Ready for a sun-soaked, awe-inspiring, feel-good weekend, Sydney? Friday 19–Sunday 21 April is looking packed with epic autumn activities like Australia and NZ's biggest barbecue festival, the chance to hop in a stunning sauna, a few ways to give back to the community (while having a whole lot of fun), and take in some culture at exhibitions from leading Aussie artists.
Here are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Meatstock 2024
Sydney Showgrounds, Olympic Park | Friday 19–Sunday 21 April
Image credit: Meatstock | Supplied
Australia and New Zealand's biggest barbecue festival Meatstock is back for another year of protein-packed fun, with food, entertainment and shopping opportunities to get around. On top of so much barbecue, burgers and brisket to eat and sample there'll be barbecue cook-offs, head-to-head butcher wars, competitive eating events and beard and moustache wars presented by Better Beer.
There's also a banging music lineup that everyone can get around, with names like Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I and Henry Wagons to groove to after your meaty feast. Tickets are available from $46.50 for single-day entry.
Cedar & Salt Sauna Pop-Up
Q Station, 1 North Head Scenic Drive, Manly | Until 28 April
Image credit: Cedar & Salt | Supplied
The next must-try in the health, wellness and recovery space is traditional Finnish-style saunas, and Cedar & Salt has popped their 10-person, roving wood-fired sauna in one of Sydney's most stunning locations. With a mission to keep sauna "wild" and integrate nature, the open ocean views from their current location at Q Station are simply unbeatable, and an epic way to start the day or shake off any stress.
Sessions are 45 minutes long and $35pp, giving you time to jump in for 15–20 minutes, refresh with a dip at Quarantine Beach, and get back in to finish with another sauna sesh. Weekday sessions run between 8.15am and sunset, and weekends between sunrise and sunset. Learn more and book a sauna session on the website.
Final Shows: West Side Story On Sydney Harbour
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, Mrs Macquaries Point | Until Sunday 21 April
Image credit: West Side Story | Supplied
If you’re after a spectacular night on Sydney Harbour, the return of the highly acclaimed West Side Story is it. It’s little surprise that this production is back with a bang. Its previous season was the highest-selling on-the-harbour top-stage production ever, and if you missed the last run of feuding, forbidden love, and fireworks, now is the time to get your tickets.
Plus if you’re in the mood for something a bit fancy on the foreshore, the HSBC Platinum Club will be serving a fine dining menu before each performance with pre-show and interval drinks. Tickets are in high demand and available from $79.
Central Station Record Fair
The Marly, 145 King Street, Newtown | Saturday 20 April, 11am–3pm
With Record Store Day falling this Saturday, Central Station Records is once again popping up with their annual Record Fair. Head along to add iconic Australian DJs' pre-loved house, techno, trance, dance, funk, soul, disco and hip hop vinyl to your collection.
As well as selling records from their collections, DJs like Peewee Ferris, Nik Fish, Mark Dynamix, Jumping Jack, Yoshi, Matrix, Aladdin, John Ferris, Kate Monroe will jump on the decks to soundtrack your shopping adventures. Pre-sale tickets start at $5, or you can pay $10 at the door.
Free Pizza For Angel Flight
Divide 8, 65 Macpherson Street, Waverley | Saturday 20 April, 12pm–5pm
New Sydney pizzeria Divide 8 is hosting a fundraiser this weekend, offering the chance to score a free pizza when you make a donation to Angel Flight to support their work in coordinating free, non-emergency flights and ground for rural and regional Australians. Free pizzas are limited to one per person, and you can't make alterations—take this as your sign to get a pizza for a good cause.
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The Botanist Gin Earth Day Beach Clean-Up
Bondi Beach | Sunday 21 April, 12pm–2pm
With Earth Day coming up on Monday 22 April, B Corp-certified and environmentally conscious distillery The Botanist Gin is rallying Sydneysiders to help remove plastics from the environment this weekend, with Bondi Rescue's Harrison Reid joining in too.
After grabbing some tools from Hotel Ravesis at 12pm and getting stuck in, participants (18 or older) can exchange their rubbish collection for tokens for a refreshing The Botanist Gin cocktail as a thank you for their efforts.
Inner West Film Fest
Dendy Newtown, 261-263 King Street, Newtown and Palace Norton Street, 99 Norton Street, Leichhardt | Until Sunday 21 April
Now in its second year, the Inner West Film Fest is back on Sydney screens for 11 days of celebrating filmmaking, this year with a focus on comedy.
Buzzy current releases include The Sweet East featuring Jacob Elordi and Ayo Edebiri, following a high school senior’s eye-opening exploration of the world, and Heart Of The Man, the film executive produced by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire and Monkey Man) about a boxer torn between maintaining familial expectations and following his heart.
