Nexus College - Special Events

Special Events

JANUARY

Festival of Sydney
The Festival of Sydney is Australia's largest annual cultural event. There are music concerts, theatres performances, art exhibitions and street events. About 1,500,000 people attend functions at the Festival of Sydney each year. With an estimated 100,000 people attending the free live classical music concerts in the Domain Gardens near Nexus Language Centre.

Australia Day Party
Australia Day is on January 26, and in Sydney more then 500,000 people sit around the harbour to watch the fireworks go off from the harbour foreshore concluding with a spectacular exhibition on the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. There is always a lot to do in and around the city as the whole country celebrate this special day. You can choose from a range of activities ranging from free live concerts, and music festivals to the world famous Sydney Ferry Boat Race.

The Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is a massive rock festival that is usually held on Australia day at Sydney Olympic Park. It's crowded and noisy but lots of fun, if you like bands that play LOUD music.

Symphony in the Domain
Bring a picnic basket, bottle of champagne and a blanket to the Domain only minutes away from Nexus Language Centre where you can sit under the stars and enjoy the Sydney Symphony Orchestra play classical music while you drink champagne and soak-up the atmosphere.

Open Air Cinema
Starting in January and running through to the end of February Open Air Cinema is your chance to sit outside and enjoy great movies at night on a giant screen in the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens looking across the Opera House and Sydney city skyline. With the water, weather and wildlife all around this is an experience you can only get in Sydney and an experience not to be missed.

Melbourne Midsumma Festival
Starting in mid-January and running through to conclude just in time for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day in mid-February. The Melbourne Midsumma Festival is the Melbourne gay and lesbian communities’ celebration of their sexuality. The highlights of Midsumma are Carnival Day held in the heart of the city and the Red Roar Dance Party; where you dance all night and then jump on a plane to fly up to join in the celebrations of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival!

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February

Chinese New Year
The Sydney Chinese New Year Festival coincides with the Chinese calendars celebration. With such a large Chinese community living here Sydney Chinese New Year Festival is the biggest celebrations of Chinese New Year outside of Asia with activities and events running for the entire moon cycle of the Chinese calendar. More than 450,000 people enjoyed a three week program of 18 different events, including parades, markets, dragon boat races, food festivals and cultural events. This takes place in China Town about 15 minutes walk from Nexus.

Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras (runs to March)
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival begins on the first Friday of February with a huge party and launch on the steps of the Sydney Opera House and concludes with the highlight the parade along Oxford Street, about 5 minutes from Nexus. After the parade there is an all night dance party in Fox Studios, Moore Park. You need to buy tickets for the party, and they are quite expensive, but more than 25,000 people attend, and it's a great night. Other festival events include the Mardi Gras Film Festival, art exhibitions, photo shoots, free lectures cabaret shows, Fair Day and loads more!

Tropfest
For one night every February the international short film competition called Tropfest screens the finalist films in Sydney’s Domain just behind Nexus. Tropfest begun in Sydney over 20 years ago and is now the largest short film festival in the world with more then 130,000 people attending the awards night.

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March

French Film Festival
Touring every year across Australia this festival normally arrives in Sydney in March and features a number of latest releases (and some classics) from French film makers around the world.

The Greek Festival of Sydney
Australia has the largest Greek community outside of Greece and for on day every March Sydney’s Greek community turns Darling Harbour into a little part of Europe. The day is filled with food, wine, music and dancers Greek style.

German Film Festival
Sydney has a large European community living here and every year the German community holds a major film festival with a number of German film premiers and screening of latest releases.

ANZAC Day
On the 25th March every year Australia and New Zealand stops to remember all who have fort in wars around the world. If you are interested in history this is a good time to be in Australia as the ideals of courage, endurance and mateship are encouraged.

Kings Cross Food & Wine Festival
One of Sydney’s Bohemian suburbs Kings Cross is a suburb that reflects Australia’s multi-cultural past. In March every year the Kings Cross community comes together in Fitzroy Gardens only 15 minutes walk from Nexus to celebrate with food and wine from around the world.

