Summer in Sydney is set to soar to new heights with the unveiling of a blockbuster Sydney Festival program for 2025. Running 4–26 January 2025, the almost month-long international arts festival is an opportunity to rediscover the city differently, from Sydney Town Hall’s conversion into a Wild West pioneer town, to a salacious true crime tale staged in the docks of Darlinghurst Courthouse. Across World Premiere productions, Australian exclusives and immersive experiences that reflect the city’s identity, Sydney Festival is the home of world class theatre, must-see music and powerful performance this January.
With tickets now on sale, Sydney Festival is rewarding pre-planners, savvy shoppers and festival fanatics with an allocation of $49 Early Bird tickets up for grabs across the entire ticketed program until 2 December (or sold out). With A Reserve seats available for just $49, this limited offer celebrates Sydney Festival’s milestone 49th anniversary whilst addressing cost of living pressure by encouraging festival-goers to book early, see multiple shows and secure a prime position.
Complementing the ticketed program, Sydney Festival’s action-packed free program for 2025 will ensure a truly accessible and expanded summer of art for all. Throughout January, Sydneysiders and visitors will once again be enticed to take part in an exhilarating summer of art across 23 days of storytelling, knowledge sharing and cultural immersion.
Introducing her fourth and final festival line-up, Festival Director Olivia Ansell said, “Sydney Festival has long held summer’s cultural pulse, and this year is quite the heartbeat. Stories of Oceania, destiny and what we leave behind through to bold explorations of utopia and dystopia, Sydney Festival 2025 promises an exhilarating and thought-provoking journey through the arts with exceptional talent at the reins. This January, immerse yourself in a summer of unforgettable performances, groundbreaking new works, and exclusive experiences that reimagine the world around us.”
The Hon. John Graham, Minister for the Arts, said, “Sydney Festival has timing on its side, delivering a burst of cultural expression and artistic activity from January 4, when the city is largely off work and ready to celebrate and explore during the long hot days and nights. This year’s edition puts First Nations artists at the forefront and brings new international works to Australia to ignite and inspire audiences. I encourage everyone to hunt through the program, attend and see what Sydney Festival 2025 has to offer.”
Featuring over 130 shows and events, including 22 world premieres, 24 Australian exclusives, 43 locations, and over 50 free events inclusive of more than 12 nights of free live music, Sydney Festival 2025 amasses an expansive roster of diverse local artists and renowned international names this summer.
Year on year, the Festival’s annual program serves as a reflection of the questions, ideas and themes consuming the cultural zeitgeist, as brought to life in the words and works of its talented class of featured artists. In 2025, the often blurry edges of utopian idealism and dystopian despair are writ large in the likes of Dark Noon’s extraordinary one-act dismantling of American history and Cliff Cardinal’s subversive updating of the Bard’s classic in As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement.
Concurrently, examinations of birth and destiny are explored via the transformative installations of 2025 Visual Artist in Residence Telly Tuita and the participatory What We Leave Behind project from Cave Urban, which serves as a totem of festival-goers’ hopes for the future.
Curated by Sydney Festival’s Creative Artist in Residence, Jacob Nash, the First Nations-led Blak Out program introduces a new gathering space and expanded festival footprint with three weekends of conversation and events that celebrate the coming together of people, country, spirit and truths.
Across the city, Sydney Festival will play host to some of the hottest about shows of the season, from the highly anticipated World Premiere of Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera and a deeply personal night of storytelling from Sydney icon William Yang, to an exciting new dance work by celebrated Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake, an eclectic run of live music gigs at the ACO On The Pier, and a blockbuster roster of powerhouse cabaret featuring Christie Whelan Browne, Rachael Beck and Katie Noonan.
Dance highlights:
Following Colossus and Manifesto (smash successes at Sydney Festival in 2020 and 2023), The Chronicles is a cathartic new dance work by Australia’s boldest choreographer, Stephanie Lake. Lake’s explosive bodily language is translated by twelve incredible dancers alongside a masterful electro-acoustic score by Robin Fox, the ethereal sounds of a children’s choir and a stirring solo vocalist. Pulsing with energy and sensuality, The Chronicles explores the cycles of life and the inevitability of change.
The timeless Greek myth of Eurydice takes on new life in AFTERWORLD, a world premiere work that brings together the visionary choreography of Sue Healey, the live percussion and electronic music of innovative composer Laurence Pike, and five incredible dancers, set against the ethereal film presence of 109-year-old Eileen Kramer as the tragic Eurydice.
Honouring their roots in Sydney’s underground queer and diasporic club scenes, Justin Talplacido Shoulder and the collective behind ANITO build on their shared histories of costume, puppetry, dance and experimental electronic music to reimagine myths and stories for the now. Creating a “Queer Filipino Future Folkloric space of storytelling”, the dance work centres on the importance of natural spirits, intuiting with them as guides towards imagining possible parallel futures.
The vibrant culture of Spain comes to the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. Exclusive to Sydney Festival, A Taste of Spain features a captivating collaboration between the Pepa Molina Flamenco Dance Company and the Western Sydney Youth Orchestra, interpreting “Suite Española” by the illustrious Isaac Albéniz. Begin your evening with a welcoming glass of sangria and indulge in a selection of Spanish- inspired dishes. The rich flavours of Spain will complement a night of enchanting performances that capture the essence of Spanish fiestas.
For more information and the full festival program, visit www.sydneyfestival.org.au.
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