- Your list of activities for all age groups
- There is something for every budget.
- Keep your kids entertained right across Sydney with plenty of activities.
Christmas holidays can be brilliant (if you’re the kid) or super stressful (if you’re the grown-up). Sydney Travel Guide has come to the rescue with your one-stop-shop list of activities that will keep the big kids, little kids and the family occupied right through the silly season. We’ve tallied up the high-octane adventures, the low-key creative activities, the tight-belt-budget options and the break-the-bank splurges, plus everything in between. Here’s our list of Sydney’s best holiday activities to save your sanity this season.
High energy adventures
Waterworld at Entertainment Quarter
Grab the floaties and get ready to splash the day away with this epic mobile inflatable waterpark. Waterworld Central is set to take over the grounds at the Entertainment Quarter for families who want to escape the busy beaches.
From 9th January till 1st Febrauary 2026, big and little kids can hit the splash zone through Waterworld Central’s slides and wading pools. There’s everything from chilled out inflatable pools through to heart-racing thrill slides.
Where: Entertainment Quarter, Sydney
When: From January 9 to February 1st.
Entry: 2 hours from $40 (5yrs – Adult). Spectators are free
Click here for more info.
Santa at the Summit
There’s no higher place to see Santa in Sydney than the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Every Sunday morning during the holidays, up until 21 December, bridge climber can get the best Santa photo in town, with the big man himself, 134 metres above the Harbour on the iconic arches. From here you can practically tough the sleigh! A bunch of fun extras are thrown in, including complimentary printed group photo (6 x 4) , Santa hat that can be worn at the Summit, and yours to keep! (optional), Sing-a-long Christmas tunes at the Summit, and BridgeClimb cap and Certificate of Achievement.
Where: Bridge Climb, 3 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney
When: Until Sunday December 21st
Entry: Prices start from $258
Click here for more info.
Dino Fest
Nothing beats scaring the bejeezers out of your kids when you get the chance! This fun and informative festival of all things oversized and scaly, is showing at Blaxland Riverside Park at Sydney Olympic Park daily from 10 January – 1 February 2026 (excluding 14, 20 and 26 January). These holidays, it features brand-new life-like animatronics and dino-themed activities plus more than 30 life-size, walking and interactive dinosaurs. DinoFest also stars a walking triceratops, stegosaurus, spinosaurus, pachycephalosaurs, ankylosaur and lots of cute baby dinosaurs that can be touched and patted, with in-character rangers who help to make the event a truly unique adventure for families.
There’s a 45-minute Dinosaur Encounter and an amazing new Dino Trail. It’s both entertaining and terrifying… in an age appropriate way.
Where: 1 Jamieson Street, Sydney Olympic Park
When: Every day, 10:30am to 3pm Saturday 10 January to Sunday 1 February
Price: tickets start from $28 for kids and $31 for adults
Click here for more info.
Splatter paint
Nothing beats a giant, messy, splattered adventure… where you don’t have to do the clean up! Grab a poncho and the whole family and prepare to get extremely messy and colourful with this paint splattering day. Each 1 hour classic session includes a canvas of your art to take home on the day in a custom take home box (no paint in the car or on the train). It also includes ponchos, safety goggles and shoe coverings to keep everyone (mostly) clean. It’s perfect for all ages, no art skills required and no clean up!
Where: level 2/78 Spring St, Bondi Junction
When: Every day, 9:30am to 6:30pm starting from Thursday 11 December
Price: tickets are $65 per person
Click here for more info.
Chilled and calm activities
Creature 2025
Get down and dirty (in the virtual sense) with this deep dive into the Australian bush through a 360-degree interactive play space. Created by Box of Birds, kids are transported into a world of bounding kangaroos, playful wombats, and other native creatures that interact with you as you explore. It’s all part of a free Summer Moves program in Sydney and is a great way for the kids to learn about the bush without bringing home the bark, dirt and leaves on their shoes!
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh
When: Every day, 9am to 5pm until Saturday 10 January 2026
Price: Free entry
Click here for more info.
Spongebob at Sealife
What could possibly be better than Spongebob Squarepants… and the Sealife Aquarium in one giant package?! This summer, join SpongeBob, Patrick, and the gang on an epic quest beneath the waves as they journey to the ocean’s mysterious depths to face the ghostly Flying Dutchman! It’s inspired by The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Search for SquarePants, in cinemas on Boxing Day.
Kids can embark on seven swashbuckling challenges, from solving riddles and spotting jellyfish to discovering their very own pirate name, all in pursuit of a Swashbuckler Certificate!
When: Every day, 9:30am to 6:30pm starting from Thursday 11 December
Where: level 2/78 Spring St, Bondi Junction
Price: tickets are $65 per person
Click here for more info.
Spotlight at sunset
Grab your headlamps and hit up The Royal Botanic Garden for some after dark adventures! The garden turns into an oasis waiting to be explored with this nocturnal tour. Wander the garden pathways and visit biodiversity ‘hotspots’ around the ponds to look for nocturnal creatures. Natural senses and some tech-gadgets will be used by park scientists to help kids locate animals and plants that have special nocturnal adaptations.
Where: Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000 (Meet at Woolloomooloo Gate, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney)
When: Monday 22nd December, 8-9:30pm
Price: start from $20
Click here for more info.
Kids Kung Fu
Kung Fu Panda eat your heart out! Head to Haymarket and let your little ones be karate kids for a day! Learn from the martial tradition of the Shaolin temple. The Sydney school is Chinatown’s oldest school and the headquarters of Choy Lee Fut in 17 countries. It’s a discipline thats ideal for developing healthy skills in concentration and balance – not to mention the creative imagination! Beginners are welcome.
Where: 1 Goulburn Street, Haymarket
When: Every Sunday morning
Price: Classes start at $15
Click here for more info.
Pirates love Underpants
The Sydney Opera House will hold onto its pants these holidays as Pirates descend for this fabulous production. Prepare for puppetry, music, and plenty of underpants. It’s a stage production based on the original book of the same name by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort and provides a swashbuckling adventure for the entire family.
Where: The Sydney Opera House
When: Every day, 10:30am to 3:30pm Sunday 4 January 2026 to Monday 12 January
Price: Classes start at $41
Click here for more info.
Disney Jr. Live On Tour: Let’s Play!
It’s a giant national tour for Disney fans. The ICC will host this giant production featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Ariel, the SuperKitties and Team Spidey in a fun-filled musical adventure packed with songs, dancing and spectacular 3D visuals. Who doesn’t love Disney?! It’s an interactive event so get set to enjoy a giant adventure for the whole family. Go on, admit you’ve always wanted to cuddle Mickey…
Where: The ICC, 14 Darling Drive, Sydney
When: Every day, 10:30am to 2pm Saturday 17 January 2026 to Sunday 18 January
Price: Tickets start from $39.90
Click here for more info.
