From seasonal events such as Sydney Fringe’s kid-friendly shows and the weekly night markets in Haymarket to perennial favourites like steam train rides and expeditions to the Blue Mountains, you’ll find plenty of ways to entertain the whole family in Sydney this spring.

Enter a wonderful world of Lego

If your kids love Lego, they’ll adore the Relics: A New World Rises exhibition at the Australian Museum from 16 August 2025. Watch their eyes light up as they peer into the 14 intricately detailed installations Lego Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler have conjured from their fertile imaginations.

In the Relics world, humans have completely abandoned Earth, give countless Lego minifigures an opportunity to create all sorts of fantastical designs in derelict man-made objects ranging from a Space Invaders arcade game machine and a VW Beetle to a grandfather clock and an upright piano.

After they’ve spent hours poring over the intricate details and the layers upon layers of storytelling contained in each creation, steer your kids over to the exhibition’s interactive play area so they can create and display their own Lego model or join a kid-friendly themed scavenger hunt. 

Catch a family-friendly Sydney Fringe show

As the largest independent arts festival in the state, the annual Sydney Fringe offers up more than 450 events across its month-long run, including plenty of family-friendly shows. As a bonus for parents, selected shows in the Fringe Kids program spill over from the official festival dates of 1–30 September 2025 to continue through to the end of the October school holidays. 

Head to Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter to be spoilt for choice of diversions. Marvel at the athleticism and daring of Australia’s Head First Acrobats in the All Star Circus at the Entertainment Quarter’s Vault. Laugh along as Morgan James, the “rock star of kids’ entertainment” commands the stage in A One Man Circus. Catch dazzling performances at The Flying Bubble Show, The Giant Balloon Show or Bubble Show in Space. And take your toddler or infant clubbing as you bop along to the beats laid down at Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall. 

Elsewhere, kids aged 2 to 7 years old will love Lah-Lah meets Sydney Youth Orchestra, which sees ABC Kids stars Lah-Lah team up with the Sydney Youth Orchestra for a night of toe-tapping musical adventures at Turner Hall, in the inner-city suburb of Ultimo. Science communicator Steven Gill makes wildlife education wildly entertaining in Gone Buggo at Erskineville Town Hall. And kids of all ages can get into the action as they help their celebrity team captain win the most slime in the interactive Grossed Out Game Show at Darling Quarter Theatre. 

Play glow-in-the-dark lawn bowls

Light up a family-focused spring evening with a round of Glow Bowls, from Wednesday to Saturday at The Greens lawn bowls club in North Sydney. See who can curl their luminescent bowls closest to the jack before heading over to the clubhouse restaurant to feast on a classic burger or a steak. 

Make the most of a visit to the northern side of the harbour by coming early and visiting Nutcote, the Neutral Bay home of May Gibbs, author and illustrator of the classic Australian children’s book The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. The charming harbourside home and garden is open weekly from Wednesday to Sunday, and features a children’s playroom as well as a gift shop and café. 

Camp in the middle of Sydney Harbour

Take the kids camping without having to load up the car and drive for hours – simply pack an overnight bag, jump on a ferry from Circular Quay or Barangaroo and check into the waterfront campground on Cockatoo Island. You can bring your own tents or opt for one of a range of camping and glamping options, from a basic tent set-up to a two-bedroom deluxe waterfront package that includes two tents, four single beds, bedding and sun lounges. 

This UNESCO World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Site downriver from the Sydney Harbour Bridge was a convict prison from 1839 to 1869, before being used as a girl’s reformatory and a navy dockyard. So there’s plenty of history to see and things to do – take a self-guided family tour and explore the heritage industrial buildings scattered across the island, or join one of Cockatoo Island’s fascinating guided tours. 

Then pick up your pre-ordered barbecue pack from the island’s Cockatoo Overboard café, cook up a hearty dinner at the communal campground kitchen, and settle in for a chat with the other families gathered around the communal firepit.

Enjoy that floating feeling

Give your children a thrill they’ll never forget when you take them to the iFly indoor skydiving centre in Penrith. Kids as young as three years old can suit up, don goggles and a helmet and step into the vertical wind tunnel that lifts them up off the floor on a cushion of air, stimulating how it feels to free-fall from an aeroplane. With hang times that exceed the fleeting moments you’d have between jumping from a plane and pulling the cord on a parachute, you can experience that giddy weightless sensation in a safe environment. 

Be awed in the Blue Mountains

Clear the schedule for the day you visit Scenic World, in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba, as there are hours of absorbing activities awaiting. Hold hands with the little ones as you take the heart-stopping Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world, down to the Scenic Walkway. Follow this circuit of elevated rainforest boardwalks past ancient ferns and eucalypt trees on the floor of the Jamison Valley, before ascending to the base station to ride the Scenic Cableway high across the valley. 

Drink in more incredible views as you take the Scenic Skyway along the rugged escarpment to the Skyway East Station, a short walk to the lookout at Echo Point and its iconic views of the Three Sisters rock formation.

Get steamed up in the Southern Highlands

There’s something magical about steam locomotives, especially when they’ve been lovingly restored by the enthusiastic volunteers of the NSW Rail Museum in the Southern Highlands town of Thirlmere, a 70-minute drive from Sydney.

Breathe in the heady leather and timber scents of a long-retired carriage hauled by a century-old locomotive as you ride the remnants of the old Southern Highland railway line from Thirlmere to the town of Buxton. The 40-minute steam train rides are available on weekends throughout the year and daily during the NSW spring school holidays (29 September to 10 October). 

Then explore the museum’s Main Exhibition Building and Great Train Hall to see more steam locomotives up close and admire the beautifully restored Governor-General’s carriage, before relaxing with a picnic lunch in a shady spot among the 10,000-plus square metres of lawns.