Carriageworks is on a new track

It once homed the major workshops and yards for Sydney’s burgeoning railway network; now, after 16 years as a major arts hub, Carriageworks is re-inventing itself yet again. 

Among the many former industrial sites that have been repurposed in recent decades, the old  Eveleigh Railway Yard in Redfern stands apart. Reimagined as Carriageworks, it has retained the nostalgic ambience of a by-gone era, while transforming into a modern, versatile epicentre of arts and entertainment.  

For roughly 100 years, from the 1880s to the 1980s, the arched bays resonated with the metallic percussion and steam and diesel driven harmonies of locomotion maintenance. Then there was silence. 

In 2007, the brick walls once again echoed with industrious sound and movement, but this time it was musical, acrobatic, artistic. Within 10 years, Carriageworks doubled its physical and cultural footprint, becoming the country’s preeminent multi-arts space and hosting such prestigious events as Vivid, Sydney Writer’s Festival, Sydney Festival, The National, Australian Fashion Week among many others. The weekly Carriageworks Farmers Market, established in 2009, quickly became, and remains, one of Sydney’s favourite fresh produce and artisan markets. 

Things went slightly off the rails for Carriageworks in 2020, but thankfully, there was light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn’t long before it was back on track and gaining momentum again. 

In May last year, renowned international arts administrator, Fergus Linehan, was named new CEO of Carriageworks. Linehan’s impressive CV includes the Edinburgh International Festival, Sydney Festival, Vivid Live at the Sydney Opera House and the Dublin Theatre Festival. This appointment is a closing of the circle for Linehan, who curated several Sydney Festival events at Carriageworks during its first year of operation. 

In March this year, Carriageworks revealed its program for 2024/2025 — and it is a revelation indeed. The program includes a breathtaking range and calibre of events that not only promise a very exciting year for Sydney arts lovers, but also indicate a decisive pivot for the organisation. 

“If Carriageworks is to truly thrive, it needs to be more than a building, it needs to be an idea that is built on an alliance of not just a single community but multiple communities of interest. We want to build a community that is big enough and diverse enough to match this beautiful epic building,” explains Linehan. 

To that end, curation has been distributed into seven programming streams: Sounds, Stages, Moves, Makers, Food, Creative Marketplace and Major Events. The program begins in May 2024 and extends into 2025, reaching a pinnacle with a dazzling, new summer season.  

First Nations people, who have had a significant place in the history of Eveleigh Railway Yards and in the Redfern precinct, will have works featured in each of the seven program streams. 

The entire program, in fact, is built around inclusivity, access, and representation for all communities. It’s extremely vibrant and dynamic, featuring internationally recognised major events, emerging artists, spaces for creation and development, and a village-style atmosphere for chilling and socialising. 

The 2024/2025 Season

Carriageworks Sounds  

With a new emphasis on live music performance and engagement, Carriageworks spearheads its Sounds program with a series of shows that are all part of Vivid Sydney. Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), Electric Fields, Yves Tumor, Emma Donovan (on our cover), West Australian psychedelic rock band, Pond will all bring their own diverse sound and crowd to Carriageworks. 

The fabulous and expansive Bay 22-24 will be given new life as a music venue, with international sensations, Australia’s own X CLUB being the first to re-ignite the space and already proving a winner. 

Shifting gears, later in the season, resident company Sydney Chamber Opera collaborates with Opera Australia to present a new Australian opera, Gilgamesh, by Jack Symonds, in what is a first for Carriageworks. 

On the shimmering summer horizon of 2025, Carriageworks will unleash a special music season. Stay tuned for further details.  

Carriageworks Stages 

A night at the theatre is enhanced by the atmosphere at Carriageworks and its terrific schedule of shows, beginning with Collaborator – A Work In Progress, by brilliant comedian Daniel Kitson. The multi-award winning Counting and Cracking by Belvoir St Theatre will appear later in the season, followed by the premiere of Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven’s swim presented by Griffin Theatre Company.

Cut the Sky, a collision of dance, video, poetry, and song, presented by resident company Marrugeku is a must see, while Erth’s immersive Dinosaur Zoo is edutainment for the family. 

Carriageworks Food 

Carriageworks Farmers Markets is already an institution and it will stay true every Saturday, delivering the freshest produce plus cooking demos, workshops and talks. Keep August 2 free for Carriageworks Night Markets, bringing it with over 50 of Sydney’s best bars and restaurants. 

Explore Australian native food, botanicals and culture with Sharon Winsor and the Warakirri Dining Experience as part of Vivid Sydney. Also, Carriageworks, Plate It Forward and Coyoacán Social will be on site during Vivid, raising funds for local community kitchens. 

There will be a host of culinary festivals during the year, including MOULD (Australia’s biggest cheese festival), Pinot Palooza (wine and food), and the Good Food & Wine Christmas Market. 

Carriageworks Moves 

Dance, circus, acrobatics, cabaret and more will animate the Bays later in the year. From mid-November, The Famous Spiegeltent will set up and form the centrepiece of Secret Garden featuring spectacular entertainment. Continuing the circus theme, Gravity & Other Myths will present their high-energy, multi award-winning A Simple Space; Circa will delight families with Carnival of the Animals; Australia’s renowned circus school, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus will thrill crowds. 

In a first, dance company Jannawi Dance Clan presents the female-led immersive performance Garrigarrang Badu, a full-length dance work in Dharug language, in a co-presentation with Sydney Festival in January 2025. Australian choreographer, Nick Power’s tribute to hip hop’s origins with Deejay x Dancer; NAISDA’s First Nations showcase of young talent; and Sydney Dance Company’s emerging choreographer program, New Breed are all items to note on the calendar. 

Carriageworks Major Events 

Internationally recognised events that call Carriageworks home, will return throughout the year, including Australian Fashion Week, Sydney Writers Festival, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and Sydney Contemporary. 

Carriageworks Creative Marketplace 

Carriageworks Creative Marketplace fosters creativity and entrepreneurship for artists, designers, architects and makers. The Finders Keepers Market is a festival-style, artisan market; Southeast Aboriginal Arts Market brings together Aboriginal artists across a range of disciplines; an exciting schedule of bespoke markets around ceramics, jewellery and tattoos will all make Carriageworks an inspiring, lively place to be. 

Carriageworks Makers 

Focusing on creation and development, Carriageworks Makers includes: Carriageworks’ Solid Ground initiative, in partnership with Blacktown Arts Centre, which provides education and employment pathways for First Nations young people; The Clothing Store Artist Studios, providing studio space for emerging artists; and workshops, development work and industry events by resident companies Force Majeure, Moogahlin Performing Arts and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance. 

For full details on Carriageworks fantastic new program and all other offerings, visit

carriageworks.com.au