We, a festival, really love a festival. Amidst the sneezy spring air we're nose-tickled pink to see the explosion of festivals in Sydney this month, to usher in the warmer days and set the tone for a festive summer.
From sculptures sprouting up along the eastern beaches, to food and music spilling through the lanes of Parramatta, from film festivals to moon festivals to dance music juggernauts in the middle of the harbour. Sydney is feeling festive AF this month and we love to see it.
Festivals
Mode Festival. Image by Jordan Munns
30 September–2 October – Moon Festival at Sydney Observatory. Sydney Observatory hosts its first Moon Festival, celebrating the harvest / full moon with lantern parades, lion/dragon dances, live music, Vietnamese street food, telescope viewings and community lantern workshops.
11 October – Mode Festival at Cockatoo Island. Back to the island, techno heads. Four Tet and Floating Points top the bill of this year's Mode Festival, a one-day springtime gathering of electronic music, art and culture, set in the dramatic industrial precinct of Cockatoo Island.
12 October – Irish Film Festival at the Chauvel Cinema Sydney. Expect a curated showcase of contemporary Irish cinema, including feature films, documentaries and Irish/Australian short works.
13–19 October – SXSW Sydney at Tumbalong Park. SXSW Sydney Unlocked transforms Tumbalong Park into a lively public hub with performances, talks, exhibitions, tech activations, live music and sunset showcases.
17 October–3 November – Sculpture by the Sea on the Bondi to Tamarama Coastal Walk. More than 100 sculptures from Australian and international artists dot the 2km oceanfront trail, blending art, nature and sweeping coastline views.
22–25 October – Parramatta Lanes Festival in Parramatta city. Parramatta Lanes turbo-charges the Western Sydney heartland with street art, food stalls, pop-up bars, illuminated installations and live music.
22–26 October – Liveworks Festival at Carriageworks. Expect dance, theatre, sound art, immersive media, queer spectacle, boundary-pushing works and world premieres from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
23 October–2 November – Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival at various locations within the City. Celebrating outstanding women in jazz, with outstanding jazz.
25 October – Oktoberfest in the Gardens at The Domain. It’s a full-blown Bavarian celebration with bier halls, German food, music, roving performers, sideshow alley and fun competitions in a lush park setting.
26 October – Norton Street Italian Fiesta in Leichhardt. Celebrate Italian food, music, culture, family fun, processions and community spirit along Norton Street. Little Italy at its best for one noisy and delicious day.
Theatre and music theatre
Calamity Jane. Image by Harvey House
3 October–26 October – The Addams Family Musical at Teatro, Italian Forum. The Tony-Award nominated musical The Addams Family haunts the stage at the newly reopened Teatro at the Italian Forum in Leichhardt. Snap, snap.
From 4 October – Meow Meow's the Red Shoes at Belvoir. This provocative, cabaret-inflected reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes explores themes of temptation, vanity and desire, pushed through Meow Meow’s uniquely theatrical lens.
Until 5 October – Melon the Human at Fool's Paradise, Entertainment Quarter, The Bunker. This performance blends immersive theatrical techniques and live performance in an intimate, experimental setting.
From 6 October – The Shiralee at Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre. Adapted by Kate Mulvany from D’Arcy Niland’s classic novel, this stage drama follows the journey of a swagman and his young daughter, confronting themes of love, loneliness, hardship and redemption against the Australian outback.
Until 11 October 2025 – True West at Ensemble Theatre. In Sam Shepard’s True West, taut family drama examines sibling rivalry, identity and the volatile limits of ambition as two estranged brothers clash in a suburban home.
Until 12 October – The Giant Balloon Show at Fool's Paradise, Entertainment Quarter, The Bunker. This whimsical and playful show uses oversized balloons, visual spectacle and audience interaction to create an immersive, joyful theatrical experience.
From 14 October – Calamity Jane at Sydney Opera House. Starring Virginia Gay, this lively musical tells the story of the legendary wild-west frontierswoman, full of humor, romance, music and strong female spirit.
