The highlights list of what to do in 2018

AS 2017 is thrown by the wayside, Sydney-siders focus now is the delights of 2018. From the annual Granny Smith Festival to Cupid’s Undie Run in February, and lots of other grouse stuff, there’s plenty to look forward to in the next 365 days.

Promotion for Tough Mudder Sydney 2015. It beats going to the Opera House. Picture: Supplied

AS 2017 has been thrown by the wayside, Sydney-siders can now focus to what is in store for 2018. From the annual Granny Smith Festival in Eastwood to Cupid’s Undie Run in February, there are plenty of events to look forward to in the next 365 days.

HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES — JANUARY 26 — 28

Add to your Australia Day long weekend by watching some of the world’s best men’s and women’s Rugby 7s players go head to head during the 2018 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The event, which will be held at the Allianz Stadium, will have fun, food and entertainment for rugby fanatics, party animals and even the kids.

For more information visit the World Rugby Sevens website.

England's Dan Norton gets a pass away during the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series England versus South Africa Cup Final at Allianz Stadium last year. Picture: Brett Costello

ELECTRIC GARDENS FESTIVAL — JANUARY 27

Electronic music lovers will face some of the hottest international and national acts specialising in the genre at the annual Electric Gardens Festival.

This year’s line up will consist of artists including Fat Boy Slim, Armand Van Helden and Gordon City, as well as Dubfire, Motez and Young Franco.

The first and second releases are sold out, and tickets for the third release are limited.

For more information visit the Electric Gardens Festival website.

Crowds pictured at the Electric Gardens Festival in Centennial Park. Olivia Crvenkovic pictured in the indoor tent dancing to DJ Eelke Kleijn. Picture: Toby Zerna

ST. OLAF COLLEGE CONCERT BAND PERFORMANCE — JANUARY 28

The St. Olaf College Concert Band of Northfield, Minnesota, is set to showcase their talents at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on January 28.

The 94-member ensemble, which specialises in classical music, will play as part of their first-ever concert tour to Australia and New Zealand.

Tickets are free, but a gold coin donation to watch artists play would be appreciated.

For more information visit the St. Olaf College Concert Band website.

St Olaf Band looking up, as they like to do.

SYDNEY CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL — FEBRUARY 16 — MARCH 4

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at the City of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival.

The celebration will be made up of more than 80 events across the city, including dragon boat races, dancing and lunar lanterns on show.

For more information visit the Sydney Chinese New Year website.

NRL Roosters players Jake Friend and Isaac Lui at the Sydney Opera House, standing with a giant rooster installation as part of Chinese New Year of the Rooster last year. Picture: Jenny Evans

CUPID’S UNDIE RUN — FEBRUARY 18

Strip down to the bare minimum to help raise money for those suffering with neurofibromatosis (NF) by taking part in this year’s Cupid’s Undie Run.

The Valentine’s weekend event, which consists of participants dressing up or down and jogging 1.5km in Sydney, was designed to put a creative twist on raising funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) of Australia.

The CTF is a key organisation raising funds for critical NF research and support for adults, children and families affected by NF.

For more information visit the Cupid’s Undie Run website.

Belinda Davey and Bianca Martin from The Bachelor 2013 pose to promote the Cupid’s Undie Run in 2015. Picture: Andrew Tauber

SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS — FEBRUARY 18 — MARCH 3

Brighten up a weekend in March by heading down to Oxford and Flinders Streets to watch and cheer on those taking part in the Mardi Gras Parade.

On March 3, more than 200 groups — involving about 12,000 people — are expected to strut and hold their heads high at the 40th annual event.

A Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day will also be held on February 18, showcasing a range of family-friendly carnival fun and a plethora of activities.

For more information visit the Mardi Gras website.

Give me an “m”. A woman celebrating the Sydney Mardi Gras last year. Picture: Adam Taylor

BARRY SHEENE FESTIVAL OF SPEED — MARCH

The Barry Sheene Festival of Speed, held at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, has become one of the largest motorcycle road racing events in NSW.

It features bikes and sidecars from as early as the 1940s, and a range of former Moto GP riders with a combined total of 11 World Championships.

The three day, 54 event race program, will have high profile riders out on the track, including Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer and Steve Parrish, as well as Kevin McGee, Graeme Crosby and Chris Vermueulen.

