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[title]These intriguing experiences in NSW zoom in on all the creativity Sydney has to offer, to get you back in touch with your sense of wonder. Whether you’re in the mood for a weekend full of galleries and performances, a colourful few days at Vivid Sydney or the chance to immerse yourself into Sydney’s Indigenous culture and history, there’s so much to see and do in the city.
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WEEKEND AWAY
Photograph: Supplied/Mim Stirling | Installation view of Madeleine Kelly ’s work at AGNSW for 'The National 4'
A city weekend of art and performance
Check in at stately new hotel Capella Sydney (in the meticulously restored 1915 Department of Education building in the heart of the CBD) to establish the perfect launching pad for a weekend of culture.
Start your trip with the Art Gallery of NSW on Sydney Harbour, fresh off the back of its recent expansion as Sydney Modern Project. Check out The National 4, the fourth edition of a biennial survey of contemporary Australian art from artists of different cultural backgrounds and generations. Then head to the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills – the famous artist’s studio preserved as it was on his death in 1992 – to take in his Eternity Is Now exhibition featuring some of his most famous paintings.
Next up, the Sydney Opera House is turning 50 and everyone’s invited! The special Inside/Out at the House series brings the magic of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Ballet and many more to both the indoor and outdoor areas of the Opera House. Opt for a luxe indoor seat at the Concert Hall or Joan Sutherland Theatre, or tune in on the forecourt big screen for just $10. The program runs for seven days straight from May 1-7, so you can make it a weekend-long musical marathon if you’ve got the stamina.
Photograph: Destination NSW
Spend an illuminating four days at Vivid Sydney
Take an extra-long weekend and soak up the glow at Vivid Sydney, the city’s annual festival of music, ideas and of course, lights. Vivid Sydney is always massive, but this year will be even bigger than usual thanks to a new focus on food.
Start your vibrant journey with one of the many Vivid Ideas talks, traversing the big topics of our time from the climate crisis and neurodivergence to non-monogamy and ethical travel. Grab a ticket to Neurodivergence: Diagnosis Normal to hear writers Emma A Jane and Clem Bastow discuss being diagnosed with autism as adults. Alternatively, Natural Footsteps: Ethical Travel will see 'voluntourism' expert Tara Winkler, prolific travel writer Anthony Ham and award-winning author Bri Lee talking about how to wander the globe conscientiously.
Next, venture out to the famous Vivid Sydney Light Walk. This adventurous circuit takes in 60 attractions all around the city and comes in at a total of 8.5km, so you might want to reserve two (or even all three) nights to see all the whole thing. Start at Circular Quay to see a ceiling of light at Sonder, be sure to stop at the Wynyard Station tunnels for Dark Spectrum, then finish up with Monad, a mesmerising water projection at Walsh Bay.
You’ll definitely work up an appetite with all that exploration, so book in at Vivid Residence, where an internationally acclaimed chef will make themself at home in a well-known Sydney dining room. The exact details are still under wraps, but imagine an exquisite tasting menu against the backdrop of the Light Walk. There are also several special dining events planned as part of the Vivid Chef Series, pairing famous international chefs with top Sydney restaurants, as well as the Vivid Fire Kitchen – three weeks of open flame-grilled dining and entertainment at Vivid House in the Cutaway.
Other amazing highlights of Vivid Sydney include Lightscape, a 2.1km walk transforming the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney into a spellbinding world of coloured lights and glowing tunnels; and the spectacular drone show Written in the Stars, which will depict the solar system from the Sun to Neptune in the sky above Circular Quay at 9pm on selected dates.
Photograph: Destination NSW
Take a week-long deep dive into Sydney’s Indigenous past and present
Most of us did not get taught enough about this country’s Indigenous history in school, so perhaps you’d like to use your trip to the Harbour City to explore the city’s Indigenous past as well as the thriving Aboriginal arts and culture of the present?
Begin your weekend at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in the Rocks for the National Indigenous Art Fair. This annual event brings together artists and makers from remote communities, offering unique handcrafted and locally produced items. Next, visit the Australian Museum in Darlinghurst to see Barka: The Forgotten River. This exhibition highlights Barka (also known as the Darling River) from a First Nations perspective through multidisciplinary works advocating for the river’s future health.
Experience some contemporary Blak excellence with Yuldea from Bangarra Dance Theatre at Sydney Opera House. Bangarra’s exceptional style of movement is built from more than 65,000 years of culture, making for inimitable dance-based storytelling. Yuldea explores what happened when the two halves of the transcontinental railway met at the edge of the Nullabor in 1917.
Get outdoors to round out your week by touring the Royal Botanic Gardens through a First Nations lens. Head out on an Aboriginal Harbour Heritage Tour around the gardens and nearby foreshore while learning about the lifestyle, history, traditions and connection to Country of the local Gadigal people. If you fancy a tasting, go for an Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour through the Cadi Jam Ora garden and learn about Indigenous bush foods and how they’ve been adapted over time.
Finish up your weekend by climbing the Harbour Bridge with an Indigenous Storyteller as your guide. The BridgeClimb Burrawa Indigenous Experience will give you an awe-inspiringly fresh perspective on Sydney in more ways than one, highlighting Aboriginal landmarks across the city.