Things to do in Sydney this week

Are you ready to chase artistic escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney is back for its 24th edition from March 9 to June 10, 2024. Whether you’re a dedicated arts fanatic or a casual culture buff, you’ll find something to inspire and provoke you along this epic art trail. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale is taking over six different locations with awe-inspiring installations and intriguing exhibitions. Titled Ten Thousand Suns, this year the festival explores a multiplicity of global cultures, taking on a transgressive spirit as it leans into the origins of Carnivale. As always, the Biennale is free for everyone to visit for a total of 16 weeks.   Of all the locations, White Bay Power Station is absolutely the main character of the Biennale’s 50th year anniversary (and 24th iteration – it takes place every second year). This is the first time the revitalised industrial site will officially open its doors to the public in more than 100 years – and what they’ve accomplished is pretty spectacular. Years of accumulated pigeon poop has been cleared out of the enormous factory spaces, making way for art installations that tower multiple storeys high, and more works hidden in various nooks and crannies. Pop-up bars and brand new bathrooms also set the stage for a packed program of live performances and music curated by Phoenix Central Park. Think of White Bay as a replacement for the role that Cockatoo Island has played in Sydney’s

Ray is a farmer. Ray is dying. Ray is falling in love. Ray has had a tough year. Ray mourns his wife. Ray meets his wife. Ray doesn’t want to live in a nursing home. Ray’s kids don’t understand him. Ray doesn’t understand why the world won’t let him live his life. Ray, played with impressive physicality and nuance by veteran actor Colin Friels, is the central figure of Into the Shimmering World – a new work commissioned by Sydney Theatre Company that makes the intimate epic, seesawing back and forth in time but remaining locked in space. The main arena of conflict is the family farm that Ray and his wife, nurse Floss (fellow veteran Kerry Armstrong) have run their entire adult lives. It’s a hard existence, but a rewarding one, contending with droughts, floods, fluctuating markets, and unruly neighbours (one dubbed “The Crook” remains an unseen presence, but a constant source of grievance).  Written by 2020 Patrick White Playwrights Fellow Angus Cerini and directed by STC’s Director of New Work and Artistic Development Paige Rattray, Into the Shimmering World is a study of Australian masculinity – as were the previous works in Cerini’s Australian gothic trilogy, The Bleeding Tree and Wonnangatta. In many ways this play is a study of stoicism, its strengths and its limitations. The laconic Ray meets every challenge with a resigned determination that borders on fatalism, an attitude that has served him well for decades. But the sons his work put through university don’t want to

Luna Park – Sydney’s heritage harbourside amusement park – has been stepping up its lighting game in recent months. Back in December, the team launched Dream Circus: a high-tech immersive experience housed in the 3,000 square metre Big Top building. Then, Sonic Neon joined the line-up: another immersive light and sound experience spread across eight different rooms within the theme park’s historic Crystal Palace. Now, Luna Park has announced that they’ll be running magical moonlit sessions for a limited time this May – with tickets available to purchase now. Luna Park in the Dark will return every Friday and Saturday for the first three weeks of May – with more than 30,000 lights set to be turned off from 6pm until 10pm – giving Sydneysiders the opportunity to tap into an extra-magical night-time experience.   Tickets to Luna Park in the Dark will score you unlimited access to rides, plus entry to Sonic Neon: Luna Park’s new immersive experience, and access to the Blacklight Dessert Bar which will be serving glow-in-the-dark edible treats. Candle-lit classical performances will take place within the Big Top, and a cast of carnival characters will be roaming the park keeping guests entertained between rides. Tickets launched this week, and are likely to sell out fast. You can snap up yours over 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: The Vivid Sydney 2024 pr

If you’ve been longing for an excuse to splurge on that first designer handbag, Hawkeye Vintage is holding one of its unmissable pop up sales in Sydney so you can indulge in luxury without breaking the bank. From May 17-18 in Woolloomooloo, the beloved vintage designer reseller is making dreams come true with up to 60 per cent off a treasure trove of vintage Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dior, Celine and YSL pieces.  What’s on offer? A range of rare and hard-to-find clothes, handbags, jewellery and silk scarves dated from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early Y2K will be available, all of which come with 100 per cent authenticity guarantee.  The online retailer has slowly become one of Australia’s leading resellers, and following the success of its pop-ups in Perth and Melbourne, there's no doubt this sale will be epic. Doors are open from 10am-7pm (we suggest getting there early) so you can come down and meet the team and find some gems.  Entry is $10 and you can register to attend here.

