Good morning, Inner Westies. From school holiday adventures and Oktoberfest celebrations to Moon Festivals and sake tastings, we're signing off for the school holidays but not before giving you everything you need for the weeks ahead. We'll be back in your inboxes on Friday 17 October.

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

Ready to make the most of the Spring school holiday break? We've got you covered.

We've curated a huge mix of Spring holiday activities, from outdoor adventures to creative workshops, with options for last-minute bookings and drop-in events.

From playground fun to family adventures, there's something for everyone. Click through to discover what's happening!

This grand 1880s residence hides a full modern transformation inside, with Italian herringbone tiles, a designer kitchen and butler’s pantry, theatre room and multiple alfresco spaces. The cabana opens to a Spanish mosaic pool, while the 180sqm climate-controlled cellar is built for 6,000+ bottles. All on a 1365sqm estate in Burwood Heights, it’s heritage at the front, party at the back and underground.

📍 3 Kelso Street, Burwood Heights / 5 bed / 6 bath / 4 car
👉 Listed with DibChidiac&Co

The NSW Government has released Callan Park's first-ever 10-year master plan, and they want to hear from you. The draft vision includes removing derelict buildings for more open space, creating a one-way road system, and exploring new cafes and community activities. But it comes after months of community opposition to some proposed changes. Public consultation runs until 29 October 2025.

👉 Read more here

🚀 The Smeds and The Smoos (ages 3+)
An intergalactic stage adventure filled with music, laughs and heart, based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s award-winning picture book.
📍 Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre, Chippendale / Saturday 27 September to Monday 29 September 2025

🌳 Mr Mack’s Chats (ages 3 to 12)
Adventures, games, stories & sports for kids. This is highly loved by local kids! No cost to join, donations welcome.
📍 Federal Park Glebe - sportsfield next to the skate park / Monday to Friday both weeks of the holidays | 10am

🎨 Broadway Sydney School Holiday Workshops
From Gundam model building and Hot Wheels races to donut decorating, movies, LEGO and craft, Broadway is packed with kids’ workshops these school holidays. Most sessions are just $3, with free Gunpla model building daily. See more in the School Holiday Guide.
📍 Broadway Sydney, Glebe / Tuesday 23 September to Saturday 11 October 2025 / Various dates & times

🌿 Garden-Themed Kids D.I.Y. Workshop @ Bunnings Rozelle (ages 3–12)
Kids enjoy hands-on garden fun in this themed DIY workshop.
📍 Bunnings Rozelle / Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025 / Sessions at 11am – 12pm & 12pm – 1pm 🆓

🤢 Grossed Out Game Show @ Darling Quarter Theatre (G)
A high-energy, interactive kids’ gameshow packed with challenges, laughs and litres of slime (audience doesn’t get slimed).
📍Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney / Tuesday 30 September to Sunday 5 October 2025 / Daily 1pm – 2pm

💡 Little Entrepreneurs @ Marrickville Metro (ages 5+)
No cost, hands-on workshops where kids can try out entrepreneurial skills through activities like lemonade stands, jewellery making, bake sales, gardening, tote decorating and more.
📍Marrickville Metro / Tuesday 30 September to Friday 10 October 2025 / Daily sessions 10am – 1:20pm

🍴 Tramsheds Kids Holiday Workshops (ages 4+)
Hands-on Italian cooking fun where kids can make pasta, decorate cannoli, layer tiramisu and make arancini. Each workshop costs just $5 with proceeds supporting Glebe Youth Services. See details in the School Holiday Guide.
📍 Tramsheds, Forest Lodge / 29 & 30 September + 6 and 7 October 2025

🌿 The Grounds of Alexandria School Holiday Fun
Kids can enjoy a giant inflatable playground, soft play zone, honey workshop with a take-home jar and floral crown making with fresh flowers. Sessions run across the school holidays, priced from $8 to $30.
📍 The Grounds of Alexandria / Monday 29 September to Thursday 9 October 2025

🌱 Gardener’s Apprentice @ Carriageworks (ages 5+)
An intergenerational experience where children and their grandparents or elders share stories, movement and play in a magical garden.
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh / Wednesday 1 to Saturday 4 October 2025 / Daily 10am – 11am & 1pm – 2pm

🚀 Imagination Station @ Pier St Underpass (ages 4–15)
Four days of free creative fun with craft stations, Russ the Story Bus, and an epic space-themed art cube.
📍Pier St Underpass, Darling Harbour / Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 October 2025 / 10:30am – 2:30pm ♿️

