Sydney Festival

Dates, venues and program

Sydney Festival 2027 runs from 8 to 25 January across venues in central Sydney and surrounding suburbs. The program includes theatre, music, dance, comedy and visual art at places such as the Sydney Opera House, Barangaroo Reserve, The Cutaway, Bondi Pavilion and Carriageworks. It mixes ticketed performances with free outdoor and family events. Some listings begin before 8 January or continue after 25 January, so check each event page before planning a visit. Browse the 2027 program (opens in a new tab) and the organizer's festival planning page (opens in a new tab) for current listings.

Reclaimed car bodies adapted as a steam and bathing installation at Barangaroo Reserve · 1 / 3

A citywide festival

Festival events are spread across Sydney. The 2027 venue list includes central locations such as the Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall, inner-city stages at Belvoir St Theatre and Carriageworks, and venues in Bondi, Barangaroo, Parramatta, Bankstown, Campbelltown and Penrith. Check each listing for its address, nearest transport and access information. Grouping shows by area can cut down cross-city journeys, especially if your plans include both a matinee and an evening performance.

Barangaroo Reserve is one place to pause between events. The Yard, open from 8 to 24 January, is a free festival hub with pop-up restaurants and bars on a hilltop above the harbour. Food and drinks cost extra. The organizer places it close to Roslyn Packer Theatre and The Cutaway, with metro connections nearby. Check the current details for The Yard (opens in a new tab) before travelling.

Waynapuni Pools at Barangaroo

Waynapuni Pools is one of the 2027 program's large outdoor installations. It occupies Stargazer Lawn at Barangaroo Reserve from 12 to 24 January. Palawa youth worked with artist and industrial designer Benjamin Paul to turn wrecked cars into wood-burning saunas, hot pools and cold plunges. The festival says the project took shape over nine months in Lutruwita, Tasmania, where young people learned design, fabrication and metalworking and connected with culture through ceremony. They bring the work to Gadigal Country in Sydney.

Visitors can walk through Waynapuni Pools as a free art park or book the immersive bathing experience. The experience includes heat, steam, haze, stairs and enclosed spaces. The festival warns that it may not suit pregnant people or visitors with low mobility, vision or hearing, or respiratory, heart or blood pressure concerns. People aged 18 and over may attend; children must be with a parent or guardian. Read the Waynapuni Pools information (opens in a new tab) before booking, and contact the festival if you need access advice.

Tickets, free events and access

Use the festival's date, genre, location and accessibility filters to narrow the program. The free family event Kite Choir is listed at the Sydney Opera House from 7 to 10 January, while The Yard is free from 8 to 24 January. Kite Choir starts before the headline festival dates, so check its listing for the exact schedule. The festival recommends booking through its website. Sold-out events may have a waitlist, and the planning page lists limited $26 tickets to selected shows released online between 9 and 10 each festival morning. Check the live page for availability and conditions.

The festival's accessibility page (opens in a new tab) lists event-level information, including sessions with Auslan, captions, audio description and tactile tours. Some of these services require advance booking. If a particular performance is central to your trip, confirm its access arrangements with the festival before booking travel.

Getting around and choosing where to stay

Barangaroo Station is a short walk from Barangaroo Reserve, Roslyn Packer Theatre and the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. The festival recommends public transport and links to the NSW Trip Planner (opens in a new tab). Sydney's train, ferry, bus, light rail and metro network connects many of the venues. Check the address and latest service information for each event; the organizer currently flags rail replacement services on selected January weekends.

The T8 Airport and South Line serves Sydney Airport's domestic and international terminals. Transport for NSW lists daily train services from 5am to midnight. A separate station access fee applies at both airport stations, in addition to the train fare. Read the current Transport for NSW airport travel information (opens in a new tab) and use the trip planner to check the route and fare for your travel date.

Choose accommodation around the shows you expect to attend. A central base can make several inner-city venues easier to reach, while a program that includes Bondi or western Sydney may call for a different plan. Compare locations and cancellation terms before booking, and browse Sydney accommodation (opens in a new tab) once your schedule is taking shape.

A festival with roots in 1977

The first Festival of Sydney took place in 1977. The Sydney Committee, the New South Wales Government and the City of Sydney created it to draw people into the city centre during January's holiday period. Its program listed more than 180 events, including a New Year's Eve celebration at the Sydney Opera House and a Grand Parade through the city. Read the official festival history (opens in a new tab) and 1977 program archive (opens in a new tab).

When is Sydney Festival 2027?

The headline festival dates are 8 to 25 January 2027. Check individual event pages because some program items run outside that window.

Are there free events?

Yes. The 2027 program includes free events such as Kite Choir and The Yard. Use the official program filters to see what is free on the dates you will be in Sydney.

Where is Sydney Festival held?

It uses venues across Sydney, including Barangaroo, the CBD, Bondi, Parramatta, Bankstown, Campbelltown and Penrith. Check the current venue list and each event page for addresses and transport details.