The best things to do in Sydney this weekend

Well Frodo, we’re not in The Shire anymore.  Sydney is in for a great big year of musical theatre, and it’s already off to an epic start with the Australian debut of The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale, which seeks to bring the Middle-earth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series to the State Theatre for one month to rule them all (cough cough) before embarking on a national tour. This tour commemorates the 70th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring hitting the shelves in 1954, which is of course the first book of the trilogy that inspired Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films in the early 2000s.  For elder Millennials like me, the franchise conjures memories of a simpler time: a time when movies were treated more like a coveted form of storytelling rather than just another option in an endless barrage of ‘content’ to ‘stream’. A time when I would go to the local cinema to watch each new instalment in the adventures of my favourite beardy boys club with my dad, who even loaded my sister and I into the car for a day trip to Sydney to check out an epic exhibition about how those epic movies were made across the ditch in New Zealand. (So many used prosthetics! So cool!) I believe that there’s elements of LOTR lore that are so inescapable that you need not have watched the movies or read the books to get it. (Am I right, Preciousss?) There have been several attempts to realise the story of Frodo and the One Ring on stage, as musical theatre fanatics and Tolkien die-hards...

Every summer, right after the dust settles from the Harbour City’s epic NYE fireworks display, Sydney Festival is waiting to take over the city with a great big helping of fresh arts and culture. This is your chance to get in on an almost-month-long program that’s crammed with exciting performances, immersive art installations, phenomenal live musicians, and parties that rock on well into the night.   Featuring more than 130 experiences and running from January 4–26, highlights of the 2025 festival include a salacious true crime tale staged inside Darlinghurst Courthouse; Sydney Town Hall’s conversion into a Wild West pioneer town; the world premiere of a wacky unauthorised opera about the magical duo Siegfried and Roy; and intimate contemporary gigs in regal spaces like the ACO on the Pier and the City Recital Hall. You also have the chance to explore some sizeable new statement-making art installations – like Colour Maze, a vibrant installation unravelling across the wharf at the heart of the festival hub that invites the entire family to walk inside; and What We Leave Behind from Cave Urban, which invites you to share messages of hope for our environmental future that are woven into a unique bamboo structure on Tallawoladah Lawn. As with last year, the festival hub takes the form of ‘The Thirsty Mile’ – a full-swing festive takeover across both of the historic piers that make up the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct and the eight national performing arts companies that call them...

UPDATE, DECEMBER 9: Clearly, we can't get enough of this ridicoulously funny show! Titanique has just announced that this Sydney-exclusive season has been extended all the way through summer, until March 30. Prepare to board! Read on for our critic's five-star review:  Ah, the Titanic. An unsinkable cultural icon, the “Ship of Dreams” has appeared in almost as many movies and stage productions as the songs of Canada’s queen of the power ballad, Céline Dion. It’s even got a two-and-a-half-hour (surprisingly serious) movie musical adaptation based on Maury Yeston’s Titanic: the Musical. Although, none can hold a candle to the cultural impact of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster – you know, the one with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. So, with nostalgia being such hot property right now, it was only a matter of time before we got the camp-as-hell musical fantasia-made-for-and-by-the-gays that is Titanique. Created by Marla Mindelle (who originated the role of Céline Dion – well, as imagined in this show), Constantine Rousouli (who originated the role of Jack) and director Tye Blue (whose countless industry credits include working on the casting team of RuPaul’s Drag Race), Titanique is revisionist history at its best. Loaded with Céline Dion’s greatest bangers, it casts Queen Dion herself (played so wonderfully by cabaret legend Marney McQueen here in Aus) as the narrator of the tragic tale, who continuously places herself at the center of the action – quite literally –...

