April may be all about Easter and the Sydney Comedy Festival, but there are many things happening around town to help you string together a fun few weeks.
Sydney Travel Guide has sifted through everything happening in Sydney during April and come up with a quick hitlist for you to get across, from high-profile laughs at Sydney Comedy Festival and world-class live music at Great Southern Nights, to a night on the harbour with Opera Australia and the biggest transformation The Rocks has seen to date.
1. Sydney Comedy Festival
Get ready for laughs as the 20th annual Sydney Comedy Festival celebrates its milestone with a program notably bigger and more exciting than ever before. Not only are the popular comedy Gala nights back (we’re giving away tickets to the Sydney Opera House one) but there’s also a free family-friendly comedy festival in Tumbalong Park and an interesting comedy crawl in the YCK Laneways precinct where guests will be giving a hilarious tour of different bars, each hosting a different stand up.
You want big names though, right? Think Rhys Nicholson, Rhys Darby, Arj Barker, Jimeoin, Becky Lucas and Daniel Sloss. Catch them all from late April to mid-May.
READ MORE: Sydney Comedy Festival highlights.
Where: Varies
When: Monday, April 21 to Sunday, May 18
Price: Varies
2. Great Southern Nights
Live music has been enjoying a renewed importance for the state now that more people in the Government are starting to see its benefits to the visitor economy. So expect Great Southern Nights to have more backing than ever this year, which means a much more exciting lineup as some of Australia’s biggest names are squeezed into various venues across the state. Check out what’s happening near you and enjoy some of the best live music you’ll see all year.
READ MORE: The Cat Empire opens Great Southern Nights with a free concert
Where: Various areas across NSW
When: Friday, March 21 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Price: Varies
3. The Warehouse Project
Manchester-born mega rave The Warehouse Project is heading down to Sydney for the second time ever. This is an event that has hosted some of the biggest dance acts in the world, so if you have a particularly predilection for all things rave culture, this is one concert you’re not going to want to miss. Why? Think Partiboi69, Hector Oaks, X-Coast, Miss Bashful and Carla Martinez all taking the stage at Hordern Pavilion.
READ MORE: The Warehouse Project returns to Sydney
Where: 1 Driver Ave, Moore Park NSW 2021
When: Thursday, April 24
Price: $122
4. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
The most spectacular Opera in the world has once again come to life, lighting up Mrs Macquaries Point with its iconic floating stage. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour went with the classic Guys & Dolls for this season. Australia’s very own Cody Simpson leads as the cast tell the story of big city gamblers and the women who love them, recontextualised by offsetting the grit of vintage Manhattan with the iconic Sydney Harbour skyline. Oh, and there’s fireworks each night as well.
READ MORE: We spoke to Cody Simpson about his role in Guys & Dolls
Where: Mrs Macquarie Point; Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney NSW 2000
When: March 21, 2025 – April 20, 2025
Price: From $79
5. Sydney Royal Easter Show
Australia’s most successful ticketed event, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, has been growing steadily since 1823. Now supersized in Sydney Showgrounds, the multifaceted fair returns to run through Sydney Olympic Park from Friday, April 11 to Tuesday, April 22. And it’ll be a big one, with a wider range of activities than ever before thanks to a bigger Fever Pavilion with interactive exhibitions and larger show standards like the award-winning Woolworths Fresh Food Dome and Showbag Pavilion.
To plan your visit, read our ultimate guide to the Sydney Easter Show.
Where: Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
When: Friday, April 11 – Tuesday, April 22
Price: Early bird tickets from $45 for adults, $27 for children
6. The Collective opens
All eyes are on The Rocks this month as Hunter St Hospitality opens The Collective. After shuttering The Argyle at the tail-end of last year, the famous hospitality group reimagined Sydney’s most impressive sandstone building as a series of restaurants and bars, all tied together with a dynamic lifestyle approach that should completely change the way we interact with Sydney’s most historic harbourside neighbourhood. Doors swing open mid-April so get excited!
