The Hottest Summer Events in Sydney to Book Right Now

A hit of culture hasn’t felt this fun in forever. The futuristic new Sydney Modern Project is showing art like you’ve never seen. Watch opera explode under the stars, dance until daybreak and feel the joy at Sydney Festival. This is how Sydney is turning it on for summer.

See alfresco opera

You can’t get a more Sydney occasion than watching Opera Australia’s lively production of Carmen on Cockatoo Island (November 25-December 18). Pop-up bars and eateries will keep you fuelled and after the curtain falls, glamp on the UNESCO-rated Cockatoo Island itself overnight.

Want more? Handa Opera’s Madama Butterfly will light up its floating Harbour stage outside the Opera House with fireworks from March 24-April 23, 2023.

Be wowed by Sydney Modern Project

One of the biggest additions to the city’s cultural scene since the Opera House opened 50 years ago, Sydney Modern Project at the Art Gallery of NSW throws open its doors on December 3. This is no ordinary museum. In this gleaming universe of glass and open spaces, you can wander around a World War II naval oil tank that’s been transformed into a subterranean gallery, and catch the sun in outdoor art gardens.

Nine Australian and international artists have created multi-sensory pieces, some at a scale never before possible at AGNSW. Don’t miss the Yiribana Gallery of First Nations art or Simryn Gill’s life-size rubbing of a palm tree that was cleared to make way for the new gallery.

Go with the Sydney Festival flow

The Art of Summer, the theme of Sydney Festival 2023, drops more than a hint. From January 5-29, celebrations of imagination held across the city will have you thinking, dancing, singing along with wild abandon.

Standout events include Werk It, an eclectic combination of circus, comedy and cabaret (Seymour Centre, January 12-22), and Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon (The Cutaway, Barangaroo, January 4-29), an immersive exhibition peering behind the artist’s works into her brilliant life.

At Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre, be swept away by drumming and kora melodies with Afrique en Cirque (January 6-15).

Eat culture for lunch and dinner

Wandering Sydney’s vibrant multicultural neighbourhoods is a delicious proposition. Find Spice Alley, the Asian eat street, in Chippendale, a short walk from the White Rabbit Gallery (and teahouse) that displays spectacular Chinese art.

Lace up your walking shoes for a guided tour around Auburn (and a Turkish breakfast feast) with Gourmet Food Safaris or wander through the buzzy food destinations of Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Potts Point with Sydney Connection.

“The bustling Vietnamese epicentre of Cabramatta is one of the city’s greatest secrets,” says Sahar Elsemary, tour manager with Taste Cultural Food Tours. “The best places to taste really authentic dishes is with family-run businesses. You’ll get sugar cane juice, rice paper rolls, bubble tea, roasted pork like you’ve never had and discover durian.”

Best stays for culture hunters

Sydney’s Ace Hotel is the hip new take on the bohemian artist hangout hotels of Paris and New York. The lobby is a scene, where cool people lounge and DJs work the decks. You might find a guitar in your room. The culinary arts are worshipped at in-house eateries Loam and Kiln.

Sitting right next to Sydney’s splendid State Theatre, QT Sydney doubles down on its eclectic reputation with artistic twists at every turn. Even the luggage wall is an installation by Sweden’s Michael Johansson and the hallway carpets are stitched to look like tailors’ cloths.

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