1. Photograph: Jeff Turner
    Photograph: Jeff Turner
  2. Photograph: Simon Sees
    Photograph: Simon Sees
  3. Photograph: Marco Comastri
    Photograph: Marco Comastri
  4. Photograph: duluoz Cats
    Photograph: duluoz Cats
  • Museums
  • Milsons Point

Luna Park Sydney

Even if you're not into the rides, the location and history still make this famous grinner a winner
Alice Ellis
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Time Out says

More than 80 years since its famous smile first lit up the Harbour, Luna Park is still Sydney's favourite vintage attraction. Martin Sharp's iconic clown face at the entrance, the rickety wooden rides, and vaudeville decor gives the park a strong sense of nostalgia. But Luna Park has also introduced a range of modern, high-tech immersive experiences in more recent times.

Luna Park has the two-fold attraction of being an enclosed space where you can let kids run rampant, plus some of the most beautiful views of the harbour you will ever come across. We recommend arriving by ferry. And, if you aren't a fan of spinning rides, we recommend you get a single ride pass and use it on the Ferris Wheel, where the bobbing lights of the city and the fresh sea air makes for quite a romantic jaunt.

Otherwise, load up on sugar and fried foods and see how many times you can go in the Rotor before you throw up on your shoes.

Some more recent additions to Luna Park's line-up include immersive experiences such as Dream CircusLite-Brite, a Squid Game-style experience, and their annual Halloscream festival for Halloween.

Luna Park is a great option if you have a variety of ages and tastes to cater for. If a great night out means going on every ride four times and screaming yourself hoarse then you are in for a win. If your tastes are more modest and you just want to soak up the history of a classic amusement park, you can do that too, especially in the beautiful Coney Island.

Luna Park's prices are seasonal and their opening hours change according to peak seasons and school holidays, so it's worth checking their website before you plan your trip. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news and the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Here's our guide to Sydney's bucket-list experiences.

And here's our hub covering all the best things to do with kids in Sydney.

Details

Address
1 Olympic Drive
Milsons Point
Sydney
2061

What’s on

Dream Circus

Considering that when Luna Park opened in 1935, the only other major attraction in Sydney was the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Art Deco amusement park has long been a significant site for the city – an important destination for escapism, especially considering it opened during the Depression. Although new rides have cropped up over the years, the heritage-listed park has retained a lot of its original features – which is why there’s been much hype since Luna Park announced that it would be opening a brand-new, first-of-its kind, high-tech attraction to appeal to new audiences and reignite Sydney’s love for the park. An immersive experience created right here by a bunch of talented Sydney creatives and technicians.  On December 22, Luna Park swings open the doors to a high-tech ‘Magic Box’ inside Luna Park’s existing 3,000 square metre Big Top building – a venue for the park’s first immersive adventure, ‘Dream Circus’. Time Out got a sneak peek at Dream Circus before opening day, and we have to say, it’s hard to sum up in a few sentences what you’re in for. It’s part-3D movie, where actors take you on an adventure through the circus, to the seaside, underwater and into magical dream-like states. It’s part-musical, except that the action envelops you on three sides of the room, as well as the floor and ceiling. It’s a little like a Van Gogh Alive or Frida Kahlo multi-sensory exhibition, except that rather than images being projected onto flat wall and floor surfaces, the set is b

TEDxSydney

Calling all curious minds – TEDxSydney is coming back to town, and this year it’s taking a revised, multi-day format. The new approach to TEDx represents the team’s mission to help Sydneysiders’ actively connect and facilitate change. Details at this point are thin on the groung, but from what we can know so far, TEDxSydney 2024 is looking intriguing, and far more interactive (and accessible) than past events. Instead of a one-off event playing host to a series of speakers, TEDxSydney 2024 will comprise a series of intimate discussions, curated in partnership with the University of Sydney.  The next salon event will focus on ‘Advancements in Artificial Intelligence’, exploring the ethical implications of innovations in AI – with a line-up featuring fascinating neuroscientists and researchers set to interrogate the role of AI in today's society, and it's future implications. Concession tickets for the salon events start at $39.50, with standard tickets starting at $49.50. Tickets for TEDxSydney Youth start at $75 ($50 concession tickets). You can learn more over here. Want to be the first to know about what's on in Sydney? Sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter, delivered direct to your inbox.RECOMMENDED:  Mapping out the month ahead? Here’s what’s on in Sydney in June. Want activity inspo now? Here’s what’s on this week.
  • Expos and conventions
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