Editing Culture of Sydney

{{Short description|Overview of cultures in Sydney, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
[[File:Sydney Opera House - Dec 2008.jpg|thumb|340px|right|[[Sydney Opera House]], one of the most visited concert halls in the world, illuminated at night]]

The '''cultural life of Sydney''' is dynamic and multicultural. Many of the individual cultures that make up the Sydney mosaic are centred on the cultural, artistic, ethnic, linguistic and religious communities formed by waves of immigration. Sydney is a major [[global city]] with a vibrant scene of musical, theatrical, visual, literary and other artistic activity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Essential Guide to Arts & Culture in Sydney|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-essential-guide-to-arts-culture-in-sydney/SgVx2OkNSV4aJA|access-date=2022-02-18|website=Google Arts & Culture|language=en}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Sydney}}
{{See also|Demographics of Sydney}}
[[Sydney]] has a long rich cultural history. It is located in the [[traditional custodian]] lands of the [[Gadigal people]] who originally settled in the area at least 60,000 years ago. After the arrival of the [[First Fleet]] in 1788, a series of cultures emerged and adapted from European and American influences in needs of a modern-class city. New terrace houses began to develop from the 1830s, shaping the adaptation of Sydney's cultural lifestyle.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Following the end of [[World War I]], new forms of culture processed a mix of Sydney's cultural diversity, on bases of ethnicity, age and gender.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Currently, Sydney has transformed into a modern complex cosmopolitan society. It endures a vibrant arts scene in distinction to multicultural heritage and provides dozens of institutions, including its [[UNESCO World Heritage Site|world heritage-listed]] [[Sydney Opera House|opera house]].{{cn|date=May 2024}}

Some sections of Sydney constitute the areas of European settlement, including [[Circular Quay]] and [[The Rocks, New South Wales|The Rocks]], which exist as a remainder of a culture by brought by [[Convicts in Australia|British convict settlers]].{{cn|date=May 2024}}

==Arts and entertainment==
===Performing arts ===
[[File:State theater - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|Art deco entrance to the [[State Theatre (Sydney)|State Theatre]], [[Market Street, Sydney|Market Street]]]]
The [[Sydney Festival]], held each year in January, is Sydney's and Australia's biggest performing arts festival, incorporating classical and contemporary music, theatre, visual arts, and new media.
[[File:Capitol theatre.jpg|thumb|[[Capitol Theatre, Sydney|Capitol Theatre]], [[Haymarket, New South Wales|Haymarket]]]]

The [[Sydney Theatre Company]] shows a regular roster of Australian (by authors such as noted playwright [[David Williamson]]), classic, and international plays. Their productions occasionally incorporate the return to the live stage of famous Australian screen actors such as [[Cate Blanchett]], [[Hugo Weaving]], [[Geoffrey Rush]], etc. The [[Wharf Theatre]], the [[Sydney Theatre]], the Drama Theatre of the Opera House and the [[Belvoir Street Theatre]] (the home of [[Belvoir (theatre company)|Company B]]) are some of the main live theatre venues. The [[Bell Shakespeare Company]], directed by [[John Bell (Australian actor)|John Bell]], specialises in Shakespearean drama, with forays into modern plays such as [[Heiner Müller]]'s 'Titus Andronicus'.

Sydney has several independent theatres for productions throughout the city centre including the [[Capitol Theatre, Sydney|Capitol Theatre]] (est. 1928, 2,000 seats), the [[The Star, Sydney|Lyric Theatre]] (2,000 seats), the [[Theatre Royal, Sydney|Theatre Royal]] (Est. 1827, 1,200 seats) and the [[State Theatre (Sydney)|State Theatre]] (est. 1929, 2,000 seats but stage not big enough for large productions).

From the 1940s to the 1970s the [[Sydney Push]], an intellectual subculture of authors and activists questioning of authority, including [[Germaine Greer]], was active.

The [[Sydney Dance Company]] under the leadership of [[Graeme Murphy]] has put on contemporary productions since the late 20th century. The [[Australian Ballet]], whose headquarters are in [[Melbourne]], performs regularly in Sydney.

Every May at the anniversary of the Concordia German Club, which was founded in 1883 and every Christmas the Concordia German Choir performs at the German Club in Tempe. The Choir specializes in German folk songs.

