WHAT'S ON Here’s what’s stacking your calendar this month of September

Spring has officially landed, and Sydney’s calendar is getting stacked thicker than a Bondi acai bowl. The city’s serving up everything from chargrilled feasts and art fairs to retail therapy pop-ups and, yes, even a cheeky Snoop Dogg DJ set in Bella Vista.

So whether you’re in the mood for an R-rated show, an immersive gallery, or just an excuse to be out past 9pm without freezing your ass off, September’s looking like a month to actually make plans.

So what are you waiting for? Consider this your time to whip out that Google calendar and messaging the group chat, because here are the best things to do in Sydney this month.

Sydney Fringe Festival

Sydney Fringe Festival has officially kicked off again this week, bringing back the weird, wild and wonderful to the town. It’s essentially a month-long celebration of independent art, comedy, cabaret, music and everything in between. With hundreds of shows popping up across theatres, pubs, warehouses and unexpected spaces, it’s your chance to dive into the weird and wonderful side of Sydney culture. We’ll have highlights coming your way soon, but for now, consider this your cue to start browsing the program.

• WHEN: Monday 1 to Tuesday 30 September
• WHERE: Across Sydney
• HOW MUCH: Varies
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

The Talented Mr Ripley at STC

Literary thriller addicts, this one’s for you. The Talented Mr. Ripley has arrived at the Sydney Theatre Company, and running until late September. Will McDonald (Heartbreak High-alum turned unreliable narrator) channels every twist of desperation and charm, and just enough homoerotic tension to keep things interesting. Expect dark glamour, noir lighting, modern dance bursts, and two gripping hours of identity theft that somehow make being sociopathic look like an art form. 

• WHEN: Until Sunday 28 September
• WHERE: Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $86
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Messina Eats x Olympic Meats

Messina is going for gold this month with a two-day Messina Eats collab that’s bringing the heat straight to their HQ car park. Teaming up with Olympic Meats (aka the undisputed champs of chargrilled everything), expect two nights of smoky, meaty deliciousness served alongside Messina’s sweet stuff (loukoumades may or may not also be on the menu). It’s happening Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September, and it’s really the perfect excuse to skip cooking and call it “supporting local icons.”

• WHEN: Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September, 12pm till late
• WHERE: Messina HQ, Marrickville
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Goros’ Tokai Heat

Goros is turning up the heat this spring with Tokai Heat, a five-week festival dedicated to all things fire, flavour and Tokyo-style nightlife. The Surry Hills izakaya has reimagined itself as a glowing back-alley festival, complete with lanterns, moody lighting, and a menu stacked with flame-kissed dishes and limited-edition Bombay Sapphire cocktails.

• WHEN: From Saturday 16 August
• WHERE: Goros, Surry Hills
• HOW MUCH: Varies
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

The Book of Mormon

The Mormons are back, and yes, they’re still wildly inappropriate. After breaking box office records on its last Australian run, the Tony, Olivier, and Grammy Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon has officially returned to Sydney’s Capitol Theatre. Created by the minds behind South Park, it’s a sharp, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt satire that’s been dubbed “the best musical of this century” by The New York Times. Expect door-to-door missionaries, big Broadway numbers, and jokes that will make you laugh, gasp, and maybe question your life choices.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 28 September
• WHERE: Sydney Capitol Theatre, Haymarket
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $99
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

The Big Design Market

The Big Design Market is back at Carriageworks this month and bringing together over 230 independent designers for three days of shopping, snacking and tote-bag hauling. Expect everything from fashion, homewares and jewellery to art, stationery and even pet wares: it’s basically retail therapy, but make it boutique and local business friendly. With food and drink stalls to keep you fuelled while you browse, tickets are just $8.

