Things to do in Sydney this weekend

The 2022 All About Women Festival at the Opera House features 21 events including talks, panels, performances, workshops and a participatory art encounter, with more than 50 international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers. Outgoing Australian of the Year and outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual assault Grace Tame will speak alongside Rosie Batty. And it wouldn’t be a bonafide feminist festival without an apperance from American writer Roxane Gay, who’ll be speaking with Time Out Future Shaper Nakkiah Lui. Provocative feminist writer Clementine Ford will present a love sermon. And much more.

Are you ready to chase arty escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney has announced a packed program for 2022, with over 330 artworks by 89 participants and 400 events as part of this year’s edition, which will be open to the public from March 12 to June 13. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, as always, the Biennale will be free and open to the public.

What once was a one-day knees-up of music, performance and bevvies packing out the pubs and bars of the legendary King Street drag in Newtown has exploded into a three-day weekender bender. The Inner West’s annual King Street Crawl has evolved into the King Street Carnival, with the inaugural fest taking over Newtown and spilling over into the surrounding parks. A slew of new artists are now joining the fest including Young Franco, Ngaiire, Tropical Fuck Storm, King Stingray, and Budjerah. 

After bouncing into town for a summer of fun at the beginning of 2020, before the proverbial hit the fan on a global scale, this ridiculously oversized bouncy experience for everyone from toddlers to grown-ups to enjoy is springing back to our fair city in early 2022. The Big Bounce Australia is popping up again in Western Sydney, this time for two weekends of inflatable fun.

Summer just got a whole lot steamier, with Germany’s biggest and boldest kabarett star pitching The Famous Spiegeltent at the Rocks for one hell of a party. With her infamous troupe of bombastic Bohemians in tow, Bernie Dieter is earning a throng of enthusiastic new fans with her long anticipated Sydney debut packed with funny, dark and debaucherous entertainment popping up on the foreshore of Circular Quay.

After making an earth-quaking sell-out debut between lockdowns in 2021, Big Thick Energy is back. The dates were pushed back to this weekend after the theatre sustained significant damage from heavy rains. Expect a life-affirming helping of body positivity and liberation through movement, creativity and community in the beautiful surrounds of Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst. This variety festival features 11 skills-sharing workshops, local artisan markets and four ferocious evenings of high-energy entertainment featuring burlesque, drag, vogue, slam poetry, freak show acts and live music.

If you, like many of us, have been watching on with horror at the atrocities facing the people of Ukraine in recent days, it can be very hard to know how to help. Fortunately, some of Sydney's best bakers are putting on a bake sale to end all bake sales. More than 30 Sydney bakeries, cake makers and pastry legends are involved in the Bake for Ukraine Cake Auction. You can easily do your bit by submitting a bid online. 

Slip on your sparkly ruby slippers and click your heels together three times – the immersive drag dinner show experience that has taken Oxford Street by storm is back, back, back again! Sydney superstar queens Charisma Belle, Carmen Geddit and Sia Tequila are taking you somewhere over the rainbow. The queens are off to see the wizard and they’re inviting you to follow them down the yellow brick road on a magical journey of high camp proportions when the upstairs nightclub at Universal transforms into a glittering dinner theatre – with bottomless cocktails.

To borrow from Dolly’s famed love of a folksy metaphor (please read with a Southern drawl), the Australian premiere of 9 to 5 the Musical is a show as subtle as a bottle blonde at a brunettes' convention, as delicate as a whoopie cushion at a wake, and hammier than a pork chop wrapped in bacon. But what this show lacks in nuance, it more than makes up for in feel-good factor. Yes, its toilet humour is basic and its narrative problematically outdated, but if you can surrender to the silly, stupid, schlocky joy of it all, you’re most definitely in for a good night.

Be beckoned into a sparkling world of jazz, extravagance, romance, betrayal and booze at this two-hour and 20-minute experience inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous 1925 novel. All three levels of the Wonderland Bar (formerly the teapot cocktail-slinging World Bar) have been gutted and glitzed up for this ambitious production. An original play is broken up with burlesque and cabaret numbers, ballroom dance parties and a complimentary flute of bubbly.

Elm Rooftop Bar is redefining one of Sydneysiders’ favourite pastimes – the bottomless brunch – with the launch of the country’s first-and-only drag king brunch. With free-flowing prestige cuvée and rosé, good vibes, and delectable bites, there’s no better excuse to round up your mates. Not familiar with drag kings? Think the opposite of a drag queen. Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes.

With over 56 events rolling out over the next few months for Inner West Fest 2022, expect laneway activations, food and drink festivals, live music in parks, circus and family-friendly activities. From February 25 until April 10 the Inner West will come alive with opportunities to reconnect with your area and community. The program is packed with goodies to mark in your diary.

