The flowers are blooming, the days are longer, and it’s finally time to shed those winter coats and emerge from hibernation. The city comes to life in September with markets, theatre shows, outdoor events, gorgeous coastal walks, and great weather. It really is one of the best months to be out and about in Sydney.
Highlights include the District Karts, Sydney Fringe and Jazz Nights at The Rocks. We’ve zeroed in on the best events you should add to your calendar to make the most of your time in Sydney. Here are some exciting things to do this September in Sydney.
Race into Karts District Sydney at Greenwood Plaza
Karts District is opening in September 2026 at Greenwood Plaza, North Sydney, as a world-first immersive entertainment hub blending real electric karts with augmented reality, virtual reality and high-energy simulators.
Guests can drive electric karts through a responsive holographic arena filled with digital power-ups and projected obstacles, explore a free-roam VR shooting zone without wires, and try four distinct interactive worlds including high-speed simulators, music battles and 360-degree roller coasters.
Each kart race lasts around 15 minutes, the VR arena about 10 minutes, and VR machines around 5 minutes, with most visitors spending roughly an hour in the venue. The experience is open to ages 5+, suitable for families and corporate groups, and the venue and some VR experiences are accessible, though the kart experience itself is not.
Enjoy a seamless night out with discounted Uber rides to and from your Candlelight concert
We all love a good night out with live music and thousands of flickering candles. But let’s face it, figuring out parking or co-ordinating with public transport to get from A to B can be tiresome to say the least.
So, Candlelight has partnered with Uber to help the journey become part of the fun. After all, you can’t dissect the group chat, take a power nap or fix your glam if you’re driving, but you can in the back of an Uber! Check out Candlelight concerts nearby and book your ticket and your Uber today. You’ll receive an email with your discount code 24 hours before the concert!
Taste your way through Spain during the Eat Spain, Drink Spain Festival
From September 4th to October 4th, you can get a delicious taste of Spain without ever leaving Australia – the perfect cure for anyone who missed out on a Euro Summer! There are so many restaurants, venues, shops and bars taking part – the hardest part is knowing where to begin! Check out our guide to Eat Spain, Drink Spain 2026 now and start planning your next stop!
Shop at the Big Design Market
Head to Carriageworks from September 18th to 20th for the Big Design Market, featuring over 200 designers and makers from Australia and New Zealand. Stalls will feature everything from ethically crafted fashion, ceramics, homewares, jewellery and more. Get all the details here.
Head to the vibrant Cabramatta Moon Festival
The beloved Cabramatta Moon Festival will return for its 2026 edition this September with a day of celebrations on the cards. Taking place on September 20th, visitors can expect lion dancing, fireworks, food, and entertainment along with the popular lantern paradeacross Cabramatta
Don’t miss free Jazz Nights at The Rocks
This is your last chance to catch the free Jazz Nights at The Rocks, happening every Thursday evening in September. Enjoy live jazz under the stars, paired with gin cocktails and a vibrant atmosphere in Sydney’s oldest neighbourhood. The music starts at 6pm and goes until 9pm. Get the details here.
Catch Jason Derulo’s The Last Dance World Tour at Afterpay Arena
Global pop star Jason Derulo returns to Australia and New Zealand in September 2026 with The Last Dance World Tour, bringing his high-energy show and a catalogue of hits including “Talk Dirty”, “Wiggle”, “Swalla” and “Savage Love” to arenas across the region.
In Sydney, he performs at Afterpay Arena (formerly Qudos Bank Arena) on Saturday 19th September 2026 at 7pm, with the venue’s recent rebranding not affecting existing tickets or operations.
Join Spotify’s Turn Up Aus Live With aleksiah, Chloe Parché and Darcie Haven
Spotify’s next Turn Up Aus Live event brings together three of Australia’s rising stars — aleksiah, Chloe Parché and Darcie Haven—for a free, one-night-only gig at The Bat & Ball Hotel, Redfern on Wednesday 9 September 2026, with doors opening at 7pm.
