Twilight Food Fair has been bringing people together since 1990, when it began as the Noodle Market.
Running across December 2026, January and February 2027, the free, all-ages event will transform one of North Sydney’s much-loved open spaces into a welcoming place for residents, workers, families and visitors to come together and enjoy summer. Bring a picnic rug, grab a bite to eat from one of the food stalls and settle in for a relaxed Friday evening in the park.
Twilight Food Fair has been bringing people together since 1990, when it began as the Noodle Market. Over the decades, it has grown to showcase food from all over the world. This summer, the tradition continues with nine Friday evenings designed to give the community an easy way to catch up, share a meal and spend time together outdoors.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said community events played an important role in creating a sense of belonging and bringing North Sydney’s public spaces to life.
“Our parks and public spaces are at their best when they are places where people can come together, meet their neighbours and feel connected to the community around them.
“Twilight Food Fair is about more than a Friday night out. It creates a welcoming place for residents, workers, families and visitors to gather, share a meal and enjoy being part of North Sydney.
“Free community events like Twilight give us an opportunity to make the most of our beautiful open spaces and create experiences that strengthen our sense of community and belonging.”
Each Friday will feature a changing line-up of food stalls, live music, face painting, roving entertainment and free creative workshops, giving visitors something different to discover throughout the summer.
Twilight Food Fair visitors will also have the chance to get involved in Big Beetle Summer, with free activities in February 2027 exploring art, sustainability and local ecology.
Big Beetle Summer is a community-led public art project celebrating creativity, sustainability and the conservation of Australia’s iconic Christmas Beetles. The project will see 100 kilograms of recycled plastic transformed into Christmas Beetle sculptures. The beetles will be hidden throughout the park all summer, inviting visitors to find them all and learn how they can contribute to the annual Christmas Beetle Count with Invertebrates Australia.
Amy Claire Mills is the textile and installation artist, space maker, and creative producer bringing the Big Beetle Summer to life.
Twilight Food Fair will turn Ted Mack Civic Park into a place to gather, eat, listen, create and explore, celebrating the role North Sydney’s open spaces play in connecting people with their community, creativity and local environment.
Twilight Food Fair 2026–27
Where: Ted Mack Civic Park, North Sydney
When: Fridays, 4pm–7pm
December: 4, 11 and 18 December 2026
January: 8, 15 and 22 January 2027
February: 12, 19 and 26 February 2027
Cost: Free, all ages (food and drinks available to purchase from stalls)
Bring: A picnic rug
Events are weather dependent. Visitors should check Council’s latest event information before attending.
Twilight Food Fair 2026–27: Summer Evenings And Shared Tables In North Sydney
Twilight Food Fair returns to Ted Mack Civic Park for nine free Friday evenings of food, music and community gathering across the North Sydney summer.
As the afternoon light begins to soften over North Sydney, the pace of the day will shift. Office workers finishing for the week, families making plans for the evening and neighbours looking for a reason to linger outdoors will find a familiar meeting place at Ted Mack Civic Park.
From December 2026 to February 2027, the park will host the Twilight Food Fair, a free Friday evening event built around a simple idea: bring people together over food, music and time spent in the open air. Visitors will be able to spread a picnic rug, browse a changing selection of food stalls and settle in as the evening unfolds.
There will be no need to plan an elaborate night out. The appeal of the Twilight Food Fair will lie in its easy rhythm: the chance to meet someone after work, bring the children for an hour or two, or make an ordinary summer Friday feel a little different. Food will provide the starting point, but the broader experience will be shaped by the park itself and the people who gather there.
The 2026–27 season will run across nine Friday evenings, with live music, face painting, roving entertainment and free creative workshops adding to the atmosphere. Alongside the familiar pleasures of an outdoor food fair, a February programme of activities will introduce visitors to Big Beetle Summer, a public art and ecology project celebrating one of Australia's most recognisable summer insects.
For North Sydney, the event will be another opportunity to make a much-loved public space part of everyday community life.
Twilight Food Fair And A Long-Running North Sydney Tradition
The Twilight Food Fair has been bringing people together since 1990, when it began as the Noodle Market. Over the years, the event has developed beyond its original format, reflecting the breadth of food cultures found across Sydney and the way shared meals can create connections between people.