The festival program also includes Film Trivia at The Grifter Brewing Co (Tuesday 16 April) and an exclusive premiere of a secret film at the Actors Centre Australia (Wednesday 17 April). Visit the website for the program and tickets.
Woollahra Hotel Tequila Fiesta
Woollahra Hotel, 116 Queen Street, Woollahra | Until Wednesday 24 April
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Image credit: Woollahra Hotel | Supplied
Celebrate the final weeks of warm weather in Sydney with a Don Julio Tequila Fiesta on the Woollahra Hotel's upstairs terrace, transformed into a Mexican-inspired garden.
There's a special menu with $15 frozen margaritas and $15 pomegranate margaritas, and live acoustic sessions from 2pm on Sundays. You can walk in, or book for your group.
Glenfiddich X Jordan Gogos Pop-Up Bar
200 George Street, Sydney CBD | Select dates until Wednesday 8 May
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Image credit: Glenfiddich | Supplied
Join Aussie multidisciplinary artist Jordan Gogos and the world's most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, Glenfiddich, for a pop-up bar experience raising funds for social enterprise Art Aid.
The team from CBD bar Dean & Nancy on 22 will be shaking up whisky cocktails in the space filled with textile art, immersive works, sculptural furniture, and never-before-exhibited pieces in Gogos' largest immersive art installation to date. Selected pieces will be for sale with 50% of profits (and $10 from every Glenfiddich cocktail and event ticket sold) donated to Art Aid and its charities.
Events include the Glenfiddich Trailblazer Party every Friday at 5pm ($20pp including a cocktail on arrival) with live DJs, and weekly masterclasses with Glenfiddich's flagship collection or Grand Series ($30pp including four whisky tastings and snacks). The one-night-only Creative Collaborations event on Thursday 2 May will host Jordan Gogos speaking on how he approaches collaborations across art, furniture and fashion, and what we can expect from his 2024 Australian Fashion Week show ($140pp including an engraved bottle of Glenfiddich 12YO personalised on-site and an exclusive Jordan Gogos x Glenfiddich 12YO key ring). See your opportunities to visit here.
Sonic Neon
Luna Park Sydney, | Until Sunday 12 May
Image credit: Sonic Neon | Supplied
Housed inside the historic Crystal Palace at Luna Park Sydney, Sonic Neon is a sound and light experience sharing an immersive rave atmosphere—and it's a must-do experience for all ages.
Eight distinct zones are packed with over 26,000 lights, laser, mirrors, a pulsating soundtrack, tactile materials and never-before-seen technology in Australia, for a a 150-metre journey culminating in an infinity mirror room with over 6,000 hanging lights and a 3-D video experience.
Sonic Neon fills the 1935-built Crystal Palace with a groundbreaking experience that blends the site's history with contemporary wonder, and tickets start from $29 per person, or $99 for two adults and two children.
Cherry Bomb
Goros, 84–86 Mary Street, Surry Hills | Until Saturday 18 May
Image credit: Goros | Supplied
It's cherry blossom season at Surry Hills' Goros, where they're hosting Cherry Bomb: a sakura celebration with Bombay Sapphire complete with a festive menu and special events running for six weeks, and a pink takeover of the space with cherry blossoms, carp fish kites, and neon photo moments.
On the Cherry Bomb menu there's pink sushi, ice cream sando desserts, martinis and Cherry Pop cocktails with pearls, and a 90-minute all-you-can-eat skewer package with bottomless saké spritzes for $89pp. Don't miss the epic closing night celebration on 18 May—and there's always the free, private karaoke rooms.
Dale Frank: Growers And Showers
NAS Galleries, 156 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst | Until Saturday 1 June
Image credit: National Art School | Supplied
Check out the expanded painting practice of one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, Dale Frank, at this significant exhibition of over 40 large-scale works he developed since the '70s. It's his first solo institutional exhibition in over 20 years.
The vivacious collection includes various mediums and unexpected surfaces from poured epoxy-glass on metallic Perspex to CDs, human hair wigs, shattered glass and air vent ducts, showcasing his experimental approach to artmaking. Sculpture, sound and performance round out the experience to create immersive experiences to capture Frank's maximalism. Dale Frank: growers and showers is free to visit at the National Art School, 11am–5pm daily.
Ramses & The Gold Of The Pharaohs
The Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Darlinghurst | Until Sunday 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.
Biennale Of Sydney
Various locations | Until Monday 10 June
Image credit: Biennale of Sydney | Daniel Boud
The completely free cultural kaleidoscope that is the Biennale of Sydney makes a grand return for its 24th time with Ten Thousand Suns featuring 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.
The Biennale is the largest contemporary art event in Australia, making it an unmissable event for art aficionados—and it's all completely free to experience. Check out the full program of artworks or programmed events like after-dark sessions, tours, performances and workshops to plan your experience.
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Main image credit: Cedar & Salt | Supplied
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