • Haymarket
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon
Photograph: Supplied | Daniel Boud
As I’m on my way to Sydney's Capitol Theatre for the new Australian production of The Book of Mormon, my friend tells me it’s the very first musical a lot of people see. Created by South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone (with Robert Lopez), the show’s reputation for extremely irreverent jabs at religion draws a non-traditional theatre crowd. What I now realise my friend didn’t mean was, “it’s often the first musical kids see”. When I say the musical is extremely irreverent, I mean it. The humour is crass, verging on grotesque (some things I wouldn’t dare repeat). So it’s probably questionable that I’ve brought along my 13-year-old son with me. That said, he loves it.  Some of the humour is classic teen boy (i.e. a regular exclamation from one of the Ugandan characters that he has “maggots in my scrotum”). Very South Park. My son laughs loudly with the rest of the audience – and when the jokes go too far, he cringes, glancing around with a “should I be laughing at this?” look. Although the shock value is high, it’s nice seeing a Gen Alpha-ite who’s been raised on Youtube and other screen-based entertainment bopping along in his seat to the song and dance of a stage show.    What’s the premise of The Book of Mormon? The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a small village in Uganda. Although the story centres on Mormonism, Parker and Stone have been known to refer to the show as an “atheist’s love letter to religion” – a wink and a jab...
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The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters

  • Drama
  • Surry Hills
The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters
The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters
Photograph: Supplied | Belvoir St Theatre
It’s part history, part drama – Belvoir St Theatre is taking Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Lear back to its roots. Named after one of the play’s original titles, The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters, reflects director Eamon Flack’s vision to portray more than the story of a king in power – rather, his succession (and the unravelling of it).  King Lear is on the edge of retirement. His plan is simple: pass the throne on to his three daughters who will each rule an equal portion of the kingdom. That is, until power and ego muddies the waters.  The highly anticipated Colin Friels (Into the Shimmering World) stars as King Lear, Alison Whyte (Death of a Salesman) as the Countess of Gloucester, Peter Carroll (Coriolanus) as Fool and they’re joined by an all-star 14-person ensemble. Watch The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters at Belvoir St Theatre from November 15 to January 4. Tickets start from $43 – you can book yours here.
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Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940

  • Art
  • Paintings
  • Sydney
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940
Photograph: Supplied | Anna Kucera
The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ newest exhibition – Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940 – spotlights 50 trailblazing females who were among some of the first to draw attention to the fact that women can make some pretty bloody great art too.  The speedy rate of industrialisation in the 19th century meant a major shift in European society. Artists used it as a chance to reject traditional themes like religion, and instead focused on fresh ways to portray individuals (in a time where it felt like machines were going to rule the world). Meanwhile, women used it as their ticket to pull a seat up at the table. The focus of the exhibition is specifically on our very own Australian and New Zealander artists who made the journey to Europe to immerse themselves in the modernist movement. Gallery-goers can peruse works from historic names like Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, and also witness the work of some lesser-known but equally important creatives like CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Featuring celebrated and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics, the exhibition includes work by celebrated artists such as Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, alongside lesser-known but equally compelling figures such as CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Dangerously Modern’s run in Sydney spans all the way to mid-February so a hot (art) girl summer awaits. You...
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Powerhouse Materials: Paper

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Castle Hill
Powerhouse Materials: Paper
Powerhouse Materials: Paper
Photograph: Supplied | Powerhouse Museum
In a city where culture is constantly evolving, the Powerhouse Museum has no problem keeping up. Spanning four sites – including Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse Castle Hill, the heritage-listed Powerhouse Ultimo site currently undergoing a $300-million transformation and a brand-new Powerhouse Parramatta location set to open in late 2026 – it’s officially the largest museum group in Australia. Now, Powerhouse Castle Hill is taking centre stage with its latest instalment Powerhouse Materials – a new series of exhibitions and events that showcase the Powerhouse Collection (home to more than half a million objects!) through the lens of a guest curator and a chosen material. Actor and activist, Chloe Hayden was the first to curate a colourful and quirky exhibition focused on textiles, and now Andy Griffiths is in the hot seat. The second iteration continues to embody imagination and eccentricity with Powerhouse Materials: Paper. Curated by best-selling children’s author Andy Griffiths (the mind behind the Just! and Treehouse series), this exhibition dives deep into the world of paper. From November 22 to March 8, this free exhibition features a quirky collection of paper objects from the Powerhouse Collection, ranging from the ordinary to extraordinary. Every visitor will receive a self-guided activity book packed with drawing and story prompts developed in collaboration with Griffiths – perfect for sparking young imaginations, and giving older ones a blast from the past. For...
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Back to the Future: The Musical

  • Darling Harbour
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Back to the Future: The Musical
Back to the Future: The Musical
Photograph: Daniel Boud
Great Scott! All the way from 1985 to 1955 and now 2025, Sydney has landed the opening of mega-movie musical Back to the Future: The Musical, complete with a superb ensemble, captivating visual effects and enough nostalgia to power a time-travelling DeLorean.  For full transparency, Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. Growing up watching Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown travel through time across three films was a large part of my movie-watching childhood. So when it was announced that it would be getting a high-octane staging, I was both ecstatic and sceptical. However, like the show’s original writer (and now the musical’s) Bob Gale said, “we’re not going to do this unless we can do it right”.   Thankfully, of the musical version I can safely say – to borrow from the Doc – “IT WORKS!” What’s the premise of Back to the Future: The Musical? After uncovering an old folder of photos in his parents’ basement, Gale wondered, after seeing a high school version of his father, whether he would have been friends with him back then. “The answer is no,” he joked at the opening night bows. The result of this is classic ’80s nostalgia – in both setting and plot.  BTTF follows teenager Marty McFly in Hill Valley, 1985, whose life is less than spectacular. He dreams of being a rock 'n’ roll star but he’s told he’s too loud and a “slacker” like his father. His family are just as hopeless. None more so than his father George...
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Oxford Street Markets

  • Shopping
  • Markets
  • Darlinghurst
Oxford Street Markets
Oxford Street Markets
Photograph: Gilbert Walden
The throughline between the city and the Eastern Suburbs is on track for some fresh energy. And starting this spring, Taylor Square will host two new weekly markets designed to lure back foot traffic and inject some buzz into one of Sydney’s most iconic (and recently struggling) strips.RECOMMENDED READ: These are the best markets in SydneyFrom October 31, you’ll be able to head down to Oxford Street on Friday nights (from 5pm until 10pm) for a lively mix of food stalls, retail vendors and a shared licensed area with the Oxford Hotel – meaning you can enjoy a street food-style feed from a market stall and a glass of wine to match, all in the same spot. Then, beginning Saturday, November 8, the focus will shift to fresh produce – with a Saturday morning farmers’ market running from 8am until 2pm every week. The new weekly events will be operated by Organic Food Markets – the crew already behind the beloved Marrickville and Kings Cross markets – and mark a deliberate step in the City of Sydney’s long-term push to revive Oxford Street.Once the beating heart of queer nightlife in the Harbour City, the high street has seen more than its fair share of empty shopfronts and shuttered venues in recent years – largely as a result of the (now reversed) lockout laws. Thankfully, there are signs of a turning tide – with the opening of Qtopia queer museum, the soon-to-arrive Oxford and Foley development (the huge development mentioned above) and the launch of the multi-venue 25 Hours...
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