Top Things to See and Do in Sydney
Bid goodbye to the festive events of
December and ease into January with relaxing evenings and weekends under the stars. Its time to celebrate the long days, warm weather, great outdoors and live music. There are plenty of FREE gigs around the city delivered by emerging musicians, professional acts, top bands and world-class DJs. Kids can look forward to stories, craft, games and entertainment. To top it all off, there are the Australia Day celebrations along the foreshore, Darling Harbour and
King Street Wharf. Whichever event or activity suits your fancy, you'll find something for FREE in
Sydney this January. To all my readers, best wishes for a great start to the new year.
Yoga by Lululemon Athletica - 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23
Photo courtesy of Sydney Festival
What better way to reduce the addition weight from the
Christmas and
New Year's Eve meals than with FREE yoga sessions from Lululemon Athletica. Located in Hyde Park North, each outdoor session runs for 1 hour at 7.15am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 6pm on Wednesdays. Entry is near Archibald Fountain and no booking is required. Simply bring your mat and experience the stretch and toning with expert instructors like Danielle Walker & Liz Holman (Fused to Move), Alanna Chan (Yoga Pavillion), Lara Zilibowitz (BodyMindLife), Daniel Myers (Power Living), Nicole Walsh (In Yoga) and many more.
Time: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7:15am / Wednesday 6pm
Address: Hyde Park North, Prince Albert Rd, Sydney NSW 2000
Waterfall Swing at Darling Harbour - 8 to 24 January
Get ready to be wet while on a swing at Darling Harbour this summer. Thanks to the Dash 7 Design team of artists, designers and engineers from
New York, you and your family can enjoy the Waterfall Swing in Sydney. It has travelled the US,
Netherlands and will now arrive into Australia for the first time. This exclusive attraction creates a cascading curtain of water that opens just in time to allow you to swing through. It is available daily and the ride duration will be managed to make sure everyone gets a turn. A wheelchair accessible swing is also available so nobody will miss out.
Time: Daily 9am - 9pm
Address: Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Sky Terrace at The Star - 8 - 26 January
Those age 18 and above can enjoy summer nights of free music under the stars from 8 to 26 January. The Star's Sky Terrace will be hosting a stellar line up of local and international DJs daily from 6pm till late. Enjoy the panoramic views, alfresco eats and drinks paired with varied music style from from hip-hop, funk and soul to cumbia, boogie and disco, and everything in between.
Some of the big names include Total Eclipse of the world famous X-Ecutioners DJ collective from
New York City; Nick Toth, the first hip-hop DJ in Australia to sign a major label deal for a DJ-mixed album; trailblazing British DJ, Norman Jay; One of Sydney's most respected selector Mike Who; UK's Russ Dewbury who has performed from
Singapore to Stockholm; the legendary record stash of DJ Small Change from
New York City and many more. Visit the
website for the detailed line up.
Time: Daily from 6pm
Address: 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Courtyard Sessions - 9, 16, 17, 18, 23 & 30 January
Photo courtesy of Seymour Centre
Head over to Seymour Centre for a summer of FREE evening outdoor concerts programmed by The Festivalists. Its
Courtyard Sessions at dusk supports talented young musicians and local bands, and provide a platform for the public to discover music's next big thing. The January line up includes diverse music styles from Caitlin Park, Betty & Oswald, Maples, Okenyo, Leah Flanagan and Emma Swift. Visit the
website for more details.
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Address: Corner of City Rd and Cleveland St Chippendale 2006
Festivals in The Domain - 10, 18 & 24 January
Photo courtesy of Destination NSW
The site for Australia's largest free
Christmas concert will play host to more FREE live music events in January. So grab your family and picnic mat and head over to The Domain.
Summer Sounds in The Domain, 10 January - Move to the beats and rhythms of Brazil's hottest artistes as they take the stage at The Domain from 8pm to 10.30pm.
Symphony in The Domain, 18 January - Enjoy an evening of classical music and the sounds of contemporary Indigenous Australia interwoven with poetry and prose readings by Anita Heiss from 8pm to 10.30pm.
Opera in The Domain, 24 January - Experience the top tenors and sopranos of Australia and a full orchestra under the stars from 8pm to 10.30pm.
Address: The Domain, Art Gallery Road, Sydney 2000
Kids Activities at City of Sydney Libraries - 13, 14, 15, 20 & 22 January
Customs House Library
Kids can look forward to plenty of FREE activities at the City of Sydney Libraries as part of their Summer Reading Club. Phone 02 9265 9333 or visit the
website for more information.
Glebe Library, 13 January - 7 to 12 year olds can learn acting skills, storytelling and character creating at the drama workshop conducted by actor, director and teacher Shelly Casey. Book your space
here for the 10.30am to 12.30pm session. Get your seat for the 1.30pm to 3.30pm session
here.
Green Square Library, 14 January - Kids age 3 to 6 years can join Catrina and learn more about festivals around the world through music, stories, masks, costumes and food from 11am to 12pm. Book your space
here.
Customs House Library, 15 & 22 January - Kids age 8 to 12 years can embark on a medieval adventure dressed as a knight or princess to collect a prize on arrival. Then spend the morning looking for a long lost treasure and write with a quill and ink from 10am to 11am. Click
here to join the 15 January session. Book your space
here for the 22 January session.
Surry Hills Library, 20 January - Kids age 3 to 6 years can learn about dinosaurs through song and dance with The Jurassic Joe Show from 11am to 12pm. Reserve your space
here.
Australia Day is more than just another public holiday. It is the official national day of
Australia and where better to celebrate the great Aussie lifestyle on and off the water than in Sydney. There are plenty of FREE major Australia Day events including the Salute around the foreshore, playground for kids in Hype Park, flotilla of vessels of all shapes and sizes in Sydney Harbour, the Wiggles perform in Sydney Opera House and fireworks in Darling Harbour. Check out this
article for more details.