=== Music ===
[[File:City Recital Hall, Sydney.jpg|upright|thumb|[[City Recital Hall]], Angel Place]]
''<nowiki/>'O! Sydney I Love You''' was the winner of a song writing competition organized by ''[[The Sun (Australia)|The Sun]]'' newspaper. Emily Harris studio dance recorded the song in 1927.<ref name="nfsa">National Film and Sound Archive: [https://nfsa.gov.au/collection/sound/sounds-australia/songs-about-towns-and-places/#sydney Does your town have its own song?]</ref> ''Sydney'' was recorded by Maurice Chenoweth around the same time.<ref name="nfsa"/> ''My City of Sydney'' was performed by [[Tommy Leonetti]] on Channel 9 during the 1970s as the station shut down for the evening.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The days when Tommy Leonetti sang Sydney to sleep… {{!}} Cultured Views Cultured Views|url = https://www.culturedviews.com/the-days-when-tommy-leonetti-sang-sydney-to-sleep/2008/10/19/view.htm|website = www.culturedviews.com|access-date = 18 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170415013544/https://www.culturedviews.com/the-days-when-tommy-leonetti-sang-sydney-to-sleep/2008/10/19/view.htm|archive-date = 15 April 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref>

The [[Sydney Symphony]] is internationally renowned and regularly performs in the Concert Hall (2,600 seats) of the [[Sydney Opera House]] under Chief Conductor [[Vladimir Ashkenazy]] (until 2013) and, as of 2014, [[David Robertson (conductor)|David Robertson]]. [[City Recital Hall]] is dedicated mainly to chamber music and chamber orchestra concerts, featuring many famous international artists as well as concert series by local groups such as the [[Australian Chamber Orchestra]] and Sydney's foremost Baroque orchestra, the [[Australian Brandenburg Orchestra]].

[[Opera Australia]], as at 2015 the world's third-busiest opera company,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Bachtrack: Opera Australia is world's 3rd busiest company|url = https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/backtrack-reveals-2015-classical-music-rankings|website = www.limelightmagazine.com.au|access-date = 18 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160117194102/https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/backtrack-reveals-2015-classical-music-rankings|archive-date = 17 January 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref> has its headquarters in Sydney and performs a busy program of mainly classical and occasionally contemporary operas at the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.

New experimental and avant-garde music is performed by [[Ensemble Offspring]], Halcyon, The Noise and others, at the recently refurbished [[Carriageworks]] and many small inner-city cafes, warehouses, theatres etc. [[Liquid Architecture]], [[What Is Music]] and [[The NOW now]] are annual festivals and ongoing series of contemporary music and [[sound art]].

Jazz and alternative music (such as Sydney-based [[The Necks]]) are played at The Basement and Jazz at 72, and formerly at the now defunct Harbourside Brasserie. The Sound Lounge (SIMA), Jazzgroove, 505<ref>''The Guardian'', 19th march 2022: "Farewell to 505, curtains close on one of Australia's most important [https://theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/20/farewell-to-505-curtains-close-on-one-of-australias-most-important-jazz-clubs]</ref> and Red Rattler host regular jazz and alternative music events.

Many well-known Australian [[rock music|rock]] bands and solo artists began their careers in Sydney. Various Sydney inductees into the [[ARIA Hall of Fame]] include [[Johnny O'Keefe]], [[Col Joye]] (& The Joy Boys), [[Billy Thorpe]] (the original Aztecs formed in Sydney), [[The Easybeats]], [[Sherbet (band)|Sherbet]], [[Richard Clapton]], [[John Paul Young]], [[AC/DC]], [[Radio Birdman]], [[Midnight Oil]], [[Rose Tattoo]], [[Mental As Anything]], [[INXS]], [[Icehouse (band)|Icehouse]] and [[Divinyls]].

Other notable acts include early rockers [[Lonnie Lee]] & the Leemen, [[Dig Richards]] & The R'Jays and [[Johnny Rebb]] & The Rebels, surf group [[The Atlantics]], beat groups [[Ray Brown & The Whispers]], [[The Missing Links (band)|The Missing Links]] and [[The Throb]]. The 1970s saw "progressive" acts like [[Tamam Shud]], [[Tully (band)|Tully]] and [[Blackfeather]] emerge, followed by glam groups [[Hush (band)|Hush]] & [[Ted Mulry Gang]].

