Written by Ria Bairstow
Wednesday 30 April 2025
🖤 Laugh (Uncomfortably) at 100% Dark Comedy this Saturday night
Sydney Comedy Festival’s 100% Dark Comedy is not here to hold your hand. It’s raw, unfiltered, and gloriously inappropriate. The comics don’t shy away from taboo, and that’s the whole point—this is cathartic, boundary-testing comedy for grown-ups who need a laugh and aren’t afraid to go dark for it.
Date: Saturday Night, 09:15 PM, 3 May 2025
Location: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
🎨 Explore Peter Kingston’s Sydney + Rooftop Drinks
Step inside the whimsical, melancholic world of Peter Kingston—artist, storyteller, and chronicler of Sydney’s changing shoreline. His new exhibition at the State Library (open Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM) showcases over 70 works, including sketchbooks and prints that feel like love letters to the city’s ferry wharves and Luna Park.
Pro tip: Once you’ve explored Kingston’s work, take the lift up to *The Library Bar*. It’s a rooftop oasis with one of the best skyline views in Sydney—and a perfect spot for an afternoon drink.
Date: All weekend, 3 + 4 May 2025
Location: NSW State Library
🥢Explore Hay Street Market at Paddy's on Saturday
If you haven’t wandered through Paddy’s in a while, consider this your sign. Tucked beneath Market City in Haymarket, Sydney’s most iconic indoor market also has a brand-new food hall that has just opened, and it’s a game-changer. Think sizzling street eats, bubble tea stands, and specialty stalls serving everything from bánh mì to bento. It’s loud, lively, and utterly delicious—perfect for a casual lunch, a snack crawl, or just an afternoon of grazing and people-watching.
Date: All weekend, 3 + 4 May 2025
Location: Hay Street, Haymarket
🎶 Chill Out with Sunday Sounds
If your Sunday vibe is less “bottomless mimosas” and more “inner peace,” head to the Chinese Garden for Sunday Sounds. Dr. Nicholas Ng curates two hours of tranquil tunes (2 PM to 4 PM) amid waterfalls, koi ponds and flowering trees. Your nervous system will thank you.
Date: Sunday Arvo, 2-4pm, 4 May 2025
Location: Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour
🎬 Fantastic Film Festival
Screening all weekend across Sydney, this is a treasure trove of bold, genre-bending cinema from around the world. Think cult classics, strange shorts, and films you’ll want to dissect over drinks.
Date: Friday, Saturday and Sunday Night, 2-4 May 2025
Location: Ritz Cinema Randwick
🏉Sydney Swans v GWS GIANTS
Cheer from the stands at the SCG as the Swans face the GWS Giants in a high-stakes AFL clash.
Date: Sunday Arvo, 1.10pm, 4 May 2025
Location: Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park, NSW