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North Durras, Murramarang National Park. Credit: Josh Burkinshaw
THE GOOD TIMES ROLL ON IN NSW
After showcasing the world’s most inspiring Light, Music, Ideas and Food festivities for the past three weeks, Vivid Sydney 2024 reaches its spectacular grand finale tomorrow night. And while next year’s celebrations shine bright on the distant horizon, Sydney’s iconic festivals continue to disrupt, innovate and entertain throughout winter and beyond.
As you’ll see in this week’s Event Spotlight, The Festival of Dangerous Ideas hits Carriageworks this August, uniting trailblazing thought leaders and radical creators to explore the pressing issues of our time. Then, early spring sees the return of Australasia’s premier art fair, Sydney Contemporary, followed by the legendary SXSW Sydney, which highlights game-changing creativity with a genre-bending program spanning tech and innovation, gaming, screen and music.
Between festivities, whet your appetite for adventure with an impressive selection of sojourns from the beach to the bush. Follow this week’s feature, 5 Epic NSW Road Trips, to refresh your senses on five standout routes to the near South Coast, Mighty Murray River, the Snowy Mountains, Newcastle and the vast outback skies of Lightning Ridge.
If a road trip to the near South Coast reignites your love of idyllic coastal holidays, venture further south to discover more blissful beach breaks. Refresh with a dip in the ocean as you spot kangaroos in the dunes at Depot Beach near Batemans Bay, relax at a sheltered beach in Narooma while Australian fur seals bask on the nearby breakwater, and seek out a secluded river beach on the Sapphire Coast.
Hungry for a unique dining experience? 10 Memorable Meals Worth Travelling For serves a bounty of culinary highlights. Whether you’re in the mood for a glittering banquet inside the Sydney Opera House; an exclusive feast of Lord Howe Island’s homegrown produce; sublime locavore fare at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide’s regional restaurant of the year; or a decadent degustation in Orange’s wine country, you’ll find a multitude of ways to savour every moreish flavour of NSW. Enjoy!
Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Bondi
10 MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCES ACROSS NSW
Indulge in sublime fine dining in Sydney and take your taste buds on the road to discover dazzling destination dining experiences across the state. Pair these culinary delights with equally atmospheric stays and you have the ingredients for the ultimate gourmet holiday.
Murrays Beach, Jervis Bay
5 BLISSFUL SOUTH COAST BEACH BREAKS
Whether you’re basking in the heat of summer or rugged up against a brisk breeze, you’ll find a long string of spectacular beaches to enjoy on the South Coast of New South Wales. Take deep breaths of salty ocean air as you explore white sandy beaches and rugged coastal national parks, and feast on fresh seafood from just-caught fish to world-class oysters.
National Indigenous Art Fair, The Rocks
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Vivid Sydney | 24 May – 15 June
The annual celebration of creativity, innovation and technology is back until Saturday 15 June this year. Over 23 days and nights, the city will come to life with awe-inspiring art installations and 3D light projections, lighting the way to inspiring talks, immersive performances, live music and culinary experiences. Explore the full program at https://www.vividsydney.com/
Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau | 15 June – 22 September
A major winter blockbuster exhibition on the life and work of one of art’s great stylistic innovators, Alphonse Mucha, leads the Art Gallery of New South Wales 2024 exhibition program. It will be the most comprehensive exhibition of the pioneering and enduringly popular artist’s work ever seen in Australia. For more information, visit https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/mucha/
National Indigenous Art Fair | 29 – 30 June
Indigenous artists from around Australia are set to come together in June for the fifth National Indigenous Art Fair taking place on Gadigal Land in The Rocks, Sydney, at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Entry is $2.50 to support remote artists attending the event. For more information, visit https://www.niaf.com.au/
Wallabies v Georgia | 20 July
Witness rugby history as the Wallabies take on Georgia for the first time on Australian soil as part of the July International Series. Grab your family and friends and make sure you don’t miss Saturday afternoon International Rugby at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. Tickets available at https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=RUGBYADO24
Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine | 2 August – 27 October
Immerse yourself in an exclusive encounter with a ground-breaking photographic visionary. Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will be the largest exhibition of the artist’s work to date and his first major survey in the Southern Hemisphere. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity for Australian audiences to encounter the meticulously crafted, deeply thought-provoking work of the internationally celebrated artist. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.mca.com.au/exhibitions/hiroshi-sugimoto-time-machine/
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas | 24 – 25
August
This home-grown festival launched in 2009 to give Sydney audiences access to high quality thought leaders, culture creators and radical artists from all over the world. FODI is for curious minds, eager to connect, gather information, and collectively shine light into the darkness to better understand the world and their place in it.[AN1] For more information, visit https://festivalofdangerousideas.com/
Sydney Marathon | 15 September
In one of the world's most scenic events – the Sydney Marathon – you can walk, skip, or run across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, with three distances to choose from: the full marathon, 10km or mini 4.2km run events. Now an Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate race, whether you are an elite athlete, club runner, gym member, or simply someone who enjoys a social walk or jog, there is a run to suit all fitness levels. Register or find out more at https://sydneymarathon.com/
SXSW Sydney | 14 – 20 October
South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney is back in October 2024 with the weeklong event bringing together Asia-Pacific’s pre-eminent creative industries across tech and innovation, games, music and screen. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this annual gathering of visionaries, thought leaders and emerging talents in Sydney’s creative hub. Badges are now available to purchase at https://www.sxswsydney.com/