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April

Royal Easter Show
The Royal Easter show gives city people the chance to see the best animals and products from country Australia. This huge exhibition runs for nearly three weeks. There are thousands of farm animals, including: horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and pigs. You can see sheep shearing, cow milking, pony jumping, pig racing and more. There is also a large carnival with many scary rides and lots of different food and drink from around Australia. At the Easter Show you can play with animals in the petting zoo, or discover new ways to eat them in the food hall.

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May

Australian Fashion Week
There are many events related to the fashion industry in May. Professional designers and department stores organise showings of their collections. Student designers also show their works. Some of the events are free, especially those in the Pitt Street Mall, round the corner form Nexus.

Sydney Italian Festival
For ten days every May Little Italia comes alive with Italian arts, films, food and wine. All this happens only minutes away from Nexus.

Combined Vesak Celebrations
Every May the Buddhist Council of New South Wales hosts Buddha Jayanti, a combined celebration of different Buddhist practices. This exciting day of market stalls, blessings and rituals is hold in First Fleet Park overlooking Circular Quay.

Leather Pride Week
Every May Sydney’s famous Oxford Street becomes the proud home of all things leather. This is one week when whips, chians and leather outfits are the fashion to be scene in. The week ends with the famous Manacle Dance Party which is a celebration of personal fetishes.

Sydney Writers Festival
The Sydney Writers Festival is one of the most respected conventions for published writers and beginning authors in the world. At the festival you get the chance to meet published authors from around the world as well as learn the skills to become a writer. No matter what is your first language there will be something for you at the Sydney Writers Festival.

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June

Biennale of Sydney (runs to August)
Contemporary art from around the world is shown in art galleries and museums all around Sydney. There are also outdoor events and walks. Most events are free.

Pride Week
To remember the struggle of the Stonewall Riots every June Sydney’s gay and lesbian community hosts a week of remembrance. During the week there are free public lectures, art exhibitions and lots of political debate about gay rights.

Queens Birthday Ball
The Queens Birthday Ball is the longest continuously running gay and lesbian event in the world. The ball is now a dance party held in the heart of Brisbane city only one hour by plane from Sydney and airfares are cheap. The dance party is held on the Queens Birthday long weekend every June and is one of the major fund raisers for AIDS education in Australia.

Sydney Film Festival
Every June the cinema’s around Sydney work together screening independent and art house films as part of the Sydney Film Festival. Every year more then 300,000 people watch the screening of hundreds of films often screened for the first time ever.

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July

Biennale of Sydney (runs to August)
Contemporary art from around the world is shown in art galleries and museums all around Sydney. There are also outdoor events and walks. Most events are free.

Wale Watching in Sydney Harbour
Go on a Sydney Harbour Boat cruise and experience the world’s largest mammal play while they make their annual mating journey to the warmer waters off the coast of Queensland.

Hunter Wine Tours
with Sydney only an hours drive from the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's leading wine growing regions; July is a great month to visit with the days cool enough to easily walk from winery to winery!

August

City to Surf Fun Run
50,000 people run 14 kilometres from the City to Bondi Beach. The serious runners start at the front and everyone else runs jogs or walks behind them. The course is very beautiful, and you can cool down with a swim in the ocean at the end of the race. The race starts in Hyde Park, just behind Nexus, and everyone is welcome to run.

DIVA Awards
Every year Sydney’s Star City Casino plays host to the Oscars of the Drag World when drag artist from around the world are honoured for their work breaking down stereotypes about men in dresses. Getting a table to the DIVA Awards is hard but a great night if you can get an invitation. If you miss out on attending the gala dinner then join the fans partying on Oxford Street after the event.

Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival
The Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival is the only Asian film festival in Australia and often runs in association with the Moon Festival. At the festival you will see a number of new releases and movies from all over the Asian region of the world.

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September

Spring Racing Carnival (runs to November)
Hundreds of the fastest horses in the word race at Randwick Race course about 15 minutes bus ride from Nexus, if you like horses, or want to try gambling then this is the event for you. Or if fashion is your thing this is the event to watch when design houses from all around the world show off their new range with Fashions of the Fields and Lady’s Day.

Autumn Moon Festival
Although September is spring in Sydney keeping with the Chinese calendar the large Chinese community in Sydney celebrates the Autumn Moon Festival with a week of market stalls, food fairs and fire works. These celebrations happen in Chinatown only minutes away from Nexus.