It’s time to get down to Hello Kitty Town, because Japan’s most beloved export has transformed Darling Square into a wonderland dedicated to the adorable cartoon cat, and it’s in town for three whole months. There's Hello Kitty magic of every size on offer, from cute souvenirs, merch and themed eats to a gigantic five-metre Hello Kitty inflatable statue.

You can head over to the historic Elizabeth Bay House in Sydney’s east to join in on a real-life immersive murder mystery game. You have an hour and a half to search for clues, interrogate suspects and unmask the true murderer – can you do it? 

If you solemnly believe summer is all about enjoying good food, great cocktails by the water then have we got the Sunday sesh for you. Casa Aperol is about to be your tropical-themed, balmy evening go-to. Popping up in Empire Lounge – a stunning venue that literally juts into the water – this event ticks off more than a few boxes on your summer vibes checklist.

Everyone's favourite party circus, basement dwelling Ramblin' Rascals are all grown up and shifting gears. Yes, the debauchery remains, but after nearly a decade of liver-smashing, whiskey shooting and rollicking party intensity, the team is letting some of Sydney's finest musos take charge by putting on gigs every dang week with a revolving line up of local acts, so there's a little something to please everyone. 

Darling Harbour's beautiful hidden garden has been lit up in an immersive world of lights, colour and natural splendour, transforming the tranquil sanctuary of the Chinese Garden of Friendship in the heart of the city into a digital art playground. Using augmented reality technology, the heritage-listed gardens have been transformed into a reflection of the four seasons.

Part magic show, part mental manipulation masterclass, Wonders is the extraordinary Scott Silven at his most hypnotic – sharing early childhood memories, weaving a colourful narrative and ultimately casting a spell over his awestruck audience. The Sydney Opera House has a longstanding history of presenting unforgettable spectacles, and this 70-minute show is no exception.

Slide on your glass slippers and get ready for a feast that will leave you feeling happily ever after. Affordable fine dining favourite Nel has announced the third chapter of of its hugely popular Disney-themed degustation. ‘Once Upon a Time’ involves eleven dishes with a nostalgia-inducing creative touch. 

If you're partial to a spellbinding spectacle, you don’t need to head to Vegas. You can see top-quality magic right here in Sydney, courtesy of Bruce Glen, the Gentleman Magician, who has been enchanting and amazing audiences every weekend for over five years with his Magical Soirées.

Feel like enjoying a film in a park, on a rooftop, or by the water? From blockbusters to tearjerkers, rom-coms to thrillers, you can catch them all in the great outdoors across the city thanks to a proliferation of popcorn-offering spots popping up across the city. Bring a rug and some snacks (or buy them from handy pop-up eateries) and settle in with the fam, a mate, or a date – some cinemas will even let you bring your dog!

Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou presents the largest collection of the revered painter’s joyous work to ever wing its way to Sydney, with thanks to the world-famous Parisian home of contemporary art. You’ll be able to soak up the spirit-lifting sight of more than 100 of his brilliantly inventive creations – plus a companion exhibition that hands the brush to current artists.

Sydney's dedicated contemporary Asian art gallery has done it again, with a multidimensional and multilevel exhibition of contemporary art that will transport you through various worlds and sensations. Big in China hands the power to Asian artists to speculate on the peculiarities of Western customs and trends. These artists bring intriguing perspectives to how we process our ever-globalised world. 

Sydney is home to some pretty fascinating museums, places where you can learn about ships, time, military history, society, the police force and more. Rain or shine, head out on a journey of discovery at these all-weather-friendly houses of knowledge. You'll learn about fascinating natural histories, scientific endeavours, design innovations and the many surprising stories that have made this city everything it is today.

From easy breezy coastal walks to half-day bush hikes and multi-day expeditions, Sydney’s blessed with many different walking paths that’ll suit amblers of all abilities. Take a look at our list of 13 walks in Sydney that’ll take you over dramatic sandstone cliffs, cobbled stone paths, sandy inlets and well-trodden boardwalks.

As Sydney waits out the remaining restrictions of the Delta lockdown, picnics are back on. Yep, up to five fully vaccinated adults can gather to enjoy a sanga in the sunshine. Check out our list of top picnic spots, and don't worry, we've done the research on if there’s parking, toilets and barbecues available.

Love art? Enjoy a bracing stroll? Well, we've got good news for any Sydneysiders looking to combine their cardio with a little culture. Our streets are positively littered, in the very best way, with incredible public artworks and street art hotspots you can enjoy during your outdoor exercise.