Hunting for all-ages entertainment this Easter shouldn’t have to break the bank or empty the fuel tank. Think of the city’s galleries, theatres and museums as your own personal treasure map.
From hidden libraries to starry skies, these are some of the best free offerings and secret corners which offer mostly free holiday treats. As NSW Arts Minister John Graham notes, cost-of-living pressures are real. “Everyone loves a treasure hunt, and our cultural institutions really do have something for everyone, and offer many wonderful things to explore and do.”
A library within a library
State Library of NSW: The Shakespeare Room Tucked away on the ground floor of the Mitchell Building is a slice of Tudor England you probably never knew existed. The Shakespeare Room is a tribute to the legendary playwright, featuring a stunning ceiling inspired by Cardinal Wolsey’s closet at Hampton Court Palace. More than 5000 works by or about Shakespeare are on the shelves, along with books about Shakespearean England.
The hunt: Look up to find the “seven ages of man” represented in a sequence of stained-glass windows, as depicted in Shakespeare’s As You Like It (act II, scene VII). Closed Good Friday, otherwise open seven days. Exit Martin Place Station.
Art you can touch
Art Gallery of NSW: ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou Australian Laotian artist Mechelle Bounpraseuth makes glossy ceramics depicting condiments such as soy sauce, fish sauce and Australian classics like Heinz tomato sauce, Vegemite and Gravox. For this interactive exhibition, Bounpraseuth has created a fruit bowl of watermelon and mangosteen, passionfruit and apples to celebrate the labor and love of family meals. Grab a Lao floor mat and create paper fruit to leave on the steps of the fruit shrine.
The hunt: Take the escalator one floor up to visit the working Japanese tearoom inside the Asian Lantern Gallery’s show Elemental. Draw an imaginative scene inspired by the vibrant Indian paintings of animals, people and nature on display. Materials and instructions provided. Closed Good Friday, otherwise open seven days. Exit St James or Martin Place stations.
Starry skies
Sydney Observatory: The Southern Sky Astrophotography exhibition showcases the winners of the 2025 David Malin Awards. Per this year’s theme, People and Sky, amateur and professional photographers entered shots exploring the relationship between the observer and the cosmos. Rob Embury’s image The Lights of Stykkisholmur won its category by capturing a lone traveller gazing at the vivid green waves of the aurora borealis dancing above Iceland’s coastline. The overall winner was Kavan Chay’s Crown of Light for an image that captures waves crashing on a rocky shore beneath a dramatic geomagnetic storm.
The hunt: Take the narrow stairs to see the historic dome and telescopes on ticketed guided tours available Wednesday–Sunday (closed Easter Sunday) starting at $24. Exit Circular Quay Station
Songbirds
Sydney Opera House: Catch Art on the Steps on April 11 when Mel O’Callaghan brings together 300 choristers from the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and composer Dan Walker for a performance of Living Echo, turning the Opera House into a resonating musical instrument. Beneath the steps Frances Barrett’s Celia will gather seven vocalists in an improvised exchange of calls and echoes.
The hunt: Once a month on a Monday night, Sydney songsters are invited to join the Big Heart Sing Choir – a joyous celebration of the simple power of communal song. Each session presents a different repertoire – from Beatles to Beethoven and ABBA to opera. Free with registration from Monday, April 27. Exit Circular Quay station.
Blood suckers and dinosaurs:
Australian Museum boasts a double bill of awe and bloody curiosity. The newly opened Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires takes an up-close look at leeches, ticks and blood-feeding mites. The Dinosaur Gallery features Australia’s own Muttaburrasaurus; the Minmi paravertebra, a four-legged, plant-eating dinosaur armoured with hard ridged scales, and the imposing plant-eating Jobaria tiguidensis.
The hunt: Tucked up at the end of the gallery is the world’s first anatomically correct model of a Tyrannosaurus rex – a dissected 11-metre long replica created for the documentary T.rex Autopsy. Exit Museum Train Station.
Interior house design
The Mint: Hark back to times when homes were not painted in whites and neutrals, ornate furniture filled Sydney’s grandest homes, and linoleum was a floor covering of choice. The Caroline Simpson Library holds Australia’s largest repository of historic wallpapers, dating back to the 1840s. Colour paint charts from the 1970s show mustard, avocado green and rust brown were all the rage. The 1980s ushered in softer colour palettes, including apricots, salmon pinks, pale greys and Mediterranean-inspired terracottas.
The hunt: Head upstairs to the Scholars’ Gallery to see colourful samples of Laminex and Formica. Available in a variety of patterns, these surfaces gained popularity in the 1950s, and were commonly found on kitchen benches, chrome-edged tables and chairs. Open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Closed public holidays. Exit Martin Place station.
Visual arts adventures
25th Biennale of Sydney: Choose your free arts adventure at any of the Biennale’s five exhibiting venues: White Bay Power Station, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Art Gallery of NSW, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Penrith Regional Gallery. At Biennial’s HQ, White Bay, stand inside Nikesha Breeze’s towering African baobab tree made of 20 metres of draped cotton gauze. Or head for Chau Chak Wing Museum to see Benjamin Work’s inlaid shields marking Pacific Islanders kidnapped to work in cotton and sugar plantations in Peru.
The hunt: More treat than secret, every Saturday and Sunday the Biennale hosts Memory Lane Markets bringing together Pakistani, Palestinian, Lebanese, Persian, Chinese, South-East Asian and East African food vendors offering dishes shaped by the Biennale’s theme, Rememory. For White Bay Power Station take bus from Queen Victoria Building. For Chau Chak Wing Museum exit Redfern Station.
Skate!
Carriageworks: Every month the former railway workshops are transformed into a fully equipped skate park, complete with ramps, rails and boxes for kids aged six and up, with separate sessions focused on girls, beginners and intermediate levels.
The hunt: On April 16, try the free skateboarding workshop, skate JAM sessions, and demonstrations, guided by a team of pro skaters. For beginners to seasoned riders. Free. Registration and waivers are required. Exit Redfern or Newtown stations.
Worth the cost:
Golden age drama
Ensemble Theatre: For movie buffs, dive into the legendary rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Bette and Joan is a wicked look behind the curtain of Hollywood’s most famous feud backstage on the set of the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The Hunt: Catch Davis’ famed face-slap of Crawford. It was scripted for Baby Jane, but there was relish to the smackdown. Until April 25. Exit Kirribilli Train station.
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