Sydney is famous for its alternative rock scene, with such names as [[The Celibate Rifles]], [[indie rock]]ers [[The Clouds (Australian band)|The Clouds]], [[The Vines (band)|The Vines]], [[Longreef]] and [[The Crystal Set]], to [[electronic music]] pioneers [[Severed Heads]], [[Single Gun Theory]], [[The Lab (band)|The Lab]], [[Itch-E and Scratch-E]] and local favourites [[Sneaky Sound System]]. Sydney is the original home of the now national alternative rock festival the [[Big Day Out]], which began in Sydney in 1992 featuring local bands such as [[You Am I]] and [[The Clouds (Australian band)|The Clouds]] and international groups like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]].

Other notable bands from the Sydney music scene are [[Angelspit]], [[Wolfmother]], [[Thy Art Is Murder]], and [[5 Seconds of Summer]].

Sydney has a prominent indie or lo-fi scene which features many rising, internationally touring bands such as Royal Headache, Circle Pit, Electric Flu and Raw Prawn. While not as widespread as Melbourne's 'scene', Sydney tends to have a mass of tight-knit groups of bands that will tour together, most of which are on the same record label(s).

[[File:Sydney Opera House - Inside 2.jpg|600px|center|thumb|The interior of the Concert Hall at the [[Sydney Opera House]]]]

===Film===

Sydney is Australia's centre for commercial film and media. Many of the landmarks in Sydney have been referenced, shown and been the setting for countless films and television programs. Many films have been set in the city, including ''[[Finding Nemo]]'', which was set in [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]]. The city was used as downtown ''Angel Grove'' in [[20th Century Fox]]'s ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie]]'' ''(1995)''. [[The Matrix]] was also filmed in Sydney.

The international [[Sydney Film Festival]] takes place each year in June at various venues in the CBD.

Other film festivals in Sydney include the renowned short film festivals [[Tropfest]] and [[Flickerfest]].

=== Children's entertainment ===
A large portion of Australia's children's entertainment originates in Sydney including highly successful musical groups [[The Wiggles]] and [[Hi-5 (Australian group)|Hi-5]] and television programs ''[[Play School (Australian TV series)|Play School]]'', ''[[Bananas in Pyjamas]]'', ''[[Saturday Disney]]'', ''[[Skippy the Bush Kangaroo]]'', ''[[Mr. Squiggle]]'' and many others.

== Museums ==
{{Main|List of museums in Sydney}}
[[File:(1)Australian Museum.jpg|thumb|left|[[Australian Museum]]]]

Sydney has been home to many visual artists, from the lush pastoralism of [[Lloyd Rees]] depictions of Sydney Harbour to [[Jeffrey Smart]]'s portraits of bleak urban alienation, from the psychedelic visions of [[Brett Whiteley]] to a plethora of contemporary artists.

Sydney has a range of museums including those based on [[visual art]] such as the [[Museum of Contemporary Art Australia|Museum of Contemporary Art]], the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], [[Artspace Visual Arts Centre|Artspace]], [[White Rabbit Gallery]], [[CarriageWorks|Carriageworks]], and the [[Brett Whiteley Studio]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/visit/brett-whiteley-studio/|title=Brett Whiteley Studio &#124; Art Gallery of NSW|website=www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au}}</ref> science and technology such as the [[Powerhouse Museum]], [[Sydney Observatory]], [[Sydney Tramway Museum]], [[Australian National Maritime Museum]] and [[Australian Museum]]; and history such as the [[Museum of Sydney]] and [[Chau Chak Wing Museum]].

The [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]] (AGNSW), alongside major collections of Australian colonial and 20th-century art and some works by European masters, has the largest and most important collection of [[Indigenous Australian art|Aboriginal art]] anywhere in the world. The [[Archibald Prize]] for portraiture (Australia's most prestigious art prize), the [[Sulman Prize]] for subject/genre painting and the [[Wynne Prize]] for landscape painting are awarded each year by the trustees of the AGNSW.

