Things to do in Sydney this week

Drawing on Parisian traditions like the famous Crazy Horse cabaret (think the racier big sister to the Moulin Rouge) this brand new production has a distinctly Australian twist. La Femme is infused with subtle references to Aussie icons, music, culture and fashion.

Missing Sydney's vibrant theatre scene? Hop on a bus with some of our brightest stars for a behind-the-scenes tour. Sydney Theatre Buses present guided sightseeing tours of Sydney’s hibernating theatre scene as led by some of its glittering stars. They include Simon Burke (Mary Stuart), Chika Ikogwe (Fangirls) and Lucia Mastrantone (The Harp in the South). 

Sydney’s only cat café is welcoming back human guests. If snuggling up with a cup of coffee and a brood of fluffy new friends sounds pretty good to you, it’s about time you got down to Catmosphere. They do things a little differently here, you can make a private booking to hang out with cats that are "zoned" into themed rooms based on their age, energy level, and adoption status.

If wandering through a lush property hot on the heels of a cute pup in search of thousands of dollars of ‘edible gold’ sounds like how you’d like to spend a wintery Saturday morning, well, join the club. Wild Food Adventures, a local Southern Highlands company, has been running experiences marrying food and the natural scenery of the area for years. To cater to truffle hunters, they’ve teamed up with Ganymede Truffles.

A play about sex, lies, masking tape and a dodgy art rip-off is one of the first theatrical performances to welcome an actual audience into an honest-to-goodness theatre in Sydney since the Beforetime. We’ve become accustomed to seeing new theatre online and re-embracing cabaret with dinner and a show, but now up to 24 Sydneysiders can sit down (appropriately distanced, of course) to take in a full-length play. 

If there's something we Sydneysiders could do with a decent dose of right now, it'd be pure, unadulterated joy. The Happy Place, a pop-up exhibit of boldly colourful, immersive environments had its Australian premiere on the rooftop of Broadway Sydney in March. Now it's back from Friday, July 3. 

For homesick British expats, we have very good news. Stanley's salt beef beigel pop-up has been extended. Freshly filled salt beef bagels are the late night snack of choice for the London's clubbers, pubbers and taxi drivers. You can taste these popular baked bun snacks (along with some experimental cocktail combinations) at this pop-up at the very pink, Miami Vice-style Darlinghurst bar, Stanley’s.

Darling Harbour's annual pop-up ice skating rink, Frozone, has frosted up just in time for the school holidays. Meanwhile, permanent rinks are also welcoming back eager skaters. There's icy fun in Sydney for the whole family to practice their ice skating twirls, double axles and graceful tumbles. 

The queens at the Imperial Hotel are putting on a flashy new dinner and show experience packed with enough campness, nostalgia and colourful feathers to help us forget about the perils of 2020. Pop on something that makes you feel fabulous and shake your tail feather down to the Priscilla’s Experience: a marathon of glamourous and glitzy performances served alongside a three-course menu from the Impy’s in-house restaurant. 

International borders look set to remain sealed until at least next year and restrictions on interstate travel are still in effect for much of the country. Fortunately, there's a wealth of great getaway options right here in New South Wales ready and waiting to receive eager holidaymakers. 

Calling all Japanophiles: The Japan Foundation, Sydney, is launching a brand new online program which enourages people to learn and understand the significance of Japanese cultural practices. Pick and choose your own journey from a collection of educational, practical and inspiring pre-recorded videos and livestreamed sessions. 

Hoorah! Sydney Bridgeclimb is open to the public again. Yes, you have to wear an unflattering grey jumpsuit – but if climbing the fourth-longest single-span steel arch bridge in the world is a should-see for out-of-towners and visiting celebrities, then it’s an absolute can’t-miss for locals. Plus, they'll be offering discounted rates on climbs until July 19. 

Oxford Street stalwart Universal is back in business, with a luxe new offering. You won’t find the usual club nights and sweaty dancefloors upstairs. Premiere is an immersive dining experience featuring performances from some of the city’s most seasoned drag queens served up with a gourmet three-course dinner and bottomless bevvies. 

