Things to do in Sydney this week

Limber up and slip on those walking shoes – Sculpture by the Sea lands back in Bondi this October. This is a momentous year for the world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023. The spectacular two-kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal has been transformed once again, with more than 100 eye-catching art installations by Australian and international sculptors. Our arts and culture editor went down to the launch on October 20 to scope out this year's winning sculpture and highlights. Some of the artists who exhibited in the first ever Sculpture by the Sea in 1997 are featured, along exciting new sculptors and professionals who have displayed their work along the coastal time many times before, joining the "Decade Club" and "Double Decade Club". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Sydney (@timeoutsydney) One of Australia’s leading cultural events, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi attracts approximately 450,000 visitors annually over the course of 18 days. It began as a one-day exhibition run by volunteers featuring works by 64 artists and attended by 25,000 visitors. Since then, the event has grown to become the largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition in the world, featuring numerous esteemed international artists and signalling the beginning of summer in Sydney. We love to see it. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, is now open and free to visit until November 6, 2023. The o

Sydney’s favourite house is turning the big five-oh this October, and they’ve just announced the program for their month-long birthday extravaganza. From September 28 to October 31, there’ll be free community events, world premieres, contemporary performances, family-friendly shows and stunning public art at and around the Sydney Opera House. The festival will launch with immersive sculptures by Quandamooka artist Megan Cope, who’s using tens of thousands of kinyingarra (oyster in Jandai language) shells to create a thought-provoking public artwork that will “connect the Opera House with Land, Sky and Sea Country through a First Nations lens”. For one day only, a giant 66-metre-long bright yellow catwalk will be stretched across the full length of the Opera House Forecourt for What Is the City but the People? (Sun Oct 1, from 4pm) – setting the stage for a unique living portrait of Sydney’s diverse people, featuring everyone from stonemasons to cosplayers, to Big Issue vendors and celebrity chefs. Participants will strut their stuff against a backdrop of live music, large-scale projected text and photographs. Sounds like a great big party to us!   The Opera House will also open its doors to the public for its first open day in eight years, welcoming thousands of visitors behind-the-scenes for the Open House Weekend, which involves two big days of FREE events on October 21 and 22. Visitors will get unprecedented access to the Opera House’s seven performance spaces, including t

All the singles that dream of a 90's rom-com meet-cute and/or the grisly death of internet dating – put your hands up! Gather ‘round, your day has arrived.  It's a universal truth that trying to find love via an app can be a soul-destroying process that makes many of us question our will to live. Now, for all lucky (and single) Sydneysiders, the Emerald City cupids have come together to create an IRL dating event called ‘No Swipes’, that, in their words, is all about “giving dating apps the middle finger”.  If you’re ready to flip the bird to the online dating world then mark Saturday October 28 in your diary as the day you might meet your soulmate, over at Café Del Mar in Darling Harbour. The invitation-only event accepts 300 men and 300 women through the doors to an exclusive singles club. Ticketed entry is via a waitlist, so you’ll want to get in quick if you’re keen on a ‘meet-cute’ story that will probably make people exclaim loudly at parties. You can pop your name down right here, and if you’re successful, an email with details on how to purchase tickets will come flying into your inbox with the speed and velocity of Cupid’s arrow. This day party not only comes with the chance of locking eyes with the love of your life but you can also enjoy tarot reading, help from a real-life sex coach, matchmaking games, live DJs, and the chance to shuck some oysters (the ultimate aphrodisiac) to sharpen up your flirting game. It sounds like a real extravaganza, and definitely a who

Sir Macca is pulling a John Farnham on us! When the legendary OG Beatle last toured Australia in 2017, we were certain it would probably be the last time we’d see him rockin’ a stadium Down Under. But after rumours of a return started circling, the 81-year-old living legend announced the Australian leg of his acclaimed Got Back tour for this October and November. It's been six years and a ‘Hard Day's Night’ waiting for Sir Paul McCartney to return to our shores – but it'll be worth the wait.  Got Back starts with an intimate arena show in Adelaide, the city where the Beatles made history in 1964 on their first visit to Australia. An estimated 350,000 people lined the streets between the airport and Town Hall to catch a glimpse of the band. McCartney will then travel to five other major cities, with the Sydney concert going down at Allianz Stadium on Friday, October 27 – and due to popular demand, he has added a second show on Saturday, October 28. Irrefutably one of the most successful singer-songwriters and performers of all time, McCartney is behind some of the most well-known and loved songs of all time. With hits like ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Let It Be’ and so many more, the Paul McCartney live experience covers many of the greatest moments in rock from the last 60 years of music – including dozens of songs from Paul’s solo career, Wings, and of course the Beatles catalogue that has formed the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what Time Out New Y

