Updated November 9
- 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 pulling out all the stops this weekend, with wine and beer festivals, major pop stars and new theatre shows taking over the city.
Western Sydney continues to take centre stage as Powerhouse Parramatta settles into its new home, with a huge multi-week opening festival bringing the sleek new museum to life. Expect a jam-packed program of events, from rooftop parties and live performances to talks with veteran NASA astronauts.
Meanwhile, the Inner West is celebrating its creative spirit with the brand-new Made in the Inner West festival, celebrating beer, breweries and community. Over at The Rocks, wine lovers can also look forward to NSW’s biggest open-air cellar door.
Theatre lovers are also in for a treat, with two highly anticipated musicals opening this week. Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical will make its world premiere, telling the story behind one of Australia’s most iconic voices, while A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical makes its Sydney debut, charting the singer-songwriter’s remarkable rise to fame.
Sydney’s live music calendar is equally packed, with global stars Robbie Williams, Khalid and Jack Johnson all heading to the city for a series of huge performances.
Read on to check out our top picks for the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Things to do in Sydney this weekend
Our top picks
Made in the Inner West Festival
The brand-new Made in the Inner West festival is continuing its takeover of some of Sydney’s coolest suburbs this month, with celebrations spilling across 13 of the city’s best breweries. Expect live music, food, markets, and pop-ups over 10 days of fun, plus collaborations between some of Sydney’s favourite brands and breweries, including Pickled Monkey, Mixtape and Young Henrys.
Where: 13 breweries across the Inner West.
When: November 6-15.
Price: Free.
Sydney Cellar Door
Sydney Cellar Door will transform The Rocks into NSW’s largest open-air cellar door and wine tasting experience this November. The three-day festival brings together more than 35 premium wineries from some of NSW’s most loved wine regions, including the Hunter Valley, Mudgee, Orange and the Southern Highlands, all in one iconic waterfront location.
Entry is free, and guests can purchase Sydney Cellar Door packs and wine tokens online or at the event, including the Explorer Tasting Pack (5 tokens) at $40 and The Wine Connoisseur Tasting Pack (10 tokens) for $65.
Where: First Fleet Park, The Rocks, NSW 2000.
When: November 13-15.
Price: Free entry.
Powerhouse Parramatta Opening Festival
After four years in the making, the $915 million Powerhouse Parramatta is officially open, marking New South Wales’ biggest cultural investment since the Sydney Opera House. To celebrate the milestone for Western Sydney, the museum is putting on a multi-week festival featuring 179 events, 65 per cent of which are completely free.
The jam-packed program includes talks with veteran NASA astronauts, rooftop parties and rides aboard steam trains and vintage buses between Parramatta and Riverstone stations and Powerhouse Parramatta. There are also five exhibitions to explore, four of which are completely free. You can read our full review of them here.
Where: Powerhouse Parramatta, 34/47 Phillip St, Parramatta NSW 2150.
When: November 7-29.
Price: 65 per cent of the opening program is free.
The Finders Keepers Design Market
Beloved institution, The Finders Keepers Market returns to Carriageworks this weekend at the perfect time for gift-giving. As always, the large-scale event is the ultimate collection of Australia’s best and brightest designers, including indie labels ready to showcase their latest projects.
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When: November 13-15.
Price: From $7.
Robbie Williams
Global pop phenomenon Robbie Williams will bring his BRITPOP World Tour to Accor Stadium this November, thrilling audiences with his iconic hits, from “Angels” and “Feel” to “Let Me Entertain You” and “Love My Life”. The singer will also be joined by Australian drummer, singer and songwriter G Flip at the huge stadium show.
Where: Accor Stadium, Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127.
When: November 14.
Price: Tickets from $79.
What’s on in theatre
Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical
Late last year, Sydney’s theatre and music lovers celebrated the announcement that Australian icon John Farnham would be the subject of a brand-new stage musical.
Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical tells the remarkable story behind the album that transformed Farnham into a household name. The musical will make its world premiere at the Roslyn Packer Theatre this weekend, marking 40 years since the release of Farnham’s iconic 1986 album.
Where: 22 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay NSW 2000.
When: November 15, 2026-January 3, 2027.
