ISSUE 40. What’s on in Sydney this extra long week: island festivals, sample sales and grand finals

It’s official, this October long weekend shall be marking the end of the unofficial Sydney hibernation period. Daylight saving begins on Sunday, stealing an hour of sleep in exchange for several months of leaving work while it’s still light outside. Fair trade.

This long weekend, Mode Festival takes over Cockatoo Island, Move My Way brings a jazzy lineup to Carriageworks, and Anna Quan marks the occasion with up to 75% off. The NRL and NRLW seasons reach their respective conclusions, while Coogee Bay Hotel responds to Oktoberfest with tinnies, mullets and a month-long Ockerfest.

All set? Here are the best things to do in Sydney this long weekend.

HIGHLIGHTS

MODE Festival 2026

Mode Festival returns to Cockatoo Island this weekend with an absolutely enormous electronic lineup. Barry Can’t Swim, Richie Hawtin, Interplanetary Criminal, Avalon Emerson and Bella Claxton lead over 25 artists across the heritage-listed island. Private ferries are the only way in, so remember to book transport alongside your ticket unless swimming there forms part of the outfit.

• WHEN: Sunday 4 October, from 2pm
• WHERE: Cockatoo Island
• HOW MUCH: Resale tickets from $260
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

NRL and NRLW Grand Finals

Accor Stadium is hosting an entire Sunday of rugby league before the Roosters and Knights meet in the men’s Grand Final. The Roosters and Broncos contest the NRLW premiership earlier in the afternoon, followed by entertainment and several hours of increasingly confident sporting analysis. And no, Tones and I will not be playing. Lol.

• WHEN: Sunday 4 October, gates open from 1pm
• WHERE: Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park
• HOW MUCH: TBD, general public sale opens Tuesday 29 September at 10am
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Move My Way Festival at Carriageworks

Carriageworks is hosting a one-day celebration of jazz, soul and hip-hop this weekend with a stacked international lineup. The likes of Ezra Collective, Sampa the Great, Kokoroko, Jamz Supernova, Coco María, Luke Una and Tash LC will make their appearances across multiple stages. It’s the festival’s inaugural edition, and it’s expected to get packed.

• WHEN: Saturday 3 October, from 2pm
• WHERE: Carriageworks, Eveleigh
• HOW MUCH: $190 third release tickets
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Anna Quan Paddington Pop Up

Sydney designer Anna Quan is taking over the Verona Paddington shopfront for five days with pieces reduced by up to 75%. Expect the label’s signature tailoring, elevated knitwear and quietly expensive-looking wardrobe staples at significantly less quietly expensive prices. It runs across the entire long weekend, providing ample time to make a financially questionable detour down Oxford Street.

• WHEN: Thursday 1 to Monday 5 October
• WHERE: 17 Oxford Street, Paddington
• HOW MUCH: Up to 75% off
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Ockerfest at CBH

Coogee Bay Hotel is spending an entire month replacing Oktoberfest’s steins, lederhosen and German sausages with cold tinnies, hot snags and several aggressively Australian uses for a beer garden. Ockerfest launches across the long weekend before continuing through to November, with bogan BBQs, Aussie DJs, backyard games, Bundy drinks, mullet competitions and giveaways. 

• WHEN: Thursday 1 October to Sunday 1 November
• WHERE: Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

FASHION & CULTURE

The Galeries x Provider Store Pop Up

Provider Store has turned Incu, Salomon and Books Kinokuniya into three limited-edition candles. Each hand-poured scent comes in a Japanese ceramic vessel, with blends ranging from cedar and sandalwood to hinoki, amber and frankincense. Spend $300 across The Galeries in a single day and you can choose one for free, which is technically a gift and emotionally a reward for losing control in Incu.

• WHEN: Tuesday 29 September to Sunday 25 October
• WHERE: The Galeries, CBD
• HOW MUCH: Free candle with $300 purchase
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Redo Haircare Pitt St Pop Up

Westfield Sydney has acquired a Y2K-inspired salon and beauty arcade filled with flip phones, cherries and beauty claw machines this week. Visitors can walk in for complimentary hair styling and expert consultations, test Redo products and attempt to retrieve minis and full-sized prizes.

