Good morning, Inner Westies. From heritage walks to music festivals, democracy sausages to design markets—rain or shine, this weekend is packed with local adventures for all ages.

Note: Please check to confirm details are accurate with venues, event providers, restaurants and pubs by clicking through to their site. Events are occasionally cancelled at the last minute.

Grab your morning coffee and join us as we explore the Inner West together.

— Jess Thorning

Eat Well, Do Good 🍽️ 🫶

Shaun Christie-David is the founder of Plate It Forward, a social enterprise using hospitality to address food insecurity and unemployment. His restaurants—Colombo Social in Enmore, Kabul Social in Sydney's CBD, Kyiv Social in Chippendale and Kolkata Social in Newtown—employ refugees and asylum seekers, providing them with training and job opportunities. Each meal purchased supports the initiative's mission to donate meals to those in need, both locally and abroad.​

Their latest restaurant, Kolkata Social, opened earlier this year. At the helm is Kolkata-born chef Ahana Dutt, ex Firedoor and Raja.

👉️ Check out Plate It Forward for more info.

To The Moon Kids - Now Open in Erskineville 🌝

A go-to for standout vintage kidswear and pre-loved gems has just opened in Erskineville. It’s the second store from the team behind Summer Hill’s much-loved original—created to make buying and selling quality secondhand pieces easier for busy families. There’s a kids’ play area in-store, and online shopping when you need it. You can also make an appointment to sell clothes your kids no longer need.

📍 Erskineville | 104 Swanson St | Tuesday to Saturday | 10am – 4pm
📍 Summer Hill | 113 Smith St | Open 7 days | 10am – 4pm
👉️ Check out the To the Moon Kids Clothing and Exchange website for more info
📷️ Check our their Instagram here

👶 Parents Group @ Chucks & Son’s Brewing Co.
Skip the park meetups—connect with like-minded parents at a local craft brewery with a great kids' area, pram-friendly space, and exceptional drinks just for you. Plus $10 Lunchtime Cheeseburgers.
📍Chuck & Son’s Brewing Co., St Peters | Fridays | 1pm – 3pm

🫙 Junior Creatives: Upcycled Jars (ages 5 - 8) 
Upcycle a jar into a vase or pencil holder in this creative workshop.
📍Burwood Library and Community Hub / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 1pm – 2pm

♻️ Tinkering with E-Waste (ages 8 to 13) 
Armed with some basic tools (screwdrivers, pliers, and wire cutters) and a little know-how, the children will be encouraged to gently and safely pull things apart to see what's inside in this fun class.
📍Reverse Garbage, Marrickville / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 10am – 12pm

🌸 Mother's Day Paper Flowers Craft @ Broadway 
In this fun, hands-on event, Minis will have the opportunity to craft beautiful paper flowers that make the perfect, heartfelt gift for Mum. $3 per ticket, with all proceeds donated to Glebe Youth Services.
📍Broadway Shopping Centre Glebe / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 10am, 11am & midday

🚌 London Transport Day @ Sydney Bus Museum 
Celebrate all things British at this annual day. There will be three genuine London buses running and a London taxi giving rides. There is an enhanced timetable with extra services running on this day. Hop on board for a fun ride.
📍 Sydney Bus & Tram Museum / Sunday 4 May 2025 / 10am – 4pm

🎭Enchanted Action Kids Drama & Film Classes
Confidence building, audition preparation, games and creativity! Make friends and join the fun at The Summer Hill Little BIG House. Bookings essential. Creative Kids Provider. Free trial available.
📍 Flour Mill Way, Summer Hill / Tuesday Afternoons / 3:30pm – 5:30pm

🧩 Lego Session / Drop in Session 
Enjoy a Lego session / drop in session at the Library. Children should be accompanied by a supervising adult at all times. Runs during school term. No bookings required.
📍 Haberfield Library / Thursday 8 May 2025 / 3pm – 4:30pm ♿️

🧸 Burwood Council Mobile Playvan
A mobile playvan that visits four local parks each week and offers a safe and welcoming space for children and their parents/guardians to connect, play, and make new friends. Free program, with no bookings required. Does not operate during school holidays and wet weather.
📍 Mondays | Woodstock Park, Burwood | 10am – 12pm
📍 Tuesdays | Wangal Park, Burwood | 10am – 12pm
📍 Wednesdays | Henley Park, Burwood | 10am – 12pm
📍 Thursdays | Burwood Park, Burwood | 10am – 12pm

📆 Book Ahead

🧮 Ready for Maths: A STEM Family Workshop (ages 3 to 5) 
Interactive workshop where children (ages 3-5) and their parents/carers can explore early numeracy together through sorting, patterns, shapes, and even a bit of engineering. Please book one ticket for each adult and child attending.
📍 Leichhardt Library / Thursday 9 May 2025 / 10:30am – 11:30am ♿️

