Best things to see and do in Sydney in August

Looking for things to cheer you up in Sydney this August? Luckily for us, there are a number of events in and around the CBD to look forward to.

Phantom from Opera finally coming to the Opera House, Parramatta has a yearbook to read (see details below), and you can warm yourself up with performances from Gang of Youths and Arlo Parks. Keep reading for highlights of what’s in Sydney over the next month.

HallyuPopFest

Qudos Bank Arena | August 13 – August 14 | Tickets start at $78
The international K-pop music festival is finally over, filling the Qudos Bank Arena with 10 top Korean music stars, including Astro, Kep1er, Oneus and SF9. With huge concerts featuring multiple bands, markets, and meet and greets, there’s always something for every K-pop fan.

K-pop band Kep1er at the Hallyupopfest festival in London this month. In August, they will take their tour to Sydney.Credit:David Cliff/Invision/AP

ORACLE – myth

Sydney opera house | August 3 – August 14 | Tickets start at $89
Exploring the mythologies, stories and traditions that have united humanity for thousands of years, ORACLE – myth combines cabaret, circus, ballet, dance and singing to create a mesmerizing show.

ORACLE – a myth carried out at the Sydney Opera House.Credit:Creative Bass Fam

Geoffrey Robertson QC – Hypothetical

International Convention Center | August 4th | Tickets from $100
The stage is set for the return of human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC to his hypothetical panel where he will interrogate a variety of high-profile panelists from government, culture, media and more on scenarios exploring major issues in Australia. This is the awakening of a high rank hypothetical television series in the 1980s.

Midsummer Night Dream with Simone Young

Sydney opera house | 26 August – 27 August | Tickets start at $37
What do you get when you combine the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with the Belvoir St Theatre, music from composer Felix Mendelssohn and Shakespeare? Well, something like this performance.

Phantom Opera

Sydney opera house | August 19 – October 16 | Tickets start at $99
Performed for the first time at the Sydney Opera House, Phantom Opera is one of the most successful musicals in the world. We’re ready for a great big chandelier to hang from the Opera House ceiling.

Phantom of the Opera has finally arrived at the Sydney Opera House.Credit:Australian Opera

Fangirls

Sydney opera house | 28 July – 4 September | Tickets start at $59
This musical, a summer of stellar seasons at the Belvoir Theatre, follows 14-year-old Edna, who has fallen for Harry, the singer of the globally acclaimed boy band, as she tries everything to get tickets to their Australian show. It’s more than just a funny story: Fangirls reflects themes of power and passion that are all too often misunderstood in adolescence.

Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical

Hayes Theater | 29 July – 27 August | Tickets start at $72
Who doesn’t love a good psychological thriller with pop rock music? That’s a promise Jekyll and Hyde when it premieres at the Hayes Theater this August. Don’t get confused with The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, stage show based on the same story.

Mary Poppins

Sydney Lyric Theater | 15 May – 25 September | Tickets start from $110
This supercalifragilistic show hasn’t been held in Sydney for over 10 years, meaning there’s a whole generation of people ready to scoop up the most fun show you’ll find. (And if the price is a bit steep, you can try the lottery for $45 a ticket.)

All eyes are on Stefanie Jones’ Mary Poppins whenever she is on stage.Credit:Kate Geraghty

Jagged little pill

Theater Royal | 9 July – 22 August | Tickets start at $65
Jukebox music inspired by Alanis Morissette’s iconic songs is holding its second show in Sydney, following its initial success in the US (including winning a Grammy for best musical theatrical album). Featuring a cast led by Natalie Bassingthwaighte as a drug-addicted mother, the musical is separate from Morissette’s early albums.

Being Together: The Parramatta Yearbook

Centenary Square, Parramatta | August 1 – October 3 | Free
Renowned photographic artist Cherine Fahd is spending 2021 taking school photo-style portraits of the people and moments that make up the City of Parramatta. The result is a stunning “yearbook” that showcases diverse communities living through urban development and unprecedented cultural change. This is a large-scale photographic installation run by the Parramatta Museum of Contemporary Art and the Studio of Artists.

Being Together: Parramatta Yearbook (2021–2022) was produced and presented by C3West on behalf of the Australian Museum of Contemporary Art in collaboration with Parramatta Artists’ Studios.Credit:Cherine Fahd

Daniel Boyd: Treasure Island

NSW Galeri Art Gallery | June – January | Free
More than 80 works by Daniel Boyd, one of the country’s most important artists, are featured in this free exhibition at the Art Gallery. With a celebrated style, the Aboriginal and Pacific Islander artist, now based in Marrickville, reflects on colonial history and the nature of resistance.

Archibald, Wynne and Sulman’s gifts

NSW Galeri Art Gallery | 14 May – 28 August | Free ticket-$22
See the finalists of some of the country’s most important arts awards. The Archibald Prize is awarded for best portrait, the Wynne Prize for best Australian landscape painting and the Sulman Prize for best subject painting, genre painting or mural project. Visit the exhibition before the end of the month to choose your favorite portrait.

Youth Gang

Qudos Bank Arena | August 6 | Tickets start at $89
If you need proof that the indie pop rock group Gang of Youths has made it big, just take a look at the venue for their one-night concert. After the release of their third studio album, Angel in Realtime, the group will be performing at the Qudos Bank Arena as they tour the country.

Arlo . Park

Enmore Theater | August 13 | Tickets start at $69
On his first tour of Australia, 21-year-old British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks toured the country following its release. Collapse in the Sun album last year. It was a feature album on Triple J.

London poet and singer-songwriter Arlo Parks.Credit:Alex Kurunis

Yella Whitefella Tree

Griffin . Theater Company | 12 August – 17 September | Tickets from $20
Suggestions for watching this show? “Bring a tissue. That’s a lot of wipes,” said Griffin Theatre’s artistic director, Declan Greene. This is the story of teenage boys Ty and Neddy, one River Mob and another Mountain Mob, “on the threshold of a world that will change forever”. The land on which they stand will be named Australia. Palawa man Dylan Van Den Berg has written a strangely heartbreaking tale of love, colonization and Country.

Whitefella Yella Tree is playing at the Griffith Theater this August.Credit:Griffith . Theater Company

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Sydney Theater Company | August 5 – September 3 | Tickets start at $58
An excellent mystery tale played out in two different versions across town, this classic Gothic tale is set to use live video and cinematic elements to bring the story of attorney Gabriel Utterson’s investigation into Dr Jekyll’s friend to life. It was from the team that delivered critical acclaim dorian Gray pictures, so we expect great things.

The one

Theater Ensemble | 22 July – 27 August | Tickets $38-$80
Delving into the complexities of Eurasian identity in Australia, this new family comedy follows lead character Mel (Angie Diaz) as she tries to, well, survive (if not thrive).

The One explores what it means to be Eurasian in contemporary Australia.Credit:Ensemble

top coat

Load

Sydney Theater Company | June 25 – August 6 | Ticket $49-74
Michelle Law’s comedy about a manicure going wrong turns into a body swap story between a Chinese-Australian manicurist and a famous TV executive. This is an irreverent satire about the Australian media landscape, and audiences are guaranteed to laugh – and think.

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