Sydney’s 12 Must See Events This Summer

Vivid Sydney 2018 And TAFE NSW: Where Art Merges With Technology

November and December are certainly the time be in Sydney. Firstly, it’s been the place where we’ve enjoyed the spectacular 100 year anniversary of our national airline Qantas.

This Monday (16 November), we witnessed a spectacular birthday celebration with the lighting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a larger-than-life birthday cake and a Qantas 787 Centenary aircraft dramatically blowing out the candles as it flew overhead.

Now with the warm weather and Sydney’s new outdoor dining initiatives, it’s the perfect time to join in on the fun and help reinvigorate Sydney and the all important recovery of the tourism industry.

Jessica Minh Anh at The Rocks, Sydney wearing Paolo Sebastian

Top 12 Events Not To Miss In Sydney

1. Great Southern Nights — Across Sydney and NSW
Throughout November until 5 December
Great Southern Nights has successfully launched across NSW, with more than 1100 COVID-safe gigs being held from the country to the coast. In Sydney, tickets are still available to a variety of shows, including Jessica Mauboy at Sydney Coliseum Rooty Hill, George Alice at Oxford Art Factory, Hot Dub Time Machine at State Theatre, Mahalia Barnes at Venue 505 Newtown, and more. See off the festival with tickets to two major concerts — the Greatest Southern Nights at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena. See psychedelic surf rockers Ocean Alley headline Saturday 28 November, along with rising Australian stars Jack River, Ruby Fields and Jack Botts. And watch one of Australia’s biggest stars Bernard Fanning take the stage on Saturday 5 December, along with multi-platinum-selling musician Matt Corby and support from Merci, Mercy.

Jessica Mauboy Says A Panic Attack Prevented Her From Singing — Jessica Mauboy

2. Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop — Museum of Contemporary Art
Now until 26 April 2021
Australian Chinese artist Lindy Lee melds two cultures together in this mesmerising exhibition of more than 70 works including large-scale sculptures and wax paintings. Lee uses unique processes like burning paper and allowing rain to transform surfaces.

9 Fitness Facts That Will Shock You From Tai Chi to tennis, everyone has their own favourite workout. But you may be surprised to discover the latest and greatest fitness crazes sweeping the globe. Ballet Barre, Body Pump and PiYO – a hybrid of yoga and pilates and other new and fun exercise classes are catching on fast. Millennials enjoy group sports while Gen Y’s prefer to exercise alone. And when it comes to a daily dose of activity, men are creatures of habit opting for more traditional sport such as footy, cycling and squash while women are more open to trying new fitness trends. Here are nine fitness facts from data collected by Fitbit tapping into 100,000 Fitbit users worldwide that will truly surprise you. 1. Which fitness craze was ‘so 2012’ and which is the hottest new trend to watch? Step aside ‘Couch to 5K’. Now it’s all about fusion workouts where classes from jazz ballet to salsa are all fused together in a fun variety of gym classes. PiYO (a Pilates and Yoga hybrid), Ballet Barre classes and BodyPump are the trends that are making their way to the top in the next few years. 5. Which generation prefer to exercise solo? With demanding jobs and more dependants, Generation X are more likely to exercise on their own than anyone else. For them, exercise is a perfect time to be mindful. It’s an ideal antidote to wash away the daily pressures of normal life. 6. Which is the most experimental generation? Unsurprisingly, it is the Millennial’s (also known as Gen Y’s) who are the most willing to launch into new crazes or unusual, innovative classes such as Crossfit, Zumba and Bootcamps. Additionally, the Millennials are much more enthusiastic about group sports than the generation just slightly older than them, with team sports such as Rugby, Netball and Football ranking highly. 2. What surprising sports made the top ten. Yoga, boxing and rowing all made it into the top ten favourite sports in Australia with walking being the most popular overall. Regardless of age, gender or nationality, 70% of people surveyed said ‘walking’ was their favourite exercise. This goes to show that all the fancy equipment and ‘miracle workouts’ can’t compete with the most original movement ever for humans. In the same vein, running came in as a close second. 2. For Australians, what are the top ten most common forms of exercise? 1. Walking 2. Running 3. Bike riding 4. Strength Training 5. Swimming 6. Circuit Training 7. Indoor Cycling 8. Yoga 9. Boxing 10. Rowing 3. How do men and women differ in their favourite ways of exercising in Australia? Aussie guys prefer to practice traditional sports such as squash, football and golf. Women on the other hand, lean towards lower impact, more fluid ways of movement and class scenarios with Pilates, dancing and yoga ranking higher than for men. 4. What makes the Baby Boomers unique in the way they keep fit? The top ranking sports for the Baby Boomers like to take it easy and avoid injury, choosing more leisurely activities such as gardening, golf and water aerobics. 5. Which generation prefer to exercise solo? With demanding jobs and more dependants, Generation X are more likely to exercise on their own than anyone else. For them, exercise is a perfect time to be mindful. It’s an ideal antidote to wash away the daily pressures of normal life. 6. Which is the most experimental generation? Unsurprisingly, it is the Millennial’s (also known as Gen Y’s) who are the most willing to launch into new crazes or unusual, innovative classes such as Crossfit, Zumba and Bootcamps. Additionally, the Millennials are much more enthusiastic about group sports than the generation just slightly older than them, with team sports such as Rugby, Netball and Football ranking highly. 7. Who likes the elliptical more Americans or Australians? It would seem that the elliptical – a stationary exercise used to simulate stair climbing or running - has made more of a mark in America than in Australia. In the States, this exercise machine comes in at number two after running for women. Interestingly, it’s ranked 11 in Australia and is more popular with women than men in both countries. 8. How does the weather impact your exercise patterns? In the UK indoor activities such as aerobics and indoor cycling are far more popular whereas Australians, Americans and Canadians prefer the great outdoors and taking advantage of beautiful weather. Curling, shovelling snow, snowshoeing and ice-skating all featured in the higher ranks in the UK, Canada and America, but not in Australia. Fitbit products are activity trackers that measure data such as the number of steps you take, the quality of sleep, the number of steps climbed and other personal metrics. Visit fitbit.com to compare your exercise habits to the rest of the world.

