January is a busy month in Sydney. With summer in full swing and what seems like half the city on holidays, there is something happening every day.
Please note the pandemic means that most of these events will have restrictions or may change at short notice so please check the official site before heading out
Accommodation prices are still pretty high and many attractions are busy. If you are keen to do tours and activities on a particular day it’s worth booking in advance.
Average Temperatures: 25.9 – 18.7 C ( 79.7 – 67.3°F)
While each year varies, the last January was pretty wet with 12 days of rain.
New events and updated content are added to these pages as it becomes available.
Contents
Annual Events this month
- New Year’s Eve and Day
- Sydney Festival – 6-26 January 2021
- Australia Day – 26 January 2021 – moved online this year
- ATP Cup (Tennis) – postponed to 2022
Markets, Fairs and Festivals
Sydney Festival
This annual event, now in its 42nd year, starts the new year on with a bang. The city makes the most of the long days and warm weather by hosting this 19-day event.
Opportunities to check out cutting-edge theatre, music, cabaret, dance and visual art.
Where: Hyde Park, CBD and various venues across Sydney
When: 6-26 January 2021
More: Check the full program here.
Save $$$ on Sydney Festival tickets using Today Tix
Australia Day
Australia Day, held on 26 January celebrates the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson. Many of this year’s events have been move online.
The Australia Day Regatta will play out on the harbour from 1:30pm – 6pm, and the Wheelchair Race will take place in the Rocks from 9am.
Where: All over Sydney but the CBD, Rocks and Circular Quay
When: 26 January 2021
More: The full event program will be on the website by early January. We have also written up our tips to help you have a great day.
Waterworld Central
The perfect summer school holiday event, Waterworld Central at Moore Park is an inflatable mobile waterpark that offers something for kids of all ages!
With rides like Epic Racer, Xtreme Tuber and Shark Pool thrillseekers will find plenty to keep them busy.
Younger visitors are not forgotten with the Ice Age pool, a wading pool and more.
Where: EQ Moore Park
When: to 26 January 2021
ADC Markers Market
Head to Darlinghurst for stunning handmade and collectible craft and design including jewellery, ceramics, textiles, fashion and homewares. The market will be held outdoors in Palmer Street this year.
Where: 101–115 William Street Darlinghurst
When: 10am to 4pm – 23 January 2021
Film Theatre and Stage
Sydney Film Festival – Summer Edition
The 2020 Sydney Film Festival was delivered online and many missed it. This summer edition gives you a chance to catch five important films, as part of the Sydney Festival.
Where: State Theatre
When: 15-17 January 2021
Where: State Theatre
When: 15-17 January 2021
Fangirls
A homegrown musical about the trials and tribulation of being a fan. When 14-year-old Edna’s who is a HUGE fan of the boy band True Connection, hears they are coming to town the challenge to meet them begins.
Where: Seymour Centre, Darlington
When: Until Saturday 20 February 2021
Yellamundie Festival
A Darug word meaning “storyteller”, Yellamundie will showcase the work of eight First Peoples storytellers as part of the festivals’ 5th Year.
- Capricorn by Aidan Rowlingson – Through the lens of a doomed romantic relationship, Capricorn explores culture, sexuality, personal growth, and grief.
- The Lookout by Dalara Williams – After losing his job, scholarship and girlfriend, all Jack wants is to be alone at his favourite spot, but a mysterious woman has other plans.
- Waterholes by Shana O’Brien (Movement / Choreography) – Waterholes is a new dance piece that explores the emotion of connecting to those that came before us and the potential that water presents for healing and new life.
- Seventh Season Dreaming by Sermsah Bin Saad (Movement / Choreography) – Seventh Season Dreaming will explore concepts of timelessness, dreamlessness, joy, and love and spirituality through the journey of a young man who is adrift and dispossessed.
- The First Shot by Troy Russell – The First Shot is a story of anger and sorrow, told through conceptual composition with a folk twist, about a young couple in flight after a tragic event.