• WHEN: Friday 19 to Sunday 21 September
• WHERE: Carriageworks
• HOW MUCH: $8 entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Sydney Contemporary

Carriageworks is kind of the place to be this month, because Sydney Contemporary is also back, and bringing over 100 galleries and 500 artists showing everything from photography to installations. In other words, if you think art fairs are just for rich boomers with glass-walled penthouses, think again. Add in live performances, talks and the usual Carriageworks buzz, and it’s basically art without the fuss. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s still the best place to look cultured while sipping champagne.

• WHEN: Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 September
• WHERE: Carriageworks
• HOW MUCH: Tickets start at $30
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Titanic: The Human Story

If you’ve ever thought, “I wish I could walk through a 3rd-class cabin without the risk of an iceberg,” this exhibition is for you. A few months back, we checked out the new exhibition Titanic: The Human Story that’s just docked in Walsh Bay. And while I’m not personally the biggest of Titanic fans, boy did I score some serious brownie points with my mother. The showcase displays over 200 artefacts which bring the ship’s passengers and crew back to life, and delves into the social and political context of the time. Honestly, it was pretty bloody cool, and I’d be lying if I said the audio guide and period music didn’t coerce me to shed a tear or two.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 21 September
• WHERE: Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay
• HOW MUCH: Adult tickets from $46
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Bubble Planet

So this one’s random, but when are we not into that? Bubble Planet – an immersive, bubbly, ball pit playground – is still happening this month at Sydney Olympic Park. And while it might sound oriented towards children (who are, sadly, allowed), that doesn’t necessarily mean that grown ups aren’t encouraged to join in. The multi-sensory experience features over ten whimsical rooms, including a giant bubble bath ball pit, an underwater LED wonderland, and a fully immersive VR room.

• WHEN: Until Friday 31 October
• WHERE: Paddington Pavilion, Sydney Olympic Park
• HOW MUCH: Adult tickets from $35
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Tender Comrade

You know we stan a White Rabbit Gallery moment, and their latest exhibition, Tender Comrade, is definitely a new one to make the hit list. The showcase digs into queerness in Chinese history, reclaiming stories erased from the mainstream, from emperors with same-sex lovers to modern-day “tongzhi” communities navigating serious cultural pressures. In true White Rabbit Gallery fashion, it’s also all free to check out.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 16 November
• WHERE: White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition has officially landed in Sydney, transforming Sydney Showgrounds into a slice of Renaissance Rome. Forget scaffolding and Vatican elbow-shoving, this immersive showcase lets you see 34 of Michelangelo’s frescoes, including The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, blown up to scale and viewed at eye level. With texture, colour and detail recreated so closely you can spot every dramatic muscle and shadow, it’s art history without the passport (or the queue).

• WHEN: Until Sunday 26 October
• WHERE: Fever Pavilion, Sydney Showgrounds
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $32
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Snoop Dogg at Bella LIVE

DJ Snoopadelic (yep, that’s Snoop Dogg’s alter ego) is hitting Bella LIVE this month for a one-hour, late-night set for an intimate crowd in Bella Vista’s new mega venue. It’ll be coming straight off the back of his AFL Grand Final half-time show at the MCG, and the only other opportunity you’ll get to see him in Sydney. Is it random? Yes. Are we going? Absolutely.

• WHEN: Saturday 27 September
• WHERE: Bella LIVE, Bella Vista
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $79
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Jim Beam’s Black Tie BBQ

Jim Beam Black is turning up the heat with a one-night-only Black Tie BBQ at Prefecture 48 on Thursday 11 September. The menu comes from fire master Luke Powell (LP’s Quality Meats) and Chef Julio Aguilera (Ibushi), who’ll be serving Southern BBQ classics over live flames while Jim Beam Black gets poured neat, stirred into cocktails and splashed into highballs. Tickets are $117 despite being valued at $280, which is basically a steal for bourbon, BBQ and a night that’ll hit all seven senses.

• WHEN: Thursday 11 September
• WHERE: Prefecture 48, CBD
• HOW MUCH: Tickets are $117
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.