Updated October 26
- Here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening around Sydney this weekend.
- From major events and exhibitions to live music, theatre, food and drink.
- Use our guide to plan your perfect weekend in the Harbour City.
Sydney is serving up a bumper weekend of Halloween thrills, cultural discoveries and unmissable events.
Break out the face paint – it’s Halloween weekend, and Sydney is getting into the spooky spirit. We can’t wait to see The Rocks transform for Ghost Festival, with a haunted cocktail crawl, a Halloween market and plenty of frights lurking around every corner.
Looking for more tricks and treats? We’ve rounded up the best Halloween events across the city, from ghost tours to parties, to help you plan a frightfully good weekend.
While the city welcomes fresh events, it’s also time to say goodbye to a few favourites. This weekend is your last chance to catch the blockbuster musical The Lion King at the Capitol Theatre, wander the spectacular coastal exhibition Sculpture by the Sea, and soak up the final days of Manly’s brand-new Surf + Sound Festival.
Here’s our full round-up of the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Our top picks
Ghost Festival
Ghost Festival is back for another year of spooky soirees and haunted hangs, launching the historic neighbourhood into an immersive four-day horror festival. Hosted over Halloween weekend, Ghost Festival reshapes The Rocks with themed feasts, spooky storytelling and terrifying interactive experiences.
There’s a Halloween Market, held on the bewitching laneways of Playfair Street, serving up bubbling cauldrons, pumpkin-spiced treats and eerie décor. Cadman’s Cottage turns into an open-air cinema, bringing classic horrors and cult favourites to the big screen (think The Shining, Get Out and Hocus Pocus).
If you’re looking for the ultimate Halloween night out with friends, embark on the special, spooky cocktail crawl and sip, savour and haunt each bar on your ‘Trick or Drink’ passport. This is not like your standard bar crawl, though – expect plenty of jump scares. As their website states, “It’s not for the faint of heart, but the cocktails help.”
The least scary part? It’s completely free.
Where: The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000.
When: October 29-November 1.
Price: Free.
Sydney Open
Since launching in 1997, Sydney Open has invited more than 110,000 visitors inside some of the city’s most architecturally significant buildings, many of which are usually off-limits to the public.
On November 1, the much-loved event returns, opening the doors to more than 40 buildings and offering a fresh perspective on the city we call home. From City Recital Hall to Grace House and Machine Hall, there’s a whole new side of Sydney to discover.
Where: Buildings across Sydney (check out the full list here).
When: November 1.
Price: Adult tickets cost $55; children 12 and under go free.
LAST CHANCE: Sculpture by the Sea
Is there any yearly arts event more “Sydney” than Sculpture by the Sea? We think not. Each year, artists from around the world create site-specific works that line the cliffs between Bondi and Bronte (as if the coastal walk wasn’t already unfairly beautiful).
The unique clash of colour, creativity and nature makes October the best time to stroll down the iconic path from Bondi to Tamarama. Learn more about the art walk (celebrating its 30th year) in our insider’s guide here.
Where: Bondi to Tamarama Coastal Walk and Marks Park.
When: October 16-November 2.
Price: Free.
LAST CHANCE: Surf + Sound Festival
It’s your last chance to experience Manly’s newest weekend takeover, Surf + Sound Festival. Over the past two weekends, the inaugural festival has brought Manly Wharf to life with a packed program of live music, a free public art trail, food and dining experiences, and community events.
This weekend, the festival will then wrap up with the Surf + Sound Boardrider Battle at Manly Beach. Some of Queensland’s and New South Wales’ best boardriders will compete in an exciting teams-format surf competition, battling it out to win a pot of prize money worth $55,000.
Where: Manly Wharf and Manly Beach.
When: October 16-November 1.
Price: Events are free to attend.
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup takes over Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium this weekend for a momentous triple-header that marks the end of the Round Games. In Game One, the Australian Jillaroos will take on Wales, whereas Game Two will see Lebanon play France. The day will end with the battle of the Pacific, with Tonga fighting for the win against Samoa in a historic rugby league rivalry.
