Nightlife in Sydney

23 clubs, live music venues and late-night spots in Sydney.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

BuyCity South
Brewery Yard Markets
A small market set on the green adjacent to Central Park shopping centre. This market specialises in street art, crafts, jewelry and clothing with smatterings of food stalls and live music throughout.
10AM-4PM, 1st & 3rd Sun every month
DrinkDarling Harbour
Bungalow 8
Tiki bar meets restaurant meets nightclub. Chill out during the day, party by night.
DrinkEastern suburbs
Coogee Bay Hotel
On a summer's day it is a great place to enjoy a relaxed drink or meal. There's an outdoor beer garden which is popular in summer, and kept warm in winter by outdoor heaters. In the evenings, it can get more lively, with live music, and a younger crowd of backpackers, locals and visitors from around Sydney.
DrinkCity East
El Rocco/Bar Me
Sydney's oldest jazz cellar once played host to the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra. Now it has a small friendly bar upstairs and a downstairs room with regular performances of music, cabaret and comedy. Get some pizza from Bash, the Syrian guy next door.
Daily 5PM-midnight
DrinkDarling Harbour
Home
Purpose-built "international super nightclub". Big and international with a cover charge of at least $10 to match.
DrinkInner West
Imperial Hotel
The Imperial, 5 minutes from the heart of Newtown is a gay and lesbian pub and nightclub which features entertainment late Th-Sa. This pub was featured in the opening scene of 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'.
EatMaroubra
Maroubra Seals Sports & Community Club
Provides reasonably cheap meals, great breakfasts and entertainment and sporting facilities such as a casino and a swimming pool. You must be over 18 years old and provide some form of ID to become a member, as it is a club.
DrinkCity Centre
Metro Theatre
The metro, in the cinema district near Town Hall, is a live music venue for Australian and overseas acts. Usually standing room only, and active mosh pit at the front, with an active vibe.
SeeCity Centre
The Domain
In colonial times this land was the Governor’s buffer of privacy between his residence and the penal colony. Roads and paths were constructed through the Domain by 1831 to allow public access. Since that time it has remained a place for the people to breath and relax. The Domain surrounds the Royal Botanic Gardens. In times past has been a site of often quite colourful public oratory and site of public rallies and demonstrations. Home to the popular Opera in the Domain, Jazz in the Domain, and Symphony in the Domain events in summer, as well as the Tropfest short film festival. If attending any of these events, arrive in the early afternoon to secure a picnic spot as upwards of 100,000 people attend.
There are no entrance fees to the Domain, however at times the Domain is used for events and the event organisers may charge admission fees or impose other access controls to the specific areas annexed for those events
DrinkCity Centre Not mapped
3 Wise Monkeys Pub
The 3 Wise Monkeys is a very popular pub with a younger crowd, only a block south of Town Hall station in the cinema district. It has live music seven nights a week.
EatCity East Not mapped
Aperitif
Hidden away in a leafy corner of Kings Cross. With the kitchen open until 2AM most nights of the week, this is one of the few options in Sydney for a late night meal that doesn't involve standing and looking up while ordering. Spanish menu featuring tapas and other plates best for sharing.
Daily 6PM-3AM
EatCity East Not mapped
Buffalo Dining Club
A cosy Italian restaurant that fills up quickly and for good reason too. The menu is small enough to fit on a chalkboard, though the waitstaff will walk you through it anyway. A meal usually starts off with cheeses such as buffalo and burrata paired off with side dishes, and a selection of cured meats like beef carpaccio. The star is their cacio e pepe, a simple dish of spaghetti, cheese and pepper, mixed together in a giant Parmesan wheel right at your table.
Wed-Sat noon-11PM, closed Sun-Tue
DrinkCity Centre Not mapped
Gilt Lounge Bar
In QT Sydney Hotel, opened 2013. Extensive wine and cocktail list in modern eames-style setting.
From 5PM
EatLower North Shore Not mapped
Maisy's Cafe
Maisy's is a slightly crowded cafe and slightly overpriced for the quality, but the reason is that it is open 24 hours, which is very unusual in Sydney. The menu is standard burger and pasta fare, if it's a late night and you need to fill your stomach, Maisy's is the place to be.
DrinkMaroubra Not mapped
Maroubra Seals Sports & Community Club
The dining area contains a bar and bistro which sell relatively cheap drinks. It also features the Breezes Bar, which has great views of the beach.
DoInner West Not mapped
Marrickville Bowling Club Barefoot Bowls
Have a beer and some fun playing barefoot bowls on a sunny afternoon.
SeeEastern suburbs Not mapped
Rushcutters Bay
Royal Cruising Yacht Club and extensive private mooring facilities are at Rushcutters Bay
Rushcutters Bay has many small parks, the largest and most popular being at the southern end of Rushcutters bay. These parks are busy on weekends with walkers, people exercising their dogs, picnicers and locals playing ball games. Rushcutters Park at the southern end has a cafe located toward the centre near the water. To the north west the bay sweeps toward Elizabeth Bay. Further along the bay on the eastern side New Beach Road passes the Yacht club and marina complexes have restaurants, cafes, shops and boat servicing operations catering to local boaters and visitors. Parking can be difficult at times. Towards Darling Point there is more parkland lining the shoreline. The bay was originally called Blackburn Cove honouring the Master of HM Armed Tender Supply and still has a small Naval depot. The area was popular for cutting the reeds often used as roof thatching in the early days of the colony. The name hence became established as the 'Rushcutting Bay'. The bay was fed by a creek with two arms; one rising in present day Darlinghurst and the other, Glenmore Brook, rising in Woollahra and which passed through lower Paddington. This lower valley of Paddington also carried the name Lacro. If you walk further north and toward the east to Darling Point there is a ferry wharf there to catch a ferry to the City or onwards eastward along the harbour shoreline.
Some of the marina and dock areas have restricted access
DrinkBotany Bay Not mapped
South Sydney Graphic Arts Club
This is a members' club, but not if you live more than 5 km away, so take advantage of this little secret for cheap drinks & eats. Tuesday nights have even cheaper meals.
Mon Tue 10AM-10PM, Wed-Fri 10AM-midnight, Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-10PM
Do Not mapped
Sydney Festival
Festival Of Sydney
An arts festival aiming to be international in reach, inviting acclaimed international artists to exhibit their work or perform in Sydney. A number of free outdoor events are held alongside the festival including the hugely popular Jazz in the Domain, Symphony in the Domain, and Festival First Night. Concerts held in the Domain and Hyde Park in the City Centre. The Bacardi Latin Festival in Darling Harbour is held in early January as part of the Sydney Festival, and contains a week of Latin dancing and music.
DoCity East Not mapped
Sydney Roosters
formerly Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club
Play in the National Rugby League. Games from March to September, with possible "finals series" (local term for playoff) matches extending as late as October.
DrinkInner West Not mapped
Sydney Rowing Club
Sydney's original rowing club, established in 1870, is a historic site with a chic and contemporary venue on a glorious riverside setting, a 20-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay (adjacent to Abbotsford Wharf). With fresh seafood available everyday for lunch and dinner, an expansive beverage list and live music on the riverside deck Thursday, Friday and Sunday, it's the ultimate setting for the archetypal Sydney experience.
DoEastern suburbs Not mapped
Roller-blading
Centennial Park is a venue for all levels from children to club competitors
Centennial Park
BuyCity East Not mapped
Wheels and Doll Babies
Edgy biker and hooker-style alt club and street clothing.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Sydney (CC BY-SA 4.0).