The best things to do in Sydney this weekend

Vivid is doing things differently this year. For Vivid Sydney 2025, it’s not all watching the Opera House turn technicolour and wandering around The Rocks looking at the lights (though that’s still very much worth doing). This year, sparkly season is going beyond the big, CBD landmarks and lighting up one of Sydney’s trendiest inner city neighbourhoods: the Hollywood Quarter. First up, let there be light. From now until the closing night of Vivid (Saturday, June 14), the streets of HQ will glow with neon-toned nods to the world of cinema. Wander the neighbourhood and trace luminous movie soundtrack lyrics and famous quotes; this one’s a Vivid light display for cinephiles.  Then, there’s the event program – which is taking over venues across the neighbourhood with ongoing and one-off events. Every Saturday of Vivid, the Hollywood Hotel will be hosting live music and DJs in its moody ‘Vivid After Dark Lounge’, with snacks catered by nearby Butter served until 11pm. Around the corner, Golden Age is transforming into a dreamlike realm for the duration of the festival, with live music, performance art and kooky, obscure installations inspired by the beloved late director David Lynch. The Vivid line-up at Golden Age includes a performance by Marcus Whale and Nini Voss covering Lynch originals, and they’ll be screening dream-inspired movies in the next door cinema throughout sparkly season. The Soda Factory is also stepping up its entertainment game for the duration of Vivid,...

It’s no secret that Vivid grows every year, gaining new hot spots around the city for glowy light installations, ridiculously yummy food and an all-round vibrant atmosphere. This year, the 25 Martin Place building and surrounds will have all three of those things going on – it’s back in the Vivid line-up for the first time since 2018.  Here’s our pick of what you have to check out if you’re in Martin Place during Vivid (which we reckon you should be):  Aalia X Moët Hennessy Check out the luxe plaza area of 25 Martin Place for a glamorous collab between Middle Eastern fine-diner Aalia and opulent beverage label Moët Hennessy. They’re opening a pop-up bar where the cocktails and tasty bites will be plentiful. Catch them from 3pm for a warm-up tipple or ’til 10pm when the city is alight and in the full Vivid swing. BioDream Walk the line between your subconscious and reality with this mind-bending projection of mangroves, rippling water and flying albatrosses projected onto the futuristic looking mushroom-shaped building at the entrance to 25 Martin Place. Stunning, and it's part of the Martin Place Vivid Trail. Affordable nibbles With the packed crowds, restaurants that book out weeks in advance and so much ground to cover, sometimes a cheeky takeout from the food court is the best option on a Vivid night out. 25 Martin Place even has dessert covered with a Gelato Messina on site – so you can spend more time hopping between Sydney’s light shows with a dessert cone in hand. ...

One of the biggest visitor drawcards for the gorgeous State Library of NSW, the World Press Photo exhibition is back in Sydney for its most powerful year yet, with more award-winning photographers and unforgettable images that shook and shocked the world.  From war zones to the climate crisis, gender politics to migration, this stunning annual exhibition showcases the most astonishing, thought-provoking, and often beautiful images published by photojournalists in the past twelve months. Run by the World Press Photo Foundation, this year’s exhibition drew in a whopping 59,320 entries captured by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries, with 42 finalists selected by an independent jury.  World Press Photo is just one of seven free exhibitions on now at the Library. From Monday to Thursday, the exhibition is open 'til 8pm; plus, for three Friday nights during Vivid Sydney (May 30, June 6 and 13) the Library will be open for rare after-hours viewings from 6–9 pm. On Thursday, June 5, the Library is also teaming up with Fujifilm Australia for a special event with award-winning Australian photojournalist Dr. Michael Coyne, as part of the State Library Unplugged series. The Fujifilm Light and Lens Photowalk and Talk starts off with an immersive photo walk around the city, taking in the sights of Vivid Sydney, followed by a keynote address from Dr. Coyne, drawing on his 40-year career documenting international events. (Find out more about the event over here.) The 68th World Press...