That history gives the fair a place in the local summer calendar. It is not simply a collection of food stalls assembled for a few evenings. Its longevity speaks to the value of accessible community events, particularly those that make it easy for people of different ages and backgrounds to share the same space.
The changing food line-up will remain central to the experience. Visitors can expect stalls offering dishes from around the world, with the selection varying from one Friday to the next. The opportunity to try something unfamiliar will sit alongside the comfort of returning to a favourite stall or sharing a meal with friends.
The format is deliberately informal. Rather than moving through a tightly scheduled programme, visitors will be able to arrive when it suits them, find a place to sit and let the evening take shape. A picnic rug will be as useful as a plan, and the open setting will allow families, groups and solo visitors to find their own pace.
For those who work nearby, the fair will offer a relaxed transition from the working week. For residents, it will be a chance to meet neighbours and enjoy the park in a different way. Visitors from elsewhere in Sydney will find a straightforward reason to spend a Friday evening in North Sydney.
A Park That Becomes A Place To Gather
Ted Mack Civic Park will provide the setting for all nine evenings. Public parks take on a different character after the working day, particularly in summer, when the lingering light encourages people to stay outside a little longer.
At the Twilight Food Fair, the park will become a shared outdoor dining space. The movement between stalls, picnic rugs and entertainment areas will give the evening its natural rhythm. Children will have room to explore, while adults can take their time over a meal or pause to listen to the music.
The event's appeal will come partly from this sense of openness. There will be no expectation that visitors need to arrive for a particular performance or stay for the whole evening. Some may come for dinner and leave soon afterwards; others may make an evening of it, moving between food, activities and the surrounding park.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker has described community events as an important way to build belonging and bring public spaces to life. She said the fair would offer residents, workers, families and visitors a welcoming place to meet, share a meal and feel connected to the community around them.
Her comments point to a broader role for events of this kind. A park is more than a patch of green between streets and buildings. When people use it together, it becomes part of the social fabric of a neighbourhood. Regular gatherings can help make public spaces feel familiar and shared, rather than places people simply pass through.
The Twilight Food Fair will continue that tradition through the summer, giving North Sydney residents and visitors a recurring reason to spend time outdoors.
Food, Music And Activities Across Nine Fridays
The programme will change from week to week, giving regular visitors a reason to return. Food stalls will offer an evolving selection of international dishes, from savoury street food to sweet treats. The range will reflect the fair's long-standing interest in food from different parts of the world, while allowing each evening to develop its own character.
Live music will provide a soundtrack without taking over the gathering. In a park setting, performances become part of the surrounding evening rather than the sole focus. Visitors may stop to listen for a while before returning to their meal, or find a spot on the grass where the music can drift across the space.
Roving entertainers will add movement and surprise, particularly for younger visitors. Face painting and free creative workshops will give children activities beyond the food stalls, while adults can enjoy the opportunity to sit nearby and take in the atmosphere. The mix is intended to make the event accessible to different generations, rather than cater to one particular audience.
That variety is important to the fair's place in the community. A family might arrive early for the children's activities, while colleagues meet after work for dinner. Friends may come later, when the light is fading and the park begins to feel more like an evening gathering place. The same event can accommodate all of these visits without requiring everyone to take part in the same way.
The nine dates are spread across December, January and February, with a break between the January and February sessions. The schedule leaves room for the fair to become a recurring part of the summer, rather than a single crowded occasion.
Big Beetle Summer Brings Art And Ecology Into The Fair
In February 2027, the Twilight Food Fair will also connect with Big Beetle Summer, a community-led public art project exploring creativity, sustainability and local ecology.
The project will see 100 kilograms of recycled plastic transformed into Christmas Beetle sculptures. Created by textile and installation artist, space maker and creative producer Amy Claire Mills, the sculptures will be hidden throughout the park over summer, inviting visitors to search for them and discover more about the insects they represent.
The Christmas beetle is a familiar part of the Australian summer. Its seasonal appearances have long been associated with warmer evenings and the approach of Christmas, although changing environmental conditions have prompted greater attention to the species and its conservation. Big Beetle Summer will use public art as a way to make that subject visible and approachable.
