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Time your visit to coincide with this month-long international extravaganza of music, theatre, visual arts, dance and more. Past performers have included Michael Nyman, the London Sinfonietta, the Kronos Quartet, the Russian National Orchestra, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Vietnamese Water Puppets, Laurie Anderson and Les Ballets Africains.

This rock-and-roll road show began in the early 1990s. Today, international acts mix it up with alternative and popular local outfits. In recent years bands have included Afrika Bambaataa, Metallica, Jane’s Addiction, PJ Harvey, and Kraftwerk.

Celebrating the arrival of Sydney’s First Fleet, this national holiday sees Sydney ferries and Tall Ships competing in the big race from the Harbour Bridge to Manly and back. There are free concerts and performances held across the city. Do keep in mind that to many indigenous people, this date is known as “Invasion Day”.

This carnival is more than just a street parade down Oxford Street (see Oxford & Crown Streets), for more than a quarter-million people line the route. The parade naturally ends with a party, but there is also an energetic programme of associated events that celebrates the strength and diversity of gay Sydney (see Gay & Lesbian Friendly Places).

The roll-call at this week-long event includes more than 200 international and local speakers, with the odd Nobel Laureate thrown in for good measure. There are panel discussions, master classes, book launches and readings aplenty. And the festival caters to all tastes, from sci-fi to romance.

The Australia-wide National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee Week celebrates the survival, diversity and strength of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal cultures. Themes change annually, but regular events include a prestigious art award and prizes in a variety of categories ranging from sports to community leadership.

Although Australian Rules football is catching on in Sydney, the locals still go nuts when the big fellas from Sydney’s professional league battle it out at Sydney Stadium. If you can’t book a ticket, pull up a pew at your local pub and catch the action on the small screen.

Ever since Hargrave took to the sky with four box kites (see Hargrave’s Box Kites), Sydneysiders have loved their kites. And there’s no better venue for a day of mass kiting than Bondi Beach, site of Australia’s largest kite-flying festival. Highlights include live music, dance, performances, food stalls, workshops and displays.

Australia’s largest community-based celebration of jazz in all its forms, from trad to bebop, has been running for 27 years. Manlygives itself over to jazz for the Labour Day long weekend. In addition to travelling bands, there are performances held at outdoor venues such as the ocean beachfront, and indoor venues such as St. Mathews Church on The Corso.

Organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, this blue-water classic has been Australia’s best known yacht race for over half a century. Crowds line the harbour to wave off the crews as they pass through The Heads (see North Head, South Head) and head down the coast to Tasmania, almost 628 nautical miles south.