THE HIT LIST Here’s your ultimate guide to what’s on in Sydney this month

Ahem…November’s already here, which means the city’s officially shaking off its seasonal slump and heading straight for silly season. The afternoons are longer, the outfits are smaller, and there’s a faint whiff of sunscreen and espresso martinis in the air.

In short: Sydney’s back in full social swing.

This month’s lineup leans heavy on arts and culture. From RÜFÜS DU SOL’s homecoming shows and the return of the Head On Photo Festival, to Kyiv Social’s summer laneway BBQs and The Rocks’ open-air cinema. In other words, whether you’re after a sweaty dancefloor, a quiet gallery moment, or a beanbag under the stars, there’s plenty to keep your calendar (and your serotonin) stacked.

Okay, grab the Google Calendar and start colour-coding, because November’s looking busy.

Affordable Art Fair

Let me hold your hand when I tell you that it’s time to ditch the Etsy prints and actually upgrade your art collection. And no, it won’t necessarily break the bank. It’s all thanks to the Affordable Art Fair, which is once again returning to Sydney to display over 60 galleries and thousands of contemporary works, all priced anywhere between $100 to $10,000. Trust me, your walls will thank you.

• WHEN: Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 November
• WHERE: Carriageworks
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $22
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

RÜFÜS DU SOL

Fresh off the release of their fifth album Inhale / Exhale, GRAMMY-winning trio RÜFÜS DU SOL are finally bringing their euphoric live show home. Expect the full sensory overload: immersive lighting, cinematic drops, and that collective moment when every person in the crowd thinks they’ve just had a spiritual awakening. A few tickets are still floating around, but probably not for long.

• WHEN: Thursday 20, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 November
• WHERE: Qudos Bank Arena
• HOW MUCH: Tix from $102
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Head On Photo Festival

Sydney’s biggest photography festival is back, and bringing with it a world-class photography exhibition to Bondi and Paddington. Running since 2010, the festival showcases everything from emerging local talent to major international names, turning everyday spaces into open-air galleries. Expect stunning visuals, big emotions, and the occasional person crouching dramatically with a tripod.

• WHEN: Friday 7 to Sunday 30 November
• WHERE: Bondi Pavilion and Paddington Reservoir
• HOW MUCH: Free
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Kyiv Social’s Laneway BBQ Series

After last week’s roaring success, Kyiv Social plans to continue its Laneway BBQ Series for Sundays to come. Expect a weekly summer party with rotating takeovers from Rico’s Tacos, Olympic Meats, Porkfat, and more. Pair it with good tunes, mural paintings by We Are Studios, and live music, and you’re onto a winner. Oh, and entry’s free, with all proceeds supporting Plate It Forward to fund meals, jobs and training for refugees and disadvantaged communities.

• WHEN: Every Sunday, 12-5pm
• WHERE: Kyiv Social, Chippendale
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Finders Keepers Sydney Design Market

If you’re looking for the perfect excuse for a little mindful retail therapy, you should know that the Finders Keepers Markets return this November, with over 200 of Australia’s best independent designers, artists and makers. Wandering through rows of handmade ceramics, slow fashion, jewellery and art, all while fuelled by good food, coffee and live music sounds like our dream weekend.

• WHEN: Friday 14 to Sunday 16 November
• WHERE: Carriageworks
• HOW MUCH: Entry tix from $10
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Calamity Jane

Virginia Gay is back in the saddle as Calamity Jane: the whip-cracking, quick-talking frontierswoman who’s equal parts chaos and charm. This stripped-back reimagining of the classic musical swaps polished Broadway sheen for grit, as it turns the Opera House into the rowdy Golden Garter Saloon. After scooping the Sydney Theatre Award for her performance in 2018, Gay’s return is pure gold rush energy.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 16 November
• WHERE: Sydney Opera House
• HOW MUCH: Tix from $69
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Stargazer Cinema at Barangaroo

If you haven’t yet had a chance to visit the Stargazer Cinema at Barangaroo’s Walumil Lawn, fret not, you still have a month left. The free, eight-week First Nations film program under the stars showcases a new film each week. What’s more? There’s also not a ticket price in sight, so consider your Thursday night plans sorted.

• WHEN: Every Thursday in November, from 6pm
• WHERE: Walumil Lawn, Barangaroo Reserve
• HOW MUCH: Free
• 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 Wednesday 31 December
• WHERE: Capitol Theatre, Haymarket
• HOW MUCH: Tix from $99
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Naturism at Griffin Theatre Company

Griffin Theatre Company wraps up its 2025 season by baring all (literally) with Naturism. It’s a new naked climate-change comedy by Ang Collins that’s set in an off-grid nudist commune, thrown into chaos by the arrival of a chronically online Gen Z eco-warrior. The play dives headfirst into generational tension, delusion and disaster, with no clothes and no filters. 

• WHEN: Until Saturday 15 November
• WHERE: Griffin Theatre Company, Walsh Bay
• HOW MUCH: Tix from $40
• 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.

Laneway Cinema in The Rocks

Sydney’s most charming outdoor cinema is back, turning the cobblestone laneways of The Rocks into an open-air movie night each Wednesday all summer long. Settle into a beanbag, grab a drink, and catch cult favourites, arthouse gems and nostalgic throwbacks under the stars. It’s all starting Wednesday 12 November with none other than Final Destination. Entry’s free, but we recommend registering for tix in advance.

• WHEN: Every Wednesday night until 25 February
• WHERE: Laneway Cinema, The rocks
• 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 for the next two months. 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 30 November
• WHERE: Fever Pavilion, Sydney Showgrounds
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $32
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.