Summer

Enjoy a free pilates class and a delicious free gin cocktail from Sergeant Lok just for attending. This free series of after-work pilates classes runs from January 20 to February 24, every Wednesday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at First Fleet Park. After you’re guided through an hour of pilates by your expert instructor, you’ll score a mahjong tile which can be presented to Sergeant Lok for your 'Never Say Never' Gin Cocktail. Seems like a pretty sweet deal right?

Discover The Rocks’ best artists, makers and designers with this new exploration experience. To get you out exploring this summer, we’ve commissioned local artist Squidinki to create a one-off custom map including all of The Rocks best artists, creatives and makers. Download our map or look out for QR codes in the windows of featured stores to grab it on the go.

The Markets are back! Eat gourmet street food, browse curated artisanal goods and meet the local makers. The Rocks Markets are open all summer long, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Come and meet the local makers, creatives and characters in the sunshine. Wander from stall to stall, browsing curated artisanal wares and tasting gourmet street food with stunning Harbourside views as a backdrop.

Great new dining areas and outdoor experiences have come to The Rocks including Tayim’s hidden Gin Garden, a high-tea favourite The Tea Cosy providing a sparkling addition of bubbles with your scones and cocktail fun being brought to Unwin’s Courtyard by The Doss House. This summer there's 19 Rocks venues to enjoy a drink in the fresh air as they take over outdoor spaces and create dedicated alfresco spaces for you to enjoy a tipple and feed both day and night.​

Lose yourself in the work of influential Australian Chinese artist Lindy Lee. Take in shimmering, meditative and thought-provoking works in her largest exhibition to date, which draw on her experience of living between two cultures. Using a spectacular array of processes including flinging molten bronze, burning paper and allowing rain to transform surfaces, Lee draws on her heritage to develop works that engage with the history of art, cultural authenticity, personal identity and the cosmos.

Stay up late with the MCA as open their doors until the sun sets on the working week. Take your time to stroll through our incredible free exhibitions or take in spectacular views at their rooftop cafe over a drink.

Frosty crafted brews fresh from the keg, seating in the sun and a menu of elevated pub fare. Endeavour Tap Room is the ultimate summer watering hole, perfect for long lunches, Christmas parties and quick drinks. This little gem is hiding on Argyle Street in a light and airy heritage building, with shaded outdoor seating, and an onsite brewery. Grab a seat in the sun and taste beer straight from the tank, wine from the keg and even espresso martini on tap if you fancy.

One of the oldest pubs in Australia, with a massive craft beer menu and sunny outdoor seating. The Australian Heritage Hotel is one of Sydney’s oldest pubs, home to one of our all-time favourite al-fresco dining areas. Summer doesn’t get any better than a table in the sun in their outdoor area, a kangaroo pizza and one of their 130-strong craft beer menu. Before you book your end of year shenanigans, check out their New Years Eve party with all you can eat pizza and live DJs.

Is this the best summer rooftop bar in Sydney? We’ll let you be the judge. The Glenmore has a lot to offer this summer. It oozes heritage charm, has a menu packed with sophisticated but comforting Aussie classics and pours brilliant cocktails. But the best thing about the Glenmore in summer is, without doubt, their incredible rooftop. The expansive, sunny terrace looks out over the harbour and the Opera House, and often buzzes with the sounds of live DJs.

A massive heritage venue featuring sunny sandstone courtyard, cocktail jugs and live DJs. Inside a gigantic heritage space in the heart of The Rocks, you’ll find the ultimate summer playground: The Argyle. The venue includes six bars set over two levels, a sunny sandstone courtyard and several lounge spaces. Their summer event roster includes open air cinema every Wednesday, an epic New Years Eve party DJ’d by Tigerlilly and a 3-hour long happy hour, Wednesday to Saturday from 4pm!

Harbour views, frozen margaritas and delicious Tex Mex food make for the ultimate summer fiesta. El Camino Cantina is a Tex Mex bar and restaurant famous for their colourful fiestas, frozen margaritas, free sombreros and the harbour views from their airy terrace. Their holiday event calendar is looking stacked with a massive New Years party (with two-hour drinks package and live DJs) taco Tuesday and weekday happy hours from 4-6pm.

The Orient Hotel and Mrs Jones are ready for summer! They’re pouring a crafted selection of spritzes including blood orange, Aperol and cucumber-mint, as well as a special Christmas cocktail called ‘Jingle All the Way’. These tipples promise to go down well in their sunny outdoor dining area on Argyle Street. New Years Eve is going off at The Orient too, with a dinner show on the terrace, a dance party on the rooftop and a special three-course set menu dining experience.

Live piano on weekends, serious cocktails and heritage vibes. What’s not to like? The Push is a cozy heritage space hiding on the ground floor of the Russel Boutique Hotel in The Rocks. The locals behind the bar know how to mix a cocktail, and the menu features delicious Australian classics from chicken schnitty to fish and chips. This is the perfect space for an afterwork tipple, a summer function or even your office Christmas party!

One of Sydney’s oldest hotels is now home to one of its biggest summer beer gardens. There are few better places to be during the silly season than in The Mercantile Hotel’s beer garden with a frosty, frothy pint in hand. Add in live music every Sunday, delicious Irish fare and you’ve got a recipe for a truly memorable summer evening.

Sydney’s oldest pub is hosting live music all summer in their beer garden. The Fortune of War is one of Sydney and Australia’s oldest continually licensed pubs, with almost two centuries of history. You’ll find it on George Street right near the waterfront in The Rocks pouring cold craft beer, wines and cocktails. They’re hosting live music in their lush beer garden all summer and taking group bookings for up to 80 for Christmas parties and events.

A remnant of the old Sydney is hidden away underground at 77/79 George Street. This mysterious, subterranean space used to be an opium den, a doctor’s surgery and a gambling hall, but today it’s home to a whiskey and cocktail lounge. Enter down from the street into the cool surrounds of The Doss House and enjoy a refreshing whiskey hi-ball, delicious dram or your cocktail of your choice. If you’d rather soak in the sun, head to the sailor’s garden - the Doss Houses’s sunny outdoor courtyard.