Vivid Sydney 2023Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2023, from the View Hotel in North Sydney.
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With its innovative spirit, the Harbour City has long been the epicentre of all things creative, sending waves of inspiration across the globe. In Austin, Texas, festival organisers felt its call and now, the world’s most pioneering thinkers are uniting for eight days of innovation, games, music and film at SXSW Sydney from 15-22 October. Here, we explore why Sydney is the ultimate creative playground...
The city inspires the world’s disruptors
The only place outside of Austin to host SXSW, Sydney is welcoming a stellar line-up of perspective-shifting festivals, parties, an expo and conference with more than 700 speakers, including thought leaders Paul Tollett, Amy Webb, Chance the Rapper and Layne Beachley. But, meander harbourside and you’ll see why the city is a magnet for inspired thinkers. At the lauded Museum of Contemporary Art, the Sydney International Art Series showcases art’s trailblazers; the annual festival Vivid Sydney transforms the city into a multi-sensory playground of light, music, art, food and ideas; and an Architecture Walk decodes the artistry of an iconic skyline where avant-garde design meets colonial ingenuity.
It levels up the art experience
At SXSW Sydney’s Screen Festival, ground-breaking visual storytellers will showcase their ideas in a place where art’s immersive all year round. Here, the moving image ignites the screen as events like the Sydney Film Festival, FlickerFest, and the OpenAir Cinema bring the city together. And at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the inspiration leaps off the walls, refreshing your perspective in dynamic spaces, eateries and iconic events.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney.
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Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney.
Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new building Credit: Iwan Baan
Aerial view of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new SANAA-designed building, 2022
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Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new building Credit: Iwan Baan
Aerial view of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new SANAA-designed building, 2022
There’s legendary shows and music to move you
Around 300 rapidly-rising pop, hip-hop and indie-rock artists will bring the noise to SXSW Sydney’s Music Festival, enticed to perform on revered stages like The Landsdowne and Hotel Hollywood. Afterwards, Sydney’s beat goes on as summer’s hottest shows pump up the volume, with festivals like Ridin’ Hearts and Good Things, and concerts from R&B legends and Taylor Swift to look forward to. Up for a singalong? Be inspired by an impressive line-up of theatre and musicals, including Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, WICKED the Musical and Beauty and the Beast the Musical.
Its fearless imagination is iconic
Since the 1970s, the Sydney Festival, Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the Biennale of Sydney have cultivated a culture where freedom of expression reigns supreme. So too has the Sydney Opera House, which burst onto the global stage in 1973 to become World Heritage-listed as a masterpiece of human creative genius, and is celebrating its 50th birthday with a landmark festival. Spark your own ideas with art challenges, music workshops and poetry; and savour live performances from classical choirs to Vance Joy and more. Between experiences, step behind its iconic sails on an exclusive tour, and bask in its inspiration over a fine-dining feast at Bennelong and drinks at Opera Bar.
Innovation charges through Sydney’s neighbourhoods
SXSW Sydney’s Tech & Innovation events will challenge your perspective as you learn from tech pioneers and party alongside kindred game-changers. Ground-breaking thinking is embedded in the very fabric of Inner Sydney, where cultural diversity is the perfect incubator for creative ingenuity. In buzzing Chippendale, visit the mould-shattering White Rabbit Gallery, immerse yourself in bold design at The Old Clare Hotel; let loose on The Abercrombie’s dancefloor, catch a cutting-edge show and take a walking tour. In nearby Eveleigh, Carriageworks has a jam-packed multi-arts calendar and a commitment to challenging the status quo that continues in the creative spaces of nearby Newtown, Surry Hills, and Paddington.
Wicked the musical Credit: Joan Marcus
Glinda, Morrible, Fiyero and the Cast of the Broadway Production of WICKED!
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Wicked the musical Credit: Joan Marcus
Glinda, Morrible, Fiyero and the Cast of the Broadway Production of WICKED!
Ten Thousand Suns, 24th Biennale of Sydney 2024 Credit: Image by Document Photography
Ten Thousand Suns, 24th Biennale of Sydney 2024. Caio Reisewitz, MUNDUS SUBTERRANEUS, 2022. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with assistance from the Consulate General of Brazil in Sydney. Courtesy the artist & Bendana Pinel Art Contemporain, Paris. Installation view, 23rd Biennale of Sydney, rīvus, 2022, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
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Ten Thousand Suns, 24th Biennale of Sydney 2024 Credit: Image by Document Photography
Ten Thousand Suns, 24th Biennale of Sydney 2024. Caio Reisewitz, MUNDUS SUBTERRANEUS, 2022. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with assistance from the Consulate General of Brazil in Sydney. Courtesy the artist & Bendana Pinel Art Contemporain, Paris. Installation view, 23rd Biennale of Sydney, rīvus, 2022, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
Mystery, history and the future converge here
Part of what makes Sydney so innovative is its insatiable curiosity – as you’ll see in its museums. Walk along The Goods Line to the Powerhouse, where you’ll discover an extraordinary collection of 500,000 arts, science, technology and design artefacts, and the 1001 Remarkable Objects show which takes your senses on a surprising trip through time in 25 rooms. The wonders continue at the Australian Museum’s exhibition, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, with an exclusive collection of priceless artefacts as well as a virtual reality tour of ancient Egypt with temples, sandstorms and mummies!
It’s ‘game on!’ around the clock
The SXSW Sydney Games Festival will upgrade your playtime with live challenges, talks, demos, parties and 150 brand new, independent games. Much of the action will take place at Fortress Sydney – the city’s year-round gaming haven with arcades, PC gaming, tabletops and consoles, as well as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest fixed e-sports arena. Battle your crew in a VIP booth before kicking on with a late-night feast at Spice Alley. Or, rock on in the neon of Chinatown’s Dixon Street before exploring Haymarket, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo, and clinking glasses in the YCK Laneways’ cosy speakeasies.
Melbourne artist JACOTÉNE performing at SXSW Sydney launch party Credit: Jess Gleeson
Melbourne artist JACOTÉNE performing at SXSW Sydney launch party. @sxswsydney, @jessgleeson, @jacotene
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Melbourne artist JACOTÉNE performing at SXSW Sydney launch party Credit: Jess Gleeson
Melbourne artist JACOTÉNE performing at SXSW Sydney launch party. @sxswsydney, @jessgleeson, @jacotene
Spice Alley, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink in Spice Alley, Chippendale.
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Spice Alley, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drink in Spice Alley, Chippendale.
More Inspirational Stories
The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.