Where: CommBank Stadium, 11-13 O’Connell St, Parramatta NSW 2150.
When: November 1, kick-off at 4pm.
Price: Tickets from $19.
LAST CHANCE: The Lion King
The blockbuster musical The Lion King wraps up its run in the Harbour City this weekend. The original Australian production of The Lion King premiered at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in October 2003, returned for a second run in 2013, and is now back at the iconic venue 13 years later.
Read our review of the stunning show here.
Where: Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell St, Haymarket NSW 2000.
When: Until November 1, 2026.
Price: From $165.
British Film Festival
The British Film Festival returns to Sydney cinemas this weekend, bringing a stellar line-up of dramas, documentaries, romantic comedies and more to the big screen.
Among the most talked-about titles on the festival circuit is romantic comedy Wicker, starring acclaimed British actress Olivia Colman alongside Alexander Skarsgård. Also on the program is the visceral historical drama The Uprising, featuring Andrew Garfield, and Savage House, a darkly comic cautionary tale starring Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy.
You can check out the full program here.
Where: Palace Moore Park Cinema, Palace Central Cinema Sydney, Palace Norton Street Cinema.
When: October 28- November 29.
Price: Tickets start at $29 for adults.
Gigs and Concerts
5 Seconds of Summer
5 Seconds of Summer is Australian boyband royalty, gaining international fame in 2013-14 after supporting One Direction on their Take Me Home tour.
Their Everyone’s A Star! world tour sees them return to their home stage in Sydney at Afterpay Arena, where they’ll play the explosive singles “NOT OK,” “Boyband,” and now “Telephone Busy”, as well as some of their popular, older hits (we’re hoping for “She Looks So Perfect”).
Where: Afterpay Arena, 19 Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127.
When: October 30.
Price: From $101.85.
BICEP
Globally acclaimed electronic duo BICEP are bringing their dancefloor-ready sound to Sydney for a headline show this Saturday. The Belfast-born DJs are best known for their iconic 2017 track Glue, with a signature sound that fuses house, techno and UK garage into hypnotic beats built to keep you moving all night.
Tickets have sold out, but keep an eye on Tixel for resale purchase opportunities.
Where: Hordern Pavilion, 1 Driver Ave, Moore Park NSW 2021.
When: October 31 at 8pm.
Price: Tickets from $129.90.
What’s on in theatre
SIX the Musical
Six the Musical transforms Henry VIII’s six wives into pop icons, remixing 500 years of history into an electrifying 80-minute concert. A global hit from the West End to Broadway, this riotous celebration of the women wronged by the infamous king is fit for royalty.
You can read our review of SIX The Musical here.
Where: Theatre Royal, 108 King St, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: October 9-December 20.
Price: Tickets start at $69.50.
FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT
Following acclaimed runs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Adelaide Fringe, alongside performances at Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre, FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT is making its way to Sydney.
Blending original music, comedy and high-energy choreography, this irreverent show serves up a dose of boyband nostalgia while taking aim at modern dating culture, masculinity and the messy world of situationships.
Where: Darling Quarter Theatre, Shop 3/1-25 Harbour St, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: October 27-November 14.
Price: Tickets from $40.
LAST CHANCE: A Room With A View
Grace Chapple transforms E.M. Forster’s beloved novel of love and discovery into a passionate stage production filled with romance, yearning and self-discovery. Follow Lucy Honeychurch through sun-drenched Tuscany as she finds herself navigating a life-changing choice between two men.
Where: 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
When: October 3-November 1.
Price: Tickets from $58.
LAST CHANCE: My Fair Lady
Opera Australia is celebrating 70 years of My Fair Lady since its glorious Broadway debut. Catch the beloved story of Eliza Doolittle’s transformation from Cockney flower girl to society lady, featuring charming classics including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’ and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’.
Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: September 10-October 31.
Price: Tickets from $89.
