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When To Go

Don’t forget that the Southern Hemisphere summer is our winter, and it happens to be Sydney’s peak tourist season, lasting from December through February. It’s the time of many festivities, with a rich annual program of outdoor festivals and beach events including the three-week Sydney Festival (in early January with a series of mostly free events such as classical concerts and outdoor film screenings; the month-long Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, between early February and early March, celebrating all things gay with concerts, films, exhibits and a huge parade along Oxford Street at the end of it all; and the patriotic Australia Day, on January 26, that commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, with tall ship races, regattas and concerts by Aboriginal artists. If you’re there in summer, catching an international game of cricket at the Sydney Cricket Ground is an absolute must, and very quintessentially Sydney experience.

With its temperate subtropical climate, Sydney has pleasant weather year-round, save sticky summer days and an occasional thunderstorm during the rest of the year. To avoid summer crowds and get the best bang for your buck, we recommend visiting in spring (September to November) or fall (March to May). During this time, the best events include Bondi’s kite-flying Festival of the Winds in September; the ten-day Manly International Jazz Festival in October; Sculpture by the Sea in November; the agricultural Sydney Royal Easter Show, when country comes to city for two weeks in late March/early April; the high-profile Sydney Writers’ Festival in late May.

You’ll get the biggest savings if you go in winter months (June–August); just bring a jacket for chilly mornings and nights, and don’t expect much swimming as the sea temperature goes down considerably after mid-May. One plus, though, on even years, the international art extravaganza known as the Biennale of Sydney also comes to town, from early June to August.

When To Go

High season:
December–February

Low season:
June–August

Best bang for your buck: September–November & March–May