Are you ready to chase artistic escapades around the city? The Biennale of Sydney is back for its 24th edition from March 9 to June 10, 2024. Whether you’re a dedicated arts fanatic or a casual culture buff, you’ll find something to inspire and provoke you along this epic art trail. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale is taking over six different locations with awe-inspiring installations and intriguing exhibitions. Titled Ten Thousand Suns, this year the festival explores a multiplicity of global cultures, taking on a transgressive spirit as it leans into the origins of Carnivale. As always, the Biennale is free for everyone to visit for a total of 16 weeks. Of all the locations, White Bay Power Station is absolutely the main character of the Biennale’s 50th year anniversary (and 24th iteration – it takes place every second year). This is the first time the revitalised industrial site will officially open its doors to the public in more than 100 years – and what they’ve accomplished is pretty spectacular. Years of accumulated pigeon poop has been cleared out of the enormous factory spaces, making way for art installations that tower multiple storeys high, and more works hidden in various nooks and crannies. Pop-up bars and brand new bathrooms also set the stage for a packed program of live performances and music curated by Phoenix Central Park. Think of White Bay as a replacement for the role that Cockatoo Island has played in Sydney’s
As well as crisp, autumnal mornings, the month of April is blessed with two public holidays – this is your reminder to get planning a weekend away before the best stays get snapped up. It’s also a month of light and laughter, with the Sydney Comedy Festival lighting up venues across the city, the ever-outrageous Rocky Horror Picture Show popping up at Theatre Royal from March 31 until May 12, and incredible immersive light shows coming to this historic harbourside spot and a forest in the Blue Mountains. On the art front, the Biennale is giving Sydneysiders front-row access to exhibitions from globally leading contemporary artists, and a blockbuster photography exhibition documenting the life of Princess Diana is popping up in Ultimo. Plus, this month we’ll see the first iteration of a new monthly laneway party from the forward-thinking folks behind Kyiv Social, our 2023 bar of the year El Primo Sanchez is hosting a tequila-spiked high tea, and Goros has had a cherry blossom makeover.