Good morning, Inner Westies.

From Vivid Sydney kicking off tonight to a community debate over Callan Park's future, live music across the Inner West and a waterfront wine festival, there’s heaps on this weekend.

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

Have a great weekend,
Jess

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.

Some of you have told us the Friday newsletter is getting a bit long…fair 😅

We're thinking about introducing a shorter Monday email covering local news, food and drink openings, upcoming events and community updates, then keeping Friday focused on your weekend plans.

Trying to make Inner West Guide easier to read, not harder 💙

The NSW Government has released a draft foreshore master plan proposing café, Bay Run upgrades and improved waterfront access, while works begin on a new Balmain FC clubhouse. Both sit alongside a controversial Bill in Parliament that critics say weakens two decades of protections against privatisation. Consultation closes 21 June.

👉 Read More

Built in 1841 by stonemason John Cavill and once home to a local ferryman, Waterman's Cottage is one of Balmain's oldest surviving stone homes. The double-storey sandstone cottage has two street frontages, original timber shingled roof, stone chimney and Red Cedar timbers inside. Two bedrooms, ground-floor living and dining, a basement cellar and a large garage off Weston Street. For sale at $3.5 million.

If you've walked past this place on your way back from Balmain East Wharf and wondered what it looks like inside, here's your chance to find out.

📍 2 bed / 1 bath / 1 car
👉 Listed with Belle Property

Vivid Sydney runs 22 May to 13 June, taking over Circular Quay, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour with light installations, free music and food. Most of it is free, including the full Light Walk. New this year: a daytime program for the first time. Here's what's on our radar this year.

🎇 Laser Lightfall: the biggest free laser show ever staged in Australia, running nightly over Cockle Bay.

🔥 Vivid Fire Kitchen: new home at Barangaroo Reserve, free entry, open every night 6pm–11pm.

🎶 Tumbalong Kids: free family shows every Saturday 5pm–6pm at Tumbalong Park.

🍜 Pasta Making Workshop (ages 12–18)
Teens make fresh pasta from scratch, with materials provided and pasta to take home.
📆 Sat 23 May / 10:30am – 12pm
📍 Balmain Library

🛠️ Lego Star Wars Workshops (ages 6+)  
Kids build a LEGO Speeder Bike step-by-step with instructor guidance.  
📆 Sat 23 May / 10am, 11am & Midday  
📍 Broadway Sydney, Glebe

🎨 Kids D.I.Y
A weekend of creative arts and crafts designed to inspire imagination and hands-on fun.
📆 Sat 23 May – Sun 24 May
📍 Bunnings Ashfield / 11am – 1pm
📍 Bunnings Rozelle / 11am – 12pm & 12pm –1pm (Bee themed 🐝)

📚 Sydney Writers' Festival Family Day
Talks, storytelling, craft and free activities for children. See the free kids activities here.
📆 Sun 24 May / 9am – 4pm
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh

🧩 Maker and Creator Workshop (ages 8–12)
Kids use makerspace kits and electronic gadgets in a free hands-on workshop.
📆 Mon 25 May / 3:30pm – 4:30pm
📍 Darling Square Library, Haymarket

🧶 Kids Crochet Fun!
Kids learn basic crochet stitches and make a small yarn project.
📆 Tue 26 May / 3pm – 4:30pm
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub

🤖 After School: Introduction to Cue Robotics (ages 8–12)
Kids build, code and test Cue robots before tackling hands-on challenges.
📆 Wed 27 May / 3:45pm – 4:45pm
📍 Ashfield Library

🧩 Kids STEAM Club (ages 9–12)
Kids explore science, technology, engineering, art and maths through hands-on monthly activities.
📆 Thu 28 May / 3:30pm – 4:45pm
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub

🎨 Creative Space Workshop (ages 13–18)
Teens design and make a sensory toy using craft materials and simple making techniques.
📆 Thu 28 May / 3pm – 5:30pm
📍 Cliff Noble Community Centre, Alexandria

Free kids meals at 35+ Inner West spots, filterable by day and suburb.
Kids Eat Free Guide →

🌟  Vivid Sydney at Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour becomes a Vivid Sydney hub with free light installations, Australia’s biggest free outdoor laser show, drone shows, Tumbalong Nights music and Saturday kids shows.
📆 Fri 22 May – Sat 13 Jun
📍 Darling Harbour & CBD

📚 Sydney Writer's Festival
Explore fantastical worlds, big ideas and powerful storytelling at venues across Sydney during this citywide literary festival.
📆 17 May – 24 May
📍 Carriageworks, Sydney Town Hall and venues across Sydney

🖼 25th Biennale of Sydney
Major contemporary art exhibition featuring immersive installations, performances, markets, tours and special events celebrating memory, culture and storytelling.
📆 Sat 14 Mar to Sun 14 Jun / 10am – 5pm
📍 White Bay Power Station, Rozelle