Trade stands, motorcycle club displays and a range of food will also be available on the day.

The dates are yet to be confirmed.

For more information visit the Barry Sheene website.

It does get faster than this at the Barry Sheen Festival of Speed.

FITNESS SHOW SYDNEY — APRIL 20 — 22

Head along to the Fitness Show Sydney to wrap your head around how to work towards becoming the best version of yourself this year.

The annual event features everything fitness related — to the latest trends, products, workouts and cooking demonstrations.

For more information visit the Fitness Show Sydney website.

They like to bounce and such and such at the Fitness Show. Picture: Alex Coppel

SYDNEY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL — APRIL 30 — MAY 6

Sydney-siders are invited to check out the work of some of the world’s most curious, intelligent and argumentative writers at the upcoming Sydney Writers’ Festival.

The not-for-profit event, which generally has audiences of more than 100,000 people, showcases a range of literature of contemporary novelists, screenwriters and musicians, including George Saunders, Susan Faludi and Paul Beatty in previous years.

In 2018, the festival will be located at Carriageworks in Everleigh.

For more information visit the Sydney Writers’ Festival website.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd after telling one of his best gags at the Sydney Writer’s Festival last year. Picture: Perry Duffin

WHALE WATCHING — JUNE 1 TO NOVEMBER 30

Keep the budget low by making a weekend out of spotting whales later this year.

From June 1, thousands of whales annually pass the NSW coastline, and continue to do so until the end of November.

Sydney-siders can potentially catch a glimpse of the majestic sea beasts by heading to areas such as the North Head lookout in Manly, the Arabanoo Lookout at Dobroyd Head and the Hornby Lighthouse at South Head.

For more information visit the NSW National Parks website.

A whale showing off. Picture: Captain Cook Cruises

PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS GLOBAL CUP JUNE 9 — 10

The second leg of the inaugural PBR Global Cup, a five-nation competition among the best bulls and bull riders in the world, will be held at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney From June 9.

The global tournament features top athletes from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States, all riding for their respective teams and an Australian-record $750,000 purse.

For more information visit the Qudos Bank Arena website.

How hard could it be? Picture: Phillip Wittke

GRANNY SMITH FESTIVAL — TO BE CONFIRMED

Celebrate the list of one of the City of Ryde’s most famous citizens, Maria Ann Amith, who, back in 1868, accidentally grew the first batch of little green apples, which are now grown all over the world.

The Granny Smith Festival, which began in 1985, has become one of Sydney’s largest street festivals, which also generally features a range of fun, food and entertainment.

The date for the 2018 event is yet to be confirmed.
For more information visit the Ryde Council website.

What is not to love? The bitterness?

DOG LOVERS SHOW — AUGUST 4 — 5

Celebrate man’s best friend by attending the annual Dog Lovers Show in August.

The 5th annual event, which has become one of the largest and most comprehensive festivals for dog lovers in the world, celebrates all things canine and will be staged at the Royal Hall of Industries and the Hordern Pavilion.

In 2017, owners were able to ask professionals a range of doggy-related questions at the event, and were able to take a look at the products, services and help available for their pooches, if needed.

For more information visit the Dog Lover’s Show website.

The Jesus dog in the The Big Air Wave dog jumping competition at the Sydney Dog Lovers Show last year. Picture: Craig Wilson

FESTIVAL OF THE WINDS — SEPTEMBER

Australia’s largest kite-flying festivals, Festival of the Winds, will be held at Bondi Beach later this year.

The skies will be brightened with kites of all shapes, sizes and colours, which will be flown by many professional and international kite flyers.

The Festival of the Winds will also feature a range of activities for all to enjoy, including kite making stalls, an animal farm, jumping castle and face painting.

For more information visit the Waverley Council website.

Guinness World Record holder for the highest single string kite Roger Martin gets his kites flying high. Picture: Kit Wise

SYDNEY FULL TOUGH MUDDER

Test your strength and push your fitness abilities by taking part in Tough Mudder this year.

The event, split up into two-course distances, is made up of 20 team-orientated obstacles and 500,000 litres of mud, in order to push participants and expand their friendship groups.

For more information visit the Tough Mudder website.