Listeners, welcome to Things to Do in Sydney! Today is Thursday, October 2, 2025, and your globetrotting sport nut Oly Bennet is here—strapped in with sunscreen, a weather app, and an insatiable appetite for the unexpected. Sydney is buzzing under blue spring skies, with a light breeze off the Harbour and just enough sun to make those beach selfies pop. The city is gearing up for the weekend, so whether you’re a culture vulture, a thrill seeker, or just fancy a good old-fashioned stroll, there’s an adventure or two with your name on it.

If you’re hungry for action right now, spring street markets are your ticket to vibrant stalls, live tunes, and mouthwatering bites. Head over to Willoughby for the all-day Spring Street Market, running from 10am to 9pm, where you can chase deals, devour street food, and groove to local performers. Not far off, Chatswood Mall Market delivers even more music and global munchies till late—calling all dumpling fans and roti seekers.

Culture beasts, don’t even try to pace yourselves! At the Sydney Opera House, Utzon Music 2025 explodes with chamber performances that blend European, Norwegian, Persian, and Australian melodies. Let your ears feast on sounds as diverse as the crowd. Just down the road, the Museum of Contemporary Art is showing Cerith Wyn Evans, while the Art Gallery of NSW brings the Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala exhibition—think bold, contemporary Indigenous art with a sting of history.

Got a family of wild things? Secure your costumes and tiny pumpkins—Halloween Family Fest kicks off at the Entertainment Quarter, with all-ages trick-or-treating, Monster Mash discos, and plenty of inflatable mayhem for those pint-sized energy monsters. It’s spooky, safe, and seriously sugar-fueled.

Night owls, accelerate straight into orbit: Yuri’s Night at SPACE Nightclub is pumping up a World Space Party complete with cosmic beats, art, and star-studded costumes. If you’ve always wanted to do the worm (moonwalking counts) with NASA enthusiasts, this is your night to shine.

On the news and city pulse front: Sydney’s festival game just got a turbocharge. The Minns Government has cleared the path for more major festivals in iconic spaces like Centennial Parklands, meaning a jam-packed events calendar and late-night vibes that keep the city’s legendary nightlife thriving. New venues have been popping up in Newtown and Marrickville, especially around the Enmore Road Special Entertainment Precinct. Keep an eye out for bars with secret doors and cafes boasting that “best flat white in Sydney” title—competition is fierce.

Must-do activities for the day? Take a self-guided adventure through Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden for hidden sculptures and Harbour views, or test your wits with a quirky scavenger hunt in Newtown, which reveals the funkiest street art in town. If you want to beat the heat in proper Sydney style, the MacCallum Pool at Cremorne Point offers harbour swims with a killer skyline view, no sharks—promise. For thrill seekers, the Bondi Beauty Scavenger Hunt mixes sun, sand, and brain teasers. You’ll earn bragging rights, and probably a chafed flip-flop.

Here’s a local tip: in Sydney, always tap on and off with your Opal card for public transport, even on the light rail—otherwise, you’ll get a fare that could buy you breakfast at a Bondi café. And if you’re craving the city’s best yum cha, locals swear by the maroon-steamed prawn dumplings hidden at the Marigold, tucked away in Chinatown’s upper floors.

Before I vanish to hunt down the world’s weirdest beach paddleball match, a quick look ahead—gear up for the wild Fest By Inner West with SXSW this Saturday, where indie stars and global names take over Enmore. And for families, the Halloween Family Fest runs through the weekend, so there’s plenty more spooky fun ahead. Tune in tomorrow for more curious capers, must-see gigs, and quirky Sydney...