What to do in Sydney this winter
City of Sydney
04 Jun 2021, 17:21 GMT+10
The heart of Sydney is once again pulsing with music, art, festivals and food. From ice-skating rinks to heated outdoor igloos and the inaugural Sydney Solstice Festival, there's plenty to see and do in the city this winter.
So zip up those coats and get ready to rediscover the myriad charms of the harbour city with a slew of activities and events for people of all ages.
YCK Laneways Night Over Light for Sydney Solstice
Explore the brand-new Sydney Solstice Festival
8 to 20 June
Move over Vivid - there's a new winter festival in town, and it's set to become a major fixture on Sydney's cultural calendar. The Sydney Solstice Festival is a celebration of food, arts, nightlife and culture leading up to the shortest day of the year on 21 June. Events are spread across several hubs: the city centre, Darling Harbour and surrounds, the Oxford Street precinct, and Newtown and the inner west. The packed program includes a week of live music to mark the reopening of the Metro Theatre, Aboriginal whale watching and star-gazing cruises, an immersive dinner experience at Sydney Town Hall called The Queen's Feast, a 3-night Ministry of Sound dance party retrospective, as well as several mini-festivals at Paddington's Five Ways, Darling Harbour and South Eveleigh.