The [[Museum of Contemporary Art Australia|Museum of Contemporary Art]] (MCA) at West Circular Quay is Australia's foremost contemporary art museum, featuring a mixture of exhibitions from the museum's permanent collection and visiting shows by major international artists. The [[Biennale of Sydney]] is an important festival dedicated to the contemporary visual arts, held bi-annually at the MCA and at various other venues around the city and often spilling into the streets. Another visual arts festival held at the MCA each spring is [[Primavera (Sydney art festival)|Primavera]], a festival focusing on young, up-and-coming Australian artists.

A huge wrap-around mural by renowned American artist [[Sol LeWitt]] can be seen in the foyer of [[Australia Square Tower]] on the corner of George, Bond and Pitt Streets. Outside the tower, facing George Street, there is a large abstract steel sculpture by American sculptor [[Alexander Calder]].

There are many commercial galleries focusing mainly on cutting-edge contemporary art all around the inner city suburbs of [[Woollahra]], [[Newtown, New South Wales|Newtown]], [[Surry Hills]], [[Paddington, New South Wales|Paddington]], [[Darlinghurst]], [[Camperdown, New South Wales|Camperdown]] etc.

[[Graffiti]] and [[street art]] thrive in Sydney. The Newtown, Surry Hills and [[Glebe, New South Wales|Glebe]] areas in particular have many innovative examples of [[Newtown area graffiti and street art|murals and other street art]].

A recent addition is Art Month Sydney, a month-long festival of the visual arts held throughout March and the annual Art & About Sydney Festival.

<gallery class="center"> 
File:Art Gallery of New South Wales 08.jpg|The [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]]
File:Museum of Sydney (1).jpg|The [[Museum of Sydney]]
File:Powerhouse entry.jpg|The entry to the [[Powerhouse Museum]]
</gallery>

== Literature and libraries ==
[[File:State Library of New South Wales Reading Room 2017.jpg|thumb|right|Reading Room, State Library of New South Wales]]
The [[Sydney Writers' Festival]] based in Walsh Bay, is held each year in May, featuring readings and discussions by Australian and international writers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = About SWF|url = https://www.swf.org.au/about-us/|website = www.swf.org.au|access-date = 18 January 2016}}</ref> An array of novels have used Sydney as a setting, notably [[Ruth Park]]'s ''[[The Harp in the South]]'', which charts the slums of 1930s–40s Sydney, [[Christina Stead]]'s ''[[Seven Poor Men of Sydney]]'' which addresses a similar theme of life in the poor neighbourhoods, and [[Elizabeth Harrower (writer)|Elizabeth Harrower]]'s ''[[Down in the City]]''–set in a [[Kings Cross, Sydney|King's Cross]] apartment in the late 1950s. More contemporary examples include [[Melina Marchetta]]'s ''[[Looking for Alibrandi (novel)|Looking for Alibrandi]]'', [[J. M. Coetzee]]'s ''[[Diary of a Bad Year]]'', [[Peter Carey (novelist)|Peter Carey]]'s ''[[30 Days in Sydney]]'', [[Patrick White]]'s ''[[The Eye of the Storm (novel)|The Eye of the Storm]]'' and [[Kate Grenville]]'s ''[[The Secret River]]''. Prolific writers from the city include [[Geraldine Brooks (writer)|Geraldine Brooks]], [[Jackie French]], [[Kathy Lette]], [[Phillip Knightley]] and [[Richard Neville (writer)|Richard Neville]].

The largest library in Sydney is the [[State Library of New South Wales]], which holds over 4.7 million items, including two million books, and hosts free exhibitions in its gallery spaces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about-library/publications/annual-reports|title=Annual Reports|first=Sydney|last=scheme=AGLSTERMS. AglsAgent; corporateName=State Library of New South Wales; address=Macquarie Street|date=12 August 2015|website=State Library of NSW}}</ref> Most local government areas within Sydney have local libraries including the [[City of Sydney Library]] with eight local branches, the Bankstown City Library,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Library/default.aspx |title=Bankstown City Library |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=19 May 2009 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090519000443/https://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Library/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> the Max Webber Library in [[Blacktown]] and many others.