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical will make its Sydney premiere at the Lyric this week. Created in collaboration with the American singer-songwriter himself, the musical tells the true story of how a shy kid from Brooklyn became one of America’s biggest music icons.
Featuring 23 of Diamond’s biggest hits, it stars Broadway performer Will Swenson alongside Australian actor Ashleigh Rubenach as Marcia Murphey.
Where: 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009.
When: Run starts November 12.
Price: Tickets start from $69.
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.
Australian Ballet, Copland Dance Episodes
Described as “joyous modern ballet”, Copland Dance Episodes is taking over the Sydney Opera House in an exhilarating celebration of colour, music and movement.
Created by Tony Award-winning choreographer and New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck, the production brings 30 dancers together in a dazzling display of precision and harmony. Making its exclusive Australian premiere, the ballet will also mark its first performances outside New York.
Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House,
When: November 6-21.
Price: Tickets from $91.
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.
Snowflake
Mike Bartlett’s Snowflake is bringing festive chaos to Kirribilli’s Ensemble Theatre, with an intimate, bittersweet and laugh-out-loud comedy about generational divides, family tensions and the political differences that can turn Christmas dinner into a battleground.
The promo tells us to “Expect awkward silences, uncomfortable truths, and more tension than a family game of Monopoly”, this laugh-out-loud show combines plenty of comedy with relatable family awkwardness, and is not one to miss in the build-up to festive season.
Where: Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli NSW 2061.
When: October 30-November 21.
Price: Tickets start from $46.
Gigs and concerts
Khalid
Multi-platinum-selling singer Khalid is heading back to Australia this Friday as part of his It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour. The seven-time Grammy Award nominee, who has amassed more than 50 billion streams worldwide, will bring the tour Down Under following a hugely successful North American run. We can’t wait to hear “Young, Dumb and Broke” live!
Where: Afterpay Arena, 19 Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127.
When: November 13.
Price: Tickets from $109.90.
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson is returning to Australia for the first time in four years, bringing Ben Harper and John Butler to The Domain as part of his Surfilmusic tour. The tour will coincide with a new documentary tracing his journey from surfer and filmmaker to folk-pop icon.
Where: The Domain, Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: November 14.
Price: Tickets from $234.31.
Art exhibitions and events
Head On Photo Festival
Head On Photo Festival is back, bringing with it an incredible collection of striking photography to free exhibitions at Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach Promenade and Paddington Reservoir Gardens.
More than 110 finalists will have their work on display, with images including a powerful portrait of a First Nations Elder, a fiery gas crater in Turkmenistan and a poignant image exploring plastic pollution. You’ll have until the end of November to check them out for free.
Where: Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Bondi Beach promenade and Paddington Reservoir Gardens.
When: November 6-29.
Price: Free.
LAST CHANCE: 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.
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.
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.
British Film Festival
The British Film Festival is back in Sydney, 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 the romantic comedy Wicker, starring acclaimed British actress Olivia Colman alongside Alexander Skarsgård. Also on the program are 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.
Where to eat and sip
Jazz on the Lawn at Chiswick Woollahra
We could all do with a bit more jazz in our lives, and Chiswick Woollahra agrees, bringing an afternoon of live music, delicious food and summery drinks to the restaurant’s lush garden surrounds. Settle in on Chiswick’s green lawns and tuck into a delicious line-up of Chiswick bites, from freshly shucked oysters to tomato arancini and lamb kofta skewers.
Entry is free, no bookings required, just rock up and get grooving.
Where: 65 Ocean St, Woollahra NSW 2025.
When: November 15, 4pm-7pm.
Price: Free entry.
Try $20 pasta specials at Bar Benevento
With a different $20 pasta special every week, $10 glasses of wine, and a selection of Amaro and Strega you won’t find anywhere else in Australia, Bar Benevento is a CBD must-visit. Inspired by Benevento, where owners Anthony and Julian Izzillo grew up, this authentic Italian restaurant, cafe and bar has you covered for everything from espresso to vino to a hearty plate of carbs.
Where: Ground Floor/511 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: Open weekdays, 7am-3pm and Saturdays and Sundays, 7am-11:30am.
Price: $20 pasta specials land weekly.
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.