16–25 October – Daytime Deewane at Riverside Theatres. This Bollywood-style musical production blends song, dance, storytelling and spectacle in a vibrant, family-friendly celebration of South Asian popular culture.
22–25 October 2025 – Shirley Valentine at Theatre Royal Sydney. Follows Shirley, a middle-aged housewife, on a journey of self-discovery and renewal as she escapes to Greece to rediscover who she is and what she wants from life.
All month – Rent at Sydney Opera house. Set in New York’s East Village during the AIDS crisis, Rent follows a group of struggling artists and friends in pursuit of love, hope and creative expression under pressing social and economic challenges.
Exhibitions
Jurassic Lounge: Halloween Edition
From 3 October – Yasmin Smith: Elemental Life at the Museum of Contemporary Art. This new solo presentation immerses viewers in Smith’s ongoing exploration of time, emergence and the natural world, combining sculpture, moving image and materials that respond to elemental forces.
From 4 October – Mike Hewson: The Key’s under the mat at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Hewson transforms this underground gallery into a hybrid park / playground / sculptural commons built from salvaged materials.
From 12 October – Dangerously modern: Australian women artists in Europe 1890-1940 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This major exhibition reveals how these women engaged with modernism abroad, breaking conventions and forging global careers despite social constraints.
11-19 October – Tangible: Sydney Craft Week at Balmain Watch House. Expect hands-on craft workshops, maker demonstrations, exhibitions of contemporary object art, and design-meets-tradition moments celebrating craft across materials and methods.
Until 18 January – Janet Dawson: Far away, so close at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This retrospective highlights the long, experimental career of Janet Dawson, examining her engagement with abstraction, colour, mark-making and her relationships with place and distance.
Throughout October – Alchemy of a Rainforest at The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden. This multisensory botanical and light installation melds plant life, sound, projection and immersive design to evoke transformed rainforest landscapes in the heart of the city.
25 October – Jurassic Lounge: Halloween Edition at the Australian Museum. A themed evening of spooky prehistoric ambiance, with DJs, drinks, exhibition access and costumes. A blend of paleontology and Halloween energy that would make Ross from Friends turn in his grave, if he was dead. Or is he? Halloween, baby.
Until 9 November – Tender Comrade at The White Rabbit Gallery. This exhibition brings together contemporary artists whose works explore intimacy, memory, collective histories, personal relationships and political undercurrents.
Until 12 December – Powerhouse Materials: Textiles at Powerhouse, Castle Hill. This show dives into fibres, fabrics, techniques and materiality, exploring how textile practices shape form, culture, innovation and everyday life.
Until 14 December – Women Hold Up Half the Sky at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This exhibition celebrates the rich and diverse contributions of women artists, past and present, across media, honoring the assertion that women’s voices and visions are foundational to art history.
Music
Royel Otis. Image by Jordan Munns
2 October – Effy at the Liberty Hall Carpark. Expect a sonic journey through techno, house, breakbeat and rave influences – a late-night event for dancefloor lovers.
3 October – Tash Sultana at Enmore Theatre. Lord of guitar loops, Tash Sultana, lands at the Enmore as part of their Return to the Roots home country tour.
3 October – Mac The Knife with Sloan Peterson at The Metro. Crashers and crooners, this pairing promises an alternative / indie rock evening with dynamic vocals and strong guitar presence.
3 October – Mama Kin Spender at Paddington Uniting Church. Mama Kin and Spender bring their soulful folk rock to Paddington Uniting Church – expect a warm, acoustic show in a church-venue setting.
3 October – June Jones at The Bearded Tit. An intimate gig from talented Sydney Festival alumni at an iconic Sydney bar, soon due to close. Enjoy the Tit while you can.
3-5 October – SydCity for Fbi at various locations. Live music, DJs and curated events forming a city-wide network of stages reflecting the local independent music scene. Let's celebrate Sydney artists and the community radio station which supports them.
4 October – Mozart’s Requiem at Opera Australia. A classical sacred choral work in a grand acoustic setting, this music is sure to set the soul soaring.