== Tourism ==
{{main|Tourism in Sydney}}
[[File:Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney, Australia (Unsplash).jpg|thumb|The observation deck of the [[Sydney Tower]] boasts views of the CBD and city surrounds.]]
Many of the tourist attractions are scattered all over the city, the most famous and visited being the [[Sydney Opera House]] and the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]. Other attractions include the [[Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney|Royal Botanical Gardens]], the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], the [[Museum of Contemporary Art Australia|Museum of Contemporary Art]], [[White Rabbit Gallery]] and [[Sydney Tower]].

Sydney's nightlife has declined since the introduction of [[Sydney lockout laws|lockout laws]], which call for 1.30am lockouts and 3am last drinks. Prior to the introduction of the laws, Kings Cross was known as the city's [[red-light district]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/kings-cross-ghost-town-lockout-laws-turning-off-sydneys-red-light-as-businesses-flee/news-story/067d518f40308dd2ee8424e038312a8b|title=Kings Cross ghost town: Lockout laws turning off Sydney's red light as businesses flee|first=Ashleigh|last=Gleeson|newspaper=[[Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|date=11 June 2016|access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> There are huge celebrations for [[New Year's Eve]] and [[Australia Day]] in Sydney, including a fireworks display that features the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge|Harbour Bridge]].

Many festivals are held in Sydney, including the [[Sydney Festival]], a celebration of partly free performances throughout January; [[Vivid Sydney]], a festival of light and music held annually in May–June; the [[Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras|Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras]] (see below); the annual [[Sydney Film Festival]] and many smaller festivals such as [[Tropfest]].

There are also several music festivals including [[Big Day Out]], [[Homebake]], [[The Great Escape (festival)|The Great Escape]], and [[Stereosonic]].

== Sport ==
{{Main|Sport in New South Wales}}
Sport is an important part of the culture in Sydney. [[New South Wales]] has attracted many international multi-sport events including the [[2000 Summer Olympics]], held in Sydney. Sydney was also the host of the [[1938 British Empire Games]]. The Olympic Stadium, now known as [[Stadium Australia|ANZ Stadium]], is the scene of the annual [[NRL Grand Final]]. It also regularly hosts rugby league State of Origin as well as [[rugby union]] and soccer internationals. It hosted the final of the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]] and the memorable soccer [[2006 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (play-off CONMEBOL-OFC)|qualifier]] between [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]] and [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]].

The [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] traditionally hosts the 'New Year' cricket [[Test cricket|test match]] from 2–6 January each year. The annual [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race]] begins in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, whilst the climax of Australia's [[touring car racing]] series is the [[Bathurst 1000]], held at the [[Mount Panorama Circuit]] near the city of [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]] in the Western Plains.

The Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival features the richest two-year-old horse race in the world, the [[Golden Slipper]] Stakes, which is run in April every year. The [[Medibank International]] tennis tournament is held in January prior to the [[Australian Open]]. The [[City2Surf (Sydney)|City to Surf]] foot race is held every August and is one of the largest timed foot races in the world.
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/assets/pubs/industry/sportandphysicalactivity.pdf |title=Sport and physical |access-date=1 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430074339/https://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/assets/pubs/industry/sportandphysicalactivity.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2013 }}</ref>

===Rugby===
[[Rugby league]] football has a place with some Sydneysiders, as a sporting and a tradition within the city. This stems back from the earlier colonial days of the city where the city and its cultural were largely dictated by wealthy Englishmen whom traditionally played and were supporters of the Rugby code of [[football]], which was largely advertised and passed on to the people of Sydney, including the [[working class]] who in back in England largely played soccer. The game quickly grew a working-class following, and has been a Sydney tradition ever since.

The headquarters of the [[Australian Rugby League]] and [[National Rugby League]] (NRL) are in Sydney, which is home to nine of the 16 NRL football clubs ([[Sydney Roosters]], [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]], [[Parramatta Eels]], [[Cronulla Sharks]], [[Wests Tigers]], [[Penrith Panthers]], [[Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs|Bulldogs]] and [[Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles]]), as well as being the northern home of the [[St George Illawarra Dragons]], which is half-based in [[Wollongong]].