Nothing will come between us and a free flick, and the gimmick of an outdoor movie will never wear off – add an iconic location to that, and we’re ready to say “pass the popcorn!”. So yeah, we're pretty pleased to hear that the Rocks is bringing back its Laneway Cinema this summer. Every Wednesday night between October and March, they're busting out the big screen, deckchairs and cosy bean bags on Atherden Street amongst the golden sandstone buildings and cobbled lanes. You can even grab a bag of popcorn for $2, with proceeds in support of charity.  In November the theme is music, in support of Support Act for Mental Health Awareness Month, with flicks on offer including crowd-pleasers like School of Rock (Nov 1), The Sapphires (Nov 8), Almost Famous (Nov 15), Pitch Perfect (Nov 22) and Mamma Mia (Nov 29). Movies, charities and partners for December onwards are yet to be announced. A bunch of the Rocks’ food and drink offerings are just a few steps away. Our resident food and drink fanatic recommends popping into the wine bar at Le Foote for a glass of vino and a top notch snack, while gin lovers can wander up to Hickson House Distilling Co and whisky nerds should check out The Doss House, or you can keep it simple with beer and barbecue at the Tap Rooms. Films screen at 7pm every Wednesday night. Be sure to register over here for free tickets to secure your seats, as there is limited seating available. Recommended: Love movies outdoors? Bondi is getting a pop-up sunset cinem

One of Australia’s most delightfully spooky festivals is back, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever. In case you need a quick refresher, Fred Fisher was a convict who went missing in Campbelltown in 1826, only to appear as a ghostly apparition to guide police to his remains and murderer. The first iteration of the Festival of Fisher's Ghost took place in 1956, when 1,500 people gathered in the town in the dead of the night, hoping to catch a glimpse of Fisher’s famous ghost. Today, the event is a major fixture on the Campbelltown calendar and is steeped in community history and tradition. This year’s festivities will kick off on November 2, with a reimagined ten-day program featuring everything from sunset concerts and twilight markets to an augmented reality art after-dark trail and a retro roller rink.  To ensure you don’t miss a minute of the action, there are a few key dates to note. On Saturday, November 4, the Twilight Fair is happening at Mawson Park and will include community market stalls, roving entertainment, kids activities and food trucks. Arrive early on the Saturday to enjoy a free, pop-up retro roller skating rink and explore the family-friendly Yomise (celebration of Japanese culture with workshops, performances and stalls) in the Japanese Garden at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Your four-legged friends can join the fun on Sunday, November 5 with a dogs' day out featuring pet-related market stalls and cuteness competitions. Sunset Sounds returns the fol

I was in Year 9 when I first saw the video on Youtube of Idina Menzel performing ‘Defying Gravity’ from Wicked at the 2004 Tony Awards. It was the first time that I could watch an original Broadway cast perform a new musical – and as a young musical theatre enthusiast, I was captivated. What was this song? Who was this character? Why was she green? Menzel went on to win a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical that year and then moved beyond the stage, permeating the zeitgeist on screens everywhere through Disney properties. But before there was Frozen’s Elsa, there was Elphaba. Before she told girls everywhere that “the cold never bothered me anyway,” she told us that “everyone deserves a chance to fly.” Like me, Elphaba was different – the antithesis to the perfectly blonde G(a)linda the Good. She was awkward, misunderstood, judged for her skin colour, and trying to figure out where she belonged. Twenty years after it opened on Broadway, Elphaba’s journey to find herself through justice, self-love, and friendship still resonates. The new cast surpasses expectations by infusing their own unique interpretations into these fan favourite characters Wicked is one of the longest running musicals in the world, and Sydney’s 20th anniversary production has been a much-anticipated affair. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical shares the untold story of the mysterious Wicked Witch of the West, who is revered and fe

