Looking for the best things to do in Sydney/Eora this weekend? There's never a shortage of exciting activities in Sydney to keep your calendar full.
Blue skies and warm weather are still going strong, with heaps of events to get around on the last weekend of September—head to one of these local food festivals, hilarious theatre shows, or jaw-dropping exhibitions.
Cakecon Sydney
Centennial Homestead, Wisteria Room, 1 Grand Drive, Centennial Park | Sunday 28 September
Image credit: Cakecon Australia | Instagram
If your FYP looks anything like ours, you’ve probably seen the viral cake picnics taking over the internet—and this weekend, you can join in IRL in Sydney. The concept is simple: grab a ticket, bring along a whole uncut cake, and in return you’ll score a pizza box to load up with as many slices as you can fit (lid must close!). Check-in kicks off at 11:30am, with judging at 1:45pm by celebrity chef, author, and TV personality Darren Purchase, before the cake feast begins. Pack a picnic blanket, bring a mate, and arrive hungry—this is one Sunday you’ll want to end on a sugar high.
Australian Saké Festival
Carriagworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh | Saturday 27—Sunday 28 September
Image credit: Australian Saké Festival | Instagram
If you’re partial to a sweet drop with your next Japanese feast, the Sydney stop of the Australian Saké Festival has your name on it. This weekend, Carriageworks will transform into a sake lover’s paradise, with more than 100 Australian distributors and visiting breweries from Japan. Your ticket gets you access to over 400 varieties of sake to taste under one roof, plus a vibrant line-up of stalls serving sweet and savoury Japanese bites, handmade ceramics, and crafts. You can even join beginner-friendly workshops on food and sake pairing to take your appreciation to the next level.
Darling Square Moon Festival
Darling Square, 35 Tumbalong Boulevard, Haymarket | Saturday 27 September—Sunday 12 October
Image credit: Darling Square | Instagram
This annual celebration of the autumn harvest (or in our case, the arrival of spring) has its roots in ancient Chinese moon worship—and Darling Square is set to mark it in style. Beginning this weekend, expect glowing lantern displays, live entertainment, delicious mooncakes, and plenty of free, family-friendly fun right in the heart of the CBD.
To keep the festivities rolling, some of Sydney’s best restaurants are serving special menus for the Moon Festival: try the salted egg mochi cheesecake at 15cenchi, traditional mooncakes at XOPP by Golden Century, and mooncake-inspired gelato at Messina.
Live Music Lineup At Elliott's
79 Elliott Street, Balmain | Friday 26–Sunday 28 September
Image credit: Elliott's | Instagram
Since their recent opening in Balmain, Elliott's have been curating a live music program that takes full advantage of the Inner West's recently relaxed music laws—and things are getting loud this weekend. The courtyard hosts a rotating lineup of vinyl DJs and live soul, funk and blues sets every weekend, curated by Jordan McDonald (NITE-RITE Entertainment).
This Friday from 5pm to 9pm, you can expect an all-vinyl set from DJ Soup—expect rare grooves, funk cuts and soulful classics to get the courtyard buzzing. The vibes will be staying high through to Saturday, with a 2.30pm set from Nic & His Hipshots and evening beats from DJ Jack Shit. Finishing off the weekend is The Pacific Palisades and DJ Nitecall, with an eclectic mix soulful and groove-heavy vinyl spinning from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.
Australian Native Food Festival
Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh | Saturday 27–Sunday 28 September
Image credit: Australian Native Food Festival | Supplied
A two-day Australian Native Food Festival is taking over Carriageworks this September. Presented by Indigiearth founder and Ngemba Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor, the festival rounds up leading Indigenous businesses, chefs and creatives to celebrate First Nations culture, food, art, music and storytelling.
There’ll be more than 18 market stalls, a pop-up cafe, bushfood masterclasses, live performances, panel discussions and cooking demonstrations by the chef-owner of Melbourne’s Attica Ben Shewry; chef, author and TV presenter Kylie Kwong; and native grains expert Kerrie Saunders. The event is free to attend—register online.
Duelling Pianos
The Oxford Hotel, 195 Victoria Road, Drummoyne | Saturday 27 September, 8.30pm
Image credit: Duelling Pianos | Supplied
Watch two pianos battle it out in a high-energy showdown at The Oxford Hotel in Drummoyne. Duelling Pianos is a free event featuring guilty-pleasure throwbacks and sing-a-long favourites, played on piano by music masters. No booking needed, just head on in and find a table or standing space. You can also grab a hearty pub feed beforehand at the upstairs Bistro.
Shipmates Spring Boat Party
King Street Wharf 3, 3 The Promenade Sydney | Saturday 27 September, 7.30pm-11pm
Image credit: Shipmates | Instagram
Spring is in which means the sun is out and cozzie season is upon us. Shipmates is adding another fun one to their Sydney boat party series, with this weekend bringing nighttime warmth and mayhem to the schedule. Think groovy DJ beats to get hyped to while admiring unbeatable Sydney Harbour views (up close and personal). With final release tickets at $25, grab some friends to welcome in the warmer seasons.