Visitors who find the sculptures will be encouraged to learn how they can contribute to the annual Christmas Beetle Count with Invertebrates Australia. The count offers a way for members of the public to take part in observing and recording these insects, connecting local encounters with a wider picture of their presence.
The project will give the park another layer of activity beyond the food fair itself. Children might discover a beetle while moving between stalls; adults may pause to look more closely at the materials and ideas behind the sculptures. The experience will invite curiosity without turning an evening out into a formal lesson.
There is a natural connection between this work and the setting. A public park is not only a place for recreation but also part of the local environment, supporting plants, insects and other forms of urban wildlife. By placing recycled-material sculptures among the everyday paths and open spaces of Ted Mack Civic Park, Big Beetle Summer will bring questions of sustainability and biodiversity into a familiar community setting.
For the Twilight Food Fair, the collaboration will broaden the meaning of the gathering. Alongside eating, listening and meeting friends, visitors will have an opportunity to engage with a creative project that links local culture to the natural world.
Making The Most Of A Summer Evening In North Sydney
The fair's Friday timing will make it an easy addition to the end of the working week. Running from 4pm to 7pm, each session will begin while there is still daylight and continue into the early evening. In December and January, the longer summer light will allow visitors to arrive before sunset; by February, the changing quality of the evening will bring a slightly different atmosphere.
Ted Mack Civic Park is close to North Sydney's commercial centre, making it accessible for people finishing work nearby as well as those travelling from other parts of the city. Victoria Cross Metro Station is directly across the road from the park, while North Sydney railway station is about a 10-minute walk away. Bus services operate through the surrounding area, and parking is available in nearby streets and at Ridge Street car park, where fees apply.
The location makes the event practical for a spontaneous visit. There is no admission charge, and visitors can decide how long they want to stay. Food and drinks will be available to purchase from stalls, but bringing a picnic rug will help make the most of the park setting.
As with any outdoor event, the weather will have a say in how the evening unfolds. The fair is weather dependent, and visitors should check North Sydney Council's latest event information before setting out. Council also provides a wet-weather information number for updates on whether an event is proceeding.
For those planning to attend with children or visitors with accessibility requirements, it is worth checking the council's event information ahead of time. Accessible toilet facilities are located near Stanton Library, and council can provide further details about access arrangements.
A Community Gathering That Leaves Room For Everyone
The enduring appeal of the Twilight Food Fair is likely to be found in its uncomplicated approach. It creates a reason to use a public space, but leaves visitors free to decide what the evening means to them. A meal shared on the grass can be enough. So can a short visit after work, a children's workshop or a conversation with someone who lives nearby.
The event's history, stretching back to the Noodle Market in 1990, suggests that this kind of gathering has continued to meet a local need. Food offers an immediate point of connection, but the fair also makes space for music, creativity and the everyday encounters that help a neighbourhood feel like a community.
The addition of Big Beetle Summer will extend that invitation into the park's natural surroundings, encouraging visitors to look beyond the stalls and notice the environment around them. It is a reminder that public spaces can support many kinds of shared experience, from a casual dinner to an encounter with local art and ecology.
Across nine Friday evenings, Ted Mack Civic Park will become a place to pause at the end of the week. The sounds of conversation and live music, the movement between food stalls and the sight of picnic rugs spread across the grass will give the North Sydney summer a familiar meeting point.
Some visitors will come for a particular dish, others for the entertainment or the children's activities. Many will simply come to spend an hour outside. As the light fades and the evening settles over the park, the value of the Twilight Food Fair will be in that simple invitation to gather.
Event Details
Where: Ted Mack Civic Park, 220 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2060
When: Fridays, 4pm to 7pm
Dates:
- December 2026: Friday 4, 11 and 18 December
- January 2027: Friday 8, 15 and 22 January
- February 2027: Friday 12, 19 and 26 February
Cost: Free entry. Food and drinks will be available to purchase from stalls.
What to bring: A picnic rug.
Getting there: Victoria Cross Metro Station is directly across the road from the park. North Sydney railway station is approximately a 10-minute walk away. Bus services operate nearby, and parking is available in surrounding streets and at Ridge Street car park, where fees apply.
Weather: Events are weather dependent. Check North Sydney Council's event information before attending. For wet-weather updates, call 02 9936 8272.
Official event information: North Sydney Council – Twilight Food Fair