Sydney Entertainment

Sydney has a wide variety of entertainment venues to please visitors of all tastes and ages. You’ll find discos, concerts, pubs with live music and nightclubs, theatre, cinemas, opera and even an amusement park. Sydney is one of those cities that goes all night and boasts an impressive array of venues to keep night revellers occupied long after the last train leaves the nearest railway station. Luckily, night buses run right through the night, so there is always an easy route back to your hotel.

Nightlife

Australians love to party, whether it's a few beers around the barbecue with friends or an all-night rave at a trendy dance club. Alcohol plays a big part in the Aussie culture. Most of Australia's drinking holes are known as ‘hotels’, after the tradition of providing room and board along with a good drink in the old days. Occasionally, you might hear them referred to as pubs. The term ‘bar’ tends to apply to establishments in upscale hotels and trendy in-places. There are great pubs, jazz haunts, rock venues and nightclubs in most quarters of the city, from Darling Harbour to Kings Cross and Oxford street to The Rocks. Oxford street, the heart of Sydney’s gay area, buzzes with cafés and clubs - gay, straight and mixed, while the established red-light district of Kings Cross continues to cater for the seedier side of life.

Theatre and music

The most well-known of Sydney’s theatres are located within a few kilometres of the Opera House. The Sydney Theatre Company puts on performances at their theatre at The Wharf in Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, and also at the Sydney Opera House at the Drama Theatre. They stage acclaimed performances from Australian and international playwrights, and are the top theatre company in the city. Their Walsh Bay Theatre is also home to the Sydney Dance Company. Smaller scale, but with a good reputation, the Epicentre Theatre Company has been putting on performances for the last 25 years. They put on Shakespearean plays, among others, at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood. 

Sydney has a vibrant music scene, with many famous bands, such as INXS, having originated here. For live music, there’s The Basement, featuring jazz, world music and international acts; the Hopetoun Hotel, a traditional inner-city rock venue; and the Cat & Fiddle Hotel, a weathered home to folk, pop and bush music. The Opera House regularly puts on operas with famous guest stars. Musicals can also be found at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and the Lyric Theatre at Star City.

Festivals

There are a number of annual festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including:

• The Sydney Festival offers the very best international and national performing and visual arts. Staged in theatres, galleries and concert halls across Sydney, the festival is a major cultural celebration, meant to express Sydney’s temperament, colour and style (January).
• The Chinese New Year Festival is usually run over a three-week period during January and February. It features traditional entertainment with dragon and lion dances, local and international performers, cultural exhibitions, history tours and the glorious Chinese New Year Imperial Banquet.
• The Greek Festival is a month-long festival sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW. The festival stages events that symbolise the Greek way of life and their rich cultural and artistic heritage. Entertainment, activities and learning opportunities are available through music, theatre, visual arts, dance, lectures, philosophy, food and children's events (March).
• The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a huge festival organised by and for the gay community. It includes sports, cultural and arts events that run throughout February, culminating in a huge Mardi Gras parade in Darlinghurst on the first Saturday of March each year. The festival began as a street protest and has since grown into a huge celebration.