This is it, we have found the yassification of Shakespeare. Fuelled by a playlist of certified pop hits, this jukebox romp billed as “the greatest love story ever remixed” poses a simple but provocative question: What if, instead of joining Romeo in eternal slumber, Juliet decided to live? A contagiously joyous musical spectacular, & Juliet has finally landed at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre after being met with critical acclaim on Broadway and the West End, not to mention the rapturously received Australian debut in Melbourne.  Filled with sing-a-long-able chart-topping bangers made famous by the likes of Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and more from the songbook of Grammy-winning Swedish songwriter/producer Max Martin, the Aussie cast is overflowing with talent in this feel-good, flashy production. & Juliet is Shakespeare remixed for the girls, the gays and the theys... [but does it] really cut it as the feminist reclamation that we are promised? Will you be entertained? Absolutely. Does & Juliet set a new standard for jukebox musicals? Yes. Will you see one of the most diverse and charismatic casts of triple-threats ever assembled on an Australian stage? Heck yeah. Does the story deliver on the feminist retribution we are promised? Not quite. “What if Juliet didn’t kill herself?” Anne Hathaway (played by the enthralling Amy Lehpamer) posits to her husband, William Shakespeare (the ever-charming Rob Mills). “She’s only ever had one boyfriend, and frankly, the endi

What would you do if you were struggling to afford to pay your rent, gas, and electricity bills, only to discover that you’ve been priced out of paying for basic groceries too? When the quick-witted Antonia (the prolific actor Mandy McElhinney – who, yes, is also “Rhonda” from those insurance ads) and her fellow weary housewives discover that prices at the local supermarket have doubled overnight, their shopping run erupts into a revolt. The women begin to loot – or, as Antonia would describe it, “liberate” – food off the shelves. When the excitement is over, Antonia finds herself back home with a random assortment of fruits and vegetables, dog food (she doesn’t own a dog), canary pellets (she doesn’t own a canary) and rabbit heads. She enlists the help of her neighbour Margherita (Emma Harvie) to hide the stolen goods from her moralist husband Giovanni (Glenn Hazeldine), a staunch unionist who’s a stickler for rules and due process. The supermarket riot sets a ripple effect of absurdity in motion, ranging from a briny phantom pregnancy with added  “womb olives”, to an unconscious cop with a flatulence problem – and that’s just the highlights.  ...simultaneously leaves you wheezing from laughter and slightly deaf from the roars of others No Pay? No Way! is two hours and twenty minutes of comedic gold. Marieke Hardy’s laugh-out-loud political satire initially premiered with Sydney Theatre Company in February 2020, before it was plagued by lockdowns. But with the way that the

Sydney’s more adamant theatergoers have been waiting with bated breath to see Australian acting legend Hugo Weaving tread the boards with the great Irish actor Olwen Fouéré (Terminus). A first-time co-production between Sydney Theatre Company and Dublin’s renowned Gate Theatre, you could say that the Australian premiere of the late Austrian playwright Thomas Bernhard’s dark comedy, The President, has a lot riding on it. However, considering that Bernhard’s plays are rarely staged, in part due to the known fact that they’re considered a notoriously hard sell, it calls into question: what is the motivation for mounting a new adaptation of The President in 2024? We find ourselves in an unnamed European country at an unspecified but tumultuous time – although the play’s initial production date of 1975, a period of political unrest and bloodshed, offers some context. Following a failed assassination attempt on the titular President (Weaving) that instead slew a faithful Colonel, The First Lady (Fouéré) prepares for a night out. She harangues her maid, Mrs Frölich (Julie Forsyth) over the selection of eveningwear and frets over the state of the country – emboldened anarchists are striking at the establishment – but especially the death of her beloved dog, struck down by a heart attack triggered by the assassin’s gunfire.  ...although The President improves in the back half, it never quite recovers from a punishing first act. Bernhard’s work certainly contains themes that draw paral

