Must-see entertainment in Australia & Pacific

  • Zoo

    Fortitude Valley

    Going strong since 1992, the Zoo remains a grungy spot for indie rock, folk, acoustic, hip-hop, reggae and electronic acts, with no shortage of raw talent…

  • Fortitude Music Hall

    Fortitude Valley

    A steroids shot for Brisbane's already muscly live-music scene, ballroom-inspired Fortitude Music Hall has some serious backers, including ex-Powderfinger…

  • Bridge Hotel

    Victoria

    The new owners of this much-loved grungy band room have made food a big feature, but thankfully they're still booking quality Aussie indie bands: there…

  • Dorothy Browns

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    This is what a cinema should be like: wide, ultra-comfortable seating with fine local wine, cheese boards and olives available to accompany the mostly art…

  • Foundry

    Fortitude Valley

    The Foundry serves up good times in the form of pool tables and a solid line-up of top-notch, up-and-coming Aussie bands. The joint is a proper music and…

  • 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…

  • Red Stitch Actors Theatre

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Featuring a company of top-drawer talent, Red Stitch is one of Australia's most respected actors' ensembles, staging new international works that are…

  • 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 …

  • Prince Bandroom

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    The Prince is a legendary St Kilda venue, with a solid line-up of local and international acts spanning hip-hop, dance, rock and indie. It's been going…

  • 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,…

  • Brisbane Powerhouse

    Brisbane

    What was a 1920s power station is now a hub of nationally and internationally acclaimed theatre, music, comedy, dance and more. The complex also hosts a…

  • 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),…

  • Isaac Theatre Royal

    Christchurch

    This century-old dear survived the quakes and emerged restored to full glory in 2014. Its heritage features are enjoyed by patrons venturing inside for…

  • Basement

    Canberra

    Canberra's longest-running live-music venue has been spruced up a little, but remains the city's same old darling of dirty rock. There are pool tables and…

  • 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…

  • Moonlight Cinema

    Adelaide

    In summer pack a picnic and mosquito repellent, and sprawl out on the lawn to watch old and new classics under the stars. 'Gold Grass' tickets, which cost…

  • Happy Yess

    Darwin

    This venue is Darwin's leading place for live music. A not-for-profit venue for musicians run by musicians, you won't hear cover bands in here. Original,…

  • Globe Theatrette

    Napier

    A vision in purple, this boutique 45-seat cinema screens art-house flicks in a sumptuous lounge, with ready access to pizza and dumpling snacks from a…

  • 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.

  • Loft

    Warrnambool

    Warrnambool's premier live-music venue, Loft hosts Aussie indie bands like You Am I as well as DJs and local acts.

  • 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…

  • Capri Theatre

    Capri Theatre

    Adelaide

    In Adelaide’s inner-southwestern suburbs, the art-deco Capri hosts everyone from local jazz big-bands to touring Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute acts…

  • Casablabla

    Casablabla

    Adelaide

    This enduring, good-time late-nighter operates under a broad live-music remit of Friday and Saturday nights, swinging from swing, funk and jazz to salsa,…

  • Judith Wright Centre exterior

    Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts

    Fortitude Valley

    The Valley's free-thinking arts incubator hosts an eclectic array of cultural treats, including contemporary dance, circus and visual arts. It's also the…

  • Thebarton Theatre

    Thebarton Theatre

    Adelaide

    Now this old stager has got soul! Vaguely art deco, the 1928 'Thebby' is an iconic Adelaide live-music venue with great acoustics and buckets of charm…

  • The Moon, Northbridge.

    Moon

    Perth

    A low-key, late-night cafe that's been running for more than 20 years and is regarded as a local institution, particularly by students. It has singer…

  • 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…

  • Crowbar exterior

    Crowbar

    Fortitude Valley

    A haven of metal, hard-core and punk: black-clad musos of menace from around Australia, the US, the UK, Europe and Japan, in-yer-face and unrelenting…

  • Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas

    Palace Nova Eastend

    Adelaide

    Just off Rundle St, handily poised down the alley next to the Exeter Hotel, this plush city complex screens new-release art-house, foreign-language and…

  • GU Film House

    GU Film House

    Adelaide

    We were deeply unimpressed when the charming old Glenelg movie house on Jetty Rd was bulldozed a few years ago. But now there's the shiny new six-screen…

  • His Majesty's Theatre

    His Majesty's Theatre

    Perth

    The majestic home to the West Australian Ballet and West Australian Opera, as well as lots of theatre, comedy and cabaret.

  • 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…

  • Piccadilly Cinema

    Piccadilly Cinema

    Adelaide

    A beaut old art-deco cinema on the main North Adelaide strip, with a sexily curved street frontage and chevron-shaped windows spangled across the facade…

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