The best things to do in Sydney in November

If you've ever wondered what would happen if a kid's drawing of their wildest dream utopia suddenly came off the page and into real life, you're in luck, because that's pretty much what's happening right now beneath the Art Gallery of NSW.  Artist and professional disruptor Mike Hewson has taken over the weird subterranean world of The Tank with his one-of-a-kind new exhibition, Mike Hewson: The Key's Under the Mat, where for the first time ever, all the main lights in the normally pitch-dark Tank will be switched on, revealing a weird wonderland of interactive art pieces and play equipment that have to be seen to be believed. We're talking: A steam room with stained glass windows that you can actually sit in, a functioning sauna with bespoke church pews, five actual operating public barbeques that you can cook on, rushing water to play in (seriously, bring your swimmers), a working laundry,  and a free-to-use recording studio, plus a whole plethora of bright and delightful surprises that are all about getting community together, to do cool stuff, for free. Basically, break your imagination and delete all adult expectations. This is unlike anything we've ever seen.  Kids who aren't afraid of some risk are also one of Hewson's big targets with this show (although parents, rest easy, the floor is specially made out of recycled soft rubber that's rated for use in public playgrounds), with the space also home to a wild children's playground. Intrepid kidlets can test their...

It’s part history, part drama – Belvoir St Theatre is taking Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Lear back to its roots. Named after one of the play’s original titles, The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters, reflects director Eamon Flack’s vision to portray more than the story of a king in power – rather, his succession (and the unravelling of it).  King Lear is on the edge of retirement. His plan is simple: pass the throne on to his three daughters who will each rule an equal portion of the kingdom. That is, until power and ego muddies the waters.  The highly anticipated Colin Friels (Into the Shimmering World) stars as King Lear, Alison Whyte (Death of a Salesman) as the Countess of Gloucester, Peter Carroll (Coriolanus) as Fool and they’re joined by an all-star 14-person ensemble. Watch The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters at Belvoir St Theatre from November 15 to January 4. Tickets start from $43 – you can book yours here.

Cue the jingle bells for your office commute: the beloved annual Martin Place Christmas Markets are back for 2025, kicking off on Thursday, November 27 and ending on Saturday, December 20. The merry CBD markets will then be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (and on one Sunday, November 30) leading up to Christmas (AKA the biggest day in Mariah Carey’s calendar). It's your chance to get gifts for your loved ones and support small businesses at the same time. How’s that for Christmas cheer? From ripe and juicy cherries to festive wreaths, deliciously scented candles, boutique wines, Christmas puddings, handcrafted jewellery and chic homewares, these markets are stacked with excellent stalls and passionate stallholders, set to bring festival cheer to even the most Grinch-identifying CBD worker. This year, they will also introduce a washable service system in partnership with Betizen, aiming to significantly reduce single-use waste.  You’ll find the Christmas markets in the pedestrian boulevard of Martin Place in the heart of the city – just above the huge Martin Place metro station.Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. Get in the festive spirit with these Christmas markets running all throughout the November and December.

As I’m on my way to Sydney's Capitol Theatre for the new Australian production of The Book of Mormon, my friend tells me it’s the very first musical a lot of people see. Created by South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone (with Robert Lopez), the show’s reputation for extremely irreverent jabs at religion draws a non-traditional theatre crowd. What I now realise my friend didn’t mean was, “it’s often the first musical kids see”. When I say the musical is extremely irreverent, I mean it. The humour is crass, verging on grotesque (some things I wouldn’t dare repeat). So it’s probably questionable that I’ve brought along my 13-year-old son with me. That said, he loves it.  Some of the humour is classic teen boy (i.e. a regular exclamation from one of the Ugandan characters that he has “maggots in my scrotum”). Very South Park. My son laughs loudly with the rest of the audience – and when the jokes go too far, he cringes, glancing around with a “should I be laughing at this?” look. Although the shock value is high, it’s nice seeing a Gen Alpha-ite who’s been raised on Youtube and other screen-based entertainment bopping along in his seat to the song and dance of a stage show.    What’s the premise of The Book of Mormon? The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a small village in Uganda. Although the story centres on Mormonism, Parker and Stone have been known to refer to the show as an “atheist’s love letter to religion” – a wink and a jab...

The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ newest exhibition – Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940 – spotlights 50 trailblazing females who were among some of the first to draw attention to the fact that women can make some pretty bloody great art too.  The speedy rate of industrialisation in the 19th century meant a major shift in European society. Artists used it as a chance to reject traditional themes like religion, and instead focused on fresh ways to portray individuals (in a time where it felt like machines were going to rule the world). Meanwhile, women used it as their ticket to pull a seat up at the table. The focus of the exhibition is specifically on our very own Australian and New Zealander artists who made the journey to Europe to immerse themselves in the modernist movement. Gallery-goers can peruse works from historic names like Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, and also witness the work of some lesser-known but equally important creatives like CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Featuring celebrated and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics, the exhibition includes work by celebrated artists such as Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, alongside lesser-known but equally compelling figures such as CL Allport, Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Dangerously Modern’s run in Sydney spans all the way to mid-February so a hot (art) girl summer awaits. You...