If you’re of a certain age, you have history (HIStory, perhaps?) with Michael Jackson. I remember getting ‘Thriller’ on cassette as a kid. ‘Dangerous’ was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I remember seeing the extended music video for ‘Thriller’ on VHS, which came packaged with a behind-the-scenes documentary. One woman, cornered for a quick vox pop at one of the filming locations, asserted that she loved Jackson because he was “down to earth”, which is darkly hilarious in hindsight.  Down to earth? The press called him “wacko Jacko” – we all did. He slept in a hyperbaric chamber. He owned the Elephant Man’s skeleton. His skin kept getting paler, his nose thinner. What a weird guy! Was any of it true? Hard to say. Even today, when a careless tweet is like a drop of blood in a shark tank to fans and journos alike, the media furor around Michael Jackson stands as one of the most frenetic in living memory, eclipsing the likes of Beatlemania. Jackson wasn’t bigger than God, he was God to a lot of people – the King of Pop, the first Black artist to smash through the MTV colour barrier, an artist, an icon, a living legend. Then came the allegations of child sexual abuse, which first began in August 1993, and continue to this day. For those who were still on the fence, the documentary Leaving Neverland, released in 2019, saw many more fans abandon Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50. And so, it makes sense that MJ the Musical would set Jackson’s relationship with the...

 The Sydney Film Festival has long been entertaining local movie buffs and global travellers alike – for 72 years, to be precise – and this year is your invitation to ‘See the Bigger Picture’ with a stacked program of more than 200 films screening across various venues from June 4 to 15.  From the major Hollywood blockbusters the whole world is talking about to disruptive arthouse gems, and it’s time to find out for yourself why these flicks are making waves. Whether you’re a film industry professional or a casual popcorn muncher, you’re guaranteed to find a film that’ll change the way you see the world.  So what *is* on offer in this year’s program? We’re excited to see debut Aussie director and SXSW-winner Amy Wang's teen prom satire Slanted, plus two new Australian features – Fwends, the debut feature from two-time Dendy Award-winner Sophie Somerville and Lesbian Space Princess, a Berlin Teddy Award-winning animated feature. There's also spectacles direct from the Cannes Film Festival including the suspenseful duo of crime films The Mastermind starring Josh O'Connor and Secret Agent from Kleber Mendonça Filho, a former Sydney Film Prize winner.   There are 12 films in the running for the ‘Official Competition’ prize – which awards a whopping $60,000 in cold harsh cash for “courageous, audacious and cutting-edge” filmmaking. For the first time in SFF history, the festival is also collaborating with Vivid Sydney 2025 – groundbreaking artistry will burst beyond the screen...

Some plays roar and plead for your attention. Others hum softly, sitting in moments of elongated silence. American playwright Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, a quietly devastating story of single motherhood, illness and resilience does the latter – it earns your attention in the silences. As with life, the telling of these stories in theatre takes a village, and Mi Todo Productions have collected a dutiful village for this Australian premiere production at the Old Fitz Theatre. Nestled within a simple, white-washed apartment in Queens, this one-act play traverses the journey of a single mother, Mary Jane (Eloise Snape) and her toddler, Alex. It is neither grandiose nor extravagant, but instead approached as a ship-in-a-bottle type storytelling, with Mary Jane’s apartment and the children’s ward at the hospital being the only settings in our storybook. Born prematurely, Alex’s health issues give way to worsening seizures and the need for constant around-the-clock care. As the initial scenes commence, Herzog breadcrumbs her audience with details of Alex’s condition, with diagnoses including cerebral palsy, paralysed vocal cords, and lung disease. A small beeping offstage informs us of someone in need of care, and further conversations eventually reveal that Alex’s condition is worse than previously thought, as Mary Jane struggles to grapple with the gravity of the situation. (Pack tissues for this one, folks.) Less is more in this production, but it’s not without an impressive bit...

It has been more than a century since the Titanic sank into the icy depths of the North Atlantic Ocean, claiming the lives of 1,496 people, and the legend continues to captivate us.  Sydneysiders can explore detailed life-size recreations of the ship’s interiors and take a deep dive into the stories of the people on board at Titanic. The Human Story, open from May 30 at the historic Pier 2/3 in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. Created by award-winning exhibitions producer Musealia alongside one of the world’s foremost experts on the Titanic, renound Swedish historian and author Claes-Göran Wetterholm, the exhibition features a selection of around 200 never-before-seen objects and personal artefacts that unveil touching human stories of the ship’s passengers and crew. Far more than just a display of historic items, this is a unique narrative experience, sharing tales from history’s most legendary ship and its ill-fated maiden (and final) journey. The experience encourages guests to travel back in time through photographs, handwritten letters, cherished keepsakes, and other personal belongings. Having captivated audiences with previous iterations across America and the UK, this exhibition welcomed more than 146,000 visitors during its Australian debut in Brisbane in 2024. (Not to be confused with the similarly immersive Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition in Melbourne.) Tip: you'll want to allow about an hour and a half to explore the exhibiton, and you can book ahead for sessions...

