Things to do in Sydney this week

There are a few pretty excellent ways to round out a day at Sydney’s most famous beach, and one of them is with a free movie under the stars. Thankfully, we’re in luck –  with Waverley Council’s free open-air cinema landing by the beach this summer with eight nights of alfresco films just steps from the sand. Running at Dolphin Court (just next to Bondi Pavillion) across two weekends from November 12 to 22, the program spans everything from family favourites and cult classics to new releases and festive flicks. Expect The Castle, Barbie, Jurassic Park and Love Actually, alongside 2026 releases Michael, Minions & Monsters and Supergirl. The best news? Entry is completely free, and popcorn is on the house. Pack a picnic rug and enjoy. When: November 12-15 and November 19-22, from 7.30pm Where: Dolphin Court, Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach Cost: Free, including popcornCheck the full schedule and plan your beachside weekend over here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Want fun now? Here’s what’s on in Sydney this weekend. In the mood for a show? Here’s our list of the best theatre to see in Sydney this month.

  Bell Shakespeare is bringing the timeless tragedy we all know and love back to the Sydney stage. Catch Macbeth, and you’ll follow the renowned, age-old story of the Scottish general; you’ll watch along and journey through a haunting tale of power, murder, hubris and moral collapse. And, in a dramatic finale, Macbeth’s looming downfall will encourage the audience to question the depths of humanity’s darkness.  This Bell Shakespeare iteration of Shakespeare’s work debuted back in 2023 and now, just three years later, it’s back by popular demand – returning to its original digs as part of the 2026 theatre season. You can now buy tickets to this production of Macbeth at the Sydney Opera House, which has a limited season running from Wednesday, November 18 to Sunday, December 6. Tickets are priced from $45 (excluding the booking fee). Presented by Bell Shakespeare, this production is directed by Peter Evans, with Anthony Taufa in the role of Macbeth and Matilda Ridgway as Lady Macbeth.  You can see performance times and buy tickets over here.

It’s been a long time coming, but Powerhouse Parramatta finally opens this weekend! With free entry, the new Western Sydney museum will throw open its doors to the curious, creative and everyone in between on 7 November, marking the start of a 23-day Opening Festival featuring more than 170 free and ticketed events spanning music, food, performance, design, science and more. Visitors can also explore five epic exhibitions, four of which are free.  This massive program includes talks from astronauts, designers, sci-fi writers, artists and more, a live music program that spans a world of genres and cultures, film screenings from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific, food programming including a family-style dinner, cooking demonstrations and tastings, cultural performances and workshops.  The biggest on the starting exhibition lineup is Task Eternal, the most ambitious aerospace exhibition ever staged in Australia, featuring over 850 objects including a historic Qantas avro 584 aircraft, space suits and an immersive light work exploring flight, space and human perception by American artist James Turrell. There’s also Overflow, a First Nations-led exhibition on the living principles of Water Country; The Dark, an immersive world for kids filled with over 800 objects; the Australian debut of British artist Es Devlin in Es Devlin: The Turning; and The Mall, a retrospective on the history and significance of the humble shopping mall. As for must-see events from the Time Out...

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...

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...

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...

Any good coming-of-age story seamlessly blends community – in all its glory – with an inevitable reckoning of identity, and Vivian Pham’s breakout novel, The Coconut Children, is a stellar example of just that. The critically-acclaimed bestseller tackles the intricacies of growing up in Australia with conflicting cultural heritage – and it’s now gaining new life onstage with a month-long run at Belvoir St Theatre. This homegrown book-to-stage adaptation will be taking over the upstairs space of Belvoir St Theatre from Saturday, November 21 to Sunday, December 20, exploring life in Cabramatta back in the ’90s through the lens of 16-year-olds, Sonny and Vince.  The two best friends’ lives couldn’t be more different, with Sonny living in a sheltered yet academically-charged reality of 19-century novels while Vince has been hardened by the uglier realities of the world in which they live. As they navigate their identity in a community filled with love and pain, the harsh gaze of constant surveillance and restrictiveness of tradition become all too familiar.  Blending wry humour and a little crudeness with some of Vivian Pham’s personal experiences, this stage-adapted story will delve deep into the complexities of adolescence, culture and tradition in tandem with the struggles of identifying with the Vietnamese community in a Western society. It’s an ode to the chaos, beauty and pain of adolescence and everything that follows.  You can snap up tickets to the upcoming production...

What does it take to turn a dream into a sporting reality? A whole lot of fancy footwork and female empowerment, that’s what. Sydney Theatre Company’s Strong is the New Pretty tells the remarkable story of the birth of the AFLW, now running at the Sydney Opera House’s Drama Theatre until December 12. Acclaimed Australian playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie, RBG: Of Many, Inter Alia), takes this story of sporting history and turns it into something much bigger: a celebration of women challenging the status quo, demanding equal opportunities and refusing to take no for an answer. First, a bit of background. Yes, women and girls have been playing Aussie rules football for aeons, but opportunities to compete in professional leagues weren’t non-existent until an official report in 2010 recommended a national women's competition. Seven years later, after decades of advocacy, eight teams took to the field for the inaugural AFLW season. Directed by Sarah Giles (The Importance of Being Earnest, No Pay? No Way!) and featuring an outstanding ensemble of eight women – Lucy Bell, Amy Hack, Amy Ingram, Edyll, Amber McMahon, Tara Morice, Nyasha Ogden and Contessa Treffone – who seamlessly shift between scenes and settings with infectious energy and wry wit. We move through the everyday lives of the women who helped make the league happen, from teachers and midwives to grocery workers. These weren't just footballers; they were mothers, colleagues and working women fitting their sporting...

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...

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.