Sydney Festival

The Festival is proud of its 40 year heritage as an iconic arts and cultural event that celebrates summer in Sydney. Our program presents high calibre local and international acts that entertain, enliven, educate and enthral our audiences.

Sydney Festival collaborates with companies to create bespoke partnerships that support a diverse range of business objectives.
These objectives include:

- Corporate social responsibility

- Positive brand alignment and exposure

- Marketing & advertising promotions

- Platform for experiential campaigns and engagement

- On-site activations

- Product placement and sales rights

- Extensive publicity

- Unique corporate hospitality experiences

- Access to influential government and corporate stakeholders

- Measurement & research tools

- Bespoke leveraging opportunities

Sydney Festival was originally conceived by the Sydney Committee, the NSW State Government and the City of Sydney with a view to attracting people into the city centre during the holiday month of January.

The first Festival took place in 1977 and it has since grown to become one of Australia's largest annual cultural celebrations with an international reputation for modern, popular and intelligent programming. In many ways it is probably still best understood as a celebration of Sydney and its style and energy reflect the confidence, diversity and vigour of one of the world's most beautiful cities.

The Festival has a history of presenting Australian premieres and many of Australia's most memorable productions such asCloud streetandSmoke & Mirror shave resulted from Sydney Festival's commitment to nurture local artists. It has brought many of the world's great artists to Sydney including: Ariane Mnouchkine and Thèâtre du Soleil (Flood Drummers), Robert Wilson (The Black Rider), Robert Lepage (Far Side of the Moon, The Andersen Project, Lipsynch), Schaubuhne Berlin (Hamlet), Netherlands Dance Theatre, James Thiérrée, Philip Glass, Ian McKellen (Dance of Death), Peter Sellars, Batsheva Dance Company, National Theatre of Scotland (Beautiful Burnout,Black Watch,Aalst), Al Green, AR Rahman, Kneehigh Theatre (Tristan & Yseult,The Red Shoes), Wayne McGregor's Random Dance (Entity), Ludger Engels and Vivienne Westwood(Semele Walk)and Fabulous Beast (Rian).

The program is kaleidoscopic in its diversity, from burlesque, cheeky cabaret and Canadian circus, to high energy jazz, indie rock and Russian theatre; from contemporary dance to family programs to traditional Indigenous arts practice. In all, the program comprises around 370 performances and around 100 events performed by over 700 artists in more than 30 venues each year. Inclusive programming, a broad range of free events and accessible pricing policies for the ticketed shows means that Sydney Festival is open to all, welcoming Sydneysiders and visitors from wherever they live.

Tickets to majority of performances are available the day before for only $26 at the Tix for Next to Nix booth in Hyde Park, right in the heart of the city.

Join us for our Symphony Under The Stars in both The Domain and The Crescent at Parramatta Park. Throughout January the Meriton Festival Village is home to a Spiegeltent and the brand new outdoor Village Stage presented by China Southern Airlines, with a captivating program of burlesque and music which makes the most of the summer nights in the atmospheric setting of Hyde Park.

More than any other cultural event, Sydney Festival defines Sydney's personality. For over three decades we have presented international artists who guarantee headlines, and whose presence in Sydney adds to the Festival's buzz and prestige. Names like Björk, Brian Wilson, Grace Jones, Manu Chao, Elvis Costello, AR Rahman, Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Lepage, The Flaming Lips, Peter Sellars, Sir Ian McKellen and David Byrne & St. Vincent alongside some of the world's great companies - Wayne McGregor's Random Dance, Cheek by Jowl, Gate Theatre and the Schaubühne Berlin to name only a few - share the Festival with the most exciting artists and companies in Australia.

Sydney Festival's audacious contemporary programming positions it at the forefront of arts practice in Australia and up there as one of the most wonderful festivals in the world.