The best school holiday activities for under $25

Moore Park South, September 28-October 9, free (bookings essential), greatersydneyparklands.nsw.gov.au

In a nod to its history, Moore Park, which was once part of Sydney Common and used for grazing animals, will put on a pop-up petting zoo full of friendly farm critters for kids to get close to. The park will also encourage outdoor play with a selection of playground favourites, such as hopscotch, set up for visitors to enjoy in the spring sunshine.

Sydney Opera House, September 26-October 11, free, sydneyoperahouse.com

Sydney Opera House has debuted its new international kids’ festival and turned its famous forecourt into an outdoor playground. While the program does feature ticketed shows, there is also an impressive program of free events. These enticing drop-in activities include a nine-metre-tall swing, an installation of giant inflatable rocks, Taiwanese circus performance Puzzle, puppet creatures roaming the space and a Dreamtime story depicted in Living Sculptures.

Bondi Pavilion, September 27-October 11, $25/$20 and free, bondipavilion.com.au

Jessica Wilson’s ticketed interactive project I See You Like This asks children aged six to 12 to style their parents using whimsical props at a studio session (from September 27-30) before the result is professionally photographed. Then from October 2-11, there will be a free exhibition of the images, before the event wraps up with a free weekend on October 10-11 where families can snap their own photographs using the props available.

Australian National Maritime Museum, September 27-October 11, free, sea.museum

While some exhibitions are paid entry, visitors can still enter the maritime museum for free and access many holiday activities. Kids can get busy on a treasure trail, touch Viking tools at the cabinet of curiosities or drop by the book nook to make paper flowers or weave an angelfish. Also worth seeing is the free educational show Slippery Cephalopod Science Circus, which is only on selected dates.

Various locations, until October 11, various prices, sydneyfringe.com

Sydney Fringe Festival’s children’s program runs throughout the school holidays and has a variety of outlandish shows to suit all budgets. Some of the performances that come in at under $25 a ticket for families are the circus experience Ben’s Magical Friends, the interactive and swashbuckling Captain Adventure Man and, for fans of toilet humour, the award-winning Mr Snotbottom’s Stinky Silly Show.

Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, until October 11, free, botanicgardens.org.au

Western Sydney has a new floral festival with a six-week long celebration of colourful blooms. They’re available to view daily and there’s a lovely playground on site situated next door to the garden’s cafe, but weekends will be even more bustling with free children’s craft activities, live music performances and lawn games. There are also food trucks, a pop-up florist and flower-inspired face painting available for $5 per person.

Australian Museum, until October 11, various prices, australian.museum

Before it wraps up, the museum is running a two-for-one special on tickets to their marquee exhibition, Bloodsuckers, which is an informative look at the science of these creepy creatures. Visitors can take part in interactive elements like a mosquito swarm simulator and microscopes for an even closer look. Also at the museum are the incredible images on show at the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition, which opened earlier this month and is free entry.

Carriageworks, September 26-October 18, free on weekdays and $5 on weekends, carriageworks.com.au

Creative collective Box of Birds make immersive spaces that spectacularly blend storytelling with technology, where kids can actually interact with the projected images on the wall. Their latest, Shipwreck Odyssey, draws inspiration from the 1850 wreck of the Jenny Lind sailboat to take a journey through the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Also at Carriageworks is Erth’s Shark Dive: Live on Stage (until October 3), which uses life-sized puppets to tell the story of a girl who meets an injured baby shark, with tickets $25 each.

Customs House, from September 25, free, cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

The annual Little Sydney Lives photography competition invites shutterbugs aged five to 12 to train a lens on their world with both beautiful and surprising results. From 2026’s more than 450 entries, 20 finalists have been chosen and their shots have just gone on display for a year to the general public. Fingers crossed it will leave young attendees feeling inspired to pick up a camera or phone to capture their own friends and family.

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