Easter in Sydney: The Best Family Events, Egg Hunts and Sweet Treats
Looking for fun things to do in Sydney this Easter long weekend? From egg hunts and family events to viral snacks at the Royal Easter Show, here are a few ideas to help plan your Easter outing.
Easter in Sydney tends to arrive with two things: a long weekend and a sudden city-wide obsession with chocolate. Across the harbour, parks and markets, egg hunts pop up everywhere, children develop impressive sugar stamina, and adults begin a very serious search for the best hot cross buns in town.
If you’re planning to get out and about this Easter, here are a few fun things happening around Sydney — along with a few helpful tips along the way.
The Sydney Royal Easter Show: Come for the Animals, Stay for the Snacks
Every April, Sydney Olympic Park transforms into the Sydney Royal Easter Show, a huge festival that blends agricultural competitions, carnival rides, fireworks, farm animals and enough food stalls to feed a small country.
The show has been running for well over a century and remains one of Sydney’s biggest family traditions.
Kids usually make a beeline for the rides and showbags. Adults say they’re there for the animals. But everyone eventually ends up wandering through the food stalls.
The Viral Food Hunt
In recent years the Easter Show has also become something of a viral food scavenger hunt, with visitors roaming the showgrounds searching for the most talked-about snacks of the season.
One item that has attracted plenty of attention is Fruity Poppin Tanghulu, found in the Showbag Pavilion. These glossy fruit skewers coated in crunchy sugar have become a colourful and very photogenic treat that many visitors hunt down during the show.
But the tanghulu stall is only the beginning. Each year the Easter Show introduces a range of creative carnival foods, from loaded hot chips and oversized burgers to towering milkshakes and colourful dessert cups that are almost as popular on social media as they are with visitors.
Part of the fun is wandering through the stalls to see what new creations appear each year — and deciding which ones are worth joining the queue for.
The Unofficial Easter Show Menu
A visit to the Easter Show rarely goes exactly as planned — especially when it comes to food. You might arrive thinking you’ll just grab a quick snack, but the smell of carnival stalls tends to change those plans fairly quickly. Many visitors end up starting with something fried like a classic dagwood dog, followed not long after by something sweet such as fresh cinnamon donuts, before cooling down with a giant colourful slushy while wandering through the showgrounds and deciding what to try next.
Classic Easter Show Traditions
Food aside, the Easter Show still celebrates its agricultural roots. Some of the most loved attractions include:
• The Animal Nursery, where children can meet baby farm animals
• Woodchopping competitions, which are far more impressive than many people expect
• Sideshow Alley, home to the famous Laughing Clowns game that has entertained visitors for generations
• The Showbag Pavilion, where kids attempt to convince parents that multiple bags of sweets and toys are absolutely essential
Expect plenty of crowds, lots of excitement, and the occasional moment where you wonder how someone managed to carry six showbags and a giant stuffed animal.
Sydney Family Easter Show – Moore Park
If you’re after something similar but slightly smaller, the Sydney Family Easter Show at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park is another great option during the school holidays. The event features carnival rides, live entertainment, animal encounters and plenty of family-friendly activities.
One of the highlights is Sydney’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt, where kids can follow a trail around the showgrounds collecting eggs before entering a draw for a giant Easter prize basket.
Think classic fairground fun — rides, games and chocolate — just with slightly less walking than the Olympic Park version.
The Grounds of Alexandria
For a more picturesque Easter outing, many families head to The Grounds of Alexandria, which is well known for its elaborate seasonal displays.
During Easter the venue often hosts themed decorations, special treats and family activities, including egg hunts for children.
One of the more entertaining traditions is the giant chocolate egg smash, where a large Easter egg is ceremonially cracked open, much to the excitement of kids (and the quiet approval of nearby adults who also enjoy chocolate).
It’s festive, colourful and almost guaranteed to result in plenty of photos.
Darling Square Egg-Stravaganza
If you’re already in the city, Darling Square’s Easter celebrations provide another family-friendly stop.
The Egg-Stravaganza typically features activities such as scavenger hunts, jumping castles and free face painting, with kids exploring the precinct searching for hidden Easter surprises.
There are usually colourful installations, roaming entertainment and plenty of cafés nearby, making it an easy place to spend a relaxed afternoon.
Children happily search for eggs while parents enjoy coffee and a moment to relax between the excitement.
The Adventurous Option: Easter on the Harbour Bridge
If you’re looking for a memorable Easter activity, BridgeClimb Sydney occasionally takes things to another level — literally.
Special Easter climbs have featured the Easter Bunny appearing on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with climbers spotting hidden eggs along the way while taking in the famous harbour views.
Chocolate and Sydney Harbour 134 metres above the water are certainly not your average egg hunt.
Or… Stay Home
Of course, Easter doesn’t have to involve crowds, queues or a competitive search for viral desserts.
Sometimes the best plan is a backyard egg hunt, a relaxed lunch with family and maybe a few hot cross buns.
After all, the real goal of Easter is simple: good food, good company and a long weekend to enjoy both.
And if that backyard happens to belong to a home you absolutely love — well, that’s always a pretty good place to spend Easter.