In a city where culture is constantly evolving, the Powerhouse Museum has no problem keeping up. Spanning four sites – including Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse Castle Hill, the heritage-listed Powerhouse Ultimo site currently undergoing a $300-million transformation and a brand-new Powerhouse Parramatta location set to open in late 2026 – it’s officially the largest museum group in Australia. Now, Powerhouse Castle Hill is taking centre stage with its latest instalment Powerhouse Materials – a new series of exhibitions and events that showcase the Powerhouse Collection (home to more than half a million objects!) through the lens of a guest curator and a chosen material. Actor and activist, Chloe Hayden was the first to curate a colourful and quirky exhibition focused on textiles, and now Andy Griffiths is in the hot seat. The second iteration continues to embody imagination and eccentricity with Powerhouse Materials: Paper. Curated by best-selling children’s author Andy Griffiths (the mind behind the Just! and Treehouse series), this exhibition dives deep into the world of paper. From November 22 to March 8, this free exhibition features a quirky collection of paper objects from the Powerhouse Collection, ranging from the ordinary to extraordinary. Every visitor will receive a self-guided activity book packed with drawing and story prompts developed in collaboration with Griffiths – perfect for sparking young imaginations, and giving older ones a blast from the past. For...

Nothing will come between us and a free flick and the magic of an outdoor movie will never wear off. Add an iconic location to that, and we’re ready to say "pass the popcorn". So yeah, we're pretty pleased to hear that The Rocks is bringing back its Laneway Cinema this summer. Catch a flick every Wednesday night between November and February – think the big screen and bean bags among the golden sandstone buildings and cobbled lanes of The Rocks. Located on the end of Playfair Street, it's a short stroll from Circular Quay, so you can easily get there by train, ferry, bus or light rail. You can even grab a bag of popcorn (minimum $2), with proceeds in support of deserving charities.  November is all about millennial throwbacks. From horror to teen comedy and romance, the line-up includes Final Destination and Can't Hardly Wait. December, on the other hand, gets festive with Christmas rom coms like Bridget Jones's Diary (December 3) and The Holiday (Dec 17).  A bunch of the Rocks’ food and drink offerings are just a few steps away. Our resident food and drink fanatic recommends popping into Le Foote, The Doss House, Saké or one of the many eateries in the area.  Doors open at 5.30pm with the movie commencing at 7pm. Tickets are released every Monday for the following week's Wednesday screening. Be sure to register here for free tickets to secure your seats, as there is limited seating available.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more...

You know it's December when streets and suburbs across Sydney turn sparkly. But sometimes, it’s worth heading out of the city. For instance, just over two hours' north of Sydney you’ll find the Hunter Valley Gardens with its Christmas Lights Spectacular – the biggest Christmas lights display in the Southern hemisphere. Now in its 18th iteration, the Christmas Lights Spectacular is on from now to January 26, 2026 (note: it's closed on Christmas Day) – and is brighter than ever. It's got more than 4.5 million lights sparkling across eight acres, transforming the Gardens into a Christmas wonderland. There are illuminated pathways, immersive installations, festive food stalls and endless photo opportunities – including a towering 3-metre mistletoe (perfect for romantic moments, we say).  What's new in 2025? How about HO HO Harvest where you can wander through the Italian Grotto Garden for the first time; a playful Aussie Christmas cricket display with Santa and the elves playing a match; a Christmas tree farm with a new 6-metre Christmas tree centrepiece; and Santaville, where you can meet Santa and his helpers. Long-time favourites like Candyland, 12 Days of Christmas and family rides like the Spinning Teacups and Ferris Wheel are back. As for food, they'll have wood-fired pizza, tasty burgers and dumplings as well as sweet treats like donuts, churros and gelato on offer.  Christmas Lights Spectacular is on from 5.30pm till 10.30pm every day, except Christmas (with last...

Great Scott! All the way from 1985 to 1955 and now 2025, Sydney has landed the opening of mega-movie musical Back to the Future: The Musical, complete with a superb ensemble, captivating visual effects and enough nostalgia to power a time-travelling DeLorean.  For full transparency, Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. Growing up watching Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown travel through time across three films was a large part of my movie-watching childhood. So when it was announced that it would be getting a high-octane staging, I was both ecstatic and sceptical. However, like the show’s original writer (and now the musical’s) Bob Gale said, “we’re not going to do this unless we can do it right”.   Thankfully, of the musical version I can safely say – to borrow from the Doc – “IT WORKS!” What’s the premise of Back to the Future: The Musical? After uncovering an old folder of photos in his parents’ basement, Gale wondered, after seeing a high school version of his father, whether he would have been friends with him back then. “The answer is no,” he joked at the opening night bows. The result of this is classic ’80s nostalgia – in both setting and plot.  BTTF follows teenager Marty McFly in Hill Valley, 1985, whose life is less than spectacular. He dreams of being a rock 'n’ roll star but he’s told he’s too loud and a “slacker” like his father. His family are just as hopeless. None more so than his father George...

It’s imperative that you do not eat before you visit the Carriageworks Farmers Markets. You’ll want to save maximum belly space for your personal version of The Bachelorette where you decide who gets your dollars and what delicious produce gets to come home with you. Maybe you like something soupy and savoury first thing? In that case head to Bar Pho for a traditional Vietnamese start to the day. On the veggie train? Hit up Keppos St Kitchen for a falafel breakfast, or head to Food Farm for a classic bacon and egg roll.Once the hounds of your hunger have been quieted it’s time to prepare for your next meal, or seven. Stock up on artisan cheese from Leaning Oak, smoked salmon from Brilliant Foods and Sydney’s favourite sourdough from AP Bakery and brunch is sorted. You can spend a whole lot of money if you want to here, but equally you could just grab a kombucha on tap from Herbs of Life and find a chair for some of the best dog-watching in the city.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel tips and city insights, straight to your inbox. Hungry for more? Look at our list of the best markets in Sydney – produce or otherwise.