All Weekend

🎨 GAS SYD presents Serious /FÜN 
26 independent artists whose works reflect personal journeys and social commentary while celebrating creative expression. Check GAS SYD's website for exhibition details, live paintings, and artist talks.
📍Studio 551, Newtown / Friday 2 May 2025 / 11am – 7pm

🧘 Buddha's Birthday 
Celebrate Buddha's Birthday with 2 days of vibrant culture, delicious eats, eco-fun, and soulful vibes!
📍Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour / Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 May / Saturday 10am – 7pm & Sunday 10am – 4pm

Friday & Saturday

👗 Lou's Closet New and Preloved Women's Clothing Sale 
Huge sale of new, designer, vintage and second hand women's clothing raising funds for Lou's Place Women's service. $10 entry fee on Friday and Sat FREE entry. Lou's Place is a day time drop-in centre for women in crisis in Redfern.
📍 Harold Park Community Hall - Tramsheds, Glebe / Friday 2 May 9am – 6pm & Saturday 3 May / & Saturday 9am – 3pm

Friday

⚖️ Racial Discrimination: Know Your Rights 
Learn how to protect yourself from racial discrimination through a free community legal education session hosted by Marrickville Legal Centre. This session, funded by the Inner West Council, explains key laws, highlights community resources, and provides practical tips for identifying and addressing racial discrimination.
📍 Haberfield Centre and Library / Friday 2 May 2025 / 6pm – 7:30pm ♿️

🚶‍♀️ Heritage Festival: Louisa Lawson Guided 
Louisa Lawson, Australian poet, publisher, feminist and Henry Lawson's mother, was a longtime Marrickville resident. Join Sue Castrique and Michelle Scott Tucker on a Marrickville walk exploring her life and career, including a visit to a hidden mural honouring her legacy.
📍 Louisa Lawson Reserve, Marrickville / Friday 2 May 2025 / 10am – 12pm

Saturday

🌭 Get your democracy sausage @ your local school
Don’t forget to pick up a snag or hit the bake sale at your local school whilst you vote this Saturday. It’s an important fundraising event for all schools. It’s the perfect opportunity to pick up a guilt free tasty treat all for the good of local school kids!

🛍️ Vinyl Record Fair @ Rozelle Collectors Markets 
Rozelle’s first Vinyl Fair for 2025 is back by popular demand. 1000’s of records, plus retro collectibles, memorabilia, CD’s, music posters and more.
📍Rozelle Public School / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 9am – 3pm

🏉 Newtown Jets Vs Parramatta Eels 
As part of their Retro Day celebrations, punters who turn up in a retro jersey, get $5 off their entry. It doesn't matter which team, as long as it's retro, you get a discount.
📍 Henson Park, Marrickville / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 3pm

🛍️ Balmain Markets - Round Two!
Discover handmade treasures, fresh produce, local eats and live music. Plus support local artisans and performers.
📍 St Andrews Congregational Church, Balmain / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 10am – 3pm

🏛️ Heritage Festival: History talk Burwood Local Heritage Librarian will give a talk on the history of the grand mansions of Burwood.
📍Burwood Library and Community Hub / Saturday 3 May 2025 / 1pm – 2pm

Sunday

🏝️ Cockatoo Island Open Day 
Enjoy live music, dance lessons, food stalls, steam crane demonstrations and boat rides while exploring the island's fascinating history. Holiday houses and waterfront tents will be open for inspection with exclusive accommodation discounts available.
📍Cockatoo Island / Sunday 4 May 2025 / 10:30am – 3:30pm

👉️ Flour Mill Markets @ Summer Hill
Fresh artisan baked goods, fresh produce, hot food and artisan products from local makers and creators. 
📍 1 Flour Mill Way, Summer Hill / Sunday 4 May 2025 / 9am – 1pm

🚶‍♀️ Heritage Festival: Callan Park Tour 
Discover Callan Park's Aboriginal history, psychiatric asylum past, and role housing WWI and WWII veterans on this historic walking tour. Tickets cost $25 per person (free for under 12s), with uneven ground unsuitable for wheelchairs and walking frames. Part of the Heritage Festival 2025 - view the full program. 
📍Callan Park Balmain Road Rozelle NSW / Sunday 4 May 2025 / 11am – 1pm

🪖 Heritage Festival: Callan Park's Diggers 
Author Roslyn Burge discusses the men who enlisted from Callan Park and those who returned shell-shocked to recover here. Learn about the significance of the park's two War Memorials. Cost: $10 per person. Part of the Heritage Festival 2025 - view the full program.
📍 Callan Park, Rozelle / Sunday 4 May 2025 / 10am – 10:45am

🍤 Lucky Prawn @ Hawkes Brewing Co Marrickville: Their next Yum Cha seating is on Sunday 4 May! Enjoy delicious Chinese meals by kitchen, tasty beers by and special entertainment by guest host. Make a reservation whilst bookings still available.

