Overview
Easter is one holiday that can lose its sheen pretty quickly. Usually once your parents decree you're "too old" for Easter egg hunts. But with the four-day break and eating-centred celebrations (because you fasted for the last six weeks for Lent, right?), there's plenty to get excited for, particularly with the nearby Anzac Day turning this into a ten-day holiday for many.* While some venues shut, others turn on the charm. Only the best have made it into this list, our Ultimate Easter Weekend Itinerary. See you at the Fish Markets, Aqua Egg Hunt and hot cross bun burger queue.
*Did you notice that we didn't say egg-cited? That took all of our effort.
Friday
5am: Easter Feastival at Sydney Fish Market
Sydney Fish Market is the place to be if you want some fresh Good Friday seafood. Expect lots of Easter-themed activities and prepare for massive crowds, as this is the market's busiest day of the year. Make your best fish face and tag it #seafoodieeaster. You'll be immortalised in a printed Polaroid available for pick up at SFM's Tag-n-Print box.
Sydney Fish Market is open from 5am to 5pm on Good Friday.
1pm: Seafood lunch at The Bucket List
It’s all well and good to kick back on the long weekend with a few well-earned brews, but getting home unscathed is always a priority. With this in mind, the helpful crew at The Bucket List in Bondi, a premium location to enjoy the Good Friday fish fest, are offering a courtesy car to five locations around Bondi, as well as the closest public transport hubs, operating all weekend. Ride on.
Shuttle available all day. Drop off points include Seven Ways Bondi, North Bondi Bus Terminal, Bondi Junction Bus Terminal, Waverly Council, and the corner of Fletcher St and Bondi Rd.
6.30pm: Cruise around at Shipfaced
Sydney is sorely lacking in places to drink on Good Friday. Luckily, a floating festival is there to fill the void, featuring two floors of music. Cruise around the harbour on a boat whilst sipping on cocktails and listening to some tunes. An array of DJs will be on deck to provide music, including Doctor Dru, Touch Sensitive and Triple J's Lewi McKirdy.
Boat departs from King Street Wharf at 6.30pm. Buy tickets here.
Saturday
8am: The Grounds of Alexandria Easter Market
Come Saturday, the Grounds of Alexandria will be filled with fresh foods and handmade crafts galore. Gather ingredients for Sunday brunch and watch little people search for eggs. Enjoy the live music while waiting for your chance to pose for a photo with the resident Easter Bunny.
2 Huntley Street, Alexandria. The Easter Market is open Saturday through Monday from 8am to 3pm.
12pm: Easter chocolate shopping
Head to Four Friends Coffee Chocolate & Tea in Crows Next to find some more unique Easter gifts — their chocolate bunnies are organic, and they do a wicked range of vegan chocolate made with all-natural ingredients and super foods like goji berries, sunflower seeds, and nuts. Or take a trip to Banksmeadow for the Haverick Meats Saturday Store and stock your fridge for weekend festivities. They'll be hosting pop-ups from Little General Olive Oil, Fine French Food and Infinity Bakery.
5/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest. Four Friends is open on Saturday from 9am to 5pm
2pm: Record Store Day
As the music industry gradually moves online, it’s becoming more and more important to recognise and celebrate our local record shops — those guys that have the rare vinyls, the T-shirts and the posters physically in the shop. So, on the third Saturday of April, check out your local guy. Expect crazy specials, in store appearances and live music to accompany your browsing. At Mojo Record Bar, expect special releases, 'hidden' giveaways, a chance to win an oil painting, free play on the jukebox, drink specials and guest DJs.
Everywhere they're lucky enough to have a record store.
6pm: See Mikelangelo for free at Shady Pines
The Shady Pines Saloon will be getting extra dirtied up this Saturday night, when the dapper crooner, 'Bull of the Balkans' and sometime Amanda Palmer ally Mikelangelo takes to the stage with his perfectly sculpted quiff and rich baritone to soothe the soul. Not that Shady Pines normally lacks for atmosphere, but on this night it may be at its peak. As part of the 'Two-Faced Weekender', Mikelangelo will also appear at Frankie's on Sunday with band.
256 Crown Street. Show starts at 6pm.
Sunday
4pm: Aqua Egg Hunt
Who says Easter egg hunts are just for kids? Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel is hosting an egg hunt unlike any other on Easter Sunday, with their inaugural aqua egg hunt for children and kids at heart alike. Suit up in your best snorkelling gear to find eggs littered on the sandy floor of Watsons Bay and win prizes like free seafood platters or a weekend stay at the hotel. They've got a whole weekend of festivities happening; this is just the pinnacle.
1 Military Road, Watsons Bay. Egg hunt starts at 4pm
9pm: Strictly Vinyl at Cliff Dive
As the UNDER Ctrl crew have so delicately put it, before everybody in the world became a DJ, DJs used to spin records. In a collaboration with music bloggers Stoney Roads, the guys behind Not Another Boat Party are bringing a night of disc jockeys spinning their real-life actual discs to Cliff Dive.
16 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst. Show starts at 9pm.
10.30pm: The Rhythm of the Night at GoodGod
It’s a fact universally acknowledged that we all miss the '90s. The style, the tunes, everything. So, if you’ve got ten bucks, head to GoodGod on Sunday night, where they’ll be cranking the very best that the '90s had to offer the music world . Radical.
55 Liverpool Street, Chinatown. Show starts at 9pm
Monday
12pm: Recovery Brunch at the Beresford Hotel
So, the long weekend was rough. There were drinks on Sunday night, which is just plain crazy. The only logical conclusion is to head to the pub for a brunch and a beer, and revel in the fact that work doesn’t start until Tuesday. To cater for this, the Beresford is hosting a recovery brunch to cure what ails you, which is probably a hangover.
354 Bourke Street, Surry Hills from noon to 5pm.
1pm: Hot Cross Bun Burger Reuben Hills
What better way to spend your Monday off than enjoying some good food? If you're still in the Easter spirit grab lunch at Reuben Hills and munch down on the too-good-to-be-true Bugs Burger. It's a beef burger served with pineapple and pickled zucchini. The crowning glory, however, is the fact that it's sandwiched between a hot cross bun, making for an experience that's both sweet and savoury.
61 Albion Street, Surry Hill. Open Mondays from 7am to 4pm
By the Concrete Playground team.