Sydney Film Festival and Pride Month kick off, Vivid Sydney blazes on plus plenty more winter events to get the blood pumping.
Embrace the bracing evenings – here's what’s happening in June.
Theatre
Until 7 June – The Lover and The Dumb Waiter at Ensemble Theatre. A Harold Pinter dark comedy double-bill, with Anthony Taufa, Gareth Davies and Nicole da Silva.
6-8 June – A Bucket of Beetles at Sydney Opera House Studio. We fell in love with this family-friendly Indonesian puppetry at Sydney Festival 2024.
Until 13 June – Happy Days at Sydney Theatre Company Wharf 1 Theatre. Pamela Rabe shines in a Samuel Beckett classic.
Until 15 June – Mary Jane at The Old Fitz. A Tony-nominated portrait of a woman caring for her chronically ill son and striving for grace.
From 7 June – The Spare Room at Belvoir St Theatre. Judy Davis and Elizabeth Alexander interpret a Helen Garner novel on what we live for.
4-14 June – Illume (Bangarra Dance Theatre) at Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre. Explore the ways light has captivated and sustained Indigenous cultural existence for millenia in a theatre/dance/visual art fusion.
11-15 June – Looking for Alibrandi at Riverside Theatres. The prize-winning coming of age Australian novel comes alive on stage, expect passion, pasta and live passata sauce-making.
From 14 June – Koreaboo (Griffin Theatre Company) at Belvoir St Theatre. Explore kindred, longing and K-pop in the writing debut of beloved Australian actress Michelle Lim Davidson.
Event salad
1-30 June – Sydney Pride Month. Love, respect and empower during this year's Pride Month, which celebrates the history, resilience and achievments of the LGBTQIA+ community through an eclectic array of events, including plenty of partes this long weekend.
4-15 June – Sydney Film Festival. An onslaught of incredible and insightful screenings throughout Sydney. A special shout-out goes to The Golden Spurtle, a heartwarming documentary directed by Constantine Costi, who also directed Il Tabarro (Sydney Festival 2024) and Siegfreid & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera (Sydney Festival 2025).
8 June – An Evening with Warren Ellis (Vivid Sydney x Sydney Film Festival) at City Recital Hall. This legendary Australian musician talks with Xan Rowe about his conservation documentary Ellis Park, and plays more than a few live tunes along the way.
11 June – Firetalk: Stories of Rhythm (Sydney Writers' Fest x Vivid Sydney) at Barangaroo. Join four acclaimed storytellers fireside to explore the seasons, dance, family and celebration.
13 June – Beyond the Summit with Jimmy Chin (Sydney Film Festival x Vivid Sydney) at Sydney Town Hall. An evening with the Academy Award winner on his journey from climbing to filmmaking.
14-15 June – Makers and Shakers Market at White Bay Cruise Terminal. 130 homemade stalls of homewares, slow fashion, food and drink.
19 June – Nazzeem Hussain: You Paid For This at Riverside Theatres. An hour of belly laughs and just the right amount of tension. Sponsored by you.
10-21 June – Winter Cabaret Season at Hayes Theatre. Big voices and big laughs, featuring Sydney Festival darling Rizo, Tired Ass Showgirls, Sugar and more.
26-29 June – Elements of Freestyle at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Breakdance meets skateboarding meets BMXing and more in an adrenalin-fuelled explosion of movement.
This month and beyond – Archibald Prize 2025 at Art Gallery of NSW. Australia's annual portrait series is always captivating.
This month and beyond – Salon de Refuses at S.H. Ervine Gallery. The Archibald and Wynne "rejects" – often even more interesting than those that made the cut.
Music
7 June – My Sis: Celebrating Bad Apples Music feat. Barkaa and Ladi6 (Vivid Sydney) at The Metro Theatre. A decade of First Nations excellence from rapper Briggs' iconic label.
8 June – Chorus Oz: A Sea Symphony at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Sydney Philharmonia Choir's Chorus Oz sing ralph Vaughan Williams' stirring symphony.
8 June – Kamasi Washington (Vivid Sydney) at Carriageworks. The American jazz/rnb icon returns.
8 June – DZ Deathrays at Vic on the Park. Cop an Australian dance-punk thrashing at a beloved inner west pub, for free.
9 June – Parkway Drive at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Unleash the emo when Parkway Drive teams up with Sydney Symphony Orchestra for this blackest of black tie events.
10 June – Blackstar (Vivid Sydney) at Carriageworks. Two legends of hip hop – Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli – bring razor sharp lyricism.
13 June – DIIV (Vivid Sydney) at Carriageworks. Dream pop, shoegaze, post-punk goodness from this Brooklyn four piece.
14 June – Moktar (Vivid Sydney) at Carriageworks. High energy techno infused with Arabic instrumentation from a local hero. You might have caught him at The Weary Traveller circa Sydney Festival 2023?
21 June – Party Dozen at Marrickville Bowling Club. Another Weary Traveller (Sydney Festival 2023) alumnus, the cacophonous duo Party Dozen is a fave at Festival HQ.
23 June – Northern Lights at City Recital Hall. Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene makes his Australian debut with work from Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and more.
27 June – Killing Heidi at Liberty Hall. Came of age in 1990s Australia? Watched a bit of Rage? Don't miss KH's beloved album Reflector performed in full.
27 June – Victor Valdes Mexican Mariarchi Band at Camelot Lounge. An extraordinary harpist and vocalist in his own right, Valdes is joined by the full regalia of the mariarchi band playing Mexican favourites .
28 June – Ruby Fields at Oxford Art Factory. Beloved indie singer-songwriter from south Sydney is set to hit you in the feels.