• WHEN: Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October
• WHERE: Pitt Street Mall, Westfield CBD
• HOW MUCH: Free
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Ai Wei Wei’s Mushrooms

Ai Weiwei has arranged 500 cast-iron replicas of a military helmet across the lawn outside the MCA. Titled Mushrooms, the monumental public work transforms objects associated with conflict into a reflection on peace, protection and the political helplessness experienced by ordinary people.

• WHEN: Running indefinitely
• WHERE: MCA Lawn, The Rocks
• HOW MUCH: Free
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Free Iced Coffee and Matcha at THE UPSIDE Mosman Reopening

THE UPSIDE is reopening its Mosman boutique with complimentary iced coffee, matcha and a limited collection of gifts for the first people through the door. The refreshed space will stock the Australian label’s activewear and lifestyle collections, providing an opportunity to acquire both free caffeine and very expensive leggings before lunch. Only the first 40 visitors receive a gift, so this is not the morning to embrace fashionable lateness.

• WHEN: Friday 2 October, from 10am
• WHERE: THE UPSIDE Mosman Store
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Harbour Heat at Q Station

For all those looking to invest in some downtime this week, Q Station has opened a wood-fired Finnish sauna at the Quarantine Station in Manly. Each 50-minute guided communal session includes breath work, sauna rituals and the option of an ocean plunge, with space for up to 12 people.

• WHEN: Running indefinitely
• WHERE: Q Station Wharf Precinct, Manly
• HOW MUCH: Entry from $25
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Return of the GODZ

Five Greek gods are descending on Sydney Fringe to perform aerials, human pyramids, fire tricks and an extremely loose interpretation of classical mythology. The adults-only circus combines genuinely dangerous acrobatics with comedy, partial nudity and performers who appear to have been avoiding carbohydrates since birth.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 11 October
• WHERE: Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $45
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Valentino Vendetta Westfield Parramatta Pop Up

Valentino has opened an immersive fragrance pop-up in Parramatta to launch its new Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo scents. Visitors can explore the two fragrances before making the financially dangerous decision to investigate the gifts with purchase, which include ivory and black Valentino totes and miniature bottles. 

• WHEN: Until Sunday 4 October
• WHERE: Myer, Westfield Parramatta
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

MCA Late

Thursday night culture is sorted, with the MCA staying open until 9pm for an after-dark mix of contemporary art, drinks, harbour views and rotating talks, performances and creative experiences. This week’s admission also covers Primavera 2026, Connections: MCA x Tate and the major Tony Albert exhibition. Even better is that tickets are two-for-one.

• WHEN: Every Thursday, 5-9pm
• WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks
• HOW MUCH: 2-for-1 tickets from $20
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Connections: MCA x Tate

The MCA has joined forces with Tate for a major exhibition bringing together works acquired through the two institutions’ international joint collection. Featuring works by 24 Australian artists, the exhibition explores cultural exchange, migration, colonisation and First Nations histories, with several new commissions created specifically for the Sydney exhibition. It’s on now at the MCA until early next year, so you’ve got plenty of time to pretend this is the week you become someone who regularly goes to galleries.

• WHEN: Until Monday 1 March 2027
• WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks
• HOW MUCH: $25 adult tickets
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Definitive Dupain at State Library of NSW

A massive Max Dupain retrospective at the State Library of NSW brings together almost 200 iconic, rare and previously unseen photographs from across his 60-year career. Definitive Dupain spans everything from Sunbaker and experimental photography to unseen images of the Sydney Opera House under construction, fashion, architecture and candid personal work, all pulled from an archive of around 250,000 negatives. Best part: it’s completely free.

• WHEN: Until July 2027
• WHERE: NSW State Library
• HOW MUCH: Free
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Black Myth at White Rabbit Gallery

Our favourite Sydney art gallery is officially back in action with its newest exhibition, Black Myth. Drawing from the wildly successful video game, the exhibition explores how ancient mythology can still tell us things about the modern world. Inspired by Journey to the West, Black Myth brings together artists including Sun Xun, Zong Ning and Hou Chun-Ming to explore transformation, transcendence and the darker side of myth through woodcuts, ink painting, photography and plenty of strange, otherworldly figures.