Where to eat and sip
$5 pastries at LoDe Pies & Pastries
To celebrate its fifth birthday, LoDe Pies & Pastries will offer five-dollar treats for five hours across all five Sydney stores on Friday, from 8am to 1pm. On the $5 menu at the Sydney institution will be their Vanilla Bombolone, Chok Cookies, Fresh Berry Tart, Pain Au Chocolat V1 and Popeye Pain Suisse.
To continue the celebrations, LoDe’s Rozelle flagship will host a morning of food, music and giveaways on November 1, with a Venchi gelato cart serving $5 gelato, a BBQ and live music throughout the celebration.
Where: Shop A4/120 Terry St, Rozelle NSW 2039.
When: October 30 and 31.
Price: $5 pastries on October 30.
Try out Oxford Street newcomer, Amé
Oxford Street has a new restaurant, and with ESCA Hospitality Group, the team behind Sydney favourites Besa, Nour and Jōji, at the helm, expectations are high. Serving Japanese-Peruvian cuisine, the newcomer has snapped up a coveted corner of Oxford Street, with a vibey downstairs bar for pre-dinner drinks and a dedicated dining space upstairs.
Highlights on the opening menu include tuna nigiri acevichado, a Peruvian-inspired nigiri; spanner crab causa croquette, a Japanese korokke blended with a Peruvian causa; and Murray cod with inaka miso and spring peas. Time to book that table.
Where: GF.01 90 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010.
When: Open for dinner Monday-Tuesday: 5:30pm-9pm, open for lunch and dinner Wednesday-Sunday, 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30-10pm.
Price: Menus can be found here.
High Tea at Crown Sydney
This spring, Vista’Mare is giving the quintessential British high tea an Italian makeover. Set in Crown Sydney’s waterfront lobby, the experience comes courtesy of the two-hatted team behind a’Mare, with a menu that brings a taste of Italy to the afternoon ritual.
Expect savoury bites such as spanner crab maritozzo, prosciutto croquettes and King salmon vol-au-vents, before moving on to an indulgent line-up of sweets. Think Brontë pistachio bignè, Piedmont hazelnut Baci di Dama and Amalfi lemon tart, alongside warm scones served with whipped cream and seasonal jam.
Where: 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW 2000.
When: Available Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3:30pm.
Price: High tea: $79pp, Sparkling high tea: $99pp, Champagne high tea: $109pp.
SRG Hospitality’s The Spring Club
As we head into the end of the year, SRG Hospitality is launching the Spring Club, Taittinger Champagne at $99 a bottle and fresh oysters at $3 each, across nine venues: Riva, Ripples Rose Bay, Akti, Ripples Chowder Bay, Ripples Little Manly, Sails, Summer Salt, The James, and The Fenwick.
Where: Across nine of SRG Hospitality’s venues.
When: October 6-November 15.
Price: $99 bottles of Taittinger Champagne, $3 oysters.
Art exhibitions and events
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
The 11-metre-high walls of the industrial Bay 17 at Carriageworks have been transformed into a colourful, magical, imaginative world of vibrant landscapes, brilliant blue swimming pools and glorious mountain ranges.
The exhibition is David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), an immersive production years in the making. After drawing sell-out crowds around the world, it will make its Australian debut on October 22, allowing Sydneysiders to experience the world through Hockney’s eyes and celebrate his legacy.
You can find out more about the experience here.
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When: October 22-January 24.
Price: Tickets from $39.90.
Nolan: Origins at Art Gallery of NSW
This October, the Art Gallery of NSW will showcase around 100 major works by leading 20th-century Australian artist, Sidney Nolan. Featuring his iconic 1946–47 series depicting bushranger Ned Kelly, the exhibition explores how Nolan shaped and questioned ideas of ‘Australia’ through his depictions of St Kilda, the Wimmera, K’gari, Central Australia and north-eastern Victoria.
You can find out more about the exhibition here.
Where: Art Gallery of NSW, Naala Nura Building, Lower Level 2.
When: October 3, 2026- February 7, 2027.
Price: Tickets from $35.
