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Two chairs at Pool by Pier Bar
Photograph: Supplied
Photograph: Supplied

Things to do in Sydney this week

Wondering what to do across Sydney? Our list will guide you in the right direction

Avril Treasure
Written by Avril Treasure
Editor, Time Out Sydney
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Hello! Welcome to your weekly wrap of what’s on. 

It’s still so humid, don’t you reckon? Luckily, you can cool off at Pool by Pier Bar – an Amalfi-inspired enclosed harbour pool right by the five-star hotel, and the best part is that there’s a bar.

A street party is taking over Stanley Street in Darlinghurst this Saturday, March 21. The family-friendly event will feature tasty eats, music and kids' activities. Sydney Streets on Stanley Street kicks off from 11am to 10pm. Find out more here.

The Biennale of Sydney – Australia’s largest contemporary arts festival – is back for its 25th edition, and it’s completely free. There’s a lot to see and experience – and the best part is that it’s here for two months, so you don’t need to tackle it all in one day.

Hungry? Burwood Chinatown Night Market runs Thursday to Sunday from 5-10pm, and it's always a delicious, fun time.

Afterglow is a striking new work, now playing at the Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst until March 22. The Broadway hit is said to be a “raw, funny and sensual exploration of polyamory, commitment and modern love.” Get your tickets here. 

Broadway’s award-winning show Purpose has been brought to life by Sydney Theatre Company. It’s about a powerful African American family, and how it’s thrown into chaos when its estranged youngest son returns home with an uninvited guest. Oprah Winfrey said it’s “brilliant and funny and serious and complex and powerful” – and our reviewer gave it five stars. Get a ticket here, and you can explore our full guide to all the shows on in Sydney here.

For a culture hit, check out two fabulous exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. First up is Mike Hewson’s The Key’s Under the Mat, a giant interactive playground for the young (and young at heart). It’s free – bring your swimmers. Next up is Ron Mueck’s Encounter – a stunning sculptural exploration of the human condition.

Booking a catch-up? Sydney's best restaurants and best new restaurants are a good place to start. Or, head to one of Sydney's best bars.

Scroll on for our full list of the best things to do in Sydney this week.


Mapping out your weekend? These are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox.

The best things to do in Sydney

Pool by Pier Bar

  • Things to do
  • Dawes Point
Pool by Pier Bar
Pool by Pier Bar
Photograph: Supplied
If your idea of a perfect Sydney afternoon involves a swim, a Spritz and front-row harbour views, we’ve got you. After a v successful launch season last summer, Pier One’s pop-up pool is back: this time with a Amalfi-coded makeover.  Live until the end of April, this sun-soaked floating pontoon invites guests to swim, drink and socialise right on the water. Open daily from 11am to 4pm, the pastel pink installation has transformed the hotel’s waterfront into a breezy harbour-side hangout with big beach club energy. Set just steps from Pier Bar (which, btw, serves an excellent happy hour), the netted pontoon pool serves up shark-safe harbour swims, with loungers waiting for post-dip cocktails and Euro-inspired snacks. Access to the pool is included with food and drink purchases from the bar – the perfect excuse to linger over a long lunch by the water. With gorgeous views across the harbour to Walsh Bay, last year’s pool was pretty enough, but this year they’ve seriously levelled up. The space has been styled in partnership with Australian outdoor lifestyle brand Business & Pleasure Co., whose retro-inspired umbrellas and loungers give the pontoon a luxe, hyper femme coastal aesthetic. Pier Bar’s coastal-inspired menu can be ordered to your lounger, so there’s really no need to change out of your bikini all afternoon. Our top pick from the menu? The bay bug ‘Big Mac’ sliders are a playful upmarket take on the Maccas icon, and bloody delicious after a day spent in and out of...
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Purpose

  • Dawes Point
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Purpose
Purpose
Photograph: Supplied | Prudence Upton
The question of meaning has long shaped the human condition, at once a source of existential anxiety and a catalyst for some of the world’s most powerful artistic expression. For some, purpose is not pursued but inherited – something life quietly unfolds in its own time, revealing itself only in hindsight. For others, it is a relentless obsession, a restlessness that has driven monks, scholars and countless others towards faith, philosophy and protest in the hope of naming and securing it. Whatever the path, one thing remains certain: purpose is a question that sits within all of us.  Sydney Theatre Company has built a reputation for championing African American voices, staging landmark works by writers such as August Wilson (Fences, 2023) and Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun, 2022). While those productions connected Australian audiences with enduring American classics, Purpose offers a voice unmistakably of the present, one grappling with the complexity of living in a world that is hyper-aware of itself.  The play premiered on Broadway in the 2024-25 season, winning the 2025 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It's rare for Australian audiences to encounter work with such immediacy; more often, international successes arrive years after their debut. Its programming signals that new artistic director Mitchell Butel may be shaping a tenure characterised by currency. At a moment when conversations around race, human rights, identity, politics...
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The Yard Party

