Sydney Festival 2024: Everything to See, Do & Experience this Festival Season
Mark your calendars! Sydney Festival 2024 has almost arrived, and these are the best things to see, do and experience.
Call us biased, but Sydney is one of the most amazing cities in the world – and it shines brightest in the summertime.
Every year, like clockwork, Sydney Festival reminds us of just how culturally diverse and lively this city is – and 2024’s edition is set to take it up another notch.
The three-week festival kicks off on Friday 5th January, with a steady stream of music, theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, ideas and family events. It’s going to be big. There’s a whopping 150 events across 24 days, with 43 of the events being completely free! In true Sydney Festival style, the schedule features an exceptional line-up of talent, which not only introduces new names to the world but boasts some serious star power.
To help curate your Sydney Festival itinerary, here is a round-up of the best events and things to do.
Sydney Festival 2024: Theatre
BANANALAND
Following the story of Australia's least-loved punk rock protest band that accidentally finds themselves a kiddie-pop phenomenon, this musical comedy promises a good time. With a score by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, the tunes are guaranteed to be top-notch.
Wednesday 3rd January to Sunday 14th January
From $69 (+BF)
Riverside Theatres
Big Name, No Blankets
Presented by Ilibijerri Theatre Company, this rock 'n' roll production explores the legacy of Australian music icons Warumpi Band. Featuring the band's greatest hits and Luritja, Warlpiri and Gumatj/Yolngu Matha languages, the show has been created in collaboration with founding band member Sammy Butcher and the families of Warumpi Band members.
Tickets from $79 (+BF)
Wednesday 10th January to Sunday 14th January
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Are we not drawn onward to new erA
Presented by Belgian theatre innovator Ontroerend Goed, this powerful call to action melds art, theatre, poetry and political protest. Exploring whether our actions can be undone, this production reflects a world poised on the brink.
Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th January
From $79 (+BF)
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Sydney Festival 2024: Music
IL Tabaro
Lovers of opera will adore this free event to be staged aboard The Carpentaria, a historic lightship. The nautical one-act opera by Puccini will be directed by Constantine Costi with a live orchestra and conducted by Simon Bruckard. Passion, desperation and heartbreak are the themes to expect.
Tuesday 9th January to Friday 13th January
Free, reserve your place here
Australian National Maritim Museum
Sydney Symphony Under the Stars: Pictures in the Sky
Nothing says summer quite like a concert in the park and this year's line-up is impeccable. Pack a picnic and spread out your rug before enjoying original works on the didgeridoo by Willia Barton, Aunty Delmade Barton, Véronique Serret and Iva Davies AM, as well as the mesmerising sitar playing of Anoushka Shankar.
Saturday 20th January
Free
The Crescent, Paramatta Park
Sydney Festival 2024: Dance
Encantando
Encantado, choreographed by Rio de Janeiro-based Choreographer Lia Rodrigues, combines dance, art and activism with this vibrant piece. 11 dancers move endlessly to embody the Encantados - the enchanted ones (spirits in Brazil who move between heaven, earth, jungles, rocks and riverbeds) and the threat that human action is placing on these sacred spaces.
Friday 5th January to Wednesday 10th January
Tickets from $59 (+BF)
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Skid
Presented by GöteborgsOperans Danskompani and choreographed by Damien Jalet, this phenomenal performance aims to explore the concept of surrendering, resisting and climbing without the fear of falling. 17 dancers will defy gravity whilst attempting to perform on a 34-degree slope.
Tuesday 23rd January to Sunday 18th January
From $79 (+BF)
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Sydney Festival 2024: Immersive
White Gold
Dance, music, live painting and Cambodian acrobatic arts all come together in this extraordinary Cambodian circus complete with a story. White Gold follows the tale of a boy banished from his village and into the world of hard labour. The group behind the production, Phare, provides free education and training in circus arts, theatre, music and dance to youth in Cambodia.
From $49 (+BF)
Saturday 9th January to Thursday 21st January
York Theatre, Seymour Centre
Night Songs at Coney Island
Head over to Coney Island for a once-in-a-lifetime choral music experience. Artists from the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs and members of the chamber orchestra will perform music by Poulenc, Stravinsky and Mahler.
$110 (+BF)
Monday 22nd January to Thursday 25th January
Pier One, Walsh Bay
Te Wheke-a-Muturangi: The Adversary
Te Wheke is known in Māori mythology for being the giant octopus that was chased by Kupe, the Polynesian fisherman thought to discover Aotearoa New Zealand. Created by Māori artist Lisa Reihana and made from more than 1000 pieces, the floating sculpture is bound to be a sight to behold at any time of day.
Free
Friday 5th January to Sunday 28th January
Watermans Cove, Barangaroo
Sydney Festival 2021: Visual Arts
Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?
This exhibition, the largest of its kind ever seen in Australia, explores Louise Bourgeois' seven-decade career and her representation of the themes of human relationships. Soak in her incredible 1940s Personage sculptures all the way through to her textile works of the 1990s and 2000s.
Saturday 25th November to Sunday 28th April
Tickets from $30
Art Gallery of NSW
Loving this edit of events not to miss at Sydney Festival? Keep up to date with what's going on with our monthly guide and new venue openings.
