UPDATED: September 14
Sydney is packed with things to do this weekend, from free music festivals and sprawling markets to a pub event where your four-legged friend is very much invited.
This weekend, some of Sydney’s favourite September events continue across the city. The Sydney Fringe Festival continues its city-wide takeover, while the beautiful Paper Daisy Spring Festival brings a burst of colour to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, and Barangaroo continues its month of inclusive wellness events.
Over at Afterpay Arena, pop superstar Jason Derulo is bringing his high-energy hits to Sydney, while the Manly Jazz Festival will transform the iconic Northern Beaches suburb into a live music lover’s paradise. Expect plenty of smooth sounds, seaside views and an excellent excuse to catch the ferry across the harbour.
If four-legged friends are more your speed, Erko Doggy Day is putting the dogs firmly in the spotlight with a dedicated day of treats, activities and canine-friendly fun. Meanwhile, design lovers can browse the latest in furniture, homewares, art and more at The Big Design Market.
Read on to check out our curated roundup of the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Things to do in Sydney this weekend
Our top picks
Sydney Fringe Festival
The Sydney Fringe Festival is so much more than a mix of theatre, visual arts, music and comedy. This open-format, relentlessly inclusive arts festival is an outsized celebration of creativity, expression and storytelling.
On our radar this weekend is Toby Quast’s Fantasyland at Marrickville Town Hall (he’s promising 45 minutes of escapism, songs and laughter) and the fast-paced comedy show ROGUE at Factory Theatre, where Georgina Humphries dives into life’s absurdities and her chaotic adventures.
Where: Across the city.
When: September 1-30.
Price: Ticket prices vary by event.
Manly Jazz Festival
Australia’s longest-running jazz festival returns to Manly with almost 100 acts performing across four stages and in more than 12 venues in and around the beachside suburb. From the Corso and beachfront to pubs, breweries, and churches, there’s a dynamic, diverse program to cater to all jazz fans, whether you’re a traditionalist or enjoy the genre’s evolving nature. And if you’re coming from the city side, make sure you catch the ferry for the full experience.
Where: Manly Beach and Manly Corso.
When: September 18-20.
Price: Free.
The Big Design Market
The Big Design Market returns to Carriageworks’ huge, industrial space, bringing with it more than 230 Australian exhibitors keen to show off and sell their independent brands. With an incredible curation of ethically made ceramics, jewellery, homewares, clothing, innovative lifestyle products and stationery, The Big Design Market is the perfect one-stop shop to secure a thoughtful gift and support up-and-coming small businesses.
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When: September 18-20.
Price: Tickets cost $8 plus a booking fee.
Spring Racing Carnival: Sydney Surf to Turf Day
Giddy up and get yourself trackside for any one of the major race meetings throughout spring. The Australian Turf Club will host two Carnival events in September, including Sydney Surf to Turf Day on this Saturday and Yulong Golden Rose Day on September 26. It’s a great excuse to dress up fancy, enjoy live entertainment and cheer on your chosen horse. Surf to Turf Day will also include a live music performance by Joel Fletcher, which is included in your ticket.
Where: Royal Randwick Racecourse.
When: September 19.
Price: From $45 per person.
Paper Daisy Spring Festival
Sydney’s biggest paper daisy display will take centre stage at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan this spring. The six-week celebration of flowers, family fun, live music and food will unfold against a spectacular sea of pink and white, created from approximately one million paper daisy seeds grown each year for the blooming display. Plenty of food and drink options will be available, from burgers and coffee to ice cream and gozleme, plus lawn games, free crafts, and even a bookable painting experience.
Where: Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, 362 Narellan Rd, Mount Annan NSW 2567.
When: September 4-October 11.
Price: Free.
Where to eat and sip
Grape, Grain and Graze Festival
Head to this one-day-only festival at Sydney Showground’s Howie Pavilion to discover, celebrate and taste award-winning wines, beers, ciders, spirits and fine food. You’ll meet the makers behind Sydney Royal medal-winning products and sample and shop directly from the producers.
You’ll be kept entertained with live music from local talent, while wine tasting tokens, spirit and beer masterclasses and more offer plenty of ways to elevate your day. See the full range of available add-ons here.
Where: Howie Pavilion, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.
When: September 19, 2pm-7pm.
Price: General admission starts at $128.25.
The White Horse Lunch Special
Surry Hills icon The White Horse has launched a new lunch menu that packs six dishes into an impressively good-value $55 feast. Available from Friday to Sunday between 12pm and 3pm, it’s the perfect excuse to round up your friends and settle in for a leisurely weekend lunch.