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Marrickville
The Yard Party
The Yard Party
Photograph: Supplied | DASCO
Whether you're a local or just love to stop by, Marrickville is a melting pot of things to see and do (and eat). With its Greek and Vietnamese influences, live music venues and breweries, there’s no denying the friendly inner west suburb is one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.  With an influx of families and foodies moving in, here’s your chance to meet the neighbours (or seriously consider joining them) as The Yard Party takes over Marrickville Timberyards on March 22 with a fun-filled community celebration.  From 10am to 2pm, you can head on down for delicious local food vendors, lively entertainment and fun for the whole fam – that includes your furry friends too. Entry is free but if you register you might just snag one of the 1,000 free food vouchers up for grabs. There’ll be plenty of other freebies on the day including scoops from Messina Gelato.  The Yard Party is also your chance to get a first look at the redevelopment of the Timberyards, which are currently undergoing construction to build a new housing and community hub with 115 affordable housing units in the heart of Marrickville.  Head down to The Yard Party from 10am to 2pm on March 22 and be sure to sign up for your chance to score a free food voucher here.  
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Biennale of Sydney

  • Art
  • Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
Photograph: Narelle Wilson
The Biennale of Sydney returns for its 25th edition from March 14 to June 14, 2026 – and, as always, it’s completely free. Titled Rememory, this year’s festival is curated by internationally renowned artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi. Inspired by the writing of Toni Morrison, the theme explores how memory and history shape who we are. Through powerful artworks from Australia and around the world, artists reflect on their roots to connect with communities by telling their stories. At its heart, Rememory shines a light on voices that haven’t always been heard. It highlights First Nations stories, diverse diasporas and the layered histories that have shaped Australia.  As Australia’s largest contemporary art event, the Biennale stretches across five major venues: White Bay Power Station, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery. Extra talks, performances and events will pop up across Greater Sydney, with a big opening night concert, Lights On, kicking things off at White Bay Power Station on March 13. This year's festival features 83 collaborations from artists across 37 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Lebanon, Argentina and Ethiopia. Expect large-scale installations, immersive works and site-specific pieces from both international and Australian artists. A major highlight is the Ngurrara Canvas II at the Art Gallery of NSW – an 80-square-metre...
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Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop

  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Woolloomooloo
Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop
Ovata Sundays at Arturo’s Rooftop
Photograph: Supplied | Oakridge
Make your next Sunday session sparkle with a brunch that screams summer. Taking place on the rooftop of the gorgeously decked out Woolly Bay Hotel, Ovata Sundays promises a whole heap of bubbles and banging tunes.  While you’d be hard pressed to find a decent all-inclusive brunch in Sydney for less than $100, let alone less than $80 – Ovata Sundays delivers on value and good vibes. For just $75, you’ll score a dedicated spritz menu (including a citrusy number and a classic Hugo spritz), Ovata sparkling wine (including the newly launched Ovata by Oakridge Sparkling Rosé) and fresh canapés for an hour and a half – all while a DJ is mixing it up on the decks from 3pm to 5pm.  For nibbling on, there will be pork san choy bow, wagyu sandos, citrus-cured salmon bites and jamon croquettes – don’t mind if we do. If you’re feeling a bit more peckish there are other deliciously paired items you can add-on like South Coast rock oysters and tempura Yamba prawns. Plus, if you like what you’re drinking, you can score special deals on glasses and bottles of Ovata by Oakridge wine on the day.  Rather a mid-week bevvy? Arturo’s is putting on spritz specials from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays to Sundays. Get the crew together for Ovata Sundays on Arturo’s Rooftop from February 15 to April 19 (excluding March 29). Seatings are $75pp – bookable on the hour from midday – and you can lock yours in here.
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Head Over Heels

  • Musicals
  • Elizabeth Bay
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Head Over Heels
Head Over Heels
Photograph: Kate Williams
You know that post-night-out buzz? The one after a really good date or wild night out with friends, where you’re smiling all the way home in the Uber, replaying the best moments in your head, before falling asleep in a dopamine haze. That’s the exact spell Head Over Heels cast on me. This gloriously camp, joy-filled queer musical is basically the recipe for a perfect night out: a wacky story, boppy tunes played live on stage, impressive costumes and props, and a cast where every member channels ‘main character’ energy. Brought to us by Hayes Theatre Company and Well Done Creative (the makers of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening), Head Over Heels is a brilliant reminder of just how vital and dazzling small theatre productions are in Sydney. As a humble theatre fan, I believe this show deserves to be a sell-out – so consider this your gentle nudge to snag a ticket before the season ends on March 22. What is Head Over Heels about? Combining Shakespearean-style romance with the iconic '80s pop anthems of The Go-Go’s, Head Over Heels is a joyous celebration of nonconformity. It’s set against the legendary all-woman band’s boppy tunes, like ‘We Got the Beat’ and ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’, with a side serve of Belinda Carlisle’s stratospheric solo career, including the anthemic ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth.' But if you’re expecting it to be a biopic about The Go-Go's rollicking adventures on the road, you might be in for a surprise. Head Over Heels is actually a...
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Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Sydney
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
Art Gallery of New South Wales | Mim Stirling
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...

