Hey hey! I’m an American coming to visit your beautiful city for the first time! I happen to land on January 26
Also any other first timer tips and tricks are greatly appreciated. Amongst the top first timer things to experience I’m into vinyl, vintage, live music and high quality coffee. Cheers!
Edits: thank you for sharing the insights on the day and for all the shopping and coffee tips!
I’ll do my best to pay respects and learn as much as I can about the wide history and cultures in your Country
There are a lot of local events, depending on where you’re staying. The bigger ones often involve live music and food.
If you’re super keen, there are hot air balloons in Parramatta park (30mins by train from the city) that you can grab a ride in.
Everyone else has covered off Australia Day with detail. For vintage, what are you after? Clothes or homewares? Clothing stores, there is a few left in Surry Hills near Crown & Oxford St, Newtown has a lot that are 'later' vintage (2000s) especially down Enmore or South King St way. For vintage homewares or decorative objects, your best bet is Mitchell Road Antiques and Design centre, which is a short walk from Green Square station, or the Merchants Warehouse in Annandale.
Great coffee is thankfully in most places. This is a good list:
https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/guides/best-coffee
And likewise for a gig guide:
https://sydneymusic.net/gig-guide
Perfect ! Thank you!
Hey, since you mentioned music I think maybe you'd be interested in going to a Triple J Hottest 100 listening party that weekend. Every Australia Day weekend the radio station does a countdown of the 100 best songs of the year as voted by their listeners. It has a significant focus on Aussie music and you might find someone interesting! It's a time tested Aussie tradition! There's plenty of listening parties around the city!
Edit: it falls on the 24th this year!! Unfortunate!
I believe that’s the day before?
Ah yea it has ended up on the 24th this year dammit!!
It hasn’t been on 26 January since 2018. On 26 January, Triple J has a focus on local music.
Yea I said it's on Australia Day weekend (which it is), I just didn't check when that was this year
Triple J no longer supports Australia Day being on the 26th, and doesn't allow its countdown to fall on that day.
I'm aware, I listen every year, I just wasn't sure what exact date, hence why I said Australia Day weekend
As an American living in Australia, FYI that saying Happy Australia Day with that exclamation is like saying Happy Columbus Day! There is a lot of bad history there that many people don’t celebrate.
Ok thank you for explaining !!
Happy Columbus Day!
How old are you? 17?
Hello depending on time you land, there is a morning ceremony at barangaroo. Which could be very interesting as it's part of Australia most tourists don't see. As for standard celebrations I would say most people either go to the beach or pub. Australia day is a complex day in our history so my advice is to be respectful of our first nations people should you attend any events.
Record stores- red eye in the city. There's a few in Newtown. And daddyrich records in Dulwich hill
Coffee there's heaps of good coffee all over. What area are you staying in? There's also a sub called foodies Sydney that could be good to post into if you are looking for coffee and food recommendations. Enjoy Sydney!
Agree regarding Newtown. Vintage, vinyl, live music and great coffee can all be found on King St in Newtown. Spend a morning walking down the street, it’s certainly interesting!
There's also a cool sake bar called Ante on King St which plays vinyl records. Definitely worth checking out.
There's also Papa Disquo and Tengu Records on Enmore Rd, just around the corner.
Thank you so very much!! Land early 7am and hoping to jump right in to anything the Country has to offer
Staying in Wynyard
Thank you thank you !
There's a record bar called JAM in Wynyard. Worth a visit.
Oh great. Wynyard is right next to barangaroo. Not sure if you would make it for the ceremony, depends how long it would take to get out of the airport. But there's a swim spot at barangaroo and a ferry if you wanna catch a ferry, which is a beautiful way to get around.
As others have said Newtown has live music venues, vintage stores record stores and great coffee, you could easily spend a day there.
I thought of a tip from my bartending days, if you order a beer in a pub they might ask if you want a schooner or a pint. A schooner is standard. And also in most pubs you order from the bar
Red eye records Sydney city and definitely visit Newtown whilst you're here. Have a wonderful time and welcome.
Yabun Festival at Victoria Park
For more context this is the main indigenous event of the day.
