Newtown & the Inner West
This edgy artists’ hub resident at Carriageworks stages performances of new dance, acrobatic and multimedia works – basically anything that can be lumped…
Must-see entertainment in Australia
Victoria
A rough-and-ready Mexican cantina, Baha serves passable tacos ($13) and burritos ($25) but is most popular as a bar and live-music venue. Acts perform…
Sydney
This rebuild of the former Parramatta Stadium will hold 30,000 screaming fans of the local rugby league side, the Parramatta Eels, once it opens in 2019…
Sharp's Magic Movie House & Penny Arcade
Victoria
This place has authentic penny-arcade machines (the $10 entry gives you seven pennies) and fudge tasting (a smidgen for free). The movie house shows old…
Hobart
Pretty much what you’d expect from any out-of-the-box Irish pub: crowded, lively, affable and dripping with Guinness. Free live music of varying repute…
Hobart
Live weekly stand-up comedy at Hobart's Polish Club, just north of the main North Hobart strip. Cheap drinks and big laughs from Australian and overseas…
Perth
Hosts lots of live music, including the Legendary Perth Blues Club on Tuesday. It has a community vibe, with seniors lunch specials, tradies drinks prices…
National Institute of Dramatic Art
Sydney
The former stomping ground of Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, the NIDA stage is the place to see stars on the way up. Student and graduate…
Hobart
This intimate theatre (around 150 seats) is inside the artful Salamanca Arts Centre, along with a handful of other small performance spaces. Hosts theatre…
Fremantle
Metropolis is a mainstream nightclub on weekends, but roughly twice a month it becomes a great space to watch a gig, from punk rock to pop-anthem musos…
Eyre Peninsula & the West Coast
The 1929 Flinders Picture Theatre has been rebranded with a name that screams 'bored Port Lincoln teenage underclass', but it's actually great to see an…
Perth
There's live jazz nightly in this handsome, intimate venue staging professional-level jazz in all its forms. Standing-only admission is $10, or you can…
Hobart
Tasmania's biggest indoor arena is the 'DEC', which puts 5400 bums on seats for everything from touring rock bands to circuses, the Wiggles to the Harlem…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
'The Bowlo' is a brightly lit club, which we suspect does better from its poker machines than it does from lawn bowling. Still, it offers a bit of…
Eyre Peninsula & the West Coast
Port Augusta's movie house is an ugly brown concrete-block monolith on the southern side of town. But hey, who cares what it looks like on the outside?…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
This university bar has great live music thanks to the university's Bachelor of Contemporary Music program. Gigs are listed on its Facebook page (www…
Brisbane
Located in the verdant oasis of South Bank Parklands, this outdoor performance space offers year-round events, from music concerts to sport screenings…
Fremantle
Local bands and DJs gig out the back from Friday to Sunday, while there's musical bingo and trivia on quieter nights in this nautically themed pub. The…
Fortitude Valley
An old cinema converted into an intimate, multi-arts venue. Check the venue's Facebook page for upcoming events, which often include local bands and album…
Hobart
Welded to the Hotel Grand Chancellor, this concert hall resembles a huge aluminium can leaking insulation from gaps in the panelling. Inside, the…
Perth
Main venue for interstate and international cricket, and home to the Perth Scorchers. Since 2018, one-day internationals have been held at Optus Stadium.
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
The Hare Krishna Govinda’s is an all-you-can-gobble vegetarian smorgasbord, plus a movie room upstairs. Expect blockbusters, art-house classics, incense…
Newtown & the Inner West
Behind a glass curtain wall on an insanely busy intersection, this Sydney Uni–affiliated theatre (actually, four theatres) shows an eclectic selection of…
Perth
Used for big concerts by major international acts such as Rhianna and the Rolling Stones. It's also used by the Perth Wildcats NBL basketball franchise…
Newcastle
Built in 1877, this tiled beauty is the oldest pub in Newcastle and has been the heart of the local music scene for the last two decades. It's near the…
Katoomba
There's live music, usually jazz, every Friday and Saturday night at this hotel, which is also where touring acts tend to play when they hit Katoomba…
Canberra
Twin venues, Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres host interesting live music performances at night; by day they are home to exhibitions and workshops.
Perth
Home to the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, this brutalist-style building also hosts big-name international acts, musicals and comedians.
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
Catch the latest flicks at this independent cinema with two screens and 1980s prices. At the time of research, the cinema was undergoing an upgrade due to…
West Coast Australia
In the era of Netflix, it's more affordable to go to the movies now than it has been for years! New releases, popcorn, 'armchair stadium seating',…
Southern NSW & The Murray
This excellent venue shows that live entertainment is kicking along well in Griffith, with a year-round program of theatre, dance and music performances…
Canberra
Canberra's live theatre hub hosts all kinds of performances, from theatre to cabaret to comedy. Check online to see what's playing during your visit, or…
Newcastle
This noble central theatre was built in 1929 and looks the part with its Spanish lines and row of palms outside. It hosts theatre performances and…
Melbourne
Home of the Victoria Racing Club, Flemington has regular horse-racing meets, climaxing with the Spring Racing Carnival (including the Melbourne Cup) from…
Adelaide
The estimable ASO has gigs at various venues including the Grainger Studio on Hindley St, the Festival Theatre and Adelaide Town Hall. Check the website…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
Playing mostly local acts, the Evelyn also pulls the occasional international performer. The Ev doesn’t discriminate by genre: if it’s quality, it gets a…
Perth
Seated open-air cinema where you can BYO picnic (no booze). It has free live music ahead of the 8.15pm film screening on Wednesdays, ranging from jazz to…
Broome
Sun Pictures' modern sibling in the industrial estate screens mostly mainstream family-friendly films. Tuesdays is cheap night.
Brisbane
Shows mostly mainstream fare at Portside Wharf, a short ferry trip downstream from New Farm. Discounted tickets on Tuesday.
Hobart
Something new for Hobart: quick-fire, short 3D film 'rides' where you sit on a moving simulator. No scheduled ticketing – just turn up and jump on the…