• WHEN: Until Sunday 15 November
• WHERE: White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

Gallery: DJ Swisherman, FUKHED, Deaf Toucan and DAYZZI

Spanish producer DJ Swisherman brings his funk-driven mix of hardgroove, techno and early-2000s club music to Carousel for an eight-hour long-weekend party. He’ll be joined by rapidly rising local producer FUKHED, Sydney house duo Deaf Toucan, and Filipino-Australian selector DAYZZI.

• WHEN: Saturday 3 October, from 10pm
• WHERE: Carousel Bar & Ballroom, Darlinghurst
• HOW MUCH: Tickets from $30
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Noah Kahan at Afterpay Arena

After eight years away from Sydney, Noah Kahan is returning with four enormous arena shows and enough emotionally literate folk-pop to destabilise several thousand relationships at once. The two-time Grammy nominee will perform material from his forthcoming album The Great Divide, with Michael Marcagi opening. Both weekend performances are officially sold out, but a waitlist remains open for anyone willing to place their faith in administrative movement.

• WHEN: Friday 2 to Tuesday 6 October
• WHERE: Afterpay Arena, Sydney Olympic Park
• HOW MUCH: Resale only
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

The Teskey Brothers at The Point

The Teskey Brothers are marking ten years of Half Mile Harvest by performing the album in full on a floating stage beside Sydney Harbour. Josh and Sam Teskey will revisit the soul-soaked record that took them from a home studio outside Melbourne to major stages around the world, followed by favourites from the albums that came after it.

• WHEN: Friday 2 October, from 6pm
• WHERE: Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point
• HOW MUCH: $140 final release tickets
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Jazz Sessions in The Rocks

Jazz Sessions are back again for August, transforming The Rocks Square into a free open-air jazz spot every Thursday night. Curated in collaboration with the Sydney Improvised Music Association, the lineup remains mixed, the pizza remains $10, and the pop-up bar remains pouring mulled wine. Consider this your new go-to date night idea.

• WHEN: Every Thursday night, 6:30-8:30pm
• WHERE: The Rocks Square
• HOW MUCH: Free
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

FOOD & DRINK

The Lord Nelson’s 40th Birthday

Australia’s oldest continually licensed brewery hotel is celebrating 40 years of brewing in The Rocks with a limited-edition anniversary ale and three days of increasingly generous pours. The new beer will be unveiled on Saturday morning, while every 40th beer served between 11am and 2pm across the long weekend will be handed over for free. 

• WHEN: Saturday 3 to Monday 5 October
• WHERE: The Lord Nelson, The Rocks
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Suntory House Takeover

Suntory House has returned to Sydney for its third rendition, taking over Sakura House in the CBD until early October. Inspired by Japan’s nomikai tradition of post-work drinking, the limited-time residency will serve highballs, sours, beer on tap and bespoke cocktails like the ‘Mazda Zoom Zoom’ melon float. Of course, it comes alongside all the elevated izakaya snacks Sakura House has become well-known for.

• WHEN: Friday 31 July to Saturday 3 October
• WHERE: Sakura House, Martin Place
• HOW MUCH: Free entry
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Island Radio Bottomless Yum Cha

As Sydneysiders, we’re almost all well-versed by now in the weekend bottomless brunch session. But bottomless yum cha, however, is something that we hadn’t tried until now. Introducing Island Radio’s bottomless Dim Sum Saturdays, which serves up the likes of dumplings, steamed buns, wagyu nigiri and other yum cha classics alongside 90 minutes of bottomless booze for $90 a head. Honestly, after trying it for ourselves recently this one has instantly shot up to the top of our list.

• WHEN: Every Saturday and Sunday
• WHERE: Island Radio, Redfern
• HOW MUCH: $90 per person
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Oyster Happy Hour at Morrison’s

If you didn’t already know, Morrison’s is kind of the go-to place for happy hour oysters in town. In fact, they sell a minimum of 6,000 oysters every week. Every Wednesday from 6-7pm, you’ll be able to snag those little gems for $2 each, which is kind of insane. Or if you want to check out the other oyster happy hours currently happening around town, head over here.

• WHEN: Every Wednesday, 6pm to 7pm
• WHERE: Morrison’s Oyster Bar & Grill, CBD
• HOW MUCH: $2 per oyster
• CHECK IT OUT HERE.