Top fans will be invited to an intimate performance, while others can enter for a chance to win one of nine double passes or a major prize that includes a cross-state flight for two to attend the show.
Walk this dreamy light trail in Sydney
Sydney’s newest immersive light trail will take you through glowing installations, fluorescent flower fields, and dreamy displays surrounded by ambient soundscapes. Taking over Bella Visa Farm, Echoes will delight visitors until October 6. Read more about it here.
Lose the night out at Sydney Fringe
400 dazzling acts will take over four precincts in the city with the return of Sydney Fringe throughout September. Expect a stacked list of performances across theatre, music, talks, and much more at this diverse and inclusive event. Find more information and get your tickets here.
Attend one of Sydney’s beautiful Candlelight concerts and get lost in a number of familiar tunes this September. Tickets are available to tribute shows to Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Joe Hisaishi and more.
🕯️Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA
🕯️Candlelight: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
🕯️Candlelight: Tribute to Adele
🕯️Candlelight Orchestra: Tribute to Queen
🕯️Candlelight: Tribute to Arijit Singh
🕯️Candlelight: Tribute to The Beatles
🕯️Candlelight: Best of Fleetwood Mac
🕯️Candlelight: Tribute to Ludovico Einaudi
Get saxy at the Manly Jazz Festival
Australia’s longest-running jazz festival, Manly Jazz, is set to take over Manly’s streets, laneways, and pubs for three days from September 18th to 20th. The event will feature 70 stellar acts across 4 stages and over 10 official venues around Manly. Find more information here.
Enjoy the starlit Night at the Barracks concerts
Night at the Barracks is returning for a series of concerts under the night sky featuring some incredible performers like Boy & Bear, Temper Trap and more. Located in the historic Barracks at North Head in Manly, the event will take place from September 11th to 3rd October. Grab your tickets here.
Get your fill of Nihonshu at the Sake Festival
A festival dedicated to all things sake is coming to Sydney this September with more than 200 free sake to taste, Japanese food stalls, and free seminars and food pairing sessions. It’s in town for two days only on September 11th to 13th.
Step Into Harry Potter™: The Exhibition at Sydney Olympic Park
Harry Potter™: The Exhibition is running at Paddington Pavilion, Sydney Olympic Park through till 11th October 2026, with timed-entry tickets from around $30–$34 for adults and VIP options from about $59 that include an audio guide, tote bag and expedited entry.
The experience features authentic props and original costumes, iconic film sets, interactive lessons and games, Quidditch™ skill challenges, Mandrake potting and plenty of photo moments, with most visitors spending 60–90 minutes inside.
Witness My Fair Lady at Sydney Opera House
Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady returns to Australia to mark 70 years since its Broadway debut, opening at the Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland Theatre) from 10th September to 30th October 2026.
The production stars Nathaniel Parker as Professor Henry Higgins and Claire Lyon as Eliza Doolittle, with returning cast members Reg Livermore, Robyn Nevin and Tony Llewellyn-Jones, plus Freddy Hellier in his mainstage debut and the much-loved Anne Wood.
Shop at a harbourside spring market by the bay
The Watsons Bay Market is returning, this time for a spring edition with 150 excellent stalls to shop from. Mosey around and pick up a variety of steals across craft, jewellery, photography, toys, homewares, and more, grab a bite to eat, and enjoy stunning harbour views all around. It’s happening on September 13th from 9am to 3pm.
Head out of town for Sakura Matsuri
Did you know the southern hemisphere’s largest Japanese garden is right here in NSW? Nestled in the laidback town of Cowra, the sprawling space is a must-visit if you’re looking for a relaxing getaway. They’re even hosting a cherry blossom festival called Sakura Matsuri this September, and it promises to be well worth the drive out of Sydney.
See La Ronde at The Grand Electric, Surry Hills
La Ronde is a lavish in-the-round mix of circus, cabaret and comedy from the creators of Blanc de Blanc and LIMBO, playing at The Grand Electric in Surry Hills until Sunday 20th September 2026.