🍝 Olio Sydney Chippendale | $59 Set Lunch with UNLIMITED tiramisu - Enjoy entree + main + unlimited tiramisu served tableside! | Every Friday & Saturday lunch | 12pm - 3pm | See venue for terms

☕️ The Grounds Coffee Factory South Eveleigh | $55 Weekend brunch with optional bottomless drinks upgrade. Includes freshly baked pastries, choice of main, and complimentary tea, coffee, or juice. For groups of 4 to 20. | Saturdays & Sundays from 8am | See venue for terms

Kids Eat Free

🍝 Pyrmont Point Hotel | Kids Eat Free Mondays from 5pm | For every main meal purchased one child eats free. Choice from Children’s menu only. Children 10 years and under - see venue for terms

🧒 Club Five Dock RSL | Tuesday nights 5pm-9pm | Kids Eat Free at Dock & Co. (for Members) | Purchase any meal over $25 and receive one free kids meal | T&C’s apply - see venue for terms

🍷 The Merton Hotel Rozelle | Monday to Friday | 3pm – 6pm | All schooners and house wines prices reduced | See venue for terms

🍺 Nakano Darling Harbour | Monday to Friday | 5pm – 6pm | Happy Hour includes $8 Orion beer on tap, $8 Yuzu Soda, $8 Sui Gin & Tonic and $8 Sui Gin Highball | See venue for terms.

🌶️🍉Totti’s Rozelle | Enjoy $18 Altos margarita’s all day until 25 May 2025 | See venue for terms

🍻🎸Moshpit Bar Erskineville | Monday to Friday | 5pm – 7 pm | $5 schooners, $6.50 pints of Young Henrys Natural Lager, all other taps pint at schooner prices, schooner at middy prices, $5 house wines

• Aaron Scythe – Basara: the beauty of excess | Gallery LNL Newtown

• All Roads Lead Home – Paul Pinga Matareke | Ochredfern Alexandria

• A Good Idea Exhibition | Tin Sheds Gallery Darlington

• Basia Zielinska "Sydney Heart Beats" Art Exhibition | Polish Club Ashfield

• Carried' – A Group Show | Tiliqua Tiliqua Enmore

• Consuelo Cavaniglia: seeing through you | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• GAS SYD presents Serious /FÜN | Studio 551 Newtown

• Hannaford Byrne Camera Annual Exhibition | Leichhardt Library

• Instrumental: Collections from Science | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• Kerameikos the Potters' Quarter | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• Lola Valentina Alexander & George Alexander exhibition | The Shop Gallery Glebe

• Micro

  – models of insight and inspiration | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• Never Truly Naked by Guy James Whitworth | Miss Wolf Marrickville

• On Ageing | Chrissie Cotter Gallery Camperdown

• The Pintupi Nine | Kate Owen Gallery Rozelle

• Political Matter | Upspace Gallery + Studios Marrickville

• Student Life: Max Dupain at the University of Sydney | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• The trace is not a presence ... | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• Union Made: Art from the University of Sydney Union | Chau Chak Wing Museum Camperdown

• XSWL: xiào sǐ wǒle | White Rabbit Gallery

Friday

• The Bridge Hotel Rozelle | 1927 | 7pm

• Butchers Brew Bar Dulwich Hill | Jo Davie + Betty | 8pm

• The Chippo Hotel Chippendale | Life Pilot + Cultists, Lotus Born, Ironbark | 7pm

• Crowbar Leichhardt | Ross The Boss + Night Legion | 8pm

• Darling Nikki's St Peters | Lili Alaska + Alibii | 7pm

• Gasoline Pony Marrickville | Siakara Cuban Latin Band | 7pm

• Greenhouse Studios Petersham | Autumn Ingang + Nū, Marcus Whale, Land Systems, Yo Oo Ya | 7pm

• The Lansdowne Chippendale | In The Round + Amber Rose, Euan Hart, Malaika Mfalme, The Happiest Kind of Sad | 6pm

• The Lansdowne Chippendale | File Type + The Engine, Good Ramen, Vertebrae | 7pm

• Lazy Thinking Dulwich Hill | Shakamoto + Spin, Insteria | 6pm

• LazyBones Marrickville | La Descarga + Son Patacoré, Tropicante Sound Sistema | 7pm

• Manning Bar Camperdown | Dice + Dizzy Days, Dear Sunday, The Tullamarines | 7:30pm