The Australian National Maritime Museum has reopened to the public with two stellar new exhibitions to see. Under Southern Skies and From Kupe to Cook explore not just the traditional, colonial perspectives of James Cook's navigation (and 'discovery') of Australia and the Pacific, but also the perspectives of First Nations people involved in those encounters.

Surry Hills' the Winery is a pretty picture-perfect venue as it stands: bedecked in fairy lights, dotted with people sipping champagne in the garden area, with a plant-decked path leading the way in. Now, it's about to get even prettier with igloos to be installed in the garden, where you and your crew can sit, sip and dine on three courses and a cocktail as soon as your arrive.

If you haven’t yet made the trip to this niche collection housed at the University of New South Wales, now is your chance to take a virtual sticky-beak. The Museum of Human Disease has launched a virtual museum, allowing you to peruse its collection of disease-affected specimens like lungs, brains and body tissue. Understand the current world situation better by looking to the past.

Call it a hangover from the iso-days, but as the weather gets more wintry, the temptation to snuggle up at home with a hot bowl of ramen and whatever's on the television grows ever stronger. Julian Cincotta, of famed Sydney fried chicken, champagne and sneaker joint, Butter, has blessed us with the recipe for the perfect ramen: it's hearty, wholesome, and will warm you up from the inside out.

As the air gets nippier, we begin to see more and more of the earthy, aromatic flavour of truffles wafting onto the menus of Sydney's most lauded cafés and restaurants. So where should you go to find truffle-based delicacies? We've rounded up a hit list.

As capacity restrictions ease for larger venues in Sydney, the Lansdowne is welcoming back punters for (seated) live music shows. The Lansdowne has been a mainstay of Sydney's local live music scene for years, and is key to nurturing the the careers of musicians in that nebulous middleground of their careers.

Locals might have seen the fluoro green wearing I’m Free Walking Tour guides hanging around Town Hall Square and the Rocks, but have you ever stopped to join them? These tours had to hit pause during the last few months, but the tour guides are back and ready to help you explore the city – with private bookings that were once rather exxy now costing nada.

While Sydney’s hospitality sector has been in hibernation, the Four Pillars team has been hard at work creating a sophisticated new gin joint in the heart of Surry Hills. The venue has three distinct parts: its street-facing gin shop, which has been trading since the end of May; its ‘Gin Lab’, where workshops on the botanical intricacies of gin making will be hosted; and Eileen’s, an intimate cocktail bar. It's gin o'clock.

From June 13, every Wednesday and Saturday you can pick up a bag of crunchy carrots, loaf of warm sourdough and an armful of flowers at EQ’s Cambridge Markets. There are about 40 stallholders at each market peddling gourmet cheeses, ripe cherry tomatoes and piping hot gozleme. It’s a broad mix of retailers, from fruit and veggie stalls to children’s clothing and French linen. 

These igloos are not the icy kind, but rather see-through bubbles furnished with Scandinavian simplicity, draped in furs and filled with hearty winter feasts for you and your crew of winter city explorers.

Clay Sydney has opened the doors back up and is welcoming in visitors once again for it’s ever popular Wine, Cheese and Clay Nights. Grab a bottle of your favourite plonk and snacks and head down to the Marrickville studio on a Friday or Saturday night to get your hands dirty at one of their chilled out, boozed up workshops. 

The fine artists from Cork and Canvas are inviting us back into the studio again. That’s right, you can dip your brush and wet your whistle in public once more at their Crows Nest and Darlinghurst sip and paint studios.

Public life is beginning to return to normal, and cultural institutions, aquariums and animal parks are once again allowed to open their doors (with strict physical distancing and hygiene measures in place). We’ve rounded up the reopening dates of Sydney's galleries, museums, zoos and aquariums – and what exhibitions you can expect to see. 