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Record Rummage
Dawes Point Park, The Rocks | Every Sunday of September 10am-5pm
Image credit: The Rocks | Website
For any hardcore music or vintage aesthetic fans, the Record Rummage pop-up at The Rocks should be on your weekend schedule. With stalls and crates packed with vinyls, both classic, new and old, this market is the spot to bring home some new beats. Spend hours solo searching or spark up a convo and ask the music-loving stallholders for some recommendations–either way, you’re sure to be in your element.
Tulip Time Flower Festival
Corbett Gardens, Wingecarribee Street, Bowral | Friday 12 September - Monday 6 October
Image credit: Tulip Time Southern Highlands | Facebook
Not quite in Sydney, but close enough for a bright spring day drive, the Tulip Time Flower Festival is back in bloom from this weekend onwards. With over 80,000 colourful tulips to admire and snap some incredibly dreamy photos of, adult tickets start at $18.50, youth tickets at $12.50, and all children under 12 have free entry – an ideal outdoor adventure for the family.
Plan a floral day trip, or make it a weekend getaway with one of the best Southern Highland accommodation spots, to celebrate the arrival of our beloved Aussie warm seasons.
Sydney Fringe Festival
Various locations | 1 September—30 September
Image credit: Sydney Fringe Festival | Website
NSW's largest independent arts festival, Sydney Fringe Festival, is popping up for the month of September, featuring a diverse lineup of theatre, comedy, circus and over 400 more amazing acts across 70 venues. The festival aims to bring locally made works to the Sydney stage, alongside the annual Touring Hub showcasing global talent.
Negroni Month At Esteban
1 Temperance Lane, Sydney CBD | Until Tuesday 30 September
Image credit: Esteban | Instagram
For the entire month of September, Esteban is honouring the humble Negroni with a lineup of three next-level drinks—in partnership with Campari and YCK Laneways. Alongside the tried-and-true classic, there'll be two exclusive Esteban creations, putting their signature spin on the iconic cocktail—and as one of Sydney's best Mexican restaurants, they know their way around a bar. Try the El Coco, featuring coconut-infused Campari, smoky Applewood gin and a hint of chipotle for heat; or the Tepache de Negroni, with staple Campari, orange peel, Katún gin, and a lightly fermented orange tepache.
Mary's Weekend Brunch & Bottomless
Victoria Cross, Tenancy T16/155-189 Miller Street, North Sydney | Every Saturday And Sunday
Image credit: Mary's | Supplied
Mary's VX has launched an epic brunch and bottomless menu for an ideal weekend feed. Co-founder Jake Smyth reckons this is one "worth crossing town on the Metro for"—sky-high pancake stacks, brekkie burgers, unlimited spicy pickle margaritas (don't knock them until you've tried them) and bottomless filter coffee to keep the old man going. The bottomless menu comes in at a pretty $55 per person, or you can keep things breezy and order à la carte.
Bennelong In 45 Minutes
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney CBD | Daily
Image credit: Bennelong | Supplied
There's certainly no fast-track to a luxury lifestyle, but Bennelong is doing its best—this $50pp experience speed-runs sophistication in a 45-minute session, offering three refined bar snacks and a signature cocktail. Ideal for those needing a quick pre-theatre snack or just short of time, the dishes are drawn from Bennelong's pre-existing menu—Maremma duck pithivier with black garlic; Wagyu bresaola panisse, brown butter aioli; Chestnut, truffle and shiitake arancini; and much more. Head in from 5.30pm onwards, and you can experience the best seat in the harbour for a palatable price.
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition
Fever Pavilion, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park | From Friday 29 August
Image credit: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition | Supplied
Explore Renaissance Rome without leaving Sydney at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition, open from Friday 29 August at Fever Pavilion in Sydney Showground. The immersive 60-90 minute experience brings to life 34 of Michelangelo’s frescoes, including The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, in true-to-size, high-definition reproductions.
Whether you’ve seen the originals or not, the exhibition provides a rare chance to walk through one of history’s greatest masterpieces from a never-before-seen perspective, letting visitors admire every brushstroke up close without the busy Vatican crowds around.
Aprés On The Harbour
Pier Bar, 11 Hickson Road, Dawes Point | Daily, 12pm–9pm
Image credit: Pier Bar | Website
Cosy, golden-hour spring evenings have taken over Pier Bar on Sydney Harbour, complete with crackling firepits, sparkling lights, chic cocktails and outdoor cabanas overlooking the water. The winter menu continues this month to help get Sydneysiders through the last few cooler nights of the season transition, with warming favourites like a cheesy potato bake and truffle jaffle, steak frites, oven-baked camembert, and a candle-lit Biscoff fondue served with pretzels, toasted marshmallows, and fresh strawberries to dip.
A half cabana fits 4 guests with $150 minimum spend, a full cabana fits 8 with a $300 minimum spend and the entire cabana area fits up to 14 with a $600 minimum spend. Aprés On The Harbour is open daily from 12pm to 9pm.
