September In Sydney

Rebecca Varidel
3rd Sep 2022

September and the beautiful spring season has arrived! Bringing with it blooming florals, buzzing pollinators and a whole host of plant-loving events including Aboriginal Harbour Tour and Aboriginal Bush Food Tour each Thursdays Fridays Saturdays at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

The Ghostly Garden Tour offers a bring-your-own torch twilight adventure through the Royal Botanic Garden in this spine-tingling storytelling event on Fridays 9 and 23 September. In a rare opportunity to come within the Garden Gates after hours, you’ll journey along shadowy tree-lined paths, creep past gloomy ponds and tiptoe through eerie grottos. You'll hear spooky and kooky stories of the Garden's past — tales of people long-since dead — as bats flit above your head and night-creatures stare from the treetops on this unforgettable tour of the 'ghostly garden'.

From Thursday 1 September Gadigal Dreaming – The Sacred Country of the Gadigal People will be shown at 6pm daily for the month on the outdoor screens throughout Darling Harbour, Tumbalong, and then every hour on the hour until 11pm. For those with their own devices, the activation is accessible at all times via QR codes displayed on site, each of which launches a unique augmented reality experience. Developed in collaboration with First Nations partners, the activation allows visitors to experience the traditional culture of Sydney’s original custodians through everyday scenes including fishing, corroboree, hunting, camp life and cosmology legends.

All month until 1 October the SIX wives of Henry VIII are back by popular demand and reclaiming their thrones at the Theatre Royal Sydney with an enhanced theatrical experience! You know the story already: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Or do you?

From Saturday 3 September interactive Future Now exhibition at Stockland Wetherill Park in collaboration with the Australian Museum demonstrates how local communities can create a brighter future and a more sustainable way of living through current technologies and approaches.

Tuesday 6 September to Saturday 10 September one of our favourite production companies Little Triangle presents Musical Chairs: A Cabaret Series a selection of dazzling acts from Sydney’s finest emerging cabaret artists and musical theatre performers. Get up close and personal with a variety of exceptional entertainers as they explore the complexities of human experience through story and song.

Our tip with a wink: one of our own Sydney Scoopsters has written, directs and performs Please Hire Us. Chookas Declan Dowling.

From Thursday 15 September the immersive candlelit tarot storytelling experience Tattle Tales invites you to descend the stairs of the Chippo Hotel for 60 minutes. No two shows will be the same.

Saturday 17 September the city will become the ultimate music and live entertainment playground as Solotel hosts a free, late-night event, the Sydney All-Nighter. Spanning 16 venues and featuring more than 100 of the country's best DJ and live acts, Sydney All Nighter will see 27 stages across the city transformed to deliver whirlwind live music experiences, catering to a wide range of musical tastes and geographical locations.

Montaigne and Becca Hatch will deliver spellbinding performances against a Sydney Harbour backdrop at Opera Bar, before Confidence Man ignites dancefloors with a DJ set at Waywards at Bank Hotel. Harvey Sutherland will dig into his vinyl collection for a special DJ set at the newly opened Rekōdo Restaurant & Vinyl Bar at Barangaroo House, while Shantan Wantan Ichiban takes over the ground floor at The Marly, Kings Cross Hotel will be taken over for a multi-layered queer party by GiRLTHING and Canned Fruit with House of Mince programming the night at Darlo Bar. Purple Sneakers will also be enlisting a stellar roster of DJs at The Courthouse Hotel.

Friday 23 September to Sunday 25 September in the charmed natural amphitheatre of The Haven in Castlecrag a troupe of Sydney actors will be celebrating the Spring Equinox with Come you Spirits the magic of Shakespeare with wisdom, heart, energy and healing. In this magical outdoor space, on Sydney’s leafy lower north shore, the ground-breaking company will present The Tempest at dawn (6.30am) on Friday morning and Sunday night 6.30pm; Romeo & Juliet on Saturday and Sunday at 12.30pm; and Macbeth on Friday and Saturday night at 6.30pm.

The natural landscape is complimented by Brandon Read’s spine-tingling soundscape and original score. Come you Spirits takes the principles of sound healing and working with the amazing international composer Brandon Read creates a soundscape that takes the audience on a journey supported by music that matches the specific frequencies of each of the energy centres (chakras). Large stones that hold the principles of sacred geometry are positioned at specific points, reflecting and resonating sound in the space.

Friday 23 September FELLR and The Terrys’ Battle of the Bands at Crow Bar giving the public the opportunity to win the support slot on their debut album national tour. From this show and a Melbourne show, one winner will be picked from the above two days and join The Terrys on their tour this October + November. Five bands will be playing at each show.

From Saturday 24 September 2022 to Tuesday 31 January 2023 the Australian Museum is running an epic exhibition on one the most dominating creatures on earth Sharks. In this Australian Museum’s new exhibition Sharks visitors will explore the diversity of these ancient predators with eleven life-size shark models, interactive experiences and specimens from the Australian Museum collection. With cultural connections reaching back countless generations, visitors will also discover how First Nations’ and Pasifika Peoples’ knowledge of sharks can help us protect them. Featuring a series of events alongside the exhibition, Australian Museum is set to host a series of program events including talks, workshops and activities for visitors to further engage with the history, science, cultural connections, and the future of sharks.

Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September Oz Comic-Con is back at Sydney Showground.

For cosplay enthusiasts, Oz Comic-Con will also be hosting one of the most prestigious cosplay contests in Australia, the Australian Championships of Cosplay, highlighting the immense talent and craftsmanship from all around the country. The Cozplay Competition, Cosplay Skit Competition, and a Cosplay Props competition will also return so, if you feel your artistry lies more in the world of special effects or prop building or you simply want to exercise your acting chops in the skit competition, there is going to be a showcase for your talents. Not to forget the staple elements of the show, visitors will be able to visit Artist Alley and Cosplay Central, try their hand at tabletop gaming, and meet some of the country’s top comic artists and authors from some of the most esteemed franchises in the world.

Hit TV series Stranger Things breakout star Grace Van Dien (our very own Chrissy... RIP) will be touching down. We're keen to see her again alive and well and not totally Vecna'd.

Photo of Montaigne courtesy of Thinking Loud