Sydney Festival Celebrates 50th In Birthday Bash For The Ages

The Sydney Festival is back in town for its annual Summer event, with the festival’s 50th anniversary edition focusing on encouraging the community to gather and share stories.

Festival Director Kris Nelson frames this anniversary as a year for intergenerational experiences that will shape how Sydney experiences art in the years ahead. The music program features intergenerational jam sessions led by American artist Lonnie Holley at ACO On The Pier. Holley’s sets change nightly with special appearances by elder Kankawa Nagarra and artist Yasmina Sadiki.

The program features a range of free public events, including theatre, dance, music, public art, and family shows. Key areas include Walsh Bay, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, and the CBD venues. Headline additions include Opera Australia’s new Turandot, directed by Ann Yee, and Opera for the Dead 祭歌 by Mindy Meng Wang and Monica Lim.

Creative Artist in Residence Jacob Nash curates a city-wide program, Blak Out, across three weeks. A Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa woman, Lucy Simpson’s HELD is a series of sculptural works at the core of this program. The sculptures will be on display on Barangaroo’s Stargazer’s Lawn, welcoming visitors through the festival. On 25 January, Vigil: Belong closes the month at sunset with singers across generations led by Nardi Simpson, with further Blak Out highlights including Joel Bray’s dance ritual Garabari on Sydney Harbour; Jannawi Dance Clan’s Garrigarrang Badu, and the Redfern Renaissance art and activism series curated by Angeline Penrith, and Belvoir’s Dear Son.

Step onto the screen in a live film set

Walsh Bay streets are set to become a live film set for Live at Hickson Road: Effectos Especiales, an Argentine collaboration by Alejo Moguillansky of El Pampero Cine, Grupo Krapp, with Luciana Acuña. The event combines street performance with a live film shoot, transforming bystanders into extras. It is free to attend. 

“Right as Sydney hits the peak of summer, this amazing program will create big colourful nights, where anything feels possible. I’m particularly excited about the big opening night event on Hickson Road. Part movie set, part Argentinian street celebration…” said Nelson.

Director Caroline Guiela Nguyen’s theatre production, LACRIMA, tells a story about the people behind a royal wedding gown. The work moves between Paris, Normandy, and Mumbai and is performed in French, Tamil, English, and sign language with surtitles. It is an Australian premiere and runs for three hours. Themes include beauty, labour, and belonging. 

Also on the theatre lineup is asses.masses, a seven-hour audience-played video-game performance by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim, where the crowd decides how the story goes.

At the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Khalid Abdalla’s solo performance Nowhere will also take place.

Music under the stars

Virginia Gay and Clare Watson convert Town Hall into a roller derby track. The Mama Does Derby premiere follows a 16-year-old and her mum as they find their way in a new town and discover the joy of roller derby. It blends theatre, sport, live music, and immersive staging. 

Events at Wharf 1 include cabaret and mixed performances, featuring Travis Alabanza’s BURGERZ, Salty Brine’s Bigmouth Strikes Again, Natalie Abbott’s Bad Hand, and Reuben Kaye’s enGORGED.

To celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary, the Sydney Symphony Under the Stars concert will take place at Tumbalong Park on Saturday, 17 January. This special anniversary edition brings the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to Darling Harbour for an accessible evening under the sky and marks the festival’s history in music and images. The SSO also presents Disco Never Dies at the Hordern Pavilion.

Hot Chip, a beloved London party band, returns to the Sydney Opera House for two nights, performing Joy In Repetition. Attendees can expect house music and vocals from Alexis Taylor. 

City Recital Hall will host Paris Paloma, Nooriyah joined by Habibeats, and Raf-Saperra, while ACO On The Pier features Enji, Mare Advertencia with INKABEE, CHAII, and Milan Ring. Western Sydney’s Undercurrent is set to be at Riverside Live at Phive for three themed nights.

The Sydney Festival takes place from 8 to 25 January 2026. Tickets go on sale at 9:00 am on 6 November 2025, with a $49 early-bird on selected shows until 29 November or until allocations run out.