Around Sydney

No Lights, No Lycra is an afterwork activity unlike any other. Beloved by its loyal followers for decades, this pitch black anonymous dance class is all about two things: total and unfettered freedom and the chance to seriously, seriously dance.  With locations all over the world, No Lights No Lycra has been bringing sweet tunes, sweat and a total lack of inhibition to people who are keen to boogie like nobody’s watching them for years. And for interested Sydneysiders, opportunities to let loose in the pitch dark are plentiful.  How does it work? You arrive (solo, or with whoever you want to bring as your anonymous dancing companion), enter a community hall, and dance for a good hour and a half to absolute bangers. The catch? It’s so dark you can’t see your feet.  The joy of this dance class is that it cuts out all the surface bullshit of judgement and fear and leaves space just for you, your joy and time for you to move your body in a way that thrills you, and you alone. In Sydney, there are weekly classes going down in Bondi, Newtown, Parramatta and Sutherland – plus a whole lot more. You can find out all the details of your closest local event by just typing in your location into their online interactive map.  Tickets generally seem to cost around the $10 to $15 mark for an hour or so, which feels pretty worth it to us, and you can book online through your location (which can be found using the aforementioned map). Forget Saturday nights and 79 tequila shots. No Lights...

Summer is here, and to celebrate the first Saturday of the silly season, the City of Sydney is throwing a pool-centric extravaganza that's almost too good to be true. For the entire day of Saturday, December 6, you can enter all of the City of Sydney's amazing pools for free. That's right. $0. Also, they're slinging free gelato too. This is not a drill.  The Summer Open Day will pop off at six pools and world-class aquatic centres across the City of Sydney, from 6am to 8pm. With free gelato scoops getting slung at select pools from 11am to 2pm, and free icy poles at others all day (while stocks last), you can bet your bottom dollar that this is one Saturday where you're in for a treat.  Plus, to add to the fun, all the pools on the roster have some kind of fun activation, activities, games and special deals that will be running all day. From lawn games and a hammer challenge, to an ultimate Zumba party, there's no end to the summery surprises and all-round good times to be had on December 6, 2025.  The Summer Open Day is also an exciting opportunity for Sydneysiders to have a peek into the newly renovated Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, which is finally ready for swimming business. A gelato cart, games and one-day only specials on memberships and swim lessons will all be available at what is arguably Sydney's snazziest swimming pool.  Participating pools are: Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, The Domain Prince Alfred Park Pool, Surry Hills Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, Ultimo Victoria...

If you were under the impression that Sydney’s summer fun peaks in December, you stand corrected. Every summer, right after the dust settles from the Harbour City’s sparkling NYE fireworks display, Sydney Festival is waiting to take over the city with a hefty helping of fresh arts and culture. This is your chance to get in on an almost-month-long program overflowing with avant garde performances, immersive art installations, phenomenal live musicians and parties that rock on well into the night. This year, the annual event is turning 50 – and if you were expecting a quiet midlife moment, think again. This summer, from January 8 to January 25, the city is throwing itself into a full-blown cultural block party, cracking open five decades of artistic history and inviting everyone in for a look at what’s next. Under the direction of Kris Nelson, who’s stepping up for his first year at the helm, the 2026 program is a sprawling, joy-sparking mix of theatre, music, dance and art.  At the heart of this anniversary edition is a deep dive into connection across generations, playing out through a (delightfully off-the-wall) theatre program. There’s the world-premiere roller-derby spectacular Mama Does Derby, which will see Virginia Gay and Clare Watson transform Sydney Town Hall into a full-scale rink for a tender, sweaty mother-daughter story. There’s Dear Son, bringing Thomas Mayo’s powerful collection of letters to the Belvoir stage with music, dance and theatre-makers Isaac...

If drinking Champagne while dancing on a superyacht fits on your 2026 vision board, we’ve got you. Following two super successful seasons at the start of 2024 and 2025,  The Jackson (arguably Sydney’s most Instagrammed luxury superyacht) is teaming up with Veuve Clicquot for another sparkling summer party series. The string of harbour parties will see the huge, sparkly-af boat play host to a stacked line-up of DJs across two expansive decks, with dancing fuel (read: Champagne and canapés) provided by Veuve Clicquot. Oysters, Champagne and hours of dancing to the backdrop of Sydney’s glittering harbour – it’s a pretty solid recipe. Kicking off on Saturday, January 10, The Jackson's Veuve Cliquot in the Sun will see DJs from Sydney and beyond take to the decks (pun intended) for high-energy, Champagne-fuelled afternoons. The events will run from 12pm until 4pm on Saturdays throughout January, February, March and April, and your $159 ticket will score you two glasses of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, free-flowing canapés and oysters, plus four hours of dancing and a gelato for the journey back to dry land. Keen? You can learn more and secure your ticket over here. RECOMMENDED: Want fun now? These are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend And these affordable picnic boats are a more low-key boating optionWant the boat-owner life without the price tag? This subscription service might be the answer

Theatre fans, take note. Sydney Theatre Company – Sydney’s largest and most prominent theatre producer – has just dropped the details for its 2026 season. The beautifully varied 2026 season will comprise 13 productions, with more than 80 beloved and emerging performers set to take to the stage throughout the year. Following Kip Williams' departure from the company, the 2026 season will be the first curated by new Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, who joined STC in late 2025. Reflecting on what theatre-goers can expect in 2026, Butel described the 2026 program as a "season of dream teams: celebrating the diversity of Australian storytelling. Highlights from STC’s 2026 season will include three world premieres of brand-new Australian works, the Australian Premiere of the most awarded Broadway play of 2025, the Sydney premiere of a new Australian musical and a handful of other Australian and international plays. If you’re keen to see something new, get in line for the season’s key world premieres: Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical (from award-winning writer and director Jack Yabsley), Bennelong in London (by Jane Harrison, the brilliant playwright behind The Visitors and Stolen) and Strong is the New Pretty by Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller. Bennelong in London will be showing from July 24 until August 16 2026, Strong is the New Pretty will be playing from October 26 until December 5 2026, and Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical will be showing...