10 October – Ryan Adams at the ICC Sydney Theatre. The legend himself goes deep into his back catalogue for this massive concert. Prepare to feel.
10 October – Peptalk at Oxford Art Factory. They rocked out Moonshine Bar for Sydney Festival last year, they're on the rise on the Australian stage, they're giving unsolicited advice with punchy, energetic indie rock night after night. They are Pep Talk.
11 October – Sarah Blasko at the Enmore Theatre. Touring with her haunting melodies, rich instrumentation and intimate stage presence, expect a beautiful night with the original indie girl, Ms Blasko.
11 October – The Lathums at the Factory Theatre. The British indie band from Wigan hits The Factory Theatre in Marrickville with catchy hooks and plenty of punch.
12 October – The Tallis Scholars at the Sydney Opera House. An evening of Renaissance choral music with precise polyphony and ethereal vocals.
14-18 October – Water Music at the City Recital Hall. Handel's Watermusic meets an original Arnemland composition by Rrawun Maymuru, Water. In this concert, water is revered – as the constant, vital thread flowing through our past, our present and our future.
16 October – Connan Mockasin at the Sydney Opera House. New Zealand’s psych-pop chameleon brings his otherworldly magic to the hall.
16 October – Cardinals at the Metro Theatre. Cardinals fuse shoegaze, pop, Irish trad / folk influences and post-punk textures in a moody, evocative sound.
17 October – Stereophonics at the Hordern Pavilion. Welsh rock legends Stereophonics return to Australia, bringing driving rock, heartfelt ballads and 90s nostalgia to the Hordern.
17-18 October – Lime Cordiale with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall. Under the direction of conductor Vanessa Scammell and with arrangements by Alex Turley, Lime Cordiale ups the ante. The band members, who came from classical backgrounds, are excited to revisit their roots and reimagine their music through symphonic arrangements.
19 October – Emily Wurrumurra at Mary's Underground. Australia can't get enough of this First Nations singer-songwriter from the NT and her soulful, poignant storytelling. Pop her in an intimate venue like Mary's Underground and you're in for a winner.
20 October – Gregory Porter at the Sydney Opera House. Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter returns to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Renowned for his rich baritone voice and emotive performances, Porter blends jazz, soul and gospel into a perfect evening – or album.
20-23 October – Pub Choir at the Enmore Theatre. Pub Choir brings wholesome community singing to the Enmore Theatre over four nights. You'll be guided through the process of learning and performing a song in harmony, culminating in a full choir singing sesh at the end.
24-25 October – Royel Otis at the Hordern Pavilion. The duo is known for jangly guitar riffs, modern indie hooks and heartfelt summer nostalgia. Expect singalongs.
24 October – These New South Whales at Crowbar. Punk-rock outfit These New South Whales returns to the stage with new single “INSTINCT”. Known for high energy live sets, the band brings their best bacon to Crowbar in Leichhardt.
26 October – The Temper Trap at the Liberty Hall. Atmospheric indie rock from legends in the game.
29 October – M.I.A. at the Enmore Theatre. Pioneering artist M.I.A. brings her genre-defying onslaught of hip-hop, electro and punk to the Enmore. Heads will roll.
24-31 October – Hamed Sadeghi at Paddington Uniting Church. Iranian-Australian Festival favourite Hamed Sadeghi presents a series of performances at the Paddington Uniting Church. Known for his mastery of traditional Persian instruments, Sadeghi's concerts fuse East and West in mesmerizing fashion.
31 October – Skream & Benga at the City Recital Hall. Dubstep pioneers Skream & Benga take the stage at the City Recital Hall for a bass sesh for the ages. Renowned for their groundbreaking contributions to the dubstep genre, the duo's show promises to be a special one.
31 October – London Elektricity at Chinese Laundry. Speaking of bass sessions, drum n bass heroes London Elektricity are back in the rave den that is Laundry. Time for a tumble.
All month – Great Opera Hits at the Sydney Opera House. Often as a sunset concert, featuring beloved arias and duets from composers like Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Rossini, and more.