Max your summer in Sydney

If you've ever wondered what would happen if a kid's drawing of their wildest dream utopia suddenly came off the page and into real life, you're in luck, because that's pretty much what's happening right now beneath the Art Gallery of NSW.  Artist and professional disruptor Mike Hewson has taken over the weird subterranean world of The Tank with his one-of-a-kind new exhibition, Mike Hewson: The Key's Under the Mat, where for the first time ever, all the main lights in the normally pitch-dark Tank will be switched on, revealing a weird wonderland of interactive art pieces and play equipment that have to be seen to be believed. We're talking: A steam room with stained glass windows that you can actually sit in, a functioning sauna with bespoke church pews, five actual operating public barbeques that you can cook on, rushing water to play in (seriously, bring your swimmers), a working laundry,  and a free-to-use recording studio, plus a whole plethora of bright and delightful surprises that are all about getting community together, to do cool stuff, for free. Basically, break your imagination and delete all adult expectations. This is unlike anything we've ever seen.  Kids who aren't afraid of some risk are also one of Hewson's big targets with this show (although parents, rest easy, the floor is specially made out of recycled soft rubber that's rated for use in public playgrounds), with the space also home to a wild children's playground. Intrepid kidlets can test their...

The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ newest exhibition – Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940 – spotlights 50 trailblazing females who were among some of the first to draw attention to the fact that women can make some pretty bloody great art too.  The speedy rate of industrialisation in the 19th century meant a major shift in European society. Artists used it as a chance to reject traditional themes like religion, and instead focused on fresh ways to portray individuals (in a time where it felt like machines were going to rule the world). Meanwhile, women used it as their ticket to pull a seat up at the table. The focus of the exhibition is specifically on our very own Australian and New Zealander artists who made the journey to Europe to immerse themselves in the modernist movement. Gallery-goers can peruse works from historic names like Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, and also witness the work of some lesser-known but equally important creatives like CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Featuring celebrated and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics, the exhibition includes work by celebrated artists such as Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, alongside lesser-known but equally compelling figures such as CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Dangerously Modern’s run in Sydney spans all the way to mid-February so a hot (art) girl summer awaits. You...

As I’m on my way to Sydney's Capitol Theatre for the new Australian production of The Book of Mormon, my friend tells me it’s the very first musical a lot of people see. Created by South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone (with Robert Lopez), the show’s reputation for extremely irreverent jabs at religion draws a non-traditional theatre crowd. What I now realise my friend didn’t mean was, “it’s often the first musical kids see”. When I say the musical is extremely irreverent, I mean it. The humour is crass, verging on grotesque (some things I wouldn’t dare repeat). So it’s probably questionable that I’ve brought along my 13-year-old son with me. That said, he loves it.  Some of the humour is classic teen boy (i.e. a regular exclamation from one of the Ugandan characters that he has “maggots in my scrotum”). Very South Park. My son laughs loudly with the rest of the audience – and when the jokes go too far, he cringes, glancing around with a “should I be laughing at this?” look. Although the shock value is high, it’s nice seeing a Gen Alpha-ite who’s been raised on Youtube and other screen-based entertainment bopping along in his seat to the song and dance of a stage show.    What’s the premise of The Book of Mormon? The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a small village in Uganda. Although the story centres on Mormonism, Parker and Stone have been known to refer to the show as an “atheist’s love letter to religion” – a wink and a jab...

Every year, I wait with bated breath to see what original Australian musical the Hayes Theatre Company will put forward. In recent seasons, I’ve seen rock-singing country wrestlers, breakdancing zombies, and now – tap-dancing horses? Yes, Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical gallops onto the Hayes stage with all the energy, heart and irreverent Aussie spirit you’d expect from this beloved company. Even for those unfamiliar with Australia’s horse-racing history, the name “Phar Lap” carries mythic weight – the underdog chestnut who became a national hero during the Great Depression, and whose story is forever tied to “the race that stops the nation.” This new musical takes that legend and runs with it, blending history and humour with plenty of high kicks to create a crowd-pleasing spectacle that’s equal parts hoofbeats and hope. What's the premise of Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical? At the centre of the story is Harry Telford (Justin Smith, Into the Woods, The Dismissal, Dubbo Championship Wrestling), a down-on-his-luck trainer who’s never managed to produce a winner. His fortunes change when he stumbles upon Phar Lap (Joel Granger, Guys & Dolls, The Book of Mormon), a New Zealand–born thoroughbred with the makings of a champion. Sensing an opportunity, Telford strikes a precarious deal with the ever-money-hungry David Davis (Nate Jobe, Shrek the Musical). To get Phar Lap into winning form, the unlikely pair must navigate the horse’s relationship with his jockey Jim Pike...