The Museum of Contemporary Art knows how to party. This month, Circular Quay’s temple of future-forward art is entering a parallel timeline with one massive night of futuristic performances, sensory art activations, DJ sets and more. As part of The Biennale of Sydney, groundbreaking digital artist (and Time Out Future Shaper) Serwah Attafuah has curated an immersive night of art and entertainment for the latest edition of Artbar on Friday, May 17, in response to the theme of 'Tomorrow – 20 minutes into the future’.  Attafuah’s cyber dreamscape is taking over every level of the MCA’s galleries, and you can experience the museum after-dark anytime between 7pm and 11pm. There’s an epic line-up of local and international artists on music duties, including genre-bending death metal from Dispossessed, experimental pop that channels techno-utopianism from DeepFaith, new wave pop-plasticity from multi-instrumentalist crwlr, hardcore punk from Persecutor, and Global Sounds will also be spinning forgotten gems of funk, disco and soul all night. You can also encounter a photography project that weaves art, politics and environmental concerns by Pieter Hugo; immerse yourself in a video game and sculpture work by Kal Dhir; watch an interactive performance from Bristol-based musician and game designer Llainwire; witness a '90s revival art installation and performance by ‘Cyber Dada Manifesto’; and interact with people from around the world as the virtual and real world collide at ‘Artbar M

To bring a little musical joy to the Harbour City through the cooler months, Sydney’s historic waterside precinct The Rocks is hosting free jazz performances every Thursday throughout winter – with live performances by musicians from around Australia. Jazz Sessions in The Rocks will run from 6pm until 9pm every Thursday between Thursday, May 9 and Thursday, August 29 – so there’s plenty of time to catch the star-lit shows.  Local distillery Hickson House Distilling Co will be slinging gin-based cocktails (including a signature Native Negroni), and there are a host of excellent restaurants in the area to keep you nourished pre and post show. The full season-long line-up is yet to be released, but in May, we can expect alfresco performances from Sydney-based jazz sweetheart Kate Wadey (Thursday, May 9), fantastical four-piece Cope Street Parade (Thursday, May 16), multi-disciplinary artist Alice Terry (Thursday, May 23) and the ever-soulful Latin/ jazz singer MIRA (Thursday, May 29).The events are free to attend and there’s no need to book. You can learn more over 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 inbox.   RECOMMENDED:  Want more evening entertainment? These are the best bars and pubs in Sydney for live music. And these are the best musicals to catch this month. Need fun now? Here’s what’s on in Sydney this week.

Following the commanding Broadway Revival in 2023 starring Ben Platt and a sell-out season in Melbourne, Tony Award-winning musical Parade is coming to dock in the Harbour City. Hitting the Sydney stage in May 2024, Parade is a moving examination of one of the darkest episodes of America's history. With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a rousing, colourful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (Songs for a New World, The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County), this is the true story of an unsolved murder that divided a nation. Set in early 20th century Atlanta, Georgia, with its legacy of slavery and the Civil War, the story follows Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew, who is put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan. Undercurrents of racism and bigotry, and a mistrial, result in Frank’s condemnation by a conservative community still grappling with the aftermath of the 1906 Atlanta race riots. A sensationalist publisher fans the flames of religious paranoia to demonise and scapegoat Frank – coupled with a janitor’s false testimony, Frank’s fate is sealed. His only defenders are a governor who risks being politically ostracised for following their conscience, and his Southern Jewish wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. “Bringing this production of Parade to Sydney in 2024 is thrilling for us as a company,” said director Mark Taylor (Next to Normal, Rent). “Now, more than ever before, it feels