Art And Culture Month At The Rocks
The Rocks, Sydney CBD | Until Tuesday 30 September
Spring has sprung in The Rocks, and they are launching the inaugural Art and Culture Month to celebrate. This weekend, take your pick from a variety of free events celebrating the best that Sydney has to offer: leave your sad sandwich behind this Friday and grab a bite from The Rocks Markets, while listening to a lunchtime set handpicked from Sydney's vibrant music scene. On Saturday, there's a free pop-up art cube in Dawes Point Park that you can help bring to life. Paint-by-numbers style (so all skills, or lack thereof, are more than welcome), pick up a brush and leave your creative mark on this collaborative masterpiece – on display until the end of September.
Recovery Sundays
Baptist Street Rec. Club, Corner of Cleveland and Baptist Street, Redfern | Every Sunday
Image credit: Baptist Street Rec. Club | Supplied
Wanna end the weekend right? Redfern’s Baptist Street Rec. Club is slinging complimentary spring rolls all day for Recovery Sundays alongside $7 beers and $8 house wines. From 2pm, you can also grab $15 Margaritas and Palomas, plus $10 Bloody Marias and West Coast Coolers ‘til 10pm. There'll be DJs spinning groovy tunes, board games to rally around and a mouthwatering menu on the lineup, too.
Yolŋu Power: The Art Of Yirrkala
Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Road, Sydney CBD | Until Monday 6 October
Image credit: AGNSW | Supplied
Celebrating eight decades of works from the communities of Yirrkala, in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala shares the community, culture and Country of the Yolŋu people through their eyes and over 300 works including video, sculpture, bark paintings, digital installations and prints.
The exhibition is a collaboration with the Aboriginal-owned Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, which was launched during the ‘70s as an act of Yolŋu self-determination in the midst of the land rights movement.
Adult tickets to Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala are $25, kids under 12 are free, and you can nab two-for-one tickets between 5pm and 10pm on Wednesday nights.
Cerith Wyn Evans....In Light Of The Visible
Level 3, Museum Of Contemporary Art, 140 George Street, The Rocks | Until Sunday 19 October
Image credit: Museum of Contemporary Art | Website
Welsh contemporary artist and sculptor Cerith Wyn Evans presents his first ever exhibition in Australia, Cerith Wyn Evans….in light of the visible at the Museum of Contemporary Art. His towering neon light installations create an immersive environment of light and sound, inviting guests to discover the exhibition as if they are wandering through a garden.
Major works include Sydney Drift (2025), hanging sculptural forms inspired by Sydney Harbour; F=O=U=N=T=A=I=N (2020), a three-metre-tall white neon wall audiences can walk through; and Composition for 37 Flutes (2018), 37 glass pipes breathing sound into the gallery.
Suntory Bar
Whisky Thief, Prefecture 48, 230 Sussex Street, Sydney CBD | Friday 8 August–Saturday 8 November
Image credit: Suntory Bar | Jiwon Kim
Premium Japanese beverage house Suntory is taking over Prefecture 48’s Whisky Thief for a three-month-long stint of Tokyo-level cocktails and elevated malts, alongside exclusive snacks by legendary chef Tetsuya Wakuda—marking the first chance to taste Tetsuya’s cooking since the closure of his eponymous Sydney CBD restaurant in July 2024.
Try a botanical Roku G&T, an ‘80s-style Japanese Slipper starring Suntory’s Midori melon liqueur, and the hero serve: a refreshing Hakushu Highball, made with crisp Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve whisky from the highest distillery in the world, paired with soda and fresh mint.
Cheese Making Class With Bottomless Bubbles
Shop 2a, 791–795 Botany Road, Rosebery | Various dates in September and October
Image credit: Omnom Cheese Making | Facebook
A hands-on cheese-making class is a perfect way to spend a not-so-sunny day in Sydney. Part of RedBalloon’s Best Of Guaranteed experiences, you’ll learn how to make burrata and bocconcini from scratch with expert instructors, all while enjoying bottomless bubbles. And the best part is: you’ll take home almost one kilo of handmade cheese. Tickets are $109 per person.
The Book of Mormon
Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell Street, Haymarket | Tuesday 15 July–Sunday 30 November
Image credit: Capitol Theatre | Website
Labelled “the best musical of this century” by the New York Times, the Tony, Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical-comedy, The Book Of Mormon, has returned to Sydney at the Capitol Theatre.
If you’re not familiar with the plot of this smash-hit, it follows two young mismatched Mormon missionaries as they aim to spread the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to a remote village in Uganda, which quickly unfolds with hilarious improvisations and satirical sing-a-longs. Tickets start at $99, plus a booking fee.
RELICS: A New World Rises
Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Darlinghurst | Saturday 16 August, 2025—Tuesday 27 January, 2026
Image credit: Australian Museum | Website
Created by LEGO® Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, RELICS: A New World Rises is an immersive exhibition at the Australian Museum showcasing 14 mini LEGO® worlds inside vintage objects. Think lively LEGO® towns inside an antique piano, and newsroom scenes in old TVs.
Running until 27 January 2026, the exhibition also has an interactive build area, custom scavenger hunts and audio guides. Tickets are $29 for adults, $25 for concessions, $19 for children aged 4-15, and free for children aged 0-3 and Australian Museum members.
Main image credit: Rekodo | Supplied
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