Much of what we learn about love comes from the media we consume. For me, the idea of love was always intertwined with play. “Love at first sight” was an unattainable ideal that existed only on screen. Shakespeare, perhaps one of the most well-known Western and colonial storytellers, captured the complicated realities of love in ways that still resonate today: that it is meddlesome, ever-evolving and often sustained by blind faith in an unspoken kind of magic. Laura Murphy’s (The Dismissal, Zombie! The Musical) adaptation of the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lovers, leads with magic. Its music and lyrics are grounded in the modern-day sensibilities of love – swiping right, choosing frivolity over fervour, and navigating the ongoing feminist challenge of knowing oneself while giving to another – all set to the perfect pop soundtrack for a meet-cute. For the theatre-savvy, Murphy’s musical realises the promise that &Juliet only flirted with, doing so through an entirely original score that wins the audience over with novelty rather than nostalgia. What’s the premise of The Lovers? Helena (Natalie Abbott, Muriel’s Wedding, Zombie! The Musical) loves Demetrius (Jason Arrow, Hamilton), who loves Hermia (Loren Hunter, Six), who loves Lysander (Mat Verevis, The Tina Turner Musical) – a classic love quadrangle complicated by friendship, loyalty and the constraints of parental approval. When Hermia defies her father and runs off with Lysander into the magical forest, chaos...

Golden hour is a uniquely magical time in Sydney, when the sun begins to drop below the mountains and casts a honey golden glow across the city. And while golden hour is beautiful anywhere in the city, Barangaroo – Sydney’s buzzy west-facing waterside precinct – offers one of the best. After a successful launch event back in autumn, Barangaroo is bringing its Aperol-fuelled Golden Hour series back – and this time, the deals run all day long.   Throughout the month of November, one of Sydney’s prime sunset spots will be upping the ante with its golden hour offering; with live entertainment, affordable foodie offerings and ice-cold goblets of (appropriately golden) Aperol Spritz.Brought to life by the Bars of Barangaroo District, in partnership with everyone’s favourite orange aperitif, Golden Hours Barangaroo is a month-long event series designed to get people outside and enjoying springtime’s golden light.Throughout the duration of the event, 25 venues across Barangaroo will be serving up two Aperols for $30 (that’s $15 per drink), with excellent food offerings across the precinct and a varied line-up of live entertainment. Inspired by the Italian ritual of aperitivo, Barangaroo favourites including Gina, Zushi, Love.fish, Barangaroo House and Crown Sydney's Woodcut will be offering early evening treats to complement your Spritz.Plus, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the event, we can expect DJ sets from local tastemakers and roaming entertainment...

Most of us know and love the whip-crackin’, brown-leather-pants-wearing character of Calamity Jane from her appearance in the 1953 movie musical of the same name starring Doris Day. This version of her sings like a Disney princess and has perfectly coiffed blonde hair, which is somewhat unrealistic for a woman who dressed in soldier’s uniforms in the 1880s, took responsibility for her six younger siblings, and could outshoot, outdrink and outswear any other man in her hometown of Deadwood, USA. Beloved Australian actor Virginia Gay’s interpretation of the famous Calamity irreverently, lovingly muddies up the too-perfect-movie-musical-version in a brand-new production that is positively stuffed with theatrical treats, now showing at the Opera House. It’s grimy, it’s silly, and the fourth wall is nowhere to be found. It’s also the biggest production since the original staging of this idea, which debuted in 2017 as part of the Neglected Musicals program at Hayes Theatre Co transforming Sydney Opera House’s studio theatre into a grand version of Deadwood’s Golden Garter saloon and theatre. The premise of Calamity Jane is this: Calamity is an unruly local of small-town Deadwood who rides with “Wild” Bill Hickok, and has a hopeless crush on second lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (despite her otherwise masculine appearance, Calamity is still very much a little emotional girl at heart). When the local theatre owner fails to secure a beautiful actress from New York, Calamity vows to...