QueerDoc
Every September Sydney’s gay and lesbian film community known as QueerScreen holds QueerDoc a film festival showing documentary films about gay life from around the world. Tickets to this event sell fast so you have to be quick to purchase your pass often a month before the festival begins.

Floriade (runs till October)
Floriade is when Australia’s capital city Canberra comes into full colour with thousands of spring flowers. For garden lovers this international flower festival is a must see and is only a mornings drive from Sydney.

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October

Manly International Jazz Festival
There are dozens of live jazz bands at Manly for this festival where you can hear all kinds of jazz music including: classic jazz, swing, scat, mainstream and traditional. Manly is just a 30 minute ferry ride across the harbour from Nexus.

Rugby Grand Final
Ruby League is a very popular game in Sydney and the grand final takes place at Telstra Stadium the first weekend every October. It's the largest Rugby League final in the world. The stadium is always full and tickets can be very hard to get. Rugby League is an aggressive game, and if you like rugby, then this is an event you should watch.

Darling Harbour Fiesta
More than 400 musicians and dancers perform in Darling Harbour on in the first weekend of October. Darling Harbour is always nice place to visit only 10 minutes walk from Nexus, and the festival makes it a bit more fun.

Sleaze Ball
Sleaze Ball is the largest fund raiser for the Sydney Gay and Lesbain Mardi Gras Association and is a dance party held at Fox Studio’s. Tickets to the party are expensive..

Sculptures by the Sea (runs til November)
If you walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach at this time of the year you will see many interesting and unusual sculptures around the beach and rocks. You don't have to pay anything and the walk is always beautiful, even if you find the sculptures a bit unusual! Bondi Beach is a 15 minute bus ride from Nexus.

Italian Film Festival
Australia has very large vibrant Italian community and every year Sydney plays host to one of the largest Italian Film Festivals in the world with many new reales screened. Some films even make their premier launch at the festival.

Food and Wine Fair
The largest fund raising event for the AIDS Trust of Australia for one day every October Sydney’s Hyde Park comes alive with food stands from leading restaurants and wine tastings all to the tune of mixes from some the worlds top DJ’s and drag acts.

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November

The Rocks Markets by Moonlight
Every Friday from 6:00pm there is free live music at the Markets in the Rocks. You can also get lots of good food and there are nice old pubs, some of them over 150 years old. The Rocks is about 15 minutes walk from Nexus.

Spanish Quarter Street Festival
There is Latin music, dancing and food around Liverpool and Kent streets about 5 minutes from Nexus, as the Sydney Latin community has a street party.

Martin Place Christmas Concert
Every year at the end of November, the City Council presents a free Christmas Concert in the heart of the city. It is a family concert with live traditional Christmas music.

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December

Carols by Candle Light
Every year before Christmas people gather in the Domain at night to sing Christmas carols. You can bring a torch or candle to provide the light, sit outside in the warm air and join the choirs and some of Australia’s international pop singers as they sing both traditional and modern Christmas carols.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Every year on December 26th boats begin a 2000 kilometre race from Sydney to Hobart in Tasmania. Thousands of people gather around the harbour to see the beautiful boats begin the race. It is a colourful sight and one of the world's oldest boat races.

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All Year

Opera House (Concerts/Opera/Ballet)
Don't just take a photo, go inside the Opera House. There are four halls, hosting concerts, ballets and operas all year round. Hint: the cheapest tickets are at the back, and if you choose the "standing tickets" (at the very back of the theatres) you can hear some of the world's best classical music and opera singers, for about the same price as a movie ticket.

City Night Markets
Every Friday night during the warmer months Sydney’s Chinatown becomes little Hong Kong with market stalls running along Dixon and Little Hay Streets. Chinatown is in Haymarket only 5 minutes walk from Nexus.

Merchandise Market
Every weekend Fox Studio’s Entertainment Quarter comes alive with markets selling a range of fashion, art, collectables and food for the health and fashion conscious.

Glebe Markets
Every Saturday afternoon Sydney’s artist gather at the Glebe markets selling art works, clothing and food. Glebe is a 15 minute bus ride from Nexus.

Paddington Markets
Every Saturday the top of Oxford Street is a buzz with market stalls selling everything from clothing to furniture all made by the market stall owner, so bargains can be found and special designs made just for you. Paddington is just a 15 minute walk from Nexus.

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