We tried the menu and still can’t stop thinking about the W.A. rock lobster stuffed pappardelle. Described as “somewhere between pasta and a dumpling”, the lobster is enclosed with the pasta, rather than tossed through it. It sits in a savoury, buttery miso broth made with brown fish stock, daikon, kombu and white soy, finished with lobster bisque foam and prawn oil. If that doesn’t make you book a table, I don’t know what will.
Where: 381 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
When: Available from Friday to Sunday between 12pm and 3pm.
Price: $55 per person.
Erko Doggy Day
Bring your pup to Erko Doggy Day for the pawfect afternoon out, kicking off at 11am with stalls to browse, a photo booth for capturing your good boys’ and girls’ best side and plenty of treats and tail wags. Stay on until 2pm for the Best Dressed competition, and see all the four-legged guests in their finest (and cutest) attire.
Where: 102 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville NSW 2043.
When: September 20 from 11am, Best Dressed Competition at 2pm.
Price: Free entry.
Gigs and concerts
Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo is bringing his The Last Dance Tour to Sydney this September. The global pop superstar is known for hits including “Talk Dirty” and “Savage Love”, as well as his high-energy live performances and infectious dance anthems. If you’re after a night of big hits, impressive choreography and plenty of pop spectacle, this is one to add to your calendar.
Where: Afterpay Arena, 19 Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127.
When: September 19.
Price: Tickets from $112.05.
Ashnikko
US pop provocateur Ashnikko returns to Australian shores for her Smoochies tour this weekend. Her distinct hybrid-pop sound refused to cater to the male gaze with her second album, Smoochies, pushing back with its absurd, sometimes grotesque, sexy and chaotic reflection on the threats facing femmes and marginalised communities.
Where: Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042.
When: September 19 and 20.
Price: From $99.90.
Theatre and dance
LAST CHANCE: Heathers: The Musical
Based on the iconic film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers: The Musical is deliciously dark and hilarious, with a cult-favourite soundtrack that has made it a hit with musical theatre fans. The musical will play at Rooty Hill’s Coliseum Theatre from August 26 to 29 before moving to the Roslyn Packer Theatre from September 1 to 19.
Where: Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay NSW 2000.
When: September 1-19.
Price: Tickets from $69.90.
My Fair Lady
Opera Australia celebrates 70 years of My Fair Lady since its glorious Broadway debut this September. 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.
The Elevator
Sharp, funny and fearless new Australian comedy The Elevator will make its world premiere this week. This no-fluff office satire is a whirlwind of laughs and truth bombs as CEO Margot returns from mat leave, ready to face the fallout from her company’s PR nightmare.
Where: Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli NSW 2061.
When: September 18-October 18.
Price: Tickets from $90.
LAST CHANCE: CURRENT
Sydney Dance Company presents CURRENT, bringing audiences up close to contemporary dance in the intimate Neilson Studio at The Wharf. The program features three world premieres by Raghav Handa, Jenni Large and Azzam Mohamed, alongside the Australian premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s acclaimed duet E2 7SD.
Where: Neilson Studio, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Wharf 4, 5/15 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point NSW 2000.
When: September 3-20.
Price: Tickets from $35.
The Lion King
The blockbuster musical The Lion King continues its run in the Harbour City. 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.
You can read our review of the stunning show here.
Where: Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell St, Haymarket NSW 2000.
When: Until October 4, 2026.
Price: From $165.
Fiddler on the Roof
The beloved 1964 musical is running until October 3 at the Theatre Royal, following its sold-out season in London, where it set the record for the best-selling musical of all time at the Barbican Theatre and won three Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival.
The story is set in the tiny village of Anatevka in 1905, where milkman Tevye (Troy Sussman) lives his life by their proud traditions. For his five daughters, this means a visit from the matchmaker, played by Sigrid Thornton. As each daughter challenges his beliefs, against the backdrop of a changing world, Tevye struggles to embrace the unfamiliar as anti-semitic pressures increase in the region.
You can read our review of the show here.
Where: Theatre Royal, 108 King St, Sydney 2000.
When: Until October 3.
Price: Adult tickets from $89.
Art exhibitions
Brett Whiteley: Coming Home
The Brett Whiteley Studio has officially reopened after two years of renovations. Located in the celebrated artist’s final home and studio in Surry Hills, the gallery offers an intimate and unfiltered encounter with the life and practice of Brett Whiteley.
