The 7 Best Things To Do In Sydney This April
Newsflash: Autumn doesn’t have to mean the end to fun outdoors. There’s never been a better time to head to the harbour, settle in for a Sunday sesh or poke around a market or two. April in Sydney is bursting at the seams, so grab your friends and hit up the best that this culture hub has to offer.
#1 Malbec World Day
Australians love an underdog, which is why we’ve discovered and quickly grown to love Malbec. April 17 is Malbec World Day (if ‘speak like a pirate’ can have its own day, so can this delicious grape varietal) and the man, the myth, the legend, Gauchito Gil, is bringing together the best Malbecs from Australia and Argentina for one day only.
Join red wine lovers at the Cell Block Theatre in Darlinghurst to sample a glass of Malbec or four – there will be over 60 Malbecs available to taste on the day. The feasting will be thanks to local legends at Porteño, so wear your stretchy pants. If an empanada in one hand and a glass of Malbec in the other doesn’t get you excited, check your pulse. There will also be live tango shows and a variety of beer and food available for purchase on the day. Tickets are strictly limited so get yours now.
#2 A Grayson Perry exhibition
If you want to simply like art, and you want it to be fun, then head on down to Grayson Perry’s exhibition My Pretty Little Art Career at the Museum of Contemporary Art until May 1. This British artist is hard to contain – he’s one of the best known of his contemporaries and is acclaimed for an extensive repertoire of work with ceramics, sculptures, drawings, prints and tapestries. His work is full of commentary, sex and colour, and you’ll see newly created videos and in-conversations, as well as artworks with him as his feminine alter ego, Claire.
#3 The new and improved Newport Arms Hotel
Justin Hemmes is the King Midas of Sydney’s hospitality scene, and he may have indeed done it again. The northern beaches were crying out for a shake up among their local watering holes, and the answer has (hopefully) been answered in the Merivale’s takeover of the Newport Arms Hotel.
Easter was its first weekend of trading (it was originally scheduled to open in January). Drinking isn’t the only thing on the agenda, with the aim for the Arms to be an all-day venue. Stay hydrated with morning beverages (juices, milkshakes, smoothies) and a decent live music program, as well as games galore. Think badminton, ping pong tables, petanque, and a giant scrabble board to test out those brain cells. If you need to charge your phone they’ll make you work for it – with exercise bikes assisting in this task.
#4 Harbour views at Fort Denison
No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s hard to get over the beauty of Sydney Harbour. Aim to make the most of it this autumn and head out to the gorgeous Fort Denison, smack bang in the middle of it all. In its former life it was a defence facility, and was attacked by US friendly fire in WWII. It acted as a lighthouse for 100 years, and you can still experience some of its old-world charm with daily cannon firing – be there for 1 o’clock.
Captain Cook Ferries do daily trips out there where you can enjoy lunch in the restaurant, or organise an event out there to wow guests.
#5 Into the swing of things
Add a new routine to your repertoire with Miss Peaches Dance School. Every Wednesday and Thursday throughout April, teacher Sharon Hanley takes to the floor to teach you a thing or two about this good-time dance style. Wednesday nights see a swing class and dance social, while Thursdays is rock‘n’roll eve, complete with rockabilly bands from 7.30pm. Come one, come all – there’s no need to book, just rock up (pun absolutely intended). It’s held at the The Marlborough’s Miss Peaches in Newtown.
#6 The ground beneath my feet
Nourish Talks are helping us celebrate our planet’s greatest unsung hero: the humble soil beneath our feet, the importance of which should not be overlooked. This evening will be host to a rage of talks and stories from such soil enthusiasts as Costa Georgiadis (beard grower and host of Gardening Australia) and acclaimed Sydney chef, Ty Bellingham.
A team of refugees and migrants from Bright Hospitality will be serving delicious Thai food, created from food sourced from community gardens. As well as great food there will be drinks, yoga and intriguing conversation to get us thinking about things from the ground up. This is a ticketed event, with your money going towards enriching the lives of those less fortunate.
#7 To market, to market
If you haven’t checked out Precinct 75 yet, we’ve got the perfect reason to get you there. The weekend of April 2 and 3 will see a new kind of market in this wonderfully eclectic, vibrant and yet inconspicuous space. Inspired by the Portabello markets in London, Williamsburg markets in NYC and the gastronomically delightful Food Markets of Spain, founders Anna Rizzo-Tassone and Elena Antoniou are curating an internationally-flavoured market to please everyone’s taste.
Things to take with you on the day: an appetite for food, fashion and design, and while there will be an ATM on site, we recommend getting cash out before you go.
RELATED: 11 OF SYDNEY’S COOLEST WEEKEND MARKETS
(Lead image: Fort Denison/Facebook)