World-class performers deliver acrobatics, variety acts and cheeky comedy in an intimate, velvet-draped theatre, with glittering bodies spinning overhead and seating ranging from Classic and Mezzanine to Ringside VIP and Moët Champagne Tables.
The show runs about 90 minutes including an interval, is restricted to ages 15+, and contains
strobe lighting, theatrical haze and mild nudity. With final weeks approaching, it’s a last chance to catch this elevated, cheeky spectacle before it leaves Sydney.
Enjoy a family fun day at the Strathfield Spring Festival
If you’re looking for a spring outing the whole crew will love, the Strathfield Spring Festival returns to Strathfield Park on Saturday 5 September 2026 for a full day of family-friendly entertainment.
Expect rides, market stalls, live performances and special appearances by Bluey and Bingo, plus pony rides, inflatable courses, planting workshops and limited meet-and-greet sessions (bookings open 25 August). Entry is free.
Light up your evening at Real Festival Penrith
If you’re keen for a springtime night out with the whole crew, Real Festival returns to Tench Reserve on the Nepean River for three free evenings of illuminated installations, live performances and family-friendly interactive experiences running Friday to Sunday in September.
The 2026 program, themed ‘Flight’, will feature large-scale artworks, workshops, roving acts and food trucks from 4pm–10pm daily.
Savour RAFI’s winter arbour with Westholme wagyu
RAFI in North Sydney is transforming its glass Arbour into an immersive winter dining space
through Sunday 6 September, with botanical installations, ambient lighting and fireside-inspired touches.
The centrepiece is the $128pp Taste of Westholme banquet, a generous sharing menu
featuring dishes such as Wagyu tartare with horseradish, eschalot and quail egg; slow-braised
Westholme Wagyu cheek with garlic chive kimchi and fermented black bean; toothfish with koji
and charred lemon salsa; and grilled leek and fennel escabeche.
Race Into the Virtual But Real Experience at Everything Electric Sydney
Sydney Showground hosts Everything Electric Sydney from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September 2026, Australia’s premier festival for home energy and electric transport, with general admission tickets starting from $15.
Among the interactive highlights, Whipsmart is bringing the Virtual But Real (VBR) Racing Experience to the show floor, letting attendees control a real high-performance car on a real track from inside a professional race cockpit with real-time force feedback.
Visitors can expect first-person POV racing, advanced force feedback that lets you feel every corner, drift and impact, plus the chance to explore and test drive the latest EV models across two-wheel test tracks. The event also features expert home energy advice, live theatre sessions with industry experts, and hands-on access to the newest electric cars, bikes and scooters, all set within a family-friendly program of demonstrations and entertainment.
Escape the Cannibal Dinner Party at Escape This, Sydney CBD
Cannibal: A Dinner Party to Die For is a horror-themed escape room at Escape This in Sydney
CBD, where teams wake on a blood-slicked floor in a meat locker and must decipher the
Northbridge Butcher’s twisted diary to escape before becoming the main course.
Built for fans of serial-killer lore, body horror and slasher cinema, the experience blends unapologetic realism with puzzle-solving in a 60-minute session suited to all skill levels, from corporate groups to seasoned escape-room veterans.
Tickets start from around $55, with sessions bookable via the ticket selector for dates and times that suit your group. The venue is positioned as Sydney CBD’s premier immersive rooms hub, with this cannibal-themed room marketed as the city’s only experience of its kind.
Taste Chefs in the Vines at Spicers Guesthouse, Hunter Valley
Chefs in the Vines brings together five restaurants and five winemakers for an interactive afternoon of live cooking, regional produce and exceptional wine at Spicers Guesthouse, Hunter Valley on Saturday 5 September 2026.
Guests move between five live cooking stations, sampling signature dishes while meeting the chefs behind them, with wines from Tyrrell’s, Brokenwood, Mount Pleasant, First Creek and Silkman Wines poured throughout. Tickets are $149pp for the food experience or $249pp with paired wines at each station, with two sessions running 12pm–2pm and 2.30pm–4.30pm.
