The 2026 Sydney Festival opens today, marking its 50th year with a program that stretches across the city. Running until Sunday 25 January, the festival activates theatres, streets, parks and public spaces with theatre, dance, music, visual art and large-scale installations.
This anniversary edition arrives at a difficult moment for Sydney. The opening acknowledges a city still processing recent events, and the program reflects that awareness, making room for gathering, reflection and shared experience alongside celebration.
Read more: What’s on in Sydney 2026
Two major public artworks open today. At Barangaroo, HELD by Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson anchors the Blak Out program. Installed on Stargazer’s Lawn, the sculptural vessels respond to Country and remain in place throughout the festival. They will also form the centre of Vigil: Belong on 25 January, the festival’s closing ceremony led by musician and writer Nardi Simpson, with sacred smoke and song marking the end of the program.
At Darling Harbour, Julia Phillips presents Observer, Observed, making its international debut after a year-long installation in New York. Bronze binoculars invite passers-by to look out across the water, while a hidden camera broadcasts the viewer’s eyes to a nearby screen, raising questions about surveillance and spectatorship.
Opening night brings a strong international focus. South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn presents Post-Orientalist Express, a performance featuring eight dancers and over 90 costumes designed by Ahn. Drawing on traditions from Okinawa, Bali and Manila, the work examines Asian stereotypes through dance, humour and excess. At Carriageworks, Travis Alabanza’s BURGERZ arrives in Sydney, combining storytelling and social commentary in a work shaped by resilience.
Running across the full festival, Dear Son brings together reflections from twelve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, including Stan Grant and Troy Cassar-Daley. Adapted for the stage, the production centres on fatherhood, cultural knowledge and masculinity, weaving story, music and movement.
Over the opening weekend and throughout January, the festival moves into public space. Joel Bray’s Garabari transforms the Northern Broadwalk of the Sydney Opera House into an open-air dance floor. City Recital Hall hosts UK singer-songwriter Paris Paloma, while Jannawi Dance Clan premieres Garrigarrang Badu, a new work celebrating Dharug Country and the role of women in carrying culture.
Music features heavily across the program. Lonnie Holley performs across three nights at ACO On The Pier, with each set unfolding differently, including collaborations with Kankawa Nagarra and Sydney artist Yasmina Sadiki. Hot Chip return to the Sydney Opera House for two nights, marking 25 years together, supported by Haiku Hands.
On Saturday, Walsh Bay hosts Live at Hickson Road: Efectos Especiales, a free outdoor work by Argentinian artists Alejo Moguillansky and Luciana Acuña. The performance turns Hickson Road into a live film set, followed by an outdoor afterparty led by Federico Puentes and Tina Disco.
Midway through the festival, Sydney Symphony Under the Stars returns to Tumbalong Park on Saturday 17 January. The anniversary concert opens with an all-Australian program before William Barton joins the orchestra for Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Treaty. Dvořák’s New World Symphony closes the evening, followed by fireworks and archival festival footage.
As the festival continues, major theatre works take focus. Khalid Abdalla’s Nowhere opens at Roslyn Packer Theatre, blending personal history with global events. Sydney Town Hall becomes a roller derby arena for Mama Does Derby, while Conflictorium opens at Carriageworks as a participatory space exploring disagreement and dialogue.
The final week includes the Australian premiere of LACRIMA, written and directed by Caroline Guiela Nguyen, tracing the hidden labour behind a royal wedding gown. Opera Australia presents a reimagined Turandot at the Sydney Opera House, while Western Sydney voices come to the fore in Undercurrent at PHIVE.
Young audiences are also a focus in the closing days. Bangarra Dance Theatre presents The Bogong’s Song: A Call to Country, and Australian Theatre for Young People stages The Censor, handing creative control to children.
Sydney Festival concludes on 25 January with Vigil: Belong at Barangaroo, closing its 50th anniversary edition with ceremony, music and collective reflection.
View the full program here.