Sydney, Australia Hotels and City Guide

Sydney - Entertainment

Sydney Arts and Events

A city as beautiful and vibrant as Sydney is a haven for visitors – and residents – all year long. While many cities hibernate during their off-peak seasons, Sydney stays in full bloom with exciting festivals, events, and their wonderful year-round attractions. No matter what time you choose to visit, what temperature you will find, and what your budget, you will experience the best Sydney has to offer. Here are just a few highlights to consider when planning your trip:

January is the hottest month in Sydney, and it’s a great month for festivals and celebrations as well. The incredible Sydney Festival honors the city’s culture and treats guests to various plays, performances, art exhibits, and concerts. The city comes alive, and it is an amazing sight to see. Summer is going strong when the Tropfest is held. This is a wonderful festival featuring short films from around the world. One of the largest short film festivals in the world, it is also becoming one of the most prestigious. February also brings the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the biggest gay festival in the world. Highlights include a costume parade and a final all-night party. Do not miss this.

Summer winds down into fall, but the action stays hot with the Royal Easter Show, a two-week long festival celebrating Easter, and the Sydney Film Festival, a world class festival featuring films from all over the globe. You may even see a few of your favorite Aussie celebrities on Awards Night. Sydney Design Week showcases Sydney’s amazingly talented design students and professionals. There are exhibits and forums on art, as well as art tours through the city.

Put on your sweater for Sydney’s cool winters and head to the City to Surf festival. Over 50,000 people gather to run 14 kilometers around Hyde Park to Bondi Beach. Cheer for the athletes, or better yet, join them. After you’ve run your marathon, you’ve earned Good Food Month. October is a delicious time to be in Sydney: held throughout the city, you can attend talks and workshops on food, markets, and preparing great dishes. And you can even sample Sydney’s best cuisine. End the year with the beautiful New Year’s Eve Countdown in the Sydney Harbour. There are few things as spectacular as fireworks over the Harbour. Breathtaking.

Value for Sightseeing Money

Airfares tend to be very expensive when flying to Sydney, but luckily you can give your wallet a break when in the city. There are a host of free and inexpensive activities, events, and attractions that are just waiting for you to discover them. You can soak up the sun, learn about the wonderful heritage of the city, and much more without breaking the bank.

Free is word you should incorporate into your travel itinerary. What can you do that costs nothing or next to nothing? In Sydney, there are beautiful beaches and spectacular views for the taking. Visit Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair and gaze at the Harbour, walk along Circular Quay, taking in the views and doing some people-watching. Take advantage of the many parks; grab some fresh veggies and fruit from a farmer’s market and picnic at Bicentennial Park. You can see some of Sydney’s wildlife by walking on the Park’s boardwalk. You will see the vital wetland ecosystem and some of its inhabitants. This is free, and there are barbeques, place to picnic, playgrounds, and bike and walking paths. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, go to Shelly Beach. With a snorkel and some goggles, you can see sub-tidal reef, kelp communities, and seagrass beds. You may see a leafy seadragon or black rock cod.

In Sydney, learning is fun and cheap. You can visit many of the area’s museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum of Art Gallery of NSW, for absolutely free. See the wonders of the sky at the Rocks, Sydney Observatory, the world’s oldest existing observatory. You can tour the building, exhibits, and gardens for free. An exciting night tour has a fee, but you can look at the stars and planets with the incredible Observatory telescopes, learn about the universe, and see it all in the 3D space theater. It is $15 for adults, and $10 for children age four to 15. The family rate (one adult and up to three children) is $45. Not bad for such a great experience.

See some of the city’s lovely architecture. Walk through the Queen Victoria Building, a beautifully restored building featuring an interior glass arena and wonderful stained glass. It takes up an entire city block, and you can do some great window-shopping while you’re there. You can look at the Sydney Opera House exterior and the beautiful buildings in the Rocks and on Circular Quay.

Sydney is a city that encourages planning ahead: you can find discounts and deals when you purchase tickets ahead of time. For instance, a tour of the Sydney Opera House costs $35, but you can get a 25 percent discount by ordering your tickets on the official tour site. You can also purchase a See Sydney and Beyond Card which grants free entry into many exciting attractions around the city – and beyond! You can save on museums, aquariums, restaurants, tours, parks, and much more. You can also find discounts on public transportation from Sydney Buses.

Take a little time to plan and make the most of your vacation and your money. You can save your budget and have a wonderful vacation. You can have some money to bring home – or you can splurge at the Rockpool! It’s up to you.

Annual Events

Sydney Festival
January
Various venues throughout the city

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
February
Olympic Park

Tropfest
February/March
The Domain

A Night of Horror International Film Festival
March/April
Dendy Cinema

Australian Fashion Week
May
The Rocks

Sydney Film Festival
June
Various theaters of Sydney

Festival Mystique
July
Various locations around Sydney

Sydney Design Week
August
Various venues in Sydney

Darling Harbour Latin Festival
September
Darling Harbour

Manly Jazz Festival
October
Various sites in Sydney

Sculpture By the Sea
November
Coastal walk between Bondi and Bronte beaches

Carols in the Domain
December
Domain – Botanical Gardens

Hotels in Sydney, Australia