Max your summer in Sydney

There’s something so intriguing about exploring the depths of the ocean, because we don't get many chances to check out what's down there. If you’re not a diver but you’ve always wanted to see what happens underneath the ripples of the water's surface, check out this ocean photography exhibition that's returning to the Australian National Maritime Museum.From November 28, the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 exhibition will feature all of the winners and finalists of the prestigious prize, which is led by the London-based Oceanographic Magazine.  The exhibition will display 118 of the most awe-inspiring wildlife shots ever snapped, immersing you in the otherworldly magic of the ocean and bringing you face-to-face with some of the sea's most majestic creatures. Particular highlights will no doubt be getting your peepers on the winning image from photographer Rafael Fernández Caballero. His incredible photo of a Bryde whale feeding on a heart-shaped baitball was taken in Baja California Sur, Mexico during the Mexican sardine run. The stunning shot was chosen from more than 15,000 images by a panel of expert judges.  There are plenty of other award-winning photos on display across 10 categories, including the Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year and the Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year.   Tickets are on sale now with discounts available for concessions and children and family passes on offer. All tickets include access to...

You can see one of the most impressive gold collections to ever tour the globe right here in Sydney, at the Australian Museum's exclusive blockbuster summer exhibition – which is now sticking around until May 2025. Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru will take you back in time, showcasing more than 130 artefacts that give us a glimpse into the daily lives, spiritual practices and extraordinary achievements of societies in ancient Peru. In addition to the stunning gold collection, you’ll also find other priceless treasures on display, including exquisite jewellery and funerary objects unearthed in royal tombs. The exhibition dives into the rich histories of the diverse and varied ancient civilisations that originated in this enthralling region, including their fascination with natural life cycles, birth, death and human sacrifice. (Our team took a deeper dive over here, and in the video below.) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Sydney (@timeoutsydney) Want to get more out of your visit? You can upgrade your visit to Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru with a thrilling VR experience alongside the exhibition, which takes you on an expedition to the famous "lost city" of Machu Picchu. With cutting-edge technology, you’ll explore this UNESCO World Heritage site from the comfort of 360-degree motion chairs, immersing yourself in the sights, sounds and sensations of this mysterious city in the sky, all without leaving Sydney....

Aria is a tasteful black comedy for Kirribilli’s Ensemble Theatre, doing the job its audience wants it to do – it offers plenty of laughs, a few political jabs here and there, but never pushes the envelope too far, with veteran playwright David Williamson playing it safe in this brand new offering. The play has the airs of Don’s Party for the upper echelons of society, but without the depth of Williamson’s more well-known works. This tale of blind prejudice focuses around the matriarchal Monique (Tracy Mann, Belvoir’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime), whose adult sons are the jewel of her eye as she refuses to let go of the past. A true narcissist to her bones, Monique seemingly gave up her career as an opera singer for love and family, despite her incessant insistence that she could have been the next big thing. The need for perfection now overrules everything in the path of Monique’s lifestyle, with her son’s wives needing to be perfect “acquisitions for the family” rather than loving partners for her boys that can do no wrong. But now, the wives have had enough, and Monique is in for a rude awakening. Tracy Mann is the perfect step-monster-in-law; whose vanity blinds her to the broken shards of a family in front of her Australia’s most prolific playwright, Williamson’s earlier works explored the depths of the working classes’ struggles against the classist turmoil of white Australia. Now, we’re on the other side of the class divide, and while the...

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...

If you've ever dreamed of running off with the circus, this one’s for you. After a record-setting season in Brisbane that saw more than 120,000 tickets sold, Cirque du Soleil’s spectacular new show has landed in Sydney for its final Aussie encore. It's already got a big thumbs up from none other than Robert Irwin, who described it as “just next level”, and now the wildly impressive Luzia is pitching up under the Big Top at the Entertainment Quarter until February 9, before it ships off to New York City.Originated some 40 years ago in Canada, Cirque du Soleil is the world-leader of live circus – and as with every Big Top show they roll out, Luzia features ridiculously impressive acrobatics and stunning visual effects, with this particular show transporting spectators to a vibrant and surreal Mexico-inspired setting. Morphing from a vintage movie set to the aquatic depths of the ocean, and from a hazy dance hall into an arid desert, the stage brings Mexican landscapes (and seascapes, and atmospheric indoor settings) to life through an immersive, spellbinding show. The poetic narrative of Luzia was crafted by playwright Julie Hamelin Finzi, and the transporting story is brought to life under the direction of author, director, choreographer, lighting designer and actor Daniele Finzi Pasca. On the acrobatics front, you can expect trapeze artists, hoop divers, football freestylers and contortionists to defy the laws of gravity – all set within a magical dreamlike setting...

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...

Back for its thirteenth year, Australia’s biggest non-fiction film fest is coming to the Harbour City this February – bringing a 50-strong program of incredible documentaries to big screens across Sydney for ten horizon-expanding days.This year’s Antenna fest kicks off on Thursday, February 6, with a carefully selected program of films screening every night until Sunday, February 16. Opening night will welcome the Australian premiere of Reas, a documentary-musical hybrid following cis and trans women reenacting their incarceration experiences through music and performance. According to Festival Director Dudi Rokach, it’s these kinds of boundary-pushing, reality-expanding films that form the backbone of the program, with Rokach describing every feature as “imaginative, cinematic, and provocative.” Other highlights of this year’s program include About A Hero, a scarily futuristic film based on an AI-generated script, Union, a Sundance-winning documentary following a group of Amazon workers as they take on their employer, and Look Into My Eyes, a film documenting a group of NYC-based psychics (directed by Lana Wilson, the filmmaker behind Taylor Swift: Miss Americana). Among the 50 films on the program, 12 are Australian-made shorts, and three are feature-length Aussie documentaries. Films will be screened at Dendy Newtown and the Ritz in Randwick. Tickets start at $25 for a one-time adult pass – you can check out the program and book tickets over here. Stay in the loop: sign...

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 – much to Jack and Rose’s repeated dismay. It brings the campness of the film to the front, with Stephen Anderson (Mary Poppins) playing Rose’s awful mother Ruth (complete with a bird’s nest headpiece), and Abu Kebe (Choirboy) playing a brilliant, tear-jerking drag parody...

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...

Jaws were on the floor earlier this year when the Art Gallery of New South Wales announced that it had secured Australia’s biggest and first-ever retrospective exhibition dedicated to the one and only René Magritte. Opening at the end of October, and sticking around until February 2025, consider Sydney art fiends' summer plans settled.  The exhibition titled ‘Magritte’ is part of Sydney’s International Art Series spanning 2024 and 2025. Getting in on the action are the state gallery’s Cao Fei: My City is Yours, and the MCA's Julie Mehretu exhibitions.  You could consider Magritte the master of symbols, and you’ve likely seen his plastered all over the place: clouds, bowler hats, pipes… well, *not* pipes, to be precise. The exhibition takes art lovers and history fanatics through 20 years worth of Magritte’s paintings, starting from the 1920s in the height of the surrealist movement. More than 100 works make up the showing, and they’ve been flown in from all over the world including from the MoMA in New York, the Musée Magritte in Brussels, Washington DC’s National Gallery of Art, plus other museums and even some private collections too.  Magritte opens at the Art Gallery of NSW in the South Building’s Lower Level 2 on October 26 and will be there until February 9, 2025. The exhibition is a ticketed event, and prices start from, $30 for members and $35 for adults, or you can save some pennies by purchasing two for one tickets on Wednesday nights or this ultra pass to all...