Robyn Kahukiwa: My Ancestors Are Always With Me
A new exhibition celebrating the work of Sydney-born Māori painter Robyn Kahukiwa opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia this week, marking the first Australian exhibition dedicated to the artist following her recent passing.
The exhibition offers a timely opportunity to explore Kahukiwa’s bold, uncompromising work, which challenged representations of Māori identity, culture and political struggle, with a particular focus on the experiences and status of Māori women.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000.
When: October 14, 2026-February 7, 2027.
Price: From $35; under-18s go free.
Brett Whiteley: Coming Home
The Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills recently underwent a two-year renovation and has now opened to the public with an incredible new exhibition, titled Brett Whiteley: Coming Home.
Upstairs, Whiteley’s studio remains an intimate time capsule, a look into his workspace, his famous graffitied walls and his extensive collection of books and trinkets. Downstairs, the new opening exhibition brings together some of his most celebrated works, from the 1976 Self-portrait in the Studio to the monumental 16-metre-wide Alchemy.
Where: Brett Whiteley Studio, 2 Raper Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
When: Open Thursday to Sunday, 10am-4pm.
Price: Free.
Black Myth at White Rabbit Gallery
White Rabbit Gallery’s latest free exhibition, Black Myth, opened to the public on June 25, marking the gallery’s 33rd exhibition. The exhibition draws on the viral Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong, which is a contemporary retelling of the classic novel Journey to the West.
The Assistant Curator at White Rabbit Gallery, Meng-Yu, tells us that the exhibition “poses the question: what role does myth still play in an age driven by technology and rapid urban development?”
Where: White Rabbit Gallery, 30 Balfour St, Chippendale NSW 2008.
When: June 25-November 15, Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm.
Price: Free.
Near at Hand: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2026
Featuring 11 contemporary artists from across Australia, the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial is the country’s leading exhibition dedicated to contemporary drawing.
Titled Near at Hand, the exhibition explores drawing as an intimate art form, showcasing personal mark-making, inner imaginings and up-close observations of the everyday. Artists make use of a range of materials, from pastel and pencil to watercolour, light and thread, showcasing the evolving possibilities of one of the world’s oldest art forms.
Where: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Naala Nura, Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: September 12-March 7.
Price: Free.
Body Worlds: The Anatomy of Happiness
Want to discover the fascinating facts behind the human body? This globally acclaimed exhibition explores how the body works, bringing real specimens and interactive displays to Sydney for an educational experience that’s as fascinating as it is fun.
Seen in more than 175 cities by over 58 million visitors, it’s finally Sydney’s turn to get up close with the human body at Body World: The Anatomy of Happiness.
Where: 155 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000.
When: September 17-April 4.
Price: Tickets from $37.
Definitive Dupain at State Library of NSW
This exhibition at the State Library of NSW is the first major retrospective of Australia’s most famous photographer, Max Dupain. Drawing from his complete body of work, visitors can discover 200 images and original prints on display, from his most iconic photographs (including Sunbaker) through to unseen works and experimental gems.
The images will be shown alongside Dupain’s own words, offering a rare insight into the man behind the lens and his creative philosophy.
Where: Galleries, State Library, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: August 24, 2026-July 18, 2027.
Price: Free.
Mervyn Bishop: Close Up at State Library of NSW
Another one of Australia’s most important photographers, Mervyn Bishop: Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured, while exploring the private influences that shaped his groundbreaking career as Australia’s first Aboriginal press photographer.
His body of work chronicles both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia, and has featured in dozens of incredible exhibitions over several decades.
Where: Exhibition Galleries, State Library, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: October 18, 2025-February 7, 2027.
Price: Free.
Lorrie Graham: Photojournalist at State Library of NSW
Another impressive photography exhibition at the State Library displays five decades of photography by Lorrie Graham, the pioneering and influential photojournalist.
Curated by Graham herself, this major retrospective brings together significant events, remarkable people and everyday moments, alongside intimate interviews in which Graham shares personal reflections on her career and the stories behind her photographs.
Where: Photography Gallery, State Library, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: September 14, 2026-October 31, 2027.
Price: Free.
