It’s been a big year in the Harbour City. 2024 was the year that saw Taylor Swift send Sydneysiders wild by literally going out for dinner, and the year a new public transport network captured the hearts (and content schedules) of a young generation.
We watched the Sydney Swans very nearly win the AFL Grand Final (so close, so far), and Vivid light up the city with its annual sparkly celebration. We saw Yo-Chi take the place of wine bars as the new go-to date spot, and every Sydneysider and his/ her/ their dog or baby start visiting the sauna on a regular basis.
Even though it was the year of the pop girlies, we made space for the boys, too – with Chris Martin, Cold Chisel and Fred Again.. all taking to the stage at Olympic Park, and Troye Sivan, Dev Hynes, Glass Animals and Crowded House lighting up stages in and around the Opera House.
It’s been a big year for restaurant openings, with newcomers King Clarence, The Grill, Neptune's Grotto, Olympus and the all-new Saint Peter (among others) getting us excited. However, it would be remiss not to mention that it’s also been a challenging year for Sydney’s hospo scene and the city in general.
Whether we like it or not, the year is wrapping up – so our team has put together a list of what got us buzzing and what killed the buzz in 2024.
INS
- Bath houses (and a new one, and a new one)
- The humble plain croissant
- Sparkling red
- Investing in tickets to niche, small-scale music festivals and concerts (in the face of the continued deterioration of Australia’s large-scale festi scene)
- Nature walks
- 7-Eleven coffees
- Casual sport fandom (do we love the Sydney Swans? We do now!)
- Neighbourhood restaurants
- Multi-day hikes
- Ale trails
- Bougie burgers
- Late nights out
- Trips to mountain regions in summer
- Camping
- Bergamot Spritzes
- Pet-friendly pubs
- Opera House forecourt concerts
- Kissing on the Metro (the novelty will take another year to wear off, trust us)
OUTS
- Music festival cancellations
- Shit-talking Sydney nightlife when you haven't attempted a night out since the 2010s (we’ll leave this here)
- Gatekeeping (that refers to everything: bars, brands, beaches. Sharing is caring in 2025)
- Insta cafés (who cares if it looks good, it has to taste good)
- Matching activewear
- Expensive molecular gastronomy
- Hinge
- Signature Negronis – keep it original or get it gone (although Montenegronis can stay, every rule has an exception)
- Priding yourself on being chronically online (go touch some grass!)
- Matcha (sorry people, but the shortage is looming)
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