Normally starts with a protest march, although that might not happen since the government is against marches since the Bondi massacre.
In the park, it's more like a cultural celebration of survival. There are corroboree style dances, bush tucker, market stalls, etc.
It's a chill event in a nice location and a fantastic way to see some real indigenous culture first hand, while showing support if that's your thing.
PS - Victoria Park is walking distance from King St Newtown (for coffee & vinyl).
I'd recommend walking through Sydney Uni, that's a much nicer route than City Road (which becomes King St).
Aim for the exit on Carillon Avenue.
You can't miss Sydney Uni from Victoria Park. Go up and over the hill, through the main quadrangle (grand old sandstone building right in front of you), down the other side and turn left when you hit a T-junction.
Yes. Highly recommended.
As others have said, for the majority it's somewhere between bbq/pub/picnic with mates or just an extra day off.
Yabun is ace. 100% recommend
I think the official tag line for Australia Day 'Reflect, Respect, Celebrate' is pretty all encompassing of the ranges of the views about the day.
The official site is also quite clear about the range of events covering both commemoration and celebration events. https://www.australiaday.com.au/
Note that free tickets to the concert open tomorrow
Thank you for the education and tips/recomendations
I wasn’t trying to create a debate but can tell the day has mixed reactions
My family is Italian and I’ve lived in the American south for nearly 20 years so I’m not far away from understanding a history that is marred with the worse about humanity
Ultimately excited to experience your Country and I’m happy to learn 🙏
That's a very measured and open comment. Hope you love Sydney :)
No need to stress, asking in the first place is a good step towards learning about a countries culture, and we can't expect every person coming here to know everything going on.
I work in a place that very much rejects Australia Day. We have flexibility in leave so most of us work and take a different day off. We also always have a lot of well educated, well meaning, new to the country internationals and every year one of them asks what people are doing to celebrate. Nobody shames them because its an honest mistake.
I highly recommend looking around for indigenous run events, some of which have already been mentioned here. Welcome to Australia, hope you enjoy your trip!
Nothing to apologise for on your end.
Can recommend a visit to Yabun festival, as it'll be a great opportunity to experience some indigenous Australia while you're here.
Enjoy the trip!
What I can say is since you're a PoGo player, Sydney city is amazing for that. Hit up the Sydney PoGo discord / farcebook group and meetup with a group to do trades and raids while having locals point out neat city stuff.
Edit: Rosebery (if you're going near it) has some vintage stores where I buy vinyls and there's a trainstation at greensqaure for em. There's also Haven Coffee (2 locations) near it which I'd recommend.
This is perfect! Thanks! Do you play PoGo too?
Sydney vinyl diggers guide: https://www.digginsydney.com/
If you're after live music Sydneymusic.net has a list of almost every single gig on across the city, we use it all the time.
enters thread in hazmat suit
In the city there is Jam record bar and carerpillar club with live vinyl djs. For shopping for records id rather just shop at home in America u less there is some Aussie stuff youre after. Aus vinyl prices are a joke.
Pro-tip if you don't want to piss anybody off, don't say happy Australia Day, and don't take sides if someone asks whether you think it's invasion day or Australia day. You're just as likely to get someone who is trying to "trigger a woke leftie" as someone who thinks you're a "right wing MAGA American". Just say you don't really know enough about the subject and move on.
Unfortunately live music is kinda fucked here compared to what it used to be, but both Kelly's on King in Newtown and Crowbar in Leichhardt do live music. It's pretty hard to go wrong with the coffee in most places here, Shenkin in Newtown is good, as is Campos Coffee which is nearby on Missenden Rd. Anywhere near where you're staying will be a bit above average price and often lower quality (IME city coffee tends to skimp a bit on quality).
One thing a lot of visitors seem to overlook is how good the food scene can be. Make sure to try seafood at a decent restaurant, and dive into the diversity that's available. There are so many cuisines all smushed together so please, explore and try something new
Sydney Harbour around Circular Quay have events non-stop throughout the day that you might find interesting. There is a race between several Ferries on the harbour (which you can buy tickets to get on one), the Royal Australian Air Force generally has a F-35 do a flyover depending on the weather and the RAAF also has other air displays including a helicopter that does that has a big Australian flag. In the morning there has been a Frigate docked up under the Harbour Bridge for Citizenship ceremonies.