Ron Mueck: Encounter

  • Art
  • Sculpture and installations
  • Sydney
Ron Mueck: Encounter
Ron Mueck: Encounter
Photograph: Supplied | Art Gallery of NSW
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of our fave places to hang out year-round – and this December it welcomes a banging new exhibition from Melbourne-born artist Ron Mueck. Ron Mueck: Encounter is the artist’s largest exhibition ever in Australia, bringing together a stunning selection of his hyperreal human sculptures from around the globe.  The life-like and scaled up sculptures aim to challenge perceptions by offering a profound and observational look at the human experience. Grounded in realism, the captivating figures tenderly embody themes such as birth, death, alienation and togetherness.  After making his start in children’s television, Mueck trained under Jim Henson (The Muppets) in puppeteering and model making where he made a name for himself on major projects including Sesame Street and the film Labyrinth. Soon after he relocated to London to run his own animatronic studio, before finding his way to figurative sculptures in the late ‘90s and revitalising the medium.  Ron Mueck: Encounter runs daily from December 6 to April 12, 10am–5pm, and until 10pm on Wednesday nights, as part of the Sydney International Art Series, a government initiative that teams up with Destination NSW to bring the world’s most prolific artists exclusively to Sydney. Tickets are $35 for adults on weekdays, $37 on weekends and public holidays, with two-for-one Art After Hours deals on Wednesday evenings, or $45 flexi tickets (which are un-dated single entry tickets). You can book...
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NSW at Night

  • Art
  • Sydney
NSW at Night
NSW at Night
Photograph: Supplied | Powerhouse | Andrew Quilty
Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum (soon to be plural) might technically have its doors closed right now, but the programming team isn't letting up. From Sydney Observatory’s Sunset Variations lighting up Friday nights to a lunar celebration timed to a rare blood moon, they’ve brought a solid selection of gems to the city’s cultural calendar this summer – and now they’re adding a delightfully left-of-field photography exhibition to the mix. From March 3-26, Powerhouse and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner will present NSW at Night, a punchy new photography exhibition lighting up Parliament House’s Fountain Court. The collection is formed of freshly commissioned works by four standout NSW photographers capturing the people, places and pulse that define life after dark – from inner-city Sydney to Western Sydney, Wollongong and the Northern Rivers. Six-time Walkley winner Andrew Quilty has turned his lens to Sydney’s train network, finding poetry in commuters suspended between where they’ve been and where they’re headed. Northern Rivers-based photographer Tajette O’Halloran has documented youth culture and rites of passage in the region, while Illawarra-based Anthony Rigby-Smith has deep dived into the sweat, camaraderie and endorphin highs of Wollongong’s evening run clubs. Meanwhile, Jade D’Amico has embedded themself in Sydney’s music and club scene, bottling the movement, colour and gorgeous chaos of a night out in the city. The result is an intimate, unfiltered...
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Ocean Lovers Festival

  • Things to do
  • Sydney
Ocean Lovers Festival
Ocean Lovers Festival
Photograph: Supplied | Ocean Lovers Festival
Sydney is a city known for its coastline, so it makes sense that Australia’s largest cultural and science event for the ocean would take place on our sparkly shores.  Running until the end of March, Sydney’s Ocean Lovers Festival is back with a month-long celebration of wellness, culture, food, film, art and outdoor adventures – and this year it’s not just taking over Bondi, it’s a Sydney-wide celebration of the sea. Whether you’re looking for a sunrise yoga session, a beach clean session, an ocean-related film premiere or a hands-on creative workshop, there’s a whole lot to dive into (pardon the pun), with most events free or low-cost. On Friday, 6 March, events are kicking off with a Women Making Waves Harbour Cruise, spotlighting women driving change in ocean science, sport and sustainability.The launch weekend fun will carry on in Manly, with sunrise yoga by the cove, breathwork, the Ocean Discovery Zone for kids, and the Big Manly Beach Clean (Sunday, March 8). The next week will keep encouraging Sydneysiders to get outdoors, with the Seabirds to Seascapes Cruise on March 11 taking curious ocean lovers on a harbour tour that blends wildlife education, conservation and v good coastal views. Keen to keep moving? Paddle into sunrise with the Eco Kayak Tour (March 14) by Sydney By Kayak, or join for the behind-the-scenes Living Seawalls Tour (March 15) showcasing Sydney’s innovative marine habitats. The Ocean Lovers Festival Bondi Weekend (March 21-22) will be packed with...
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