Think Jay Gatsby hosted the best roaring '20s parties? Not anymore. It’s time to crack open some Champagne, because this scintillating smash-hit show is back for a third encore run! The sparkling toast of the Sydney summer, Blanc de Blanc Encore has been wowing audiences since it opened in January in the totally refurbished cabaret venue the Grand Electric (on the Redfern side of Surry Hills). Clearly, Sydney can't get enough of this much-loved cabaret, circus and burlesque show. The Blanc experience serves up the top shelf of cabaret-burlesque-circus entertainment with a devilish smile and a knowing wink. This show is bubbling over with hilarious hosts, talented perfomers dressed up (and down) in dazzling couture-fashion-level costuming, interactive stunts and so-rude-it's-right jokes. It's quite an accomplishment to stage a variety production that can so seamlessly gear-change from clownish wielding of crotches to superb aerial artistry, and from phallic percussion to a soulful pop crooner – all while maintaining a fun, playfully risqué vibe.  The internationally sourced cast packs some of the most stunning talents from near and far, with numerous Cirque du Soleil alumni in the ranks. Want an idea of the calibre? The inimitable Jake DuPree (they/them) – burlesque performer, fitness instructor, lingerie model and the first non-binary person to perform at the famous Crazy Horse in Paris – recently came direct from LA to join the Blanc de Blanc Encore cast for a strictly limi

Boo! Calling all the gays, the gals, ghouls, zombies and zems – Australia’s biggest Halloween dance party is coming back, back, back again for more, more, MORE. This spooktacular event is expanding into a full-weekend activation, spreading its bewitching allure across the hottest venues, a flash hotel and cherished queer establishments throughout Sydney. Prepare to be captivated by an unparalleled display of local, interstate and global queer talent as Horrorween unleashes its electrifying spectacle upon the legendary Hordern Pavilion for a nightmarish rave of epic proportions. The killer line-up of talent is led by the terrifyingly beautiful hostess of Canada’s Drag Race Brooke Lynn Hytes, and Aussie supremes Kween Kong and Hannah Conda from the top three of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2, who will entertain crowds with wig-raising performances. Revelers are encouraged to get their freak on across two indoor and outdoor dance floors as queer international DJs Ben Bakson, GSP and Caca Werneck get hearts pounding. They’ll be joined by dozens of Australian DJs as well as a litany of enchanting drag queens and shadowy roving performers through the night. There will also be make-up and special FX stations with professional artists on-hand to transform guests into their ghoulish alter-egos. Plus, for thrillseekers, Horrorween’s legendary “Scare Zone” will quicken your pulse as you run the bone-chilling gauntlet packed with petrifying thrills and blood curdling screams (in

Beauty and the Beast the Musical revives Disney’s 1991 animation in a theatrical masterpiece that captures a tale as old as time, through the panorama of a multi-sensory spectacle in this two-and-a-half hour production. Before you see anything, it’s what you hear that captivates your attention. The orchestration by Danny Troob and sound design of John Shivers completely shifts the atmosphere in each scene, accentuating that gravitas of emotional range of the characters and their circumstances. The presence and influence of the music and orchestration is truly felt in the few moments of its absence. In an artform where too much music can easily become overkill, the sound design shifts seamlessly between diegetic and non-diegetic to support transitions between dialogue and musical scores.  Shubshri Kandiah, who plays Belle (and who also played princesses in Disney’s Aladdin, Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Belvoir St Theatre’s Into The Woods), has become Australia’s go-to princess, and deservedly so. Kandiah’s performance carries the youthfulness and animation of a Disney cartoon while exuding the elegance of a woman born to be royalty. While Belle’s disdain for Gaston (Jackson Head) falters in the pair’s duet, ‘Me’, this oversight is beyond compensated for in her timbre and melody throughout the rest of the performance.  Head plays the repugnant role of Gaston delightfully. His performance elicits a tug-of-war of admiration for his execution but also an unease at the