Must-see entertainment in Sydney

With live Australian and international contemporary jazz several times a week, this atmospheric and thoughtfully programmed venue has been a great shot in…

The long-running Ensemble presents mainstream theatre by overseas and Australian playwrights (think David Williamson and David Hare), generally with well…

Is it a pub? A theatre? A bistro? Actually, it’s all three. Grassroots company Red Line Productions stages loads of new Australian plays at this likeable…

When the harbour glare and squawking seagulls get too much, follow the scent of popcorn into the dark folds of this plush cinema. Screening first-run,…

The beautiful 2000-seat State Theatre is a lavish, gilt-ridden, chandelier-dangling palace. It hosts the Sydney Film Festival, concerts, comedy, opera,…

If you can drag them away from the neighbouring playground, bring your budding culture vultures here to watch Australian children's books come to life…

Near Parramatta, this is one of Sydney’s most famous racecourses, with racing days normally every second Saturday. The big-ticket annual event is the…

The shiny new International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour has three theatres, including a large one that seats 8000, and principally holds big…

This dark and atmospheric bar does seriously good cocktails and some excellent jazz and blues-y live music at weekends. There are also pizzas and other…

Opened in 2004, this state-of-the-art facility seats 850 and is managed by the Sydney Theatre Company. Sydney Dance Company and a host of other troupes…

Slide inside a gorgeously converted banking chamber for a quality French-inflected degustation dinner and a sexy show, blending circus, cabaret,…

Based in a beautifully restored Baptist tabernacle (1887), the Darlinghurst Theatre Company focuses on bringing pithy, intelligent Australian scripts to…

Running earlier than most of Sydney's open-air cinemas, this is at the University of Sydney and shows a mixed three-week season with food trucks and pets…

Sydney’s main booking agency for theatre, concerts and sports. There are outlets around town, or you can book online and get your ticket emailed to you.

Enjoy open-air screenings by the sea, with live bands providing prescreening entertainment. Online bookings are cheaper and recommended.

Follow the buttery scent of popcorn into the dark folds of this plush cinema, screening first-run, independent world films.

Located inside the historic Paddington Town Hall, the Chauvel strives to offer distinctive and alternative cinema experiences, and to foster Sydney’s film…

Sydney Theatre Company stages intimate performances in this beautiful Edwardian pier building they share with Bangarra, Australian Theatre for Young…

This hefty movie complex has numerous cinemas, including an IMAX screen and Hoyts Lux, the cinematic equivalent of a 1st-class cabin, with waiter service,…

Whether it’s the latest darlings of the British music press or some local sonic assailants made good, the occasional concerts at the Gaelic bridge the gap…