Ramen, more than any other soup, will divide people. Are you after an opaque tonkotsu or a brighter chicken shoyu broth? Firm hand-cut noodles or soft squiggly noodles? Find your favourite ramen in Sydney the old fashioned way – try them all. We did, and regret nothing except that we now need to buy bigger jeans.

If there's one thing we might love more than hot, steaming dumplings, it's alliteration. Thanks to the dumpling masterminds at Din Tai Fung, you can officially have both. They're launching a limited edition DIY 'Disco Dumpling' kit so you can finesse your dumpling making skills, while jamming along to an inspired, specially-curated disco playlist.

June marks World Pride Month, when cities and communities around the world celebrate and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, and Sydney’s queer community is determined to fly the rainbow flag. Some of Sydney’s queer venues are starting to welcome back punters, and Sydney Pride Festival has gone digital for 2020 with Love Stream, an online festival of LGBT+ events.

The doors have re-opened on the Biennale with an extended run. Championing First Nations artists, there’s a big focus on further decolonising Western art’s traditionally hallowed spaces this year. With a staggering spread of 700 works led by 101 artists, it can be overwhelming figuring out just what to see. Here’s our insider’s guide to the Biennale of Sydney.

If there’s one cheese out there that’s captured everyone’s hearts and minds, it’s got to be burrata. In just 90 minutes, the experts at Omnom Cheese will teach you how to make your own in this hands-on class. The curd masters are back and ready to re-launch their new, smaller classes designed for ultimate health and safety. 

Dining establishments around Sydney have been given the green light to start operations again – though within strict physical distancing parameters. We've collated a rolling list of the Sydney restaurants and cafés which have restarted dine-in operations.

The “best fucking burgers in the world” are now available al fresco. Mary’s on Top was originally slated to open in spring, on the rooftop of the Lansdowne Hotel. But it was brought forward to provide employment for staff that have been stood down due to the Lansdowne’s ongoing closure.

Our basest instincts are piqued at the idea of anything slapped with an "all-you-can-eat" label. When that something is cheese-based, all bets are off. Surry Hills southern French style restaurant, Loluk Bistro is dishing out raclette – giant wheels of cheese which are melted over a flame until the cheese begins to ooze off its wheel – generously drizzled over vegetables, potatoes, salad and plates piled with charcuterie including bresaola, saucisson, coppa, ham and prosciutto. Plus, you can keep ordering more. 

Australia has always existed in the popular imagination as the slip-slop-slap land of sun, sea and snags. But our backyard isn't just worth frolicking around in the summertime. From the majestic, crisp peaks of the Blue Mountains to the bucolic vineyards of Mudgee, we've rounded up some of our favourite cold-weather destinations to travel to from Sydney. 

These days, bottled cocktails and virtual tastings are part of the new world order. But Shirt Bar in Barangaroo has gone a step further and figured out a way to replicate the sip-of-this, nip-of-that whiskey bar experience at home. 

Sydney's own Sky Line Drive In in Blacktown has opened again to the public, with a whole season's worth of cinematic programming to keep you coming back for more. You too can channel John and Olivia in Grease – it's the perfect date night. Feel free to wear tight black leather pants, or, you know, don't. 

The Bella Vista Hotel has brought a new on-the-go dining concept to the Hills, rounding up a bunch of its favourite food purveyors for a food truck bonanza. You can get all sorts of nosh, from smoked-then-fried chicken wings from Fire and Brimstone Barbecue, loaded burgers from Burger Head, and perfectly piped cannoli from Pasticceria Caruso. 

In excellent timing for the upcoming long weekend, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is opening up a range of campsites all around to state to welcome punters. Regional travel has been given the green light from June 1, which means NSW citizens will be able to travel for a holiday or any other recreational purposes around the state. 

Sometimes you just want to exchange your everyday for an alternate reality where plush robes come hand-laundered to your door. We have rounded up some of the most luxurious hotels in NSW for you to escape the rigours of modern life with on a truly indulgent vacay. 

You can now bring a little bit of that Public House magic home (or perhaps to the park) with you. The PHP is opening its doors and firing up the pizza oven for takeaways, so you can grab a wood-fired pizza and beer in their own jars and growlers. 