🎨 Advanced Anatomy for Artists with Onnie O'Leary
Life drawing workshop focused on hands, feet, arms and seated poses.
📆 Fri 22 May / 6:30pm – 8:30pm
📍 Tiliqua Tiliqua, Enmore

🏉 2026 NRL Round 12: Bulldogs vs Storm
Canterbury-Bankstown host Melbourne in Friday night NRL.
📆 Fri 22 May / 8pm
📍 Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park

🏈 Sydney Uni v Gordon
Sydney Uni host Gordon in club rugby.
📆 Sat 23 May / 8am
📍 Sydney University, Camperdown

♻ Recycle It Saturday: a free recycling drop-off event
Drop-off recycling event for City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra residents.
📆 Sat 23 May / 9am – 3pm
📍 Alexandra Canal Depot, Alexandria

🚲 Guided ride – Erskineville, Tempe via the Sydney Gateway
Guided bike ride through Erskineville, Tempe, Alexandra Canal and the Sydney Gateway shared path.
📆 Sat 23 May / 10am – 12pm
📍 Erskineville

⛏ Discover Archaeology – Drop-in session for National Archaeology Week 2026
Drop-in session with archaeologists, heritage specialists and artefacts from Inner West excavations.
📆 Sat 23 May / 10am – 1pm
📍 Ashfield Library

🎨 Painting Figures – Representation and Identity
Draw, paint or colour figures using texture, detail and personal symbolism.
📆 Sat 23 May / 12pm – 3:30pm
📍 Ultimo Community Centre

🎨 Creative Interpretation Mastery
Playful creative challenges for adults, exploring different ways to interpret prompts and ideas.
📆 Sat 23 May / 12pm – 2pm
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub

🎨 Travel Journal Workshop: Japan Escape Edition
Japan-themed journalling workshop using paper pockets, stamps and memory-keeping prompts.
📆 Sat 23 May / 1pm – 3pm
📍 Caption by Hyatt, Haymarket

🎶 Music Industry Careers Workshop
Music career workshop covering industry pathways and practical ways to build a sustainable career.
📆 Sat 23 May / 1pm – 3pm
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub

🏐 Super Netball: Giants v Thunderbirds
GIANTS Netball take on the Adelaide Thunderbirds in a Super Netball home match.
📆 Sat 23 May / 5pm
📍 Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park

🍎 Marrickville Organic Food Market
Weekly market with organic produce, local food, handmade goods and community stalls.
📆 Sun 24 May / 9am – 4pm
📍 The Addison Road Community Centre, Marrickville

🧶 Japanese Fabric Ball – 'Kimekomi Mari' Accessory Workshop
Decorate paper clay balls with Japanese fabrics to make a necklace or keychain.
📆 Sat 24 May / 11am – 1pm
📍 Reverse Garbage, Marrickville

🌳 Bonsai & Brews
Beginner bonsai workshop with potting, shaping and wiring, plus a plant to take home.
📆 Sun 24 May / 12pm – 2pm
📍 Pickled Monkey Brewing, Marrickville

🏉 Glebe Dirty Reds vs Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield matches, with the first game from midday.
📆 Sun 24 May / 12pm – 4pm
📍 Wentworth Park, Glebe

🏈 AFL: GWS Giants v Brisbane Lions
GWS meet Brisbane in an AFL match at Sydney Showground.
📆 Sun 24 May / 12:30pm
📍 ENGIE Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park

🏺Ceramics: Beginner Wheel Throwing (ages 16+)
Six-week beginner wheel throwing course covering centring, throwing, turning and finishing vessels.
📆 Sun 24 May / 1:30pm – 4pm
📍 Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, Chippendale

💎 Jewellery Shorts: Textured Pendant or Earrings
Beginner jewellery workshop creating textured earrings or a pendant using stamping, hammering and roller-printing.
📆 Sun 24 May / 1:30pm – 4pm
📍 Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, Chippendale

🎬 The Winner Takes It All, Maxi Shield tribute
Welcome drinks at Websters are followed by a private screening and film introduction.
📆 Sun 24 May / 4pm – 6:30pm
📍 Dendy Cinemas, Newtown

📚 Closing Address: A Braver Australia (Sydney Writer’s Festival)
Writers and thinkers discuss courage, inequality, climate and creating a braver Australia.
📆 Sun 24 May / 5:45pm – 7pm
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh

🎨 Cut X Paste – Enmore
Beginners make collage art using supplied materials; bring scissors for cutting.
📆 Tue 26 May / 6:30pm – 8:30pm
📍 The Golden Barley Hotel, Enmore

🏉 State of Origin Game I: NSW Blues v Queensland Maroons
NSW and Queensland open the 2026 State of Origin series.
📆 Wed 27 May / 7:30pm
📍 Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park

🗺️ Glebe Aboriginal Cultural Walk – Reconciliation Week
Walk through Glebe with Uncle Jimmy Smith to Black Wattle Bay for a cultural knowledge exchange.
📆 Fri 29 May / 10am – 12pm
📍 St Helen's Community Centre, Glebe ♿️