🕺 Kids Hip Hop Dance Class @ Tropical Soul Dance Studio (ages 4–8)
A complimentary class where kids can learn K-Pop moves from Demon Hunters – Your Idol Edition. See studio for terms and conditions.
📍Tropical Soul Dance Studio / Monday 6 October 2025 / 4pm

🌊 AKAC Family Splash Day
Enjoy complimentary pool entry and a full day of family activities, including meet-and-greets, live music, obstacle courses and more.
📍 Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre, Marrickville / Saturday 4 October 2025 / 9am – 4pm ♿️

🏊‍♀️ Family Splash Day @ Ashfield Aquatic Centre
Celebrate the centre’s 5th birthday with complimentary pool entry, inflatable obstacle courses, dance and aqua aerobics classes, kids Muay Thai, glitter art, scavenger hunts and more family fun alongside Terry the Turtle.
📍 Ashfield Aquatic Centre, Ashfield / Sunday 12 October 2025 / 9am – 4pm ♿️

🤖 Gunpla Builders World Cup 13th Tournament Australia @ Broadway Sydney
Australia’s top Gundam model builders compete for a place in the World Final in Tokyo, with live judging and exclusive Gundam experiences as part of The Gundam Base Pop Up World Tour.
📍 Broadway Sydney, Glebe / Sunday 12 October 2025 / 3pm – 4pm

🌿 Australian Native Food Festival @ Carriageworks
Celebrate First Nations culture, knowledge and flavours with chef demonstrations, weaving workshops and over 20 market stalls showcasing sovereignty and sustainability through food.
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh / Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025 / Saturday 9am – 5pm & Sunday 10am – 4pm

🍶 Australian Sake Festival @ Carriageworks (18+)
Taste over 400 varieties of sake alongside Japanese food, performances, workshops and more, with brewers travelling from Japan to share their craft.
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh / Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025 / 2 sessions each day

💎 Tramsheds Gem & Crystal Expo
Browse gemstones, jewellery, minerals, fossils and more at this boutique expo, with tickets valid for all three days. Adults $10, kids at no cost.
📍 Harold Park Community Centre, Tramsheds / Friday 26 September to Sunday 28 September 2025

🏮 Darling Square Moon Festival
Celebrate Moon Festival with glowing lantern displays, LED lion dancing, workshops, scavenger hunts and family activities, plus festive menus and mooncakes from over 50 restaurants.
📍Darling Square, Haymarket / Saturday 27 September to Sunday 12 October 2025

🥳 Sydney Fringe Festival
Continues, running until 28 September 2025. Check out what’s on in the Inner West Precinct, as well as what’s on this weekend in the Theatre & Comedy section later in this email.

🎶 Sing Summit 5 Sydney
A weekend singing retreat led by Naomi Cooper & Jack Fitzgerald Sice of Sydney Alterna Choir. Gather in joyful a cappella harmony, enjoy catered lunch on Saturday, and a pub social at Carlisle Castle Hotel. Open to all, no prior singing experience needed.
📍 Inner West Pride Centre, Newtown / Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025

🌏 Yellamundie Festival @ Carriageworks
A three-day celebration of new First Peoples talent across theatre, movement and sound, featuring ground-breaking performances, yaans and talks.
📍 Carriageworks, Eveleigh / Thursday 25 September to Saturday 27 September 2025 / 7:30pm

👵 Granny Bingo @ Darling Quarter Theatre
Australia’s sassiest nans serve up foul-mouthed comedy and chaotic bingo in this Sydney Fringe hit.
📍 Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney / Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 September 2025 / 7pm

🎵 Fridays @ Ford Lane – Launch Night
Kick off Burwood’s new spring laneway music series with Asian Pop Beats, live DJs, performances and a bold laneway transformation.
📍 Ford Lane, Burwood / Friday 26 September 2025 / 6pm – 9pmt

🌙 Sydney City Night Market
A lively weekly market with street food, fashion, handmade treasures, produce, wine bars and live music.
📍 Belmore Park, Haymarket / Every Friday / 4pm – 9pm

🥐 Cosy Pilates & Pastries Pop-Up + Book Swap
Unwind with a 45-minute Pilates flow, then enjoy cosy drinks, home-baked pastries, and a friendly book swap. Bring a book you’ve loved, and leave with a new one. BYO mat.
📍 ONA Coffee Sydney, Marrickville / Saturday 27 September 2025 / 5:30pm – 7:00pm

