What’s Open in Sydney at Easter 2026

Easter in Sydney means four days off, which sounds great until you’re standing in front of a locked Woolworths on Good Friday wondering where to buy milk. This is the practical rundown on what’s open, what’s closed, and what NSW law actually requires across the long weekend — so you can enjoy the break instead of guessing.

Easter 2026 Dates — Quick Reference

Note: Official Easter trading rules

Getting Around Easter Weekend

Transport for NSW runs on a Sunday/Public Holiday timetable across Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday — expect fewer services than a normal weekday on trains, buses and ferries. Easter Saturday runs normally.

The big disruption this year is the M1 Metro. The entire line is closed between Tallawong and Sydenham across the long weekend for Southwest extension testing. Replacement buses run between Tallawong and Chatswood; use the existing train network for the Epping to City/Sydenham leg. Check the Transport for NSW Trip Planner for real-time schedules before you leave.

Ferries run on Sunday timetables — expect high demand on the F1 Manly and F9 Watsons Bay services, particularly over the weekend. Allow extra time and consider travelling outside peak hours.

Light rail operates on Sunday schedules: L2 and L3 finish around 1am, L1 around 11pm.

Heading to the Easter Show? Express trains run frequently from Central and Penrith directly to Olympic Park. Public transport is included in your Easter Show ticket — use it. Road closures affect Australia Avenue and Showground Road all weekend.

Good Friday 3 April — The Quiet Day

What’s closed by law: Major supermarkets — Woolworths, Coles and Aldi are all shut. Department stores including Kmart, Target and Myer are also closed. Bunnings is closed, Major shopping centres are not trading.

What’s open: Small convenience stores, petrol stations and pharmacies can open.

Supermarkets — Good Friday

Your best option for groceries is to shop Thursday evening. If you need something on the day ,small IGA and local convenience stores with 4 or fewer staff are exempt and often stay open, though hours vary by location.

Sydney Fish Market is open Good Friday from 5am to 5pm. Beyond seafood, you’ll find a fruit and vegetable shop, butcher, bakery, deli and bottle shop all under one roof — it’s worth making a trip of it.

Pharmacies on Good Friday

Pharmacies are exempt from NSW restricted trading laws, so many stay open even when the shopping centre around them is closed. Standalone stores generally trade; those inside major malls — MidCity, Castle Towers and similar — typically don’t.

Open 24 hours

• healthSAVE Penrith 24 Hour Pharmacy, 438 High Street, Penrith
• ChemistWorks Wetherill Park, Stockland Polding Street, Wetherill Park
• Ramsay Pharmacy St George Private Hospital, 1 South Street, Kogarah

Open late (10pm or later)

• Priceline Pharmacy Town Hall, George Street, Sydney CBD — 9am–10pm
• Blake’s Pharmacy, Potts Point — 8:30am–11pm
• TerryWhite Chemmart Gaslight, Rose Bay — 8am–10pm
• Pharmacy 4 Less, Auburn — 8am–midnight
• Blooms The Chemist, Crows Nest — 8:30am–10pm
• Late Night Chemist Ryde — 9am–10pm

Chemist Warehouse — selected locations

• Bondi Junction — 8am–7pm
• Bondi Beach — 10am–7pm
• Newtown (King St) — 9am–9pm
• Parramatta (Church St) — 8am–10pm
• Balmain (Darling St) — 9am–7pm
• Ashfield — 9am–5pm
• Chatswood (Victoria Ave) — 9am–5pm

Hours are published by each store — confirm via the Chemist Warehouse if your local isn’t listed above.

Alcohol on Good Friday

Takeaway liquor sales are prohibited in NSW on Good Friday. Dan Murphy’s, BWS and all bottle shops are closed by law. Your options:

• Licensed pubs and restaurants can serve alcohol with food between 12pm and 10pm
• Several breweries and distilleries can sell takeaway under different licensing rules — Archie Rose (Rosebery), Young Henry’s, Batch Brewing, Manly Spirits and Yulli’s are among those open

Coffee, at least, is not subject to NSW trading laws. A handful of good independents are open — here’s where to go.

Here’s a handful of our favourites who have shared their opening hours with us.