Great Scott! All the way from 1985 to 1955 and now 2025, Sydney has landed the opening of mega-movie musical Back to the Future: The Musical, complete with a superb ensemble, captivating visual effects and enough nostalgia to power a time-travelling DeLorean.  For full transparency, Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. Growing up watching Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown travel through time across three films was a large part of my movie-watching childhood. So when it was announced that it would be getting a high-octane staging, I was both ecstatic and sceptical. However, like the show’s original writer (and now the musical’s) Bob Gale said, “we’re not going to do this unless we can do it right”.   Thankfully, of the musical version I can safely say – to borrow from the Doc – “IT WORKS!” What’s the premise of Back to the Future: The Musical? After uncovering an old folder of photos in his parents’ basement, Gale wondered, after seeing a high school version of his father, whether he would have been friends with him back then. “The answer is no,” he joked at the opening night bows. The result of this is classic ’80s nostalgia – in both setting and plot.  BTTF follows teenager Marty McFly in Hill Valley, 1985, whose life is less than spectacular. He dreams of being a rock 'n’ roll star but he’s told he’s too loud and a “slacker” like his father. His family are just as hopeless. None more so than his father George...

Need a new profile pic? We’ve got you. One of the world’s biggest immersive experiences has landed in the Harbour City – serving up a fun, surreal backdrop for your Instagram grid glow-up . Bubble Planet: An Immersive Experience is open now at Paddington Pavilion, Sydney Olympic Park, offering Sydneysiders a transporting, ultra-Instagrammable experience. Already experienced by more than two million visitors around the world, with sell-out runs in Milan, Los Angeles, London and Brussels, Bubble Planet is a fantastical world of optical illusions, cutting-edge virtual reality experiences, giant bubbles, and next-level immersive projections. Visitors to the Sydney site can expect to embark on a dreamlike journey through more than 10 otherworldly rooms, home to giant bubble domes, LED underwater-style wonderlands, selfie hubs and VR dreamscapes.  Almost 10,000 tickets were sold ahead of the official opening, so we expect this one will be another sell-out run for the people who brought the incredible immersive Van Gogh experience to Sydney back in 2020. Session at this bizarre immersive world run for between 60-90 minutes, and the experience is suitable for people of all ages – with kids under four welcomed in for free. Keen? You can learn more and snap up tickets over here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, things to do and travel inspo, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Want more activity inspo? Here’s what’s on in Sydney this...

Barangaroo’s beloved Marrinawi Cove might be closed for renovations, but there’s another reason to head down to Barangaroo Reserve this springtime. For the very first time, the foreshore park will transform into a free outdoor cinema, and the program – curated by Winda Film Festival – is an incredible celebration of First Nations storytelling. Running every Thursday from October 2 through November 20, the eight-week season will bring together emerging Indigenous filmmakers from Australia and beyond, with movies spanning everything from psychological horror to uplifting adventures. You’ll catch homegrown features like The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson (a fiery reimagining of survival in the Snowies), Sweet As (the groundbreaking WA feature helmed by Nyul Nyul/Yawuru director Jub Clerc), and Jon Bell’s hotly anticipated chiller The Moogai. The program also dips into the international circuit with BATI, Sweet Summer Pow Wow and Koka. In true storyteller fashion, directors themselves will be on hand to introduce their works – expect to see Leah Purcell, Andrew Ponton, Darrell Dennis and Kath Akyhata-Brown among others on site at the screenings.  Walumil Lawn, fittingly known in the local Dhurung language as Yellamundie Ngurang (“Storyteller Place”), will set the stage. And thanks to support from Placemaking NSW, the event series is completely free. All you need to do is head down to the water, and roll out a picnic rug under the stars. There’ll be food and drinks...