The studio has reopened with a new exhibition, titled Brett Whiteley: Coming Home, showcasing ambitious works produced by the artist in the 1970s. Offering an array of 80 paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, prints, photographs and sketchbooks, the works showcase the energy and variety of Whiteley’s practice following his return to Australia after a decade of living and working abroad.
Where: Brett Whiteley Studio, 2 Raper St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010.
When: Open Thursday to Sunday, 10am-4pm.
Price: Free entry.
Margaret Olley: Australian Intimiste
The National Art School is celebrating the legacy of one of its own, displaying more than 60 of Margaret Olley’s artworks. The exhibition is drawn from public and private collections of the beloved artist’s work from throughout her six-decade career since graduating from the NAS.
Also featured is a selection of works by her National Art School friends, teachers and peers, including Jean Bellette, Margaret Cilento, Douglas Dundas, Russell Drysdale, Frank Medworth, David Strachan and Tony Tuckson among
others. It also includes Sir William Dobell’s famous 1948 Archibald Prize-winning portrait of Olley.
Where: National Art School, 156 Forbes St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
When: Until October 24, 2026
Price: Free
Avatar: Forms of Vishnu
This ambitious exhibition is the largest presentation of South and Southeast Asian art shown at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in over 20 years, and the first Australian exhibition devoted to the Hindu deity Vishnu. It brings together more than 200 works, both historical and contemporary, ranging from ancient sculptures, textiles, and paintings to photography and installation.
Some of the extraordinary works in the exhibition include a sixth-century Cambodian sculpture of a horse-headed avatar of Vishu, paintings from 1594 illustrating India’s great Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, and new pieces made especially for the exhibition, including a pair of large paintings by Desmond Lazaro.
Where: Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: Until October 5, 2026.
Price: Adult tickets from $35.
Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition offers a breathtaking glimpse into the natural world, capturing extraordinary moments from a critically endangered sawfish gliding among sea turtles to royal penguins stopped in their tracks by a colossal elephant seal.
The free annual exhibition celebrates the talents of professional, emerging and junior photographers, showcasing remarkable images captured across Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea. The exhibition is on display at the Australian Museum until February 14.
Where: Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.
When: September 12-February 14.
Price: Free.
Black Myth
Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery, which showcases one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art, is located on a hidden backstreet in Chippendale. The gallery presents two exhibitions each year, and its current exhibition, titled Black Myth, will show until November 8.
Black Myth draws inspiration from the viral Chinese video game, Black Myth: Wukong, which is a modern retelling of the legendary novel Journey to the West. An epic fantasy, teeming with spirits, demons, ghosts, mythical beasts, gods, and immortals, it follows the monk Tang Sanzang and his three unlikely disciples as they undertake a pilgrimage from China to India.
The best part? Entry to White Rabbit Art Gallery is completely free.
Where: White Rabbit Art Gallery, 30 Balfour St, Chippendale NSW 2008.
When: Until November 8, 2026.
Price: Free.
Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir
One of Australia’s most exciting young Indigenous artists of today, Tony Albert’s new exhibition at the MCA brings together his work across sculpture, photography, installation, painting, and assemblage alongside major new commissions.
Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir introduces a new word (one the artist himself coined): Aboriginalia. It refers to the mass-produced kitsch featuring stereotypical and often racist depictions of Aboriginal peoples. Albert (Girramay, Kuku Yalanji, Yidindji people) has been amassing a huge collection of these uncomfortable souvenirs since he was a child, and his new exhibition reclaims the kitsch to celebrate cultural pride and survival instead.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000.
When: Until October 19.
Price: Tickets from $28.
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 time for Sydney to get up close with the human body.
Where: 155 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000.
When: September 17-April 4.
Price: Tickets from $37.
Sport and wellness
Barangaroo You Wellness Month
Barangaroo is encouraging Sydneysiders to put themselves first this month with the return of Barangaroo You Wellness Month, bringing a program of free and low-cost movement, mindfulness and wellness experiences to the bustling, urban suburb.
The weekend program includes Yoga on Country, offering free weekly yoga sessions on Stargazer Lawn, and Barangaroo Bootcamp, a free HYROX-style outdoor training session at Hickson Park every Saturday. For something a little more relaxing, Cedar & Salt is bringing a wood-fired, Nordic-inspired sauna and cold plunge experience to Barangaroo, with sessions starting from $30. You can check out the full program here.
Where: Locations across Barangaroo, including Barangaroo Reserve, Barangaroo South and Marrinawi Cove.
When: September 1-30.
Price: Prices range per event, with the majority being low-cost or free.
