While summer's come to an official end in Sydney/Eora, the calendar remains jam-packed with hot events and epic things to do when the weekend hits.
This weekend in Sydney enjoy a pup-tastic arvo celebrating Dog Day at The Sheaf, embrace the Irish festivities of St Patrick's Day, and nab an early chance to get into the Easter spirit at a stunning open-air market.
These are Urban List's picks for the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Sydney St Patrick’s Day Festival And Parade
Various locations | Friday 15–Sunday 17 March
Image credit: Sydney St Patrick's Day Parade & Festival | Facebook
Get ready to shamrock and roll at St Patrick’s Day Festival in the Rocks. This extravaganza is the ultimate free, family-friendly affair, jam-packed with parades, bustling market stalls and live entertainment.
On Sunday 17 March it's time to don your finest green attire and witness the St Patrick’s Day Parade marching through Sydney CBD with Irish dancers, pipe bands, stilt walkers, floats and over 1,000 marchers. The parade will finish in First Fleet Park at noon with a range of food vendors, bars and free live entertainment running all day. Venues around The Rocks including The Mercantile, The Doss House, The Glenmore, Scruffy Murphys and more are hosting St Patrick's Day events around the festival too—see the full lineup here.
Latin Nights By The Bay
Cockle Bay Wharf, 201 Sussex Street, Sydney CBD | Fridays until 5 April, 6pm–9pm
Spice it up by the water on Friday nights with Latin Nights by the Bay; the ultimate free salsa and bachata dance experience. Whether your hips do or don’t lie, any skill level is welcome to join the fiesta with a DJ on the decks, spinning fiery tunes while you learn the moves to salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia and reggaeton dance styles.
Come for a solo boogie, bachata with a buddy or salsa with a soulmate. To keep the party going, groove on down to Cockle Bay Wharf to check out the electric nightlife, set against the backdrop of Darling Harbour’s mesmerising views.
Cronulla Easter Market
Don Lucas Reserve, Wanda Beach, Cronulla | Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March, 10am–4pm
Image credit: Cambridge Markets | Supplied
Cambridge Markets’ ever-popular Cronulla Market is back at Don Lucas Reserve, showcasing over 150 stallholders ahead of the Easter break. Shopping, dining and entertainment will all feature across the two days, and you can expect to find fashion, homewares, art, crafts, gifts and more.
Boozy stalls for the grown-ups and toys for the tots will have everyone covered and, heads up, a certain Easter Bunny will be hopping along to spread some cheer before their busiest time of the year.
Welcome Merchant Harmony Market
Petersham Bowling Club, 77 Brighton Street, Petersham | Saturday 16 March, 12pm–5pm
Celebrate Welcome Merchant's fourth birthday with a family-friendly Harmony Market supporting refugee and asylum seeker makers and creatives.
Stalls including Aunty's Ginger Tonics, Nazdana Bakhtiari Art, Shaajh Fashion and Just Shea will offer clothes, accessories, art, skincare products, spice jars to add to your cooking repertoire and more. Entry is free.
Pound Paws Dog Day
The Golden Sheaf, 429 New South Head Road, Double Bay | Sunday 17 March, 12pm–4pm
Image credit: The Golden Sheaf | Facebook
Paws everything and get ready to raise the woof at Pound Paws Dog Day at The Sheaf. Held in the Golden Sheaf’s dog-friendly beer garden, it’s the ultimate pawty with a variety of market stalls selling dog treats, accessories and designer dog clothes. Bring your pooch or find a new fur-ever friend with dogs available for adoption from a variety of NSW dog rescue groups thanks to Pound Paws.
Expect a day filled with tail-wagging activities including a red carpet arrival with pup-arazzi, pup paw-traits, puppy yoga, live entertainment and a best dog trick and costume competition with paw-some prizes and celebrity judges. A special doggie dining menu will also be available with paw-tinis and pooch-approved poke bowls. Register your attendance to go in the draw to win the Lucky Door Prize.
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St Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Various locations | Friday 15 to Sunday 17 March
Image credit: Taphouse | Supplied
Get your green on and celebrate the St Patrick’s Day madness across Sydney venues this weekend. Merivale is giving away Guinness bucket hats to punters who purchase four pints of Guinness, with Irish music and dancing at Norton’s, The Paddington, The DOG or Hotel CBD.