Golden Age has launched Movie Night, a curated cinema streaming platform that they’re calling “the femme fatale, the leading man, and the sassy best friend all in one” – sign us up, right? But don't worry, this isn't just another subscription service to add to the list. 

Haverick Meats – which supplies the likes of Bert’s, Chophouse and Mr. Wong – is delivering restaurant-quality meat directly to your door. Canny homecooks have long been buying from the wholesaler’s retail outlet in Banksmeadow. But in keeping with the times, Haverick hasn’t just pivoted to home delivery, it has teamed up with some top chefs to create precooked meal packs.

Follow your traveller's instinct and get away for a day to one of our best day trips from the city – featuring quaint villages, seaside hangouts and mountain escapes. Around a two-hour drive or a scenic train ride away, you'll find yourself rambling through eucalyptus gums, gazing out over gorgeous ocean cliffs, or watching the world go by in a sleepy village. 

In Sydney, winter is your best bet to catch a glimpse of some humpback whales, as 20,000 of them make moves along the New South Wales coastline between May to August. Head to one of these lookouts with your camera and binoculars in tow to capture some blowholes spouting.

If you'd like a literary remedy for your ailments, then cosy Bondi bookstore Gertrude and Alice has employed a professional to cater to your needs. Lucy Pearson of book blog, The Literary Edit, will be hosting online consultations in which she will consider your biblio-needs in the strange times we're living in.

Now, in the ever expanding list of things you never thought you'd be experimenting with at home, comes the Burwood Hotel's latest offering: DIY bubble tea-making kits, in six different alcoholic flavours.

Whether you're looking to go for a run, walk your dog, have a sedate picnic or just take a break from your four walls, these are the parks to visit. They have sprawling open spaces, free barbecues and shaded spots to while away an afternoon or simply catch a break at lunchtime.

Driving and cocktails shouldn't usually go hand in hand – but there's an exception to be made for Chippendale bar Gin Lane's new drive-through service selling bottled cocktails – for you to drink in the safety of your own home, of course. 

Here are some of the best outdoor fitness stations from across Sydney, which you can access 24-hours a day and completely free. 

A bunch of local ceramics studios have adapted their businesses so you can get busy moulding your own mugs, vases and assorted sculptural vessels at home. Go on, re-enact that classic scene from the 1990 romantic hit Ghost. 

Whether you’re looking to nail the perfect pet portrait, whimsy up your landscape shots, level up your Insta game, flex your skills with creative challenges, or just learn how to take your bloody camera off auto-mode, Canon Australia has you covered with a newly launched suite of personalised online tutorials.

Here's another home activity to try your hand at: DIY deep-fried ice cream. Its saving grace? You might actually be successful at it. Duo Duo, a handmade ice cream store based in Strathfield, is delivering one-step make-at-home ice cream kits to your door, for just $9.

We present to you: do-it-yourself bao bun and yum cha kits from the good folk at Tsuru, a pop-up food truck which graced many a Sydney street and festival in the pre-lockdown days.

One of the country’s most prestigious live theatre companies has joined the mass pivot to online streaming. The free, on-demand streaming service will release exclusive content every week, drawing from the company’s extensive back catalogue of live performance recordings.

The organisers of the Bastille Festival, a French festival held annually in July in Sydney's Rocks district, have announced the launch of their 'Revolution Boxes' – and it's come just in time for Sydney's snap of chilly weather.

We might not be able to make it to Italy any time soon, but follow our itinerary and we’ll have you feeling like you’re strolling through Roman piazzas in no time.

You're probably spending most of your days thinking about what it is you'll be eating for dinner, and what you'll be streaming to go along with it. So we've taken the liberty of picking some tip-top meals to cook, pick up or have delivered from some of Sydney's best restaurants and the perfect flicks to pair them with.

