Eat, Play and Explore With the Whole Family During the 25th Biennale of Sydney

Getting around the city with a young family can be challenging without a game plan. But when you’ve got a big event as a driving force, the rest of it – the child-friendly activities and places to refuel that keep everyone happy – gets easier. And, dare we say it, genuinely fun. 

Make your family’s weekend a good one by attending the 25th Biennale of Sydney’s flagship Family Days, then keep the fun going with $6 ice-creams, risky playgrounds, splash zones and kid-friendly pubs.

Family Days at White Bay Power Station

The Biennale returns to a slate of venues across the city from March 14 to June 14. On select Saturdays – April 4, May 9 and June 6 – the festival is hosting free Family Days at White Bay Power Station, complete with hands-on workshops for all ages. Kids can explore the vast heritage building, engage with contemporary artworks and create their own pieces in guided sessions. Each weekend is curated by a different community-led collective or organisation, so you can make it a monthly tradition and try something new each time.

On April 4, Gul Collective is hosting a day of storytelling via fibres and textiles. An all-ages and all-abilities workshop will use both new and reclaimed fabric, thread and yarn offcuts for making ornaments and wearable objects to take home.

An Other Collective – a community of female Muslim makers, artists and designers – leads the program on May 9, with a participatory activation centred around the concept of home. Attendees will reflect on the healing, care, rest and rituals that go on in our homes.

Finally, Flenk Collective takes charge on June 6, with opportunities to engage meaningfully and creatively with artworks that reflect the theme of the Biennale: Rememory. The team will encourage adults and kids alike to share stories and engage their senses.

More Biennale

Outside the Family Days, older kids can also book into Dennis Golding’s jewellery-making workshops in Redfern, where they’ll create wearable art from brick forms inspired by the Aboriginal flag mural. You can also fuel up at the Biennale’s Memory Lane Markets – every Saturday and Sunday – during the three-month festival. Vendors include Indigiearth, Messina, Cronulla’s Eat Lebanese, Yummy Yummy Knafeh and Marrickville vegan bakery Miss Sina.

Head underground at the Art Gallery of NSW any time before August 23 to explore The Key’s Under the Mat, a free indoor playground by artist Mike Hewson. Part art installation, part “risky play” zone, it features monkey bars, sandpits and even a sauna. It’s noisy, lively and teeming with activity. Bring your own snags to cook on the free barbeques, or pick up juice boxes and cake from the pop-up cafe. AGNSW is also one of the locations for the 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, where you’ll find artworks by Abdul Abdullah, Ngurrara Artists, and Frank Young and The Kulata Tjuta Project.

Throughout the Biennale’s different venues, exhibitions and activations – even those that aren’t specifically catering to kids and younger audiences – there’ll be child-friendly labels on selected artworks, so you can take your little ones to any event and they’ll still feel included.

Kid-friendly beer gardens

Sydney’s inner west has a high concentration of pubs that not only welcome kids, but also know how to keep them (and their parents) happy – and they’re not far from the Biennale’s main hub, White Bay Power Station. Camperdown Commons is a leafy spot for a pizza and a run around, set within a city farm. The kids’ menu includes fried flathead fillets with chips and six-inch margheritas. 

Petersham Public House is another standout, thanks to its soft play area, cubbyhouse and Connect Four, as well as $6 kids’ ice-cream. Over at St Peters, Chuck & Son’s Brewing Co keeps little ones entertained with toy cars, a chalkboard, crayons and books, and even hosts a parent group on Friday lunchtimes for informal playdates. Further afield, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel serves spaghetti and grilled chicken on its kids menu and sits just steps from a playground and beaches.

Burn off energy outdoors

Need to run around? Pirrama Park Playground in Pyrmont is a warm-weather favourite, with water jets to dance through, a spider-web climbing frame and a sandpit for castle building. There’s also a nearby cafe for smoothies – and coffee for grown-ups. Darling Harbour Playground is for more adventurous kids. Its looming metal play structure has climbing nets, ramps to run up and down, a super tall slide and a tower. There’s also a 21-metre flying fox, water fountains with pumps and streams to play with, and tunnels to explore. Plus, heaps of cafes, toilets and water bubblers for when you’re spending the day on the go.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Biennale of Sydney. Family Days at the Biennale of Sydney are presented by major Partner Arada.