In the evening Circular Quay has a free Australia Day concert and a fireworks display (not like New Year's) but still a decent show.
Apart from that you will find that the beaches are packed with Australians, tourists and everyone in between enjoying themselves, having bbqs and hanging out with friends and family. I always find that the beaches offer a real community spirit of people having a good time than other days.
Rather than a unifying day, Australian Day tends to have a polarising effect on our nation. If I were travelling to another country and was presented with this situation, I would want to experience the controversy. In Sydney you might do this by attending the events on Sydney Harbour in and around the Opera House and also attending Yabun Festival which is walking distance - and is the Aboriginal event that responds to Australia Day: https://yabun.org.au/
They’re doing crab races at the oaks hotel in neutral bay. Iconic venue and racing crabs can’t beat it.
You should probably educate yourself about the debate over whether Australia Day is a day of celebration or not. A lot of Australians don’t observe it.
If you want to celebrate the day, there are lots of events including a ferry race. As it’s the end of the summer holiday, events tend to be low key.
If you don’t want to celebrate or are interested in seeing the debate, you could join an Invasion Day event.
Oh apologies! Didnt know it was controversial question
There’s nothing to apologise for. Australia is a diverse and democratic country, and we are having a long running debate over our national day. You are welcome to participate as you see fit.
I’d suggest not wishing people happy Australia Day though, as for many First Nations people it’s a day of mourning and for many other people it’s not a day they want to celebrate.
Around 30% of Aussies would be in the 'don't support it' camp. That is significant but still a minority.
Telling a tourist that it is a lowkey affair is laughable.
A tourist should be very aware around the discussion of the day in question lol
They are here for a holiday and not a politics tour
If you think it's possible to exist without being affected by politics then I feel bad for your dependents.
Sure - but no need to outright lie to them like the poster i replied to did
Where did they lie?
Few people attend organised events, so it’s pretty low key compared to the US national days or equivalent days in most other countries
The equivalent in the US is Columbus Day and a lot of people in the US oppose that too.
The best research suggests that 50% of all Aussies DO attend such events. https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/asap.12399
From your source:
That source isn't saying thst half of Australians head out to the public events that OC was clearly referring to.
So you agree that half Of Aussies do actively attend australia day celebrations?
Sounds like a lot more than 'few'.
Lmao r/sydney - where nuance goes to die.
That's a rather boring strawman. Would you like to try responding to wjat I actually said?
No they shouldn’t. Enjoy the day!
Invasion Day events will be considered protests and not allowed in the wake of the Bondi event as it might be considered too troubling to the minority group known as Chris Minns.
I doubt they'll have the balls to ban those protests
they need to ban the neo-nazi protests whilst they're at it.
Nice to see some constructive comments. It’s why I appreciate Australia and this subreddit.
I agree! I'm pleasantly surprised by the comments here. They quite accurately show the variety of views over January 26, while also giving some good advice for the OP considering their interests.
what the hell happened here??? 101 comments with 8 upvotes is insane
Most people celebrate with a BBQ with family and friends. There is various cultural and fun events on check out City of Sydney “what’s on”
https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/
Yabun Festival without a doubt
For Australia Day, I would check out options at Circular Quay. You can then grab a ferry to Manly for a feed/drink/swim. If it is nice day, it is quite a good day out. Cronulla has a free beach concert, it's about an hour train ride from Town Hall Station.
For vintage / vinyl, I would have a look at Surry Hills, Newtown and Balmain.
Check out the website "Concrete Playground Sydney" for a list of things to do whilst you're here. Great source of live music, new restuarants / bars and suburb guides.
Enjoy your time in Australia.
Ignore the negative political crap people post on here.
Not going to celebrate Australia Day myself but that's probably been explained here enough.
For coffee, Diggydoos in Wynyard (Sydney cbd) would be my top recommendation.