Zushi has taken its home delivery service to the next level with Zushi Sushi Making Kits. The kits come with everything you need for a fine sushi feast, from cheat sheets and rolling mats to nori sheets, perfectly cooked sushi rice, and fillings ranging from fresh salmon, to cooked tuna and prawns. 

The Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) is offering online classes. The courses will encourage you to harness the world around you to create striking, principled photos. What's more? The Centre has wrangled some big names in the photography world to teach you a thing or two. 

None of us are travelling to New York anytime soon, but you can still get yourself a true taste of the Big Apple with Brooklyn Boy Bagels' new carpark set-up – designed for you to grab your doughy morsel and continue on your way with minimal contact with people.

If you've been tearing through books with lockdown fervour, then we have just the thing for you. The City of Sydney are virtually holding our hands through iso by offering us a whole stack of new reading material, all available online, for free.

It’s almost impossible to re-create the magic of a restaurant at home – especially a smoky, sizzling Korean barbecue joint, buzzing with big groups ordering monstrous platters of meat and endless litres of soju. But thanks to two of Sydney’s most popular Korean eateries, we now can. 

The State Library of New South Wales has launched a series of virtual jigsaw puzzles inspired by its collections. Take in some of Sydney's most panoramic views in the puzzled form of historical paintings. 

Believe it or not, Coopers – yes, Coopers – began producing DIY beer kits in the 1970s. Today, the largest Australian-owned brewery is the world’s best-selling brand of DIY beer extracts, and exports to more than 25 countries. 

The names behind some of Sydney's most popular bars – including Button Bar and Stitch Bar and Terrigal's Pocket Bar, – have opened up an online store selling canned versions of your favourite 5pm beverages, ready for delivery to your doorstep. They've got a range of 330ml and 500ml of cocktails to whet the most even the most unusual of appetites.

Parlez-vous Français? Would you like to? The Alliance Française, which has been teaching French to beginners and les specialistes for 120 years, has made the transition online.  There are courses available for teenagers, kids and adults, as well as private tuition and group classes.

Guten Tag! If your German knowledge ends there, then you'll be glad to know that the world famous cultural association, the Goethe-Institut, is moving all of its German language courses online.

The Sydney Opera House has launched an inspiring digital arts season dubbed From our House to Yours. It includes livestreamed performances, podcasts, behind-the-scenes footage and long-form reads to feed your imagination. Even better, it’s totally free. 

The Market Drop has digitised the experience of shopping at one of Sydney’s weekend markets. The website brings together a bunch of local stallholders into one place, so you can fill your virtual trolley with goodies from all your market favourites and eagerly await delivery on Saturday or Sunday. 

ClassBento has launched livestreamed workshops, complete with a box of crafty goodies delivered to your door.  There's a plethora of classes you can choose from; make a quarantine coffee scrub, scent some soy candles, or dabble in Turkish mosaic.

Everyone's favourite '80s aerobics style-mavens are back – and they've gone digital. Retrosweat's high-energy dance workout is the perfect, feel-good way to get you moving in these physically distanced days. 

During times of uncertainty, a reliable routine can really help. We've picked out some handy online workouts by local experts, so you can still get your heart pumping and those endorphins flowing in the safety of your own home.  

From Sydney's world-famous beaches to the red centre and way out west, mainline your travel inspo right from the comfort of your own sofa as we head for the hills. 

Sofa King Fest is a clever go-to international gig guide for all the live-streaming performances going off in a glorious, no-surrender response to lockdowns from musicians.

If you’re anything like us, you're in desperate need of something light and easy to binge-watch while settling into your sofa. With minimal tolerance for grim and gritty right now, we've turned to our public broadcasters for lowkey cute chuckles with a side of feel-good warm and fuzzies.

Prime is no slouch in the local streaming market, with plenty of great shows to binge. But it also has a strong range of movies. Here's our list of the very best, all available to stream at time of writing.

If you're having a little trouble unwinding at the moment you've come to the right place. YouTube is our world's eternal source for all kinds of energy-level content, but it's at its most potent when mined for relaxing gems. Here, let us guide you through the chillest channels and most surprisingly blissful videos.