It was always inevitable that Hamilton would make its way Down Under. It’s been almost three years since Lin-Manuel Miranda’s game-changing musical made its five-star Sydney debut in March 2021, and was met with overwhelming audience and critical acclaim. Remarkably, this was also the first production of the Broadway mega-hit to open anywhere in the world, following global pandemic lockdowns. A roaring success, the show went on to tour to Melbourne, Brisbane, New Zealand, and across Asia. Now, Hamilton’s back for round two. The Sydney Lyric Theatre’s exclusive return season reuniting some of the original Australasian cast with mind-boggling new talents, some of whom are making their professional theatre debut (not that you’d even guess).  So, in the year 2024, does the pop-culture hype around Hamilton maintain its heat? And can the live production withstand the test of time, especially when you can stream the original Broadway cast recording on Disney+ for $13.99? The simple answer to both questions is: yes. Although, anyone who is unfamiliar with the Hamilton lore might benefit from reading up on it beforehand (we’ve explained it briefly over here). For Australian audiences, the draw of Hamilton is not really the plot, which holds many contradictions (even Miranda himself admits to that). But if you know anything about the show, you know that the true ingenuity (aside from the game-changing race-reverse casting) lies in Miranda’s magical, genre-defying score – and by...

Film director James Cameron is best known for his blockbusters Titanic and Avatar, but did you know he’s also an avid deep-sea explorer? Not only has he completed 72 deep dives in submersibles (specialised vessels designed for underwater travel) but he’s also led eight major expeditions. His most recent was a record-breaking dive to the bottom of the ocean in the Deepsea Challenger, the submersible he co-designed and co-engineered.  The deep sea is one of the least explored parts of the Earth, so the Australian National Maritime Museum, in collaboration with the Avatar Alliance Foundation, has developed an immersive exhibition to showcase his history-making expeditions.  Experience moments from Cameron’s greatest underwater adventures through large cinema-scale projections, artefacts and specimens from his expeditions. There’ll also be hand props and costumes from the 1997 film Titanic on show, including the Heart of the Ocean diamond, plus underwater recording, lighting and communication tech from Cameron’s 1988 film The Abyss.  James Cameron - Challenging the Deep is on now until February 2, 2025. Tickets are on sale now with discounts available for concessions and children and family passes on offer. All tickets include access to all of the museum’s other exhibitions. Grab yours over here. 

Let’s just start by saying I’m not a D&D player. I’ve played a couple of times with my family, led by my teenage son as Dungeon Master, but that was just to show interest in something he loves. So I do understand the basics – that said, you don’t need any prior knowledge of D&D to get swept up in the magic that is Dungeons and Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern. If anything, this show is probably the best way I’ve found so far to get a better grasp on the complex game that is D&D. This is an interactive show that began in New York as an Off-Broadway production – the same director, Michael Fell, also rehearsed with the Australian cast. In what ways is it interactive? The story lies in the audience’s hands, as well as with the roll of the 20-sided dice.  As you enter The Studio at the Sydney Opera House, you pick a coloured sticker from a basket. Depending on what colour you choose, you get aligned with one of the three classes: Warrior, Mage (Wizard) or Assassin/Entertainer. Throughout the show, you make decisions for the character in your assigned class, mostly by choosing options via your mobile phone (after scanning a QR code) – and sometimes just by yelling out. (Top tip:Make sure you turn up with a fully-charged phone.) You answer polls and take part in little games to choose what character the actors play, then make decisions or see the outcomes of characters’ actions. Dice rolls are directed by the Dungeon Master, played by the charismatic Cody Simpson-lookalike William...

Well, that rabble rouser Jesus Christ is at it again. Stirring up the people of Judea, angering Caiaphas and the Pharisees, encouraging a revolt against the occupying Roman government – although Governor Pontius Pilate doesn’t seem particularly fussed. Still, even among his own followers there’s dissent in the ranks – his bestie, Judas, seems particularly ticked off. Jesus better watch his sandaled step – and hey, that’s an awfully big Cross taking up a lot of real estate on the stage? I have to assume you’re familiar to at least some degree with the general drift of Jesus Christ Superstar; after all, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera is based on one of the most popular books ever published, the Bible – or at least, parts of the New Testament. First staged on Broadway in 1971 (although it was a concept album first, the composers having had trouble finding anyone who would stump up cash for an arguably-blasphemous take on the story of Christ) it was the longest-running West End production of all time until Webber’s own Cats outpaced it in 1989.  It is a spectacular interpretation... passionate, creative, and immensely impressive Now, of course, it’s a classic of the stage, with revivals occurring regularly. Here in Australia, we’ve had Jon English as Judas (1972), John Farnham as Jesus (1992), and even rock ‘n’ roll nerd Tim Minchin as the former in the 2012 Arena Tour (technically not an Aussie production, but Minchin certainly is). Indeed, it was the...

