Over 30 Shows Announced for Bondi Pavilion’s 2026 Artistic Program
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Waverley Council has announced the Bondi Pavilion 2026’s Artistic Program, which will be its largest and most vibrant celebration of creativity and culture to date, featuring a diverse range of more than 30 events, including theatre, music, festivals, visual art, comedy, and free outdoor performances.
“I’m delighted to be launching our 2026 Artistic Program at Bondi Pavilion. With events for and by everyone from the very, very young to the young at heart, audiences can expect to savour a season of cabaret, comedy, theatre, dance, music, author talks and visual art,” said Artistic Director Chris Bendall.
The Bondi Pavilion’s annual Artistic Program offers the community a season filled with theatre, music, visual art, festivals, and community events, held across the Pavilion’s various spaces. Each season contains a mix of emerging and well-known artists, transforming the beachfront venue into one of Sydney’s premier platforms for performance and showcasing creativity.
“Over the past year, we’ve celebrated the natural environment across our program. In 2026, we’re adjusting our lens to interrogate, and celebrate, human nature in all our rich diversity. We’ve assembled an outstanding array of artists, who are all set to delight, challenge and inspire audiences at our iconic home where culture meets the sea,” said Bendall.
“It is my great pleasure to unveil an extraordinary program of arts and culture offerings at our iconic Bondi Pavilion. At Waverley Council we are fully committed to uplifting the arts and fostering local creativity as much as possible, and we warmly invite you all to enjoy the smorgasbord of talent we’ve collated for 2026. Just a stone’s throw from the extraordinary, picturesque Bondi Beach, there truly is something for everybody,” said the Mayor of Waverley, Will Nemesh.
The summer program
The program launches in January with Waverider, a large-scale outdoor performance in partnership with the Sydney Festival, that combines acrobatics, surfing lifestyles, and ocean-inspired theatre. Families can also explore Deep Sea Divers, performances filled with puppets, alongside kids’ workshops running. Additionally, Curtain Call, a new exhibition by Lauren Brincat, will be available for viewing.
February turns the Pavilion over to First Nations artists. Noongar musician Bumpy brings her fusion of jazz, funk, folk, and R&B with The Kanana Tour, followed by drag artist Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz) with TINA: A Tropical Love Story, a cabaret-style celebration of Tina Turner.
The autumn program
Guests in autumn can see One Fell Swoop Circus perform In Common. Moreover, International Women’s Day is marked with Amplify, featuring The Buoys, and is a day of live music curated by Lily Richardson, featuring bands, DJs, and gender-diverse artists.
The season also includes a new photographic exhibition, Broken Glass and Blue Bottles, as well as comedy theatre productions, AUTO-TUNE and Life, Oh Life.
The winter program
The Pavilion’s annual jazz program will include artists such as Sandy Evans, Freyja Garbett, and trio Lisathe. ARIA Award–winning songwriter Alex Lloyd will perform highlights from his album Echoes of Home, followed by the world premieres of Annalouise Paul’s flamenco performance, Self Portrait, and Jonny Pasvolsky’s theatrical class of self-improvement culture, The CAN Principle.
Winter also brings the return of the Bondi Festival, alongside youth music program Bondi WAVE, the 40th Waverley Art Prize, and ARTEXPRESS.
In addition to the artistic performances, the Bondi Festival will again feature its Ferris wheel on the beachfront.
Babies and their families will also get the opportunity to be a part of an immersive, sensory theatre experience with An Uncertain Time.
The spring program
Tupua Tigafua’s award-winning dance, Shel We, will be presented in the springtime. Additionally, Jessica Wilson’s I See You Like This is expected to transform children into art directors, reimagining their parents’ faces as living canvases.
No Small Talk, a comedy show by Anisa Nandaula, will take place as part of the spring performance lineup. The beloved children’s duo The Listies will also be performing, This Show is a Joke!.
Waverly’s inaugural Bondi Writers’ Festival will also take place, bringing together authors, experts, and storytellers across a weekend of workshops and book-centered conversations.
Beyond the 2026 Artistic Program, Bondi Pavilion will host ongoing film screenings of major stage productions, free lunchtime concerts, the Sunshine Singers community choir, a Talks & Ideas event, artist talks, and the 25th anniversary edition of the Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award.
Tickets and the complete 2026 program information are now available through the Bondi Pavilion website.
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