The 7 Best Things To Do In Sydney This January

Madeleine is a Sydney-based freelancer who pretends she can speak…

From a David Bowie celebration to free yoga in the CBD, Sydney is bursting at the seams with great summertime activities to kick start your 2017. Slap on some sunscreen, find a buddy and get all up in summer’s grill this Jan.

[listicle]

Get nude at night

Following last year’s successful naked art tour of the James Turrell exhibition at the National Gallery in Canberra, The Art Gallery of New South Wales is following suit (birthday suit?) and getting on the naked train. Although, this one you can just keep your clothes on, thanks.

With their major summer exhibition Nude: art from the Tate Collection in full swing, the Gallery will stay open until 10pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in January to accommodate a plethora of events.

From ‘Nude fictions’ on Wednesdays with writers including Christos Tsiolkas, Linda Jaivin and Benjamin Law, to The School of Life’s ‘Naked Ideas’ on Thursdays, the calendar is jam-packed. There will be a pop up bar there to to help you consider the ideas and theories that shape our interpretation of nudity and nakedness. And Fridays will see mass (nearly) nude drawing workshops! Everything you need is provided (and free!), so just drop on in during the evening. Nude at Night is on between January 4 to 27.

Polo by the sea

Spring Carnival may be well and truly over, but it doesn’t mean there’s no great excuse to dress up and enjoy the fillies! Palm Beach will play host to Polo by the Sea, giving you an opportunity to watch some of Australia’s best polo players a stone’s throw from the ocean. There will be fashions on the field, gourmet food and drink, DJs, lucky door prizes and of course, the horses. This incredible sport and talent is something that has to be seen to be believed, so dress to the nines and head on down to Polo by the Sea. More info here.

Photo: Polo by the Sea/Facebook

Let’s celebrate Sydney + Bowie

Sydney Festival is such an important and exciting part of the annual calendar in Sydney that it’s like an old friend who continues to reinvent themselves every year, and just when you think they can’t wow you, they gosh darn go and do it again. This year is no different with Sydney Festival’s line up going above and beyond. It’s hard (read: impossible) to narrow our picks down to just a few event choices and feel good about it. However, it must be done.

To mark one year since the passing of David Bowie, Sydney Festival will pay tribute with the event Let’s Dance on Tuesday January 10. The film clip to the 1983 release of the song of the same name was filmed in Sydney and surrounds, and Australia played an important part of the artist’s life. This evening promises to be a marathon celebration of the song and the man. Dress to make Bowie proud.

Photo: Sydney Festival

Electric in the gardens

Centennial Park is fast becoming one of Australia’s favourite festival sites, and looking to keep that title untouched, Electric Gardens festival is back with a line up that will bring electronic music fans to tears of joy. Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz will be headlining this incredible line up with three areas of house electronic music to get you moving. Joining Prydz on the stage are Basement Jaxx (DJ set), Sacha, Jamie Jones and plenty more. This Australia Day weekend just got a whole lot larger. Details and tickets here.

Time to get Frenchy

If the New Year has got you searching for a little je ne sais quoi then we might have found what you’re looking for. So Frenchy So Chic is a celebration of the simple yet finer things in life: good friends, great food and a drink or two. This one-day event held in Bicentennial Park in Glebe’s waterfront brings music, artisanal cuisine, and European summer vibes to downtown Sydney. A family friendly event (kids under 12 admitted free) this picnic affair will be one to remember. See you there!

Immerse Yourself In The Beauty Of Australia’s Landscape At The ‘Our Country’ Exhibition

Photo: So Frenchy So Chic/Facebook

All hail the humble rice burger

In a city that does pretty epic Japanese food, the claim “you’ve never had sushi like this before” really throws down the gauntlet. Opening its doors in mid December, legendary Japanese chef Chase Kojima is back with Gojima at Star City Casino. Here, this wild chef (of Sokyo in Sydney and Kiyomi on the Gold Coast fame) will be bringing his unique range of premium rice burgers, crispy chicken and range of sides and desserts.

Yes you read that right – rice burgers. Packed in the centre of Chef Kojima’s famous rice burgers are some familiar friends and some who are new to the party. Expect pickles, onions, lettuce, two Angus beef patties, American cheese, a third beef patty (yep, that’s correcto!), tomatoes and Gojima secret sauce. But it’s what’s on the outside that will make you wow: the bun is genius blend of caramelised sushi rice and umami butter.

Find it opposite the Momofuko Seiobo site at Star City.

Photo: The Star/Facebook

Januar-ommmm

Salute the sun (and Sydney’s newest green space) with free yoga sessions throughout January. Located at Jessie Street Gardens, near Lofus Street, Gateway Sydney will ease you in to the new year, and help locate some muscles that you may have forgotten about over the Christmas period. Each Saturday and Sunday they’ll be teaching hour-long yoga classes from 11am. BYO mat and sunscreen, and get there early to sign up and grab your space. Better yet, online booking is recommended.