🎨 Map Art with Jean Kropper
Explore creative map making techniques in a hands-on art workshop.
📆 Sat 30 May / 12pm – 3:30pm
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub

🗺️ Chippendale Walk
Guided architecture walk through Chippendale, including Mortuary Station, Spice Alley, White Rabbit Gallery and Indigo Slam.
📆 Sat 30 May / 10am – 11:30am
📍 Chippendale Green

🎨 Gestural Art Tours
Deaf artists lead a non-verbal tour using gesture and movement to respond to Biennale artworks.
📆 Sat 30 May / 12:15pm – 1:15pm
📍 White Bay Power Station, Rozelle ♿️

🍽️ Neighbourhood Nights Balmain Rozelle
Neighbourhood Nights is a month-long dining campaign across Balmain and Rozelle, bringing small groups together at local venues. Each experience is designed to connect people who live nearby over a shared meal.
📆 Fri 1 May – Sun 31 May
📍 Various venues, Balmain and Rozelle
👉 Book Here

🎶  Deadwax x Touch Wood at Sydney Fish Market
Deadwax takes over the Touch Wood terrace for four nights during Vivid, with vinyl, cocktails, seafood and harbour-side dinners. JUSTPAUL plays 5pm – 7pm each night, followed by DJs from 7pm – 10pm.
📆 Fri 22 to Sat 23 May 2026 / 5pm – 10pm
📍 Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont

🏉 State of Origin at BrewDog  
BrewDog South Eveleigh is showing all three State of Origin matches live, with $8 schooners of Lost Lager available from siren to siren. Game 1 kicks off this Wednesday, with pre-game from 7pm. See venue for terms and conditions.
📆 Wed 27 May / 7pm pre-game, 8:05pm kick-off  
📍 South Eveleigh

🎵  Lazy Thinking Launches Artist Residency
Lazy Thinking has announced a new residency program for artists, offering a two-to-three-week stay with accommodation, studio access, a stipend and a public performance outcome. Applications are open to artists working across music, performance, visual arts, film, writing and other creative practices.
👉 Find out more

🍺 White Cockatoo Hotel Changes Hands
Petersham’s White Cockatoo Hotel has sold in an off-market deal for $17 million. The pub has been operated by Ray Reilly and family since 2017, with the sale including the freehold and business operations. Eight gaming machine entitlements will be sold separately.
👉 Read more

Our deadline is the close of business on Wednesday for each Friday edition.

Antony Green has been named the 2026 Inner West Citizen of the Year, recognising his decades-long contribution to civic education, election analysis and democratic participation. Green has covered more than 100 elections, helped create tools including the predictive pendulum, Vote Compass and Senate calculators, and has taught Inner West students at the University of Sydney since 2015.

David Haynes was also named Senior Citizen of the Year for his work with The Polly’s Club, while Elise Martin was named Young Citizen of the Year for her volunteering with Futureproof and Generate Music Fests.

👉 Find out more

Last chance to provide feedback on Inner West Councils draft 2026/27 budget, fees and charges, and long-term financial plan.

Community feedback is open until Sunday, 24 May, with all submissions to be considered before Council votes on the final documents at its 16 June meeting.

👉 Read the Draft Plans and Have Your Say

Inner West Council is inviting feedback on its draft Parking Strategy and updated Parking Policy, focused on better managing existing parking rather than increasing supply. Consultation is open until Monday 25 May 2026.

👉 Have Your Say

The City of Sydney’s 2026/27 budget is now open for public feedback, outlining more than $1 billion in spending over the next 12 months.

The budget includes $671 million for services and operations, more than $265 million for capital works, and funding for parks, cycleways, public spaces, grants, events and major projects including Town Hall Square, Sydney Square and Wentworth Park. Feedback closes 15 June.

👉 Have Your Say

The City of Sydney is calling for changes to proposed NSW Government share bike reforms, saying councils need clearer powers and funding to manage parking, complaints and enforcement.

Share bike trips in the local area have doubled to nearly 4 million in the past year. The City wants limits on operators and fleet numbers, stronger obligations for operators, and more direct funding for safe bike parking.

👉 Read More

Feedback on City of Canada Bay’s Draft Delivery Program and Operational Plan closes on Sunday 24 May 2026. It outlines proposed projects, services and budget priorities for 2026–2027.

The budget includes about $43 million in capital works, park and public space upgrades, $15 million for roads, footpaths and active transport, plus community, cultural and sustainability programs.

👉 Have Your Say

🎭 Tootsie at Teatro at the Italian Forum
The Broadway musical comedy Tootsie opens its Australian Premiere season in Leichhardt this week. The fast-paced show follows an actor who reinvents himself, with big laughs, music and a strictly limited run.
📆 From Tue 26 May / 7pm
📍 Teatro at the Italian Forum, Leichhardt
👉 Find out more