3. 2020 Rugby Championships — ANZ Stadium & Bankwest Stadium
5 December
Watch the final game of the 2020 Rugby Championships right from the sidelines, and cheer on the Wallabies as they take on Argentina at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta on Saturday 5 December.

4. Streeton — Art Gallery of NSW
Now until 14 February 2021
See the most significant exhibition of Australian artist Arthur Streeton at the Art Gallery of NSW this summer. Featuring more than 150 works, take in Streeton’s sun-drenched impressionist landscapes from the 1880s and vivid scenes of Sydney Harbour in the 1890s.

5. PIPPIN — Sydney Lyric Theatre
From 24 November 2020
This Tony® Award-winning musical will premiere at the Sydney Lyric theatre at The Star this November. Full of extraordinary acrobatics, wondrous magical feats and soaring songs, this is a high-flying, death-defying musical not to be missed.

6. Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family — Australian Museum
From 28 November 2020
Get ready to travel back 66 million years as the most feared dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, comes crashing out from the Cretaceous period and into the new blockbuster exhibition space at the Australian Museum. View a colossal collection of tyrannosaur skeletons, skulls, fossil eggs and more.

person holding van gogh book beside sunflowers — Photo by wendel moretti on Pexels.com

7. Van Gogh Alive: The Experience — Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park
Now until 20 December
See Van Gogh’s masterpieces like never before at this immersive, multisensory exhibition of light, sound, colour and fragrance. With paintings projected large scale onto walls, floors and ceilings, it will feel like you are walking right into the art.

8. Mov’in Boat Floating Cinema — Darling Harbour
From 3 December to 21 February
Watch your favourite films while floating on sparkling Cockle Bay at this brand-new cinema experience by Mov’in Bed. Hire a rowboat, laze on the floating pontoon, BYO boat or book a VIP day bed for this unique movie night under the stars.

9. Sydney Superfight — Bankwest Stadium
16 December
Cheer on Australia’s number one boxing superstar Tim Tszyu as he goes up against New Zealander Bowyn Morgan in what is slated to be the biggest boxing event of the decade. Plus, Ex-NRL star Paul Gallen will take on former UFC star Mark Hunt in an undercard battle of the big men.

walt disney castle — Photo by Benjamin Suter on Pexels.com

10. Frozen The Musical — Capitol Theatre
From 1 December 2020
Disney’s award-winning animated movie Frozen will come to life in Sydney’s Capitol Theatre from 1 December, as the stage transforms to the magical icy kingdom of Arandelle. Featuring all the original songs — plus a dozen new numbers — an all-star Australian cast, beautiful costumes, amazing special effects, and a real-life telling of the inspiring story of sisterhood that will melt your heart — you’ve never seen Frozen like this.

sea waves crashing on swimming pool — Photo by Marley Clovelly on Pexels.com

11. The Rocks Christmas Markets — The Rocks
4 Dec to 24 Dec: 10am-8pm, Fri to Sat; 10am-5pm, Sun
Special Christmas Eve Market: Thu 24 Dec, 11am-6pm
Fill your Christmas stockings with locally made artisan crafts and wares at this year’s Christmas Markets at The Rocks. Pick up handmade fashion and jewellery, designer homewares, local art and gourmet goods.

sydney opera house australia — Photo by Mudassir Ali on Pexels.com

12. New Year’s Eve — Sydney Harbour
31 December
This year, the NSW Government will host a pared-down firework display at midnight to ring in the new year at Sydney Harbour. The government is working through preparations to ensure there are no crowd management, safety, traffic and transport issues. You need to have a confirmed booking at a hospitality venue in the city, so make a night of it with dinner at your favourite Sydney restaurant.