In Surry Hills, Forrester's is doing spice bags, steak and Guinness pies, $10 pints of Guinness and Tullamore Dew Whiskey cocktail specials, Darlinghurst's Taphouse is also doing $10 pints, spice bags with curry sauce and green cocktail specials. At the Lady Hampshire in Camperdown, Anglo-Indian chef Brendan King is putting his spin on a spice bag all weekend, and doing a classic Irish breakfast on Sunday
Over in Drummoyne, charming pub The Oxford is giving away Guinness hats with the purchase of two pints on Sunday and hosting live music from 5pm, and in Rouse Hill one of Sydney's oldest Irish pubs, The Fiddler is hosting live Irish music, Irish dancers, face painting and balloon activities for the kids, Irish food, eating competitions, an Irish dance competition, and free merchandise and giveaways all weekend.
Shona Joy Warehouse Sale
Unit 9, 135 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery | Until Sunday 17 March
Shona Joy is holding their highly anticipated Sydney Warehouse Sale this week, offering eventwear, bridesmaid styles, breezy summer linen pieces and swimwear at heavily discounted prices in sizes 6 to 14.
With up to 80% off and nothing over $150, secure your spot for free here to get in before everything sells out.
UkiFest
Tumbalong Park, 11 Harbour Street, Sydney | Saturday 16 March, 11am–9pm
Dive into the vibrant spirit of Ukraine at UkiFest 2024, a free festival teeming with music, dance, food, and art. Set against the backdrop of Tumbalong Park, enjoy delicious Ukrainian dishes, sweet treats and other delicacies at the UkiFest Bazaar, and quench your thirst with refreshing drinks at the Kozak Bar.
With performances from Ukrainian dancers, folk groups and musicians, spend an afternoon embracing the rich tapestry of Ukrainian culture. Browse through a collection of unique handicrafts and art prints at market stalls, with many of the stallholders donating their proceeds to causes in Ukraine.
Grana Pasta Club
Grana Sydney, 5–7 Young Street, Sydney | Every Sunday from 10 March
Image credit: Grana | Steven Woodburn
Get set to salivate with Grana’s Pasta Club, a three-course Sunday pasta feast accompanied by salad, tiramisu cannoli and matched wines and cocktails for $99. The three pasta dishes change every Sunday and are exclusive to the Pasta Club menu.
Made with seasonal produce and local NSW NSW grain milled into flour in-house, you can expect perfectly plated fazzoletti with smoked ricotta, summer vegetables, orange blossom and whey, or tiger prawn tortellini with zucchini and black garlic in a tomato and lemongrass brodo. The menu without drinks can be enjoyed for $66, and bookings are recommended.
Biennale Of Sydney
White Bay Power Station, 28 Robert Street, Rozelle | Until 10 June
The completely free cultural kaleidoscope that is the Biennale of Sydney makes a grand return for its 24th edition this week, launching its 2024 exhibition Ten Thousand Suns, with works from 96 leading artists from 50 countries spread over six spaces including the Art Gallery of NSW, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chau Chak Wing Museum, and the recently refurbished White Bay Power Station.
Sunday's opening celebration lineup will share a diverse breadth of traditional music cultures with a contemporary lens, featuring Meanjin/Brisbane-based duo Yirinda who combine ancient Butchulla language with elegant orchestral instrumentation; vocalist, performer and multidisciplinary artist Maissa Alameddine and her ensemble The Rubai performing classical and contemporary arrangements; and percussion ensemble Taikoz sharing a large-scale performance of many drummers on Japanese kumi-daiko drums. The Sunday session is family-friendly and free to attend.
Ramses & The Gold Of The Pharaohs
The Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Darlinghurst | Until 19 May
Image credit: Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs | Supplied
After showing in Paris, Houston, and San Francisco, the incredible Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition is headed to Sydney. The blockbuster exhibition will feature the actual sarcophagus of Ramses II—one of the most impressive royal coffins from ancient Egypt ever to be discovered—plus 181 priceless artefacts including animal mummies, jewellery, spectacular royal masks, and exquisite amulets, making it the largest cultural exhibition to visit Sydney in over a decade. Buy tickets here.
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Main image credit: The Golden Sheaf | Facebook
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