Somebody pop the Champagne, because Sydney’s most stunning outdoor cinema is back by the harbourside. Westpac OpenAir is taking over Mrs Macquaries Point again this summer, with panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge as its staggering backdrop.  Running over 41 nights from January 9 to February 18, the film program includes the first Australian screenings of A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan; the Nicole Kidman-starring Babygirl; Luca Guadagnino's Queer starring Daniel Craig; and The Count Of Monte Cristo, direct from Cannes Film Festival. Other highlights include We Live in Time starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield; Robbie Williams biopic Better Man; Maria starring Angelina Jolie; Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy; Gladiator II; Wicked; Elton John: Never Too Late; Nightbitch and Conclave.  Meanwhile, there’s more than iconic views and the latest blockbusters in store. This year’s ‘Festival of Film’ is accompanied by an equally glittering ‘Festival of Food’, with three of Sydney’s best chefs setting up shop at the harbourside cinema. Film fans can fuel up before the credits roll with a bowl of excellent pasta from the pop-up ‘Fabbrica at Chandon Garden’ curated by Scott McComas-Williams, or a selection of Vietnamese fusion sharing plates from ‘Luke Nguyen at The Point’. If you’re looking for a refined full-service affair, then ‘Summer House Dining by Danielle Alvarez’ will be brought to life by Alvarez...

Summer is setting in, and while us Surry Hills-based office workers are forced to seek our weekday sunshine in Prince Alfred Park (no terrible fate, especially if you can fit in a swim), those based in the harbour-front precinct of Barangaroo can get active with a series of free community activities.  On Wednesday lunchtimes (up until Wednesday, December 18), Barangaroo Reserve will play host to a series of free-to-attend First Nations-inspired yoga classes. Led by proud Dharawal and Gumbaynggirr woman Jacqui Jarrett, Yoga on Country takes place on Stargazer Lawn at 12.30pm every Wednesday, and is a magical way to connect with the land and waters that we see and touch every day. The 60-minute classes celebrate First Nations cultural beliefs, inviting participants to listen, learn and breathe. You’ll need to register if you’re keen to join, and you can do that over here. If you’re looking for a less introspective lunchtime activity, there’s a free Pickleball tournament going down at Harbour Park Community Recreation Space every Tuesday and Wednesday lunchtime. The 20-minute games take place between 12pm and 2pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – you can register (either as a two-person team, or solo to be paired up with another player) over here.  Keen to get moving on the last day of the working week? Barangaroo Run Club meets every Friday morning, with runners meeting at Hickson Park at 7.15am. The hour-long sessions range from slow-paced jogs to high-impact training drills,...

Head across the hallway to your besties’ apartment and get ready to giggle – everyone’s favourite '90s sitcom is setting up shop at The Fullerton Hotel, and you can get involved. The Friends Experience is taking over level one of the CBD hotel from Thursday, September 26 – so you and your friends will soon be able to relive unforgettable moments from the show, for the ‘gram or just for the mems.  More than 25 years after it first graced our TV screens back in 1994, it’s safe to say Friends is still one of the most beloved shows of all time – it’s certainly our go-to comfort watch. Now, those craving more of the show’s hilarious energy can perk up their days (geddit?) by staging a photoshoot in the show’s iconic coffee house, settling into Chandler and Joey’s ultra-comfortable recliners, or taking a seat on what is perhaps the world’s most recognisable couch.  And of course, you can’t recreate Friends without also striking a pose in Monica’s spotless kitchen and splashing around by the famous fountain from the opening credits.  The Friends Experience has attracted more than a million visitors around the world, and now it's our turn. The 45-minute nostalgic experience will set you back $25 per person, and the interactive sets are suitable for all ages. You can find tickets over here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED:  Want fun now? Here’s what’s on in Sydney this weekend. In the mood for a...