Twelve things to do in Sydney this October

6 days ago 6

With the sun finally shining and the flowers coming out, must-see events are also blooming on Sydney’s cultural calendar this spring. Here are our picks for the most exciting events happening right now and in the very near future, so snap up tickets or get along while you can.

1. Moon Festival

Various locations, various dates
Plenty is planned for this year’s Moon Festival, with the merrymaking kicking off at Cabramatta Moon Festival (September 28) with a lion dance competition, pho and mooncake-eating contests and market stalls. Sydney Observatory’s Moon Festival (October 2) has lantern-making workshops, a lantern parade and tunes from DJ Small Fry. Meanwhile, at Darling Square Moon Festival (until October 12) revellers can enjoy LED lion dancing and a family-friendly scavenger hunt.

The Flying Bubble Show at the Sydney Fringe Festival.

2. Sydney Fringe Festival

Various locations, until October 16
While the offbeat antics of Sydney Fringe are officially wrapping up on September 30, there are quite a few events on the program that will be running for longer than that for those who are keen to still partake in the festival fun. The immersive theatre experience When Night Comes has extended its run until October 16 to keep up with demand, and fans of mature content can also catch the saucy circus of Elixir Revived or the NSFW tricks of Adults Only Magic Show. The family-friendly offshoot Fringe Kids runs until October 12, with a packed timetable of illusion, science experiments, acrobatics and even an exploration of the beauty of bubbles at The Flying Bubble Show.

3. Night at the Barracks

Manly, until October 5
The starlit concert series has taken over Manly’s North Head Sanctuary with a line-up of all-Australian gigs. While tickets for singer-songwriter Missy Higgins are already sold out, punters can still get along to hear the country tunes of two-time Golden Guitar Award winner James Johnston or party with rock band Grinspoon as they celebrate 30 years of music. Tonight audiences can also bop along at Yesterday’s Gone: The Fleetwood Mac Legacy with Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley, Fanny Lumsden, Charlie Collins and Karen Lee Andrews sharing their takes on the classic band’s catchy melodies.

Georgie Parker in How To Plot A Hit In Two Days .

4. How to Plot a Hit in Two Days

Ensemble Theatre, until October 11
Playwright Melanie Tait (The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race) is something of a superfan of A Country Practice, having cohosted a rewatch podcast of the ’80s soap opera. She’s now poured that profound knowledge into the world premiere season of her latest comedy How to Plot a Hit in Two Days, as inspired by the high-rating episode of Molly Jones’ death, with Tait imagining a fictional writers’ room where the creatives try to engineer the passing of the beloved character. The cast boasts real-life soapie star and ACP alumna Georgie Parker alongside Genevieve Lemon and Amy Ingram.

Kasia Smutniak in Diamonds at the St Ali Italian Film Festival.

5. St Ali Italian Film Festival

Various locations, until October 15
Cinephiles should grab a seat for the St Ali Italian Film Festival, with a particularly strong line-up this year. Catch Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino’s new drama La Grazia straight from its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival, Paolo Genovese’s romantic comedy Somebody to Love, and the admiring ode to costuming that is Ferzan Ozpetek’s Diamonds. Plus, for a delightfully nostalgic closing night choice, the festival is screening Aussie classic Looking for Alibrandi for its 25th anniversary in a 4K restoration, with star Pia Miranda remaining as charming as ever.

6. Rent

Sydney Opera House, until November 1
Jonathan Larson’s beloved 1996 rock musical masterpiece (usually an oxymoron) takes Puccini’s La boheme and updates it to New York City’s East Village to excellent effect. Director Shaun Rennie, most recently at the helm of Guys and Dolls on Sydney Harbour, leads a cast including Henry Rollo, Harry Targett and Kristin Paulse. Those who secretly wish they were the ones on stage belting out “Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes” from Seasons of Love can even book the singalong session planned for October 23 where attendees are invited to frock up in their best bohemian garb.

The Object Lesson at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

7. Thomas Demand: The Object Lesson

Art Gallery of New South Wales, until January 11
For Kaldor Public Art Project 38, German artist Thomas Demand has created an exhibition space to showcase almost 60 works from the John Kaldor Family Collection. Also worth keeping an eye out for on the Art Gallery of NSW’s upcoming openings is Mike Hewson’s The Key’s under the Mat (from October 4) at the Nelson Packer Tank as he transforms it into an underground art park for all ages using salvaged materials. Both exhibitions are free to visit.

Back to the Future The Musical - the original Broadway cast.

8. Back to the Future: The Musical

Sydney Lyric Theatre, until January 25
This adaptation of the beloved 1985 sci-fi flick picked up the 2022 Olivier Award for best new musical and proved a hit on both the West End and Broadway. Now the show has its Australian premiere season with Tony Award-winner Roger Bart as mad scientist Doc Brown and newcomer Axel Duffy snagging the central role of Marty McFly, who mistakenly takes a time-travelling DeLorean back to 1955. For musical theatre aficionados, the production’s pedigree includes music from the film’s original composer, Alan Silvestri, and songwriter Glen Ballard, along with tunes from the movie such as The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode.

Young Australian Artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

9. Primavera 2025: Young Australian Artists

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, until March 8
Get a close-up look at the next generation of creative talent at the MCA’s annual exhibition, Primavera 2025: Young Australian Artists, as it shines a spotlight on early career artists aged 35 and under. This year’s crop features Francis Carmody, Alexandra Peters, Augusta Vinall Richardson, Keemon Williams and Emmaline Zanelli, with the selection of artists chosen to address themes of industry and the mechanical in modern society.

10. Bust boredom at a children’s festival

Various locations, various dates
Beat those annoying shouts of “I have nothing to do!” with kidcentric events happening for the school holidays period. Over at Parramatta Spot On Children’s Festival (September 30-October 9) is at Riverside Theatres with First Nations stories in Same Like Yesterday and the circus-meets-STEM show Splish Splash Science!. Down south Play! Kids Festival (October 1-5) is happening at The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre Sutherland with ARIA Award winner and preschooler fave Emma Memma on the bill, alongside the puppetry of Erth’s show Shark Dive.

11. Alcotraz

Chippendale, opening October 3
After proving a hit in the UK, Alcotraz: The Immersive Prison Cocktail Experience is set to come to Sydney. The concept combines interactive theatre with tasty tipples as guests don an orange jumpsuit to enter jail and step into a storyline involving crooked guards and bootleggers. Prisoners can also try to find their way into secret areas in the hopes of plotting an escape, while sipping on an expertly prepared selection of cocktails from the speakeasy-style bar.

Josh McConville, Kate Mulvany and Ziggy Resnick star in The Shiralee at Sydney Theatre Company.

12. The Shiralee

Sydney Opera House, October 6-November 29
Actor and playwright Kate Mulvany has already adapted local classics The Harp in the South and Playing Beatie Bow, and now she tackles D’Arcy Niland’s 1955 novel The Shiralee. The show has also convinced her to hop back on stage with Sydney Theatre Company for the first time in 16 years.

She’s joined by a very talented cast including Aaron Pedersen, Paul Capsis, Catherine Van-Davies and Josh McConville, who plays the swagman who travels with his young daughter around the mid-century Australian bush.

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