- Gumbirrangarroo Dalanngarroo (Longest Time Right Now) by Brad Steadman, Brad Hardy, and Mark Ross – A multi-disciplinary work combining traditional language, music, and animation to tell stories of from the land and the river which provides
Where: Carriageworks
When: 22-24 January 2021
Flickerfest
Flickerfest is an Academy® Accredited and BAFTA-recognised International Short Film. Films of 35 minutes or less and completed in the last 2 years are eligible for entry.
This year is the festivals’ 30th anniversary and will feature 25 films shown in the Spiegeltent tent on North Park lawn at Bondi Beach. The festival will tour Australia from February to October.
Where: Bondi Beach
When: 22-31 January
More: check the website for program details.
Frozen
The Disney classic comes to life at the heritage-listed Capitol Theatre.
Where: Capitol Theatre
When: Jan 6 2021-May 2 2021
Magic Mike Live
Looking for a fun night out with the girls? The show features live dance and acrobatic feats and is based on the hit movies featuring Channing Tatum.
Where: Entertainment Quarter Moore Park
When: Until April 2021
Rent
Hard to believe it is 25 years since Rent first hit the stage. Hear the classic hits of the show (and movie) including a fab version of Seasons of Love performed by this very talented cast. One of the must-sees this January.
Where: Sydney Opera House
When: to 31 January
In Situ
Presented by Dance Makers Collective & Future Makers, a western Sydney youth dance company, IN SITU, is inspired by the landscape and stories of the peoples of this area traditionally known as Burramattta.
For thousands of years, Aboriginal people gathered and conducted ceremonies in Parramatta Park. Some of the first exchanges between traditional owners and colonisers took place in this landscape. Today the land has changed, buildings have been erected as a city continues to grow around it.
Where: Parramatta Park
When: 21-24 January 2021
Exhibitions
Photos1440 Exhibition
Exploring over a decade of work of the Sydney Morning Herald Photographers this free exhibition is a must-see. Featured are more than 200 photographs covering some of the most significant moments of the last ten years.
Where: State Library of NSW Galleries
When: 16 January – 25 April
Paradise on Earth
This exhibition honours the work of Marion Mahony Griffin, architect and partner of Walter Burley Griffin, who between them designed Canberra and the middle harbour suburb of Castlecrag.
Where: Museum of Sydney
When: until Sunday 18 April 2021
Streeton
One of Australia’s most prolific impressionist artists, Arthur Streeton, painted some of the countries best-loved works. His pieces painted around Sydney Harbour in the 1890s give a glimpse into the city’s past.
This exhibition featuring over 150 works, many from private collections, and covering over 60 years, is a must-see for any art lover.
Where: Art Gallery of NSW
When: to Sunday 14 February
Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family
Celebrate its reopening after its huge renovation by meeting some of the biggest and most intimidating dinosaurs of all time. We loved the video projection bringing the dinosaurs into modern-day Sydney that meets you on arrival.
There is plenty of hands-on stuff to keep kids busy!
Where: Australian Museum, Darlinghurst
When: Until Sunday, March 14 2021
More: The Art Gallery of NSW website
A Mile in My Shoes
An immersive experience that encourages you to literally walk in someone else’s shoes while listening to their story. Enter the “pop up store” choose a pair of shoes and listen to the voices of migrants and refugees who have made Australia their home.
Where: Australian Maritime Museum
When: 6 Jan-31 Jan 2021
Coming Out in the 70s
Including a range of posters, photographs, personal papers and a variety of other materials this exhibition explores the people and events that have helped shape the social change for the LGBTQI+ community seen over recent decades.
‘You have to imagine a time when there was nothing positive in the media, or anywhere, about homosexuality’
— broadcaster and activist Julie McCrossin, 2019
Where: State Library of NSW
When: Sunday 16 May 2021