Sydney has a local club rugby union competition (the [[Shute Shield]]), and a [[Super Rugby]] team the [[NSW Waratahs]], who play their games in the city and represent the entire state of New South Wales. They were represented in the defunct [[Australian Rugby Championship]] by [[Sydney Fleet]], [[Greater Sydney Rams#ARC: Western Sydney Rams|Western Sydney Rams]] and [[Central Coast Rays]]. The [[National Rugby Championship]] has four NSW teams: [[Sydney Stars]], [[Greater Sydney Rams]], [[North Harbour Rays]] and [[NSW Country Eagles]]. The [[Australian Rugby Union]] headquarters are located in Sydney. The Waratahs play out of the [[Sydney Football Stadium (2022)|Sydney Football Stadium]], and when in Sydney the [[Australia national rugby union team|Wallabies]] play out of [[Stadium Australia]].

===Australian rules football===
{{main|Australian rules football in New South Wales}}
[[Image:Sydney swans af grand final side.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sydney Swans]] [[Australian Football League|AFL]] team]]

[[Australian rules football]], commonly known as [[Australian Football League]] (AFL),<ref>{{cite web|author=Rohan Connolly |url=https://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/name-of-the-game-is-up-in-the-air-in-nsw-20120321-1vkbw.html |title=Name of the game is up in the air in NSW |publisher=Smh.com.au |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=21 August 2013}}</ref> is a developing game in most of NSW with increasing popularity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://realfooty.com.au/news/news/we-love-aussie-rules/2007/06/19/1182019117471.html |title=AFL News |publisher=Real Footy |access-date=21 August 2013 |archive-date=4 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204073341/https://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/we-love-aussie-rules/2007/06/19/1182019117471.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Sydney, local competitions established in 1880 and again in 1903 competed with rugby union football and then rugby league football.<ref>{{cite book | author= Ken Piesse| title=The Complete Guide to Australian Football | publisher =Pan Macmillan Australia | year=1995 | isbn=0-330-35712-3 | pages=200–201}}</ref>

The AFL has two teams from Sydney, the [[Sydney Swans]] and the [[Greater Western Sydney Giants]]. Formerly South Melbourne, the Swans moved up to Sydney in 1982, after hitting financial trouble. The Swans have won two premierships since moving to Sydney (in 2005 and 2012). Attendance for Swans matches has slowly risen since their relocation. The Giants, based in Western Sydney and [[Canberra]], joined the AFL in 2012. The inaugural [[AFL Women's]] in 2017 included a GWS Giants team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://afl.com.au/cp2/c2/webi/article/205058bu.pdf|title=AFL website}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Soccer===
[[Image:Sydney-Galaxy-homebush.jpg|thumb|right|Sydney FC playing the [[Los Angeles Galaxy]] at [[Stadium Australia|ANZ Stadium]] during 2007.]]
Whilst having a strong sporting tradition in the field of Rugby League, Sydney also has a long and strong tradition in [[association football]]. Early football clubs in Sydney were relatively small, and did not have very large followings, and like the general population of Sydney in the late 1800s the clubs were largely English in nature, but when the Australian government began its [[immigration]] policy in years closely following [[World War II]], many immigrants left Europe in search of new homes in Sydney, and Australia in general. These migrant groups who were subject to racism from the existing population took it upon themselves to found their own football clubs, celebrating their particular ethnic communities.

The three largest such clubs were founded by the three largest post war immigration groups respectively, they are: [[Marconi Stallions Football Club]] (Italian), [[Sydney Olympic Football Club]] (Greek), and [[Sydney United Football Club]] (Croatian). Along with these larger clubs, there are also many smaller clubs formed by ethnic groups, who also bare suburban names, such as [[Bankstown City Lions Football Club]] (Macedonian), [[Bonnyrigg White Eagles]] (Serbian), [[Parramatta Eagles]] (Maltese), and [[St. George Saints Football Club]] (Hungarian). These "ethnic" clubs soon began to dominate football in Sydney, drawing large crowd support from their given ethnic groups, and having their fair share of on field success too.

In 2005, a new club was founded in Sydney called [[Sydney FC]], who were to be based in central Sydney as opposed to being based at a small suburban stadium, and were founded specifically to attract a multicultural following. They were entered in a new league to be known as the [[A-League]], this would act as the show piece national football competition, contested by similarly formed clubs from other large cities around Australia. In the first 6 years of their existence, Sydney FC have been relatively successful building up a solid support base of around 10,000 members, and sometimes attracting crowds of up to 40,000.

