The Sydney Festival marks its 50th anniversary in January 2026 with a diverse city-wide program that honours five decades of cultural transformation and looks ahead to the next generation of artistic innovation.
From 8-25 January, Sydney becomes a playground of imagination, with bold theatre, dance, music, visual arts and immersive experiences taking over historic venues, pop-up spaces and unexpected corners of the city.
As new Festival Director Kris Nelson takes the helm, the 2026 program is a multi-generational celebration of how we gather, learn, play and pass stories on. From Virginia Gay’s mother-daughter roller derby comedy Mama Does Derby to Dear Son, a moving exchange of letters between First Nations fathers and sons, and intergenerational jam sessions led by legendary American musician Lonnie Holley, this January the festival uses culture as a catalyst for connection.
The festival’s beloved First Nations-led Blak Out program also returns with Jacob Nash delivering his final program as Creative Artist in Residence. Beginning with the installation of Lucy Simpson’s sculptures at Barangaroo Reserve on the festival’s opening day, to the annual Vigil ceremony at its conclusion, the month of January will be alive with music, dance and storytelling that honours the fullness of Blak identity.
And while it might be summer holidays, class is in session with Summer School– Sydney Festival’s expansive program of talks, performances and participatory experiences curated by Artistic Associate Nithya Nagarajan, diving deeper into the ideas pulsing through this year’s program. Across galleries, pools, funeral homes and alleys, audiences, thinkers, artists and communities are invited to listen, question and create, turning the city into a classroom for collective discovery.
In introducing his first program to the world, Festival Director Kris Nelson, said: “Inspired by the complexity of our global city, this edition brings leading international and Australian artists whose performances will resonate with everyone. In honour of our 50th, it’s a festival full of intergenerational experiences too. Over the next four years, my vision is to create festivals that transform us – shaping not just the shows we present, but how Sydneysiders experience art, and inspiring us to imagine the future of this great city together.”
Minister for the Arts, Music and Night-time Economy. The Hon. John Graham said “The Sydney Festival is clearly not getting shy about its 50th birthday! 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 – I honestly don’t know how it will unfold, but I’ll definitely be there to find out.”
Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper, said: “Sydney Festival is the nation’s largest international arts and cultural event and a highlight of the NSW major events calendar. Summer in Sydney just wouldn’t be the same without it and next year will be particularly special as we celebrate its 50th anniversary. For half a century, Sydney Festival has enriched our state’s vibrant arts and cultural scene and provided a significant boost to our visitor economy by showcasing NSW as Australia’s leading destination for world-class cultural experiences.”
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Action cinema spills into the streets of Walsh Bay across the festival’s first Saturday with Live at Hickson Road: Effectos Especiales, supported by Transport for NSW. Created by filmmaker Alejo Moguillansky of trailblazing Argentinian independent cinema collective El Pampero Cine together with choreographer Luciana Acuña of experimental Argentinian dance and theatremakers Grupo Krapp, this free outdoor event is part street performance, part live movie shoot with spectators serving as both extras and eyewitnesses to the fleeting beauty of art made on the run. The street takeover continues with live music, transforming Hickson Road into a vibrant place to dance, eat and gather.
A crowning achievement of contemporary theatre, LACRIMA unveils the hidden human stories stitched into the world’s most celebrated gown. As the Princess of England prepares to marry, designers and artisans across continents race to create a dress destined for history – from Parisian ateliers and the lacemakers of Normandy to embroiderers in Mumbai. In this Australian Premiere production, acclaimed French director and playwright Caroline Guiela Nguyen fuses meticulous research with cinematic scale and theatrical intimacy. Performed in French, Tamil, English and sign language with surtitles, LACRIMA is a breathtaking three-hour story of beauty, labour and belonging.
Also at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Nowhere is an intricate and playful solo show by actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (United 93, The Kite Runner, The Crown) from UK producing company Fuel (Barber Shop Chronicles) that takes the audience on a surprising journey into Abdalla’s own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events. From the histories of colonialism and decolonisation; friendship and loss; protests and uprising against regimes across the world; to the violence in Gaza following the events of October 7th 2023, Khalid brings together the personal and the political in an act of anti-biography that asks how we got here and how we find agency amidst the mazes of history.
Internationally acclaimed sculptor Julia Phillips presents her thought-provoking public artwork Observer, Observed in Darling Harbour for its international debut, following a celebrated year-long installation on New York City’s High Line. A pair of custom-made bronze binoculars invite passers-by to take in the view – but with a twist: a hidden camera broadcasts live footage of their eyes to a nearby screen. Blurring the line between watcher and watched, Observer, Observed transforms a simple act of sightseeing into a striking reflection on surveillance, consent and the politics of spectatorship in the digital age.
A major new commission for Sydney Festival in 2026, Mama Does Derby takes over Sydney Town Hall, converting the iconic civic space into a full-scale roller derby track for a heartwarming and action-packed World Premiere work by Virginia Gay (Calamity Jane) and Windmill’s Clare Watson.
The show follows Billie, 16, and her mum as they navigate a new life in a regional town – and the sweaty, chaotic and rebellious world of roller derby. Blending theatre, sport, live music and immersive spectacle, Mama Does Derbyis a hilarious and heartfelt celebration of resilience, reinvention and the bonds that hold a family together.
The beloved Sydney Symphony Under the Stars will take center stage in a spectacular new location in 2026: Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour. Taking place over the festival’s middle weekend on Saturday 17 January, this special 50th anniversary edition promises an unforgettable evening of music and community, bringing together festivalgoers under the stars in one of Sydney’s most iconic waterfront precincts. This year, Sydney Symphony Under the Starshonours Sydney Festival’s long legacy, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestracelebrating its 50 year history through music and pictures.
London’s most lovable party band, Hot Chip, return to the Sydney Opera House for two unforgettable nights of euphoric indie-dance brilliance. Celebrating 25 years together, the genre-defying quintet bring Joy In Repetition — a career-spanning live show that transforms melancholy into joy and dancefloors into shared catharsis. Steeped in classic house and shimmering synth-pop, and anchored by frontman Alexis Taylor’s unmistakable voice, Hot Chip promise a high-voltage celebration of rhythm, resilience and connection.