• Single O (Surry Hills) — 8am–3pm
• Kafe Kooks (Ultimo) — 6am–4pm
• Brooklyn Boy Bagels (Marrickville & Surry Hills) — from 7am
• Shuk (North Bondi & Elizabeth Bay) — 6am–4pm
• A.P House (Surry Hills) — 7:30am–3pm
• Black Star Pastry (Newtown) — open daily (CBD shop at The Galeries closed)

Many local cafes will open for limited hours — check their social media the day before.

Restaurants open Good Friday

Book ahead. Good Friday dining options are genuinely limited and the places that do open fill fast, this is not a walk-in situation.

• Aria — five-course seafood tasting menu ($240pp), open 5pm–7:30pm
• Chiswick Woollahra — open 12pm–10pm
• Da Orazio (Bondi) — open 5pm–late
• Epicurean at Crown — lunch 12:30pm–3pm, dinner 5:30pm–11pm (two seatings)
• Woodcut — dinner 5:30pm–9:30pm
• Divide 8 (St Leonards, Stanmore, Gymea & Bronte)
• Miji Bar & Grill (North Sydney) — 11:30am–9:30pm
• a’Mare — dinner only 5:30pm–8:30pm
• Butchers Buffet (Chinatown & Strathfield) — 11:30am–10pm
• Cafe Levant (Greenacre) — 5:30am–4pm
• Coogee Bay Hotel — special seafood menu including Sri Lankan fish curry and whole roasted dory

Easter Saturday 4 April — Back to Normal

Easter Saturday is the easy day. Normal trading hours across the board — supermarkets, shopping centres, all of it. Get your errands done and enjoy the fact that everything works.

Shops can be insanely busy as people tend to act like the one day closure will last a week or more. Get there early to avoid the rush.

Easter Sunday 5 April — Another Quiet One

What’s closed: Major shopping centres and most large retailers.
What’s open: Small convenience stores, pharmacies and petrol stations. Most restaurants and cafes trade on Easter Sunday

Restaurants open Easter Sunday

• Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park — Grand Seafood Buffet, 12:30pm–3:30pm ($165 adult, $65 child)
• Sailmaker at Hyatt Regency Sydney — buffet lunch 12pm–2:30pm ($125 adult, $55 child)
• Butchers Buffet (Chinatown & Strathfield) — 11:30am–10pm
• Cafe Levant (Greenacre) — 5:30am–4pm
• Divide 8 (multiple locations)
• Miji Bar & Grill (North Sydney) — 11:30am–9:30pm
• Coogee Bay Hotel — live music at The Garden and Marra Bar & Grill
• North Bondi Fish — from 11:30am
• Nomad (Surry Hills) — from 11am
• Centennial Homestead — 8am–5pm
• Anason (Barangaroo) — from noon

Easter Monday 6 April — Most Things Reopen

Easter Monday is the light at the end of the tunnel. Trading restrictions are much lighter than the two restricted days earlier in the weekend, and most restaurants, cafes and attractions are back open on public holiday hours.

Check opening hours for individual centres. Most will be 9.30am to 6pm

• Westfield Sydney (Pitt St Mall)
• Westfield Bondi Junction
• Westfield Parramatta
• Westfield Hurstville

Most major supermarkets will open 8am-8pm (some slight variations)

Restaurants open Easter Monday

Most restaurants and cafes in tourist areas trade normally on Easter Monday — public holiday surcharges often apply, typically 10–15%. Check individual venues for hours.

• Nomad (Surry Hills) — from 11am
• Centennial Homestead — 8am–5pm
• Anason (Barangaroo) — from noon
• North Bondi Fish — from 11:30am

Sydney Attractions — Easter Hours

All attractions below are open across the Easter long weekend including Good Friday. Hours shown are standard — confirm with each venue before you go, as Easter-specific variations do occasionally apply.

Easter Church Services

If you’d like to attend a service over Easter, several CBD churches welcome visitors:

• St Mary’s Cathedral — Good Friday: Passion of the Lord 3pm. Easter Sunday: 7am, 9am, 10:30am (Solemn), 12:15pm, 6pm
• St Andrew’s Cathedral — Easter Sunday: 8:30am, 10:30am, 5pm
• Wesley Mission — Sunrise Service 6am, Sydney Opera House steps