• Marrickville Bowling Club | Anoxia + Vexation, Horrisonous, Old Goat Smoke | 7:30pm

• The Merton Hotel Rozelle | Guilty 3 | 8pm

• Miss Celie's Ashfield | The Immaculate Confection | 7pm

• MoshPit Bar Erskineville | User + Fabels, Cub Callaway | 8pm

• Petersham Bowlo | Serial Pest + Crankees, Crown St Militia, Scum Fu, Trauma Cats | 7:30pm

• Pyrmont Bridge Hotel | Django Blackheart | 9pm

• Red Rattler Theatre Marrickville | Green Hand Band + Lemonise, Tio | 7pm

• Sneaky Possum Chippendale | Charles Carnabuci + Our Mutual Friend, Belvedeer, Siphon | 7pm

• Vic on the Park Marrickville | Babylon + bonetwister | 9pm

• Waywards @ The Bank Hotel Newtown | Gypsys of Pangea + Bonnie, Faux Purr | 7:30pm

Saturday

• Bald Rock Hotel Rozelle | The Burglars | 7:30pm

• Balmain Bowling Club | Code Blue Trio | 5pm

• Botany View Hotel Newtown | Mason's Video Club + Heaps Grass | 8pm

• The Bridge Hotel Rozelle | 1927 | 7pm

• Buddy's Bar Newtown | Sir Archer | 7:30pm

• Butchers Brew Bar Dulwich Hill | Ray Beadle | 3pm

• The Chippo Hotel Chippendale | Devoid Altar + Aftermath, Devoid Altar, Deformity, Deathfeeder | 7:30pm

• Church St Studios Camperdown | Uncomfortable Science | 7:30pm

• Gasoline Pony Marrickville | The Right Amount of Wrong | 1pm

• Gasoline Pony Marrickville | Wrack & Ruin | 7pm

• LazyBones Marrickville | King Tide | 7pm

• The Loft UTS | Bloodyarvo + Alibii, Miryko | 7:30pm

• Marrickville Bowling Club | Moot | 6:30pm

• The Merton Hotel Rozelle | The Freeekz | 8pm

• Miss Celie's Ashfield | Miaoxin Huang Trio | 4pm

• Miss Celie's Ashfield | Repeat Offenders | 7:30pm

• MoshPit Bar Erskineville | Looch Lewis & the Press Gangsters + The Silver Dragons, Pete Ross | 3pm

• MoshPit Bar Erskineville | The Duke Of Randwick + Witch Doctor, Retail Therapy | 7:30pm

• Pyrmont Bridge Hotel | Mighty Bullfrog | 5pm

• Pyrmont Bridge Hotel | Simon Kinny-Lewis Band | 9pm

• The Townie Newtown | Stormcellar | 9:30pm

• The Vanguard Newtown | Haztet + Ella Haber, LEVOS | 8pm

• Vic on the Park Marrickville | Kitty of the Valley + Tallulah | 9pm

• Warren View Hotel Enmore | Nikodimos + Tully Ryan | 9pm

Sunday

• Bald Rock Hotel Rozelle | Traditional Irish Session | 3pm

• Balmain Bowling Club | The Throwbacks | 3pm

• Butchers Brew Bar Dulwich Hill | Dorka Foster 4tet | 7pm

• Church St Studios Camperdown | Laneous | 2pm

• The Dock Redfern | The Admired + Decaf, Cupholder DJs | 8pm

• Lazy Thinking Dulwich Hill | Music for Change X Lazy Thinking + Drox, Anomie, Simon Mann, Lovefromsoph, Andrew Wowk | 3pm

• LazyBones Marrickville | La Jugada | 5pm

• LazyBones Marrickville | Kaleidoscopic + I AM CAT, Katriina, Leila | 5pm

• The Merton Hotel Rozelle | Finkt | 6pm

• Miss Celie's Ashfield | Jason Bruer's Hammerhead | 4pm

• Miss Celie's Ashfield | Playing With Monk | 7:30pm

• Petersham Bowlo | The Outback Traitors + The Corduroy Suite | 2pm

• Petersham Bowlo | Garage Noise + Ventura, Jules of the Tides | 5pm

• Pyrmont Bridge Hotel | Midnight Ramblers | 3pm

• Pyrmont Bridge Hotel | Shane Flew Blues Band | 7pm

• Union Hotel Newtown | Meshky + Patina | 3pm

• The Vanguard Newtown | Brainchip + PlaneFace | 7pm

Not Inner West related, but just trust me…

Milennial regret >

Thank You!

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to reply with any feedback.

Reminder: Please check to confirm details are accurate with venues, event providers, restaurants and pubs by clicking through to their site. Events are occasionally cancelled at the last minute and specials can change.

Have a fun weekend!

Jess