While Australia day is the 26th there's been a big push to move the date to one that doesn't represent massacres, rapes, slavery, wage theft, and other oppressions for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
An increasing number of people are recognising the 26th as "invasion day" and celebrating Australia day on the 27th.
Most government run events (parades, local ceremonies, whatever) are on the 26th, celebrations run by businesses are run on whatever day people have off (we like to move public holidays that fall midweek so we can have a long weekend) and for everyone else it's a mix of dates.
The most typical celebration is a BBQ.
Others have addressed Australia Day (invasion day) but for your other interests I would head to Newtown and look up record stores and cafes there. You could spend a day walking between record stores, cafes, restaurants that feature records, breweries etc between Newtown and marrickville and enmore and it would be an incredible day.
Walk the short walk to Circular Quay and jump on the ferry to Manly. Have lunch at one of the pubs there, maybe Wharf Bar and then enjoy the beach. Take the ferry back to Circular Quay and take in the goings on around our landmarks, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Get some box wine and head to your nearest park
Ferry race on the harbour. Yabun Festival at Victoria Park.
There is an event in the hills district on the day you land (26th) if you’re not too jet lagged, and its more chilled vibes If you’re looking for less of a party scene. party on a massive farm from 4:30pm, free entry. Marshall Hamburger (Aussie Idol winner), Sesame Street characters, La Fiesta beats, local acts, free face painting, food trucks & rides. Ends with big fireworks at 9pm. r/hillsshire
Go to Yabun Festival at Victoria Park in Broadway
Hi mate!! Most people celebrate by having a BBQ and beers. For your case I’d grab a couple tinnies from the bottlo (bottle shop), maybe even some paraphernalia with the Aussie flag on it and head down to the beach and soak it all up. Enjoy!
I suggest you watch this as preparation! lol We been seeing these Lamb ads for 20 years and they've become part of the Australian subculture. This is the 2026 Lamb Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GkrzLIttdI
God damn there’s some unwelcoming people in here. Our OP has asked a simple question on how best to enjoy a day in our beautiful city but so many of you are so hell bent on trying to educate a tourist. S/He doesn’t need a history lesson just to try and get involved in some local festivities.
Yes we all know that atrocities were carried out when the Brit’s invaded Australia, a similar thing happened in the US. There’s noting OP can do about this. The day will happen and you can’t stop it with a reddit post. Instead of trying to help our OP you’re making yourselves sound insufferable.
OP - make your way down to a beach (Manly/Bondi/Coogee) and join in on a beach volleyball game if you’re able. Sidle up to a group cooking a BBQ and have a sausage sizzle and a beer. The main tourist areas will be buzzing with life, even more so if the weather is good.
Yes apologies if I asked something controversial- I didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers !
It wasn't controversial. You didn't know! Hope you enjoy your trip! As an American living here, I'm so curious what your observations are after you're here!
No need to apologise, op.
Enjoy your visit, have a good one :)
Might want to do a bit of research about its history first mate. To translate this into American terms, the perception of Australia Day here is closer to that of Columbus Day than it is to July 4th.
To be blunt, a yank coming over and celebrating a day that is associated with the colonisation and genocide of an indigenous population isn’t a good look. Imagine if an Aussie came to the US and celebrated Columbus.
Australia Day is just an excuse for pissheads to get pissed. It's not a day to be celebrated op. Do your research.
As I am sure you've seen above - its a complicated day and not a day of celebration.
However, some local councils will be running events. Eg. Carss Bush Park in the South of Sydney will be hosting an event.
thematically may be not but it would be untrue to say people dont celebrate it.
Not the cause, but the 'effect' - it being a public holiday that everyone gets and is known for getting around together for lunch.
Its the same as how asian families (mine included) celebrate xmas, not for its roots but more for it being a public holiday with a theme not of religion for us but more so for gift-exchanging and a dinner.
Australia Day has nothing to do with "Australia" and no one really cares about it except right-wing grifters who hate immigrants and Aboriginal people.
Also, we don't do vinyl, vintage or live music. Certainly not after 9pm. High quality coffee is everywhere though.
Just because you don’t go out doesn’t mean we don’t do live music 😂
you're massively off the mark on the music front there
Top 1% wanker