===Cricket===
The [[NSW cricket team|NSW Blues]] are by far the most successful domestic cricket side in Australia having won the First-class competition 44 times and the One-Day Domestic cup nine times. They occasionally play first-class matches against touring International sides. The team's main home ground is the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]]. In the [[Twenty20]] [[Big Bash League]] and [[Women's Big Bash League]], the state is represented by the [[Sydney Sixers]], playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the [[Sydney Thunder]], playing at the [[Sydney Showground Stadium|Sydney Showground]].

===Basketball and netball===
The [[Sydney Kings]] and [[Wollongong Hawks]] are the state's representatives in the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League]] (NBL). These teams have all featured in the finals series since 2002–03, the Kings winning 3 consecutive premierships in 2002–03, 2003–04 & 2004–05. There are 12 teams in the New South Wales conference of the [[Australian Basketball Association]], the [[Waratah League]]. The [[Sydney Uni Flames]] play in the [[Women's National Basketball League]]. [[Greater Western Sydney Giants Netball|Giants Netball]] were formed when the [[Greater Western Sydney Giants]] football club were given one of the three licenses for new teams for the first season of the Super Netball league in 2017.

== Communities and subcultures ==
[[File:Rainbow Crossing.jpg|thumb|The original temporary [[rainbow crossing]] on Oxford St (April 2013)]]
=== Multicultural communities ===
Areas with a large proportion of people born overseas and with non-English speaking backgrounds include Auburn, Fairfield, Liverpool, and Bankstown. Generally [[Western European]] and North American born people have settled around the Lower North Shore, eastern suburbs and Sutherland Shire, the [[Portuguese Australian|Portuguese]] in [[Surry Hills]], [[Arabs|Arab people]] around the Lakemba-Auburn region, [[Indonesian Chinese|Indo-Chinese]] in the south-western suburbs, South Asians around Parramatta and the south east, and North East Asians in major nodes such as Hurstville, Burwood, Ashfield, Strathfield, Chatswood, Eastwood, Campsie and Haymarket.

=== LGBTIQ community ===
[[File:Sydney Mardi Gras 2006.jpg|right|thumb|Street Performers in the 2006 Sydney Mardi Gras]]

Sydney has a significant [[LGBTIQ+ people in Australia|LGBTIQ+ community]], centred on [[Oxford Street, Sydney|Oxford Street]], and holds the annual  [[Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras]]. The Sydney lesbian community, though still active around Oxford Street, is well established and visible in Newtown and [[Enmore, New South Wales|Enmore]] in Sydney's [[Inner West]]. There is also a history of lesbian community congregating in Leichhardt, and other inner west suburbs. The Qtopia Sydney museum, which is situated in the former [[Darlinghurst]] police station, hosts exhibits relating to Australian LGBTQ history and the [[HIV/AIDS in Australia|AIDS epidemic]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bowring|first=Declan|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-23/queer-museum-qtopia-opens-in-old-darlinghurst-police-station/103504230|title=Sydney's first queer museum Qtopia opens at permanent site in Darlinghurst police station|date=23 February 2024|website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>

There are two magazines available in Sydney and one website with detailed information on Sydney's lesbian community and night-life.  ''LOTL''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lotl.com/|title=Lesbian news, bisexuals and queer women, LOTL|website=LOTL}}</ref> and ''Cherry''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cherrie.e-p.net.au/ |title=Home - Cherrie - Entertainment, lifestyle and politics for lesbians and queer women |access-date=2 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231075132/https://cherrie.e-p.net.au/ |archive-date=31 December 2008 }}</ref> magazines are free, monthly, Australia wide, publications which can be found around Oxford Street, Glebe and Newtown. The Sapphic Sydney website was a resource which detailed events and community groups as well as featuring a local business directory.

There is also a thriving independent queer publishing community in Sydney publishing magazines such as ''Slit'', ''Dirty Queer'', and ''Spunk''.

== See also ==
* [[Architecture of Sydney]]
* [[Culture of Melbourne]]
* [[Culture of Auckland]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Culture of Sydney}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090219001421/https://sapphicsydney.com.au/ Sapphic Sydney – The Lesbian Guide to Sydney]
* [https://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/museums Arts and Cultural Attractions in Sydney]
{{Sydney}}
{{Music of Australia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Sydney}}
[[Category:Culture of Sydney| ]]