The presents are out of the box and we’re onto the leftover ham sandwiches. Now, you just have a month to fill before school starts back. The great news is that January is probably the most bustling time of the year in Sydney. I’ve unwrapped a sack full of shiny new family arts events taking place in Sydney between now and school going back into session.
See a Show
We are so spoiled for choice on our stages this month. Options include:
Storytime Ballet: Coppélia – If you missed the Australian Ballet’s kid-sized 55 minute show during its Christmas season run at the Opera House, you have another chance 2 – 5 January at the Concourse in Chatswood.
The 91-Storey Treehouse at the Sydney Opera House – Andy and Terry’s treehouse just keeps growing and the kids love every silly antic. Recommended for ages 6+. Runs January 3 – 20.
Read our review of the 91-Storey Treehouse.
The Wind in the Willows at the Royal Botanic Garden – Ratty, Mole, Badger, Otter, Portly, and Mr Toad return for their 16th year of outdoor drama at the RBG. Bring a picnic! 4 – 27 January.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Capitol Theatre – The Australian premiere of this family-friendly musical spectacular, based on the beloved Roald Dahl book begins its run 5 January.
A Ghost in My Suitcase at the Sydney Opera House – As part of the Sydney Festival, Gabrielle Wang’s novel about a 12 year old girl who travels to Shanghai to scatter her mother’s ashes has been adapted for the stage. Suitable for ages 8+. 9 – 19 January.
Ickypedia at Monkey Baa Theatre – The Listies are tackling important questions like ” How do you take a smellfie? What exactly are udderpants?* And what happens if you never-ever clean your room?”. Ages 4+. 10 – 23 January.
Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus at the Sydney Opera House – It’s Mozart with a circus twist! High flying and musical fun for ages 4+. 15 – 25 January.
The Gruffalo’s Child – A musical adaptation of the sweet sequel to The Gruffalo. The Gruffalo’s child goes out into the deep, dark wood to see for herself if the “Big Bad Mouse” is really real. 16 – 17 January at the Seymour Centre and 19 – 21 January at The Concourse (Chatswood).
Behind the Scenes
Junior Adventure Tours at the Sydney Opera House – It’s our most iconic building, and Sydney kids love to have the inside scoop on the goings on of the Opera House. Junior Adventure tours are fast-paced and full of fun information and participation. It’s great fun for school aged kids. We loved this one. Various dates through the school holidays. $22 per child.
Artsty Kids
Art Gallery of NSW – The AGNSW is hosting 3 weeks of free drop-in and make craft sessions based on the Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage Exhibit. Each session is available 11a.m. – 3:30p.m. in the entrance court. (Entrance to the museum is free. Masters of Modern Art exhibit is $28 for adults. Children under 12 are free. It is not necessary to attend the exhibit to participate in the activity).
Week one: 7-11 January Colourful trees and parks
Week two: 14-18 January The expressive shapes and rhythms of ports and rivers
Week three: 21-25 January The pattern of abstraction
Museum of Contemporary Art – The focus will be on women artists in the Contemporary Kids program. Explore artworks, then ” share your own story as you and your family participate in a series of fun collaborative art-making experiences.” Contemporary Kids runs 15 – 19 January, and is suitable for kids 4 – 12. $20 family tickets can be used for the week.
Until by Nick Cave at Carriageworks: American artist Nick Cave returns to the Sydney Festival with the huge scale, thought-provoking installation. “A wonderland of shimmering crystals, thousands of wind spinners and ceramic birds, millions of plastic beads, 17 black-face ‘lawn jockeys’, 13 gilded pigs and a crocodile.” Free. Through 23 March.
Bookish
The State Library of NSW – The State Library is monster mad over the school holidays. Drop in weekdays 14 – 25 January from 10a.m. to 3p.m. for monster craft and stories ($5 per child). They will also be running free kid’s tours from 11a.m. – 12p.m. during those weeks. On 18 January, there will be a manga drawing workshop with artist Matthew Lin (paid activity, bookings required). And, on 23 January kids 8 – 12 can participate in a sock monster making workshop (paid activity, bookings required).
Many local libraries also run activities during school holidays, so make sure to check our yours!
Festival Vibes
Sydney Festival – Hooray, the Sydney Festival is back in town! In addition to events listed above, some of the family friendly artsty highlights include:
Apollo 11 at Barangaroo: Sydney Festival has commissioned artworks and participatory experiences, free for the public to explore around Barangaroo, as part of a city-wide commemoration of Apollo 11, the 1969 space flight that first landed people on the moon. Free. 9 – 27 January.
ALWAYS at Barangaroo: Barangaroo headland hosts a large scale outdoor sculpture by local Bangarra artist in residence Jacob Nash, featuring the declaration ‘ALWAYS’: always was, always will be. Free. 9 – 27 January.
The Nutcracker and I at City Recital Hall: Renowned Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu’s reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Christmas tale merges piano, ballet and state-of-the-art digital animations in a trailblazing multimedia treat for all ages. 19 January.
Splash Test Dummies at Riverside Theatre: Splash Test Dummies’ hour-long aquatic adventure brings together synchronised swimming on unicycles, ‘Muscle Beach’ human balancing acts and water skiing through the theatre, in a unique and whimsical show for all ages.
MallakhambIndia at Prince Alfred Square (Parramatta): Combining gymnastics, wrestling and aerial yoga, these extraordinary artists eloquently perform feats of strength, poise and dexterity in a physical spectacle that borders on the impossible. Free 30 minute performances 11 – 13 January. Parramatta also plays host to a weekend of circus events.
Symphony Under the Stars: One of the most well-loved Sydney Festival events returns to Parramatta. It’s the perfect evening for families and friends to pack a hamper, grab a blanket, and settle back in a Sydney summer dusk to enjoy beautiful music. 19 January at Parramatta Park.
Find the full Sydney Festival Schedule on their website.
Night Owls Film Festival at Darling Harbour – Sure, the lineup of free family movies like The Greatest Showman, Coco, Paddington 2, etc. is cool, but we’re particularly excited about grabbing our spot of grass at 6p.m. to see some of our favorites perform pre-show. If you hang around here, you know we love the Tiptoe Giants, The Beanies, Nay Nay, The Vegetable Plot, and Lah-lah’s Big Live Band. Nightly 4 – 20 January.
Do a Workshop
School holidays are the perfect time for kids to try something new with workshops. From coding to zookeeping to tennis to painting, it’s so cool that there’s something for every kid.
If you have a musical theatre keen kid, Applause Musical Theatre Academy is offering Artsplorers families 10% of their January workshops in Chatswood, Lindfield, Killarney Heights and St Ives. 7 – 23 January.
This Summer holidays, send us all your “Revolting Children” cause sometimes they have to be a little bit “Naughty”! Your kids/teens (from Kindy to Year 12) will sing, act and dance to songs from MATILDA, the musical at our 2-day (K to Year 2) or 3-day (Years 3 to 6 & Years 6 to 11) holiday programs. They will also learn great drama skills and build confidence through acting games and script-work. There are two industry-experienced teachers per program and live piano accompaniment. Plus there is a performance on the last day of each program!
Cost: Normally $176 for a K-2 two-day workshop but for your subscribers we are happy to offer a 10% discount so the total will be $158.40. Normally $264 for a Years 3-6 or 6-11 three-day workshop – but with 10% off it will cost $237.60. Use promo code ARTSPLORER10 Bookings here.
Keep up with these and more ideas for Sydney family arts fun on the Arsplorers calendar. What are you and your artsplorers planning for January?