🚲 Guided Ride: Inner West to New Oxford Street Cycleway
A 13km guided ride showcasing Sydney’s separated cycleways and shared paths at a relaxed, beginner-friendly pace.
📍 Pride Square, Newtown / Sunday 28 September 2025 / 12pm – 2pm

🎮 Burwood Game Club V
Play, connect, and discover new games at Burwood Game Club V! Try a curated selection of board and video games with local guest creators, or bring your own to share. Meet indie developers showcasing Dwarves, Caribbean Chaos, Odd Jobs and more.
📍 Burwood Library and Community Hub / Saturday 27 September 2025 / 12pm – 4pm

🚂 Burwood Station Walk
Celebrate 170 years of the Sydney Railway with a guided heritage walk led by the Burwood Historical Society. Includes light refreshments at Burwood Library. No cost, bookings required.
📍 Burwood Rd & Deane St rest area / Saturday 27 Sep 2025 / 10am – 11am

🏉 AFL Grand Final – Ashfield Bowling Club
Catch all the live action of the 2025 AFL Grand Final on the big screens with bar, bistro, and unbeatable atmosphere.
📍 Ashfield Bowling Club / Saturday 27 September 2025 / 2pm – 5:30pm

🌈 LOVE Social Celebration
Presented by ACON’s ageing initiative, the LOVE Project. Celebrate and connect with LGBTQ+ trailblazers over a three-course lunch and live entertainment, hosted by Verushka Darling with Nancye Hayes & Ryan Gonzalez.
📍 The Imperial Hotel, Erskineville / Saturday 27 September 2025 / 12:30pm – 4pm

✏️ Graphite Portraiture for Beginners
A four-session course introducing graphite techniques, shading, and proportion for those new to portrait drawing or returning to sketching.
📍 Sydney Community College, Rozelle / Saturday 27 September to Saturday 18 October 2025 / Saturdays 1:30pm – 4pm

🚁 Drone Show @ Darling Harbour
A dazzling 10-minute light spectacle transforming Darling Harbour’s night sky every Saturday in September. This is a trial that is temporarily replacing fireworks throughout September.
📍 Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour / Saturday 6 September to Saturday 27 September 2025 / 8:30pm

🎨 Art in the Park with the Glebe Art Society
Paint, draw, or sketch en plein air on the Glebe foreshore, or stroll by to watch artists at work. Register on the day, at no cost, under the fig trees at the end of Glebe Point Road.
📍Glebe Foreshore / Sunday 28 September 2025 / 10am – 4pm

🌱 Grow Our Green Spaces: Plant Giveaway
Collect three native plants to green your backyard, balcony or courtyard as part of the new community program launch. Canada Bay residents only. Plants available until stocks run out.
📍Peter Woods Place, Concord / Sunday 28 September 2025 / 9:30am – 11:30am

🎶 Julie Andrews 90th Birthday Celebration Singalong
Family-friendly public piano singalong of songs from The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady and more — costumes welcome!
📍 Pier St Underpass, Darling Harbour / Sunday 28 September 2025 / 12:30pm – 2:30pm

🎷 Jazz:NOW – SUMMIT
Celebrate the finale of SIMA’s 2025 Jazz:NOW series with three powerful improvising ensembles, Clocks and Clouds, Showa 44, and Hinano Fujisaki’s Home Is, at this mini festival of adventurous sound and community.
📍 Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville / Sun 28 Sep 2025 / 2pm – 6pm

🎭 The Addams Family Musical
The kookiest family comes to life in a hilarious musical comedy packed with iconic characters, dark humour and a dazzling original score.
📍 Teatro at the Italian Forum, Leichhardt / Friday 3 October to Sunday 26 October 2025 / Matinée & evening performances ♿️

🧵 The Sewing Basket Big Basket Sale 2025
Shop over 15 stalls of donated fabrics, yarns, patterns, haberdashery and more.
📍Marrickville Town Hall / Friday 3 October & Saturday 4 October 2025

🚂 Transport Heritage Expo 2025
Celebrate 170 years of NSW railways with heritage train, bus and boat rides, the Great Train Race, displays, tours and more family-friendly experiences.
📍 Central Station, Sydney / Saturday 4 October to Monday 6 October 2025 / Various sessions

