Must-see entertainment in Sydney

  • Sydney Opera House

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    The glamorous jewel of Australian performance, Sydney's famous Opera House has five main stages. Opera may have star billing, but it's also an important…

  • Sydney Cricket Ground

    Sydney

    During the cricket season (October to March), the stately SCG is the venue for interstate cricket matches (featuring the NSW Blues), family-friendly Big…

  • Golden Age Cinema & Bar

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    In what was once the Sydney HQ of Paramount Pictures, a heart-warming small cinema occupies the former screening room downstairs. It shows old favourites,…

  • City Recital Hall

    City Centre & Haymarket

    Based on the classic configuration of the 19th-century European concert hall, this custom-built 1200-seat venue boasts near-perfect acoustics. Catch top…

  • Royal Randwick Racecourse

    Sydney

    The action at Sydney's most famous racecourse peaks in April with several high-profile races, including the Queen Elizabeth Stakes; check the online…

  • Lazybones Lounge

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Roomy and decadently decorated with erotic ceiling paintings, Lazybones has live music nightly and a decent line in cocktails and food. At weekends it…

  • Belvoir St Theatre

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    In a quiet corner of Surry Hills, this intimate venue, with two small stages, is the home of an often-experimental and consistently excellent theatre…

  • Metro Theatre

    City Centre & Haymarket

    The Metro is easily Sydney’s best midsized venue for catching alternative local and international rock acts in intimate, well-ventilated, easy-seeing…

  • Sydney Football Stadium

    Sydney

    Home to local heroes the Sydney Roosters rugby league team (www.roosters.com.au), the NSW Waratahs rugby union team (www.waratahs.com.au) and the Sydney…

  • Manning Bar

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Deep within the leafy grounds of Sydney Uni, this former women’s college now houses a 950-capacity venue with multiple levels and spaces. Check the gig…

  • Sydney Theatre Company

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Established in 1978, the STC is Sydney theatre’s most prominent company and has played an important part in the careers of many famous Australian actors …

  • Australian Chamber Orchestra

    Sydney

    Since 1975 the ACO has been making chamber music sexy and adventurous, especially under the tutelage of artistic director and lead violinist Richard…

  • Musica Viva Australia

    Sydney

    Musica Viva is the largest presenter of ensemble music in the world, providing over 2000 concerts around Australia annually in a number of musical styles …

  • Sydney Dance Company

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Australia’s number-one contemporary-dance company has been staging wildly modern, sexy and sometimes shocking works since 1979. Performances are usually…

  • Bangarra Dance Theatre

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Bangarra is hailed as Australia’s finest Aboriginal performance company. Artistic director Stephen Page conjures a fusion of contemporary themes,…

  • Venue 505

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Focusing on jazz, roots, reggae, funk, gypsy and Latin music, this small, relaxed venue is run by artists and thoughtfully programmed. The space features…

  • Australian Ballet

    Sydney

    The Melbourne-based Australian Ballet performs a wide repertoire of classical as well as contemporary works. See them twinkle their toes at the Sydney…

  • Oxford Art Factory

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Indie kids party against an arty backdrop at this two-room multipurpose venue modelled on Andy Warhol's NYC creative base. There's a gallery, a bar and a…

  • Opera Australia

    Sydney

    Opera Australia is the big player in Oz opera, staging over 600 performances a year. The company's Sydney shows are performed in the Sydney Opera House,…

  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    The excellent SSO plays around 150 concerts annually with famous local and international musicians. Catch them at the Sydney Opera House (not until 2022),…

  • Moonlight Cinema

    Sydney

    Take a picnic and join the bats under the stars in magnificent Centennial Park; enter via the Woollahra Gate on Oxford St. A mix of new-release…

  • Bell Shakespeare

    Sydney

    Australia's Shakespeare specialists stage their Sydney performances in the Opera House. Their repertoire occasionally deviates from the bard to the likes…

  • Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace

    Sydney

    Return to cinema’s golden age at this fab art-deco gem (1935). It still has its original Wurlitzer organ, which gets a workout at special events.

  • The Camelot Lounge nightspot in Marrickville

    Camelot Lounge

    Newtown & the Inner West

    In increasingly hip Marrickville, this eclectic little venue hosts jazz, world music, blues, folk, comedy, cabaret and various other offbeat genres. There…

  • Riverside Theatre.

    Riverside Theatre

    Sydney

    This likeable theatre and cinema lives up to its name and has a program of high-quality drama, concerts and other performances. A major redevelopment of…

  • Inside Palace Verona cinema.

    Palace Verona

    Sydney

    This urbane four-screen cinema has a cool cafe and bar, useful for discussing the merits of the arty flick you’ve just seen. This and its sibling cinemas…

  • Newtown's New Theatre

    New Theatre

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Australia’s oldest continuously performing theatre (since 1932), Newtown’s eclectic New Theatre produces new dramas as well as more established pieces…

  • Enmore theatre in Enmore

    Enmore Theatre

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Originally a vaudeville playhouse, the bohemian art-deco Enmore now hosts medium-sized touring bands, plus theatre, ballet and comedy.

  • Palace Central Sydney

    Newtown & the Inner West

    This cinema on the top floor of the Central Park plaza offers intimate moviegoing in great comfort, with luxurious seats in 13 small-capacity screens. It…

  • Mosh Pit

    Newtown & the Inner West

    This little King St neighbourhood dive bar idolises the ‘90s with classic band posters, ‘rocktails’ and free live music. There's pizzas (named after Angus…

  • OpenAir Cinema

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Right on the harbour, the outdoor three-storey screen here comes with surround sound, sunsets, skyline views and swanky food and wine. Most tickets are…

  • SBW Stables Theatre

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    In the 19th century this place was knee-high in horse dung; now it's home to the Griffin Theatre Company, dedicated to nurturing new Australian writers…

  • Hordern Pavilion

    Sydney

    Holding over 5000 heaving music fans, the historic white and grey Hordern (1924) hosts plenty of big-name rock gigs (Smashing Pumpkins, Sam Smith, The…

  • Happy Endings Comedy Club

    Kings Cross & Potts Point

    Between 1955 and 1969 this was the city’s premier finger-snappin’, beret-wearing boho cellar bar, hosting performances by Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan…

  • Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

    Sydney

    The ABO is a distinguished part of Austra­lia's artistic landscape, playing baroque and classical music on period-perfect instruments. Leading…

  • Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

    Sydney

    If you want your world walloped by hundreds of enthusiastic voices, this is your choir. It also has the 100-voice Symphony Chorus, the 32-voice Chamber…

  • Lansdowne Hotel

    Newtown & the Inner West

    This famous Sydney venue is back in action after a period of closure. It's a likeably no-frills rock pub downstairs, with graffiti on the walls and food…

  • Factory Theatre

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Good sightlines characterise this purpose-built venue that has a vibrant lineup of medium-sized touring and local bands in its main upstairs venue. The…

  • Sydney Conservatorium of Music

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    This historic venue showcases the talents of its students and their teachers. Choral, jazz, operatic and chamber concerts happen from March to November;…

  • Comedy Store

    Sydney

    This purpose-built comedy venue lures big-time Australian and overseas stand-ups, and nurtures new talent with open-mic and new-comic nights. US, Irish…