Ongoing at the Australian Museum. Largest exhibition ever in Australia from State Hermitage, St Petersburg. Over 400 objects, classical antiquity-modern age, Western and non-Western, spanning almost 2500 years. Six main themes: myth of Alexander; his background; the eastern campaign; the Hellenistic cultural legacy; ongoing influences; reinventing Alexander.

January 4-February 10, 2013. Includes: Montreal's Cabaret Decadanse with sassy, sexy puppets; Mario, Queen of the Circus, as a leather-bursting Freddie Mercury; Nate Cooper juggling machetes on roller blades; Marawa cabaret artist/cheeky clown; David O’Mer, ‘Bath Boy’ Adonis, aerial ballet in wet jeans; Captain Frodo bending, contorting, and manipulating his body.

January 5-27, 2013. Annual arts and cultural fest, a month of performing and visual arts, emerging and avant-garde artists: music, theater, dance, installations.

January 8-27, 2013, The Famous Spiegeltent, Honda Festival Garden, Hyde Park. Breathtaking acrobatics, intimate encounters, dark eroticism. Cantina's 7 skilled circus and physical theatre performers blur reality and fantasy, past, present and future, to explore the rapture and torment of desire through illusion, contortion, tightrope acrobatics, and antiquated, bizarre instruments.

January 8-20, 2013 at the Concert Hall. High voltage, theatrical spectacle fuses West End production values with some of the world’s best dancers including Demi Sorono. This international phenomenon has played to sell out crowds in London, Paris, Berlin and Bangkok.

January 10-February 16, 2013 at Mrs MacQuaries Point. 35 nights of films on giant screen; harbor view and skyline backdrop; food, beer/wine, cocktails at Chandon Bar.

January 11 - February 3, 2013. Set in the special hell that is the school dance, the play follows three awkward teens Matthew, Luke and Jonathan, on their hormone-fuelled quest for social acceptability. "This is one for the dorks, the misfits and the wannabe rock gods."

January 12-13, 2013, Sydney Opera House. Armed with tattered wisdom, cheap scotch and unlicensed firearms, they’ll deliver hard-earned cabaret chops to show you how and in what way the once scorching charismageddon of the new generation have morphed into craggy fugitives with a suitcase of regrets and a glass eye. In song.

January 17-20, 2013 at Bulli Showground, Wollongong NSW, an hour south of Sydney. 150 artists in 12 venues; Traditional, World, Celtic, dance, Gypsy Roots, Bluegrass, Spoken Word, Comedy acts. Camping on-site.

February 1 - March 3, 2013. The Tony Award-winner returns to Sydney Mardi Gras 2013 in a bold new production directed by Stephen Colyer (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Paris Letter, Hello Again). Funny and poignant, Harvey Fierstein’s intensely personal collection of three works chronicles a Jewish New York drag-queen’s quest for love, respect and a life of which he can be proud.

February 5 - March 2, 2013. Playful, outrageously funny coming-of-age tale of gay sexual awakening: an 11-year-old farm boy; his God-fearing, chain-smoking Nanna; and his best friend, a depressed giant chicken stand-up comic. He choreographs ribbon dances; 'plays house' with Elliot, a 12 year old pyromaniac down the road; and yearns to to be a TV talent show contestant.

February 10 - March 3, 2013,  Saturday parade (viewing at The Glamstand) & party in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Festival: 3 weeks of LGBTQI events, uniquely queer slant: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Sports, Film, Community, Youth and Social events. Past performers have included John Waters, Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, Armistead Maupin, Kiki and Herb, Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin.

February 15-17, 2013, Domain, Sydney. One of the largest such festivals in the world; film screenings, Tropfest Roughcut line-up of speakers, Trop Jr filmmaking competition and outdoor festival for kids 15 years and younger.

March 3, 2013, noon-10pm at Chinese Laundry. Mayhem, antics and shenanigans, mixed crowd, non-stop dance tunes from the best DJs of Sydney & Melbourne.

March 15-17, 2013 in Katoomba. New music styles, huge range of music, eclectic, brilliant group of performers, magical place in the mountains.

May 24, 25, 2013, 8pm, at State Theatre, Market Street, Sydney. Among most beloved stage/screen performers of all time, to visit Australia for the first time ever, on stage in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. Take a journey through the life and career of one of the world’s most popular icons. In Melbourne May 31st at Arts Centre, Hammer Hall.

Early June 2013 , Red Rattler Theatre, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville. New international film & video festival dedicated to queerotica. Latest/greatest av material representing/catering to queer desires, diverse sexual identities; sensual to lewd, silly to serious, subtle to shameless - the full spectrum of queer erotic imagery; screenings, discussions, parties & play.

June 19-20, 2013, 8pm, State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. The world’s best-known natural history film-maker, naturalist and broadcaster to appear live on stage in Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne in June, taking audiences on a journey through his extraordinary life - with untold stories, the evolution of film techniques and his passion for nature.

August 15 - September 8, 2013. What happened when C.S. Lewis met Sigmund Freud? Australian audiences will soon find out as Freud’s Last Session opens at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Winner of the 2011 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play, Freud’s Last Session tells of an exquisite intellectual duel between two great minds of last century.

August annual events include Sydney Mr Leather. Winner goes on to compete in Mr. Leather Australia & New Zealand, in Melbourne. That winner will compete at International Mr. Leather (IML), Chicago, over following Memorial Day Weekend.

September, 2013, annual open access arts festival; works of independent artists, all creative genres. At: Carriageworks, Seymour Centre Fusebox; & the PACT, Cleveland St, Vanguard, Newtown, Sidetrack, Factory & New Theatres.

Late September, 2013, annual fundraiser for Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras the following February. Great excuse for wild costumes, wilder behavior; diverse, depraved soundtrack, live performances, making this one of the world's biggest gay parties. Read more online.

October 5-12, 2013, 7-night South Pacific cruise, 2,400 gay/lesbian guests, music, cabaret, comedy, intimate venues: DJs Pornstar, Dan Murphy, and Alex Taylor, Trevor Ashley, Bob Downe, the Topp Twins, Kitty Glitter, the Fabulous Singlettes, t-dances and more. Melanesian warmth, French sophistication in Isle of Pines and Noumea, onshore excursions or explorations at your own leisure.

October 13 - 22, 2013, 8-11pm, at Sydney Lyric at The Star, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont. Get ready to dust off your leather jackets, pull on your bobby-socks and take a trip to a simpler time as "bad boy" Danny and "the girl next door" Sandy fall in love all over again. Tickets: $64.90-149.90

New Year's Eve annual 4-day GLBTIQ celebration at Lismore Showgrounds, Lismore NSW. 2 big dance spaces, top DJs + youth dance; pool party, onsite camping, BBQ, cabaret, art shows, recovery party. Queer Fruits Film Festival at Grand Auditorium, 231 Keen St, Lismore.

December 31, 2013. Annual event with big name performers, huge fireworks displays, tens of thousands thronging the famous stretch of sand. 2012 performances included The Chemical Brothers, Fedde LeGrand, and Knife Party.

December 31, 2013, The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. Each year music-lovers and revellers come to one of the best vantage points in the city to experience soaring arias and the fireworks display over the harbour. Also: Opera Australia opens their summer season at Sutherland Theatre.