🌈 Dyeing to Be Me – Creative Self Advocacy Workshop (ages 16–25)
A tie-dye workshop for Autistic, Neurodivergent & LGBTQIA+ young people. Explore self-advocacy, pride, and body-positive fashion in a safe, inclusive, sensory-aware space with designer Gary Bigeni & Affirming Access.
📍Ultimo Community Centre / Saturday 4 October 2025 / 11am – 4pm

👻 Zine Spooktacular 2025
A Halloween-inspired zine fair with local creatives, workshops, art, candy and spooky vibes.
📍 Mothership Studios, Marrickville / Saturday 4 October 2025 / 10am – 3pm

🌕 Moon Festival 2025
Celebrate under the brightest moon of the year with live music, lion dancers, food stalls, cultural performances and kids’ activities.
📍The Crescent, Homebush West / Saturday 4 October 2025 / 1pm – 6pm

🎥 Family History Film Workshop
Learn to record interviews, capture memories and create a simple family history film using just your phone.
📍 Balmain Library, Balmain Town Hall / Tuesday 7 October 2025 / 1pm – 3pm ♿️

🖼 Glebe Art Show
See and buy art created by established and emerging local artists. Supporting both emerging and established artists from the City of Sydney and Inner West, with all works for sale and prizes awarded across categories.
📍 Tramsheds, Forest Lodge / Wednesday 8 October to Wednesday 15 October 2025

🏺 Wentworth Park Antique & Collectables Fair
Australia's largest Antique and Collectables fair, The Collectors Mark features 130+ traders bi-monthly in an air-conditioned venue with items from antiquity to 1980s, including antiques, vintage pieces, fine china, and jewellery.
📍Wentworth Park Greyhounds Function Centre, Glebe / Sunday 12 October 2025 / 9am –2pm

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

🥂 Continental Deli Turns “TIN”
Continental Deli celebrates 10 years this weekend with $10 Mar-Tinnys and $10 mortadella plates. There’ll be prizes, good times and plenty of reasons to raise a tin. Dine-in only – see venue for terms & conditions.
📍 Continental Deli, Newtown / Saturday 27 September to Sunday 28 September 2025

🍻 Sauce’s 8th Birthday
Sauce Brewing is turning 8 and throwing a big Friday party to celebrate. Expect a special birthday beer release, live music with Andro Martinez and Jeremy Gregory, and Dirty Bird Fried Chicken serving up burgers in the beer garden.
📍 Sauce Brewing, Marrickville / Friday 26 September 2025

🍺 Oktoberfest @ Chuck & Sons Brewing
Chuck & Sons are celebrating Oktoberfest on the terrace with German beers (grab a 500ml stein for schooner pricing!), food specials from Tony Eats, and plenty more. Don’t miss live music on Saturday from the Brass Baddies. Prost! (And yes — they know it’s September 😉).
📍 Chuck & Sons Brewing, Alexandria / Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025

🇩🇪 Oktoberfest @ Young Henrys
Young Henrys is throwing a three-day Oktoberfest from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September. Enjoy 8+ exclusive beers brewed fresh for the fest, a hearty German menu from Uncle AYJAYS, plus tunes, games and more. Grab a stein, round up your crew, and prost to the season!
📍 Young Henrys, Newtown / Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 September 2025

🍻 Oktoberfest @ Kicks Brewing
Oktoberfest is back at Kicks Brewing with the return of their much-loved festbier, pouring alongside traditional European lagers. It’s two weekends of beer and bites: Jeery’s Rotis on weekend one, then Smoky Sue’s on weekend two. Book ahead.
📍 Kicks Brewing, Brookvale / Friday 26 to Saturday 28 September 2025 & Friday 3 to Sunday 5 October 2025

🍺 Oktoberfest @ Petersham Bowling Club
Bavarian-inspired day with BentSpoke beers, pretzel-eating, games and best-dressed prizes.
📍 Petersham Bowling Club / Saturday 11 October 2025 / 11am – 7pm

🍻 Batch Brewing Co Marrickville | Monday to Friday | 4pm – 6pm | Discount off core range beers and house wine – see venue for terms and conditions.

🍺 Philter Brewing Marrickville | Wednesday to Friday | 3pm – 6pm | $6 core range schooners – see venue for terms and conditions.

🍻 Young Henrys Newtown | Monday to Friday | 3pm – 5pm | $9 pints – see venue for terms and conditions.

Thanks for reading. Please reply with any feedback.

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

Have a fun weekend!

Jess