Take one glance at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks and it’s obvious the big brick structure is dripping with history. It started out as a place that housed male convicts in the early 1800s, but Japanese-Australian artist Hiromi Tango is shining a light (literally) on its lesser-known significance as a site of women’s history this May and June. Watch the Barracks become a canvas for larger-than-life projections showcasing the stories of the women who passed through the building that was once the Female Immigration Depot and Hyde Park Asylum from 1848 to 1887. Recorded voices offer deeply personal stories of hope, and a visual collage that appears after dark until 10pm gives passersby a peek into the Barracks’ archaeology including its rich collection of textiles and fabric fragments inside.  Being a Japanese immigrant, and now a resident of Northern NSW, Tango was inspired by the “voices of those who are often left out of history”. Watch as the site also transforms into the ‘Hope garden’ with large ‘hope flowers’ and a collaborative installation of upcycled textiles that will keep growing.  Hope is on until June 15 at the Hyde Park Barracks, projected nightly until 10pm. Visitors can check it out for free. Find out more info here. The Hyde Park Barracks museum is also open daily from 10am to 6pm with free entry and includes an immersive self-guided audio experience which takes about an hour and a half to complete.

Just over a decade since it was last seen in Australia, Annie is back – bursting onto the Capitol Theatre stage filled with optimism, joy, and hope. Director Karen Mortimer revives this quintessential piece of musical theatre with a sentimental production that preserves the charm and flair found in Thomas Meehan’s book. For those living under a rock (mainly me), this Tony Award-winning musical follows the story of 11-year-old Annie, who is growing up in an orphanage in 1930s New York, under the cruel eye of Miss Hannigan. In the midst of the Great Depression, pessimism is all around, but chipper young Annie has the antidote: hope. Encouraging others to believe that “the sun will come out tomorrow”, Annie’s enduringly positive spirit seems to finally pay off, when billionaire Oliver Warbucks chooses to take her in for two weeks over Christmas. Four spirited young performers share the titular role in this production, alongside an alternating cast of child actors. On opening night, Dakota Chanel’s Annie is a ray of sunshine, fully embodying the doe-eyed optimism of the character, balancing warmth and comedy with the more tender and emotional segments. The whole ensemble of “orphans” share an incredible chemistry, which is strongly on display in their performance of ‘It’s The Hard Knock Life’. The stakes are high when it comes to such a well-known and well-loved song, but this ensemble more than meets the challenge with a passionate and committed performance.  Annie is the...

It’s time to ring that bell and check in for an intoxicating blend of Parisian cabaret, dazzling aerial artistry and breathtaking burlesque. Following sold-out seasons at the Sydney Opera House and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, L’Hôtel returns to Sydney this winter, taking over the brand new Foundry Theatre from May 24 to July 6. Sydney’s own enfant terrible prince of pop Brendan Maclean takes centre stage, causing mischief alongside acting legend John Waters (Offspring, All Saints, Bloom) as L’Hôtel’s devoted hotelier, as well as a jaw-dropping cast of multi-talented entertainers.  The creation of visionary director Craig Ilott (Gatsby at the Green Light, Amadeus) and designer Stuart Couzens, this fresh twist on L’Hôtel promises to be more extravagant than ever. The pair describe the show as a world where temptation lurks in every shadow: “L’Hôtel is where elegance meets mischief, where stolen glances turn into whispered confessions, and every doorway leads to desire. It’s transportative, intoxicating, and unlike anything else in Sydney right now. Prepare to check in.” More than a show, L’Hôtel is a feast for the senses. If you choose to level up to the VIP experience, the night begins with a chilled glass of French Champagne, paired with a curated cheese board featuring the finest French selections. As the drama unfolds, guests will savour delicate éclairs and enjoy dedicated table service – fully immersing them in the seductive world of L’Hôtel from the best seats in...