READ MORE: A luxurious new lounge bar is located above Rockpool Bar & Grill
Address: 18 Argyle St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Open From: Thursday, April 10
6. Hans Zimmer Live
The cinematic brilliance of Hans Zimmer could be studied for decades. Hollywood history sits inside this man’s unique mind, which is responsible for some of the big screen’s most memorable scores. Zimmer’s flair for dramatic, evocative scores is going to be make for an incredibly dramatic show when he plays Qudos Bank Arena on April 26 and 27 as part of his touring Hans Zimmer Live experience. Expect to hear orchestral works taken from films like Gladiator, Dune and Interstellar.
READ MORE: How to get tickets to see Hans Zimmer live in Sydney
Where: 19 Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
When: Saturday, April 26 + Sunday, April 27
Price: From $119
7. Sydney Streets on Crown Street
The Sydney Streets program wraps up in early April with Crown Street penciled in for Saturday, April 5. The ongoing street party program is all about introducing vibrancy back to Sydney’s trendiest neighbourhoods, shutting the street to traffic all day so the strip turns into a family-friendly, pedestrian-only party with stalls, boutiques and roaming entertainment.
Where: Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010
When: Saturday, April 5
Price: Free
8. Sydney Family Show
The Ingenia Holiday Parks’ Sydney Family Show returns to the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park for over a week of carnival games, dog racing, showbags, petting zoos and appearances from pop culture stars like Bluey and Paws Patrol. If it sounds like the Easter show, you’re on the right track. Kind of.
The Sydney Family Show is much different and smaller than the easter show but shares some similarities. A lot of families, especially big ones, tend to prefer the Sydney Family Show as its slightly more manageable with a reasonable scale. Plus, you’ve still got all the kid-friendly activities that have made the Sydney Royal Easter Show so popular over the years.
Where: Sydney Showring; 122 Lang Rd, Moore Park NSW 2021
When: Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, April 27
Price: $75 for family entry, $30 for adults, $15 for kids
9. ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day is Australia’s time to commemorate and pay respects to the veterans and others who gave their lives for this country. And while the atmosphere always has solemn undercurrent, Sydney turns into a celebration of strength and camaraderie for the occasion. This is symbolised by the traditional ANZAC Day parade, which begins on the day at the Elizabeth Street and Martin Place intersection before finishing at 12:30pm on the Hyde Park side of Liverpool Street. Then, of course, it’s off the Sydney’s best pubs to play 2-up, the same simple coin-tossing game that soldiers (diggers) during the World Wars.
Where: CBD & Sydney’s pubs
When: Friday, April 25
Price: Free
10. All Ears
Some of the best pubs in inner-west are being transformed into hi-fidelity listening parties by some of Sydney’s top DJs and speaker icons SONOS. The 24-Hour Commissioner has been experimenting with conceptual live music and listening experiences a lot lately. We were mighty impressed with the Sunset Variations gig series over at Sydney Observatory and venues like Phoenix Chippendale are redefining music as a design-forward experience.
READ MORE: Sydney’s best breweries are turning into hi-fi listening bars
Where: Inner West Ale Trail
When: Thursday, March 13 – Thursday, April 10
Price: $40pp
11. Cao Fei: My City Is Yours
Cao Fei’s high- sensory experience continues at the Art Gallery of NSW, as she explores themes of self-identity, technology, rapid urbanisation and transformation in Chinese society. In the largest exhibition of her work ever seen in Australia, Fei has created a world of neon lights, pop music and immersive video, where the digital realm and reality are interconnected. Self-labelled ‘multi-material artist’, her exhibition is captivating and colourful and her ideas are expressed through a variety of mediums.
Where: Art Gallery of NSW, Naala Badu, Lower Level 2
When: Everyday until April 13
Price: $35 for adults, $18 for 12-17 years
Read More
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