Sydney Festival 2025 – theatrical raptures, music luminaries and a woven wonderland enliven a summer of art

SF25 Wendy Whiteley’s Secret GardenThis January, Sydney is set to soar to new heights with the unveiling of a blockbuster Sydney Festival program.

Running from 4 January, 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 performances this 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 in Festival Director Olivia Ansell’s fourth and final festival line-up.

SF Olivia Ansell photo by Wendell Teodoro“Sydney Festival has long held summer’s cultural pulse and this year is quite the heartbeat,” said Ansell. “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.”

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.

Sydney Festival 2025 Siegfried and Roy photo by Jacqui ManningAcross 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.

“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,” said The Hon. John Graham, Minister for the Arts.

“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.”

With tickets officially on sale from today, 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.

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.

SF25 A Model MurderSYDNEY FESTIVAL 2025 HIGHLIGHTS:

A Model Murder
4 – 19 January
Step inside the Darlinghurst Courthouse for a sensational 20th century murder trial inspired by one of Sydney’s most titillating scandals in A Model Murder. Shirley Beiger was a part-time page three girl enraged by her two-timing boyfriend. She shot him, point blank, outside Chequers Nightclub one night in 1954. Guilty or innocent? Audiences will decide. Playwright Melanie Tait (The Appleton Ladies’ Potato RaceA Broadcast Coup) and co-writer and director Sheridan Harbridge (44 Sex Acts in One Week) return to the very courthouse of Beiger’s original trial, opened exclusively for this Sydney Festival season, for a wickedly funny and immersive recreation of the sensational true crime event that had Australia on tenterhooks.

Dark Noon
9 – 23 January
The Wild West rolls into the Sydney Town Hall with the Sydney Festival-exclusive staging of Danish visionary Tue Biering’s breakout Edinburgh Fringe hit, Dark NoonFresh from a five-star run at New York’s St Ann’s Warehouse, a phenomenal South African cast flip the script on Hollywood tropes, reimagining the frontier with slapstick humour, satire and breathtaking stagecraft. As a pioneer town springs up in real time, Dark Noon pulls audiences into a raw, immersive ride through history that confronts power, race and displacement.

Antigone in the Amazon
4 – 8 January
Award-winning Swiss director Milo Rau ends his trilogy of political works with a reimagining of Sophocles’ Antigone. Theatre meets activism in Antigone in the Amazon as a group of Brazilian and European actors and musicians portray the environmental endgame unfolding at the edge of the Amazon rainforest in Pará, Brazil. From a classical story of one woman’s stance against the state emerges a dark song about the dangers of exploiting the land and its people.SF25 As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement photo by Dahlia KatzAs You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement
4 – 5 January
In an Australian exclusive, Canadian First Nations cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal brings As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement to the Sydney Opera House for an evening of Shakespeare like none other. Affording audiences a poignant glimpse of the unvarnished truth of the reconciliation process between Indigenous communities and colonial settlers in Canada, what results is a devastating yet laugh-out-loud examination of land acknowledgements as cultural and political practice.

Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera
8 – 25 January
Making its World Premiere at the festival, Constantine Costi and Luke Di Somma’s brand-new Australian opera, Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, is a modern stage spectacle inspired by Las Vegas’ most famous and legendary duo. Raised in war-torn Germany, the eccentric showmen went on to become the highest paid magic act Sin City had ever seen. Complete with live magic, powerhouse vocals, and the iconic duo’s show stopping tiger, Mantacore, this epic new opera has plenty of tricks up its bedazzled sleeves.

MULTIPLE BAD THINGS
8 – 12 January
The internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre – winner of the 2024 Venice Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre – returns to Sydney Festival with the must-see MULTIPLE BAD THINGS. The Sydney Opera House stage will be transformed into a toneless warehouse at the end of the world wherein three employees wrestle with a seemingly pointless task and struggle to work together.SF25 William Yang Self Portrait Embracing Storm 2019 photo by George GittoesMilestone
10 & 11 January
Celebrating his 80th birthday, the beloved Chinese-Australian visual and performance artist, William Yang, reflects on a remarkable life well-lived in Milestone. Set against Elena Kats-Chernin’s haunting score, performed live by a chamber ensemble and Kats-Chernin on piano, Yang weaves together themes of family, cultural and sexual identity with his signature blend of warmth, disarming humour and total candour. Drawing on Yang’s vast collection of documentary photographs, Milestone is also the story of queer Australia, from the early days of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 90s.

The Chronicles
16 – 19 January
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.

AFTERWORLD
7 – 11 January
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.Colour MazeSF25 Colour Maze
4 – 25 January
Colour Maze is an imaginative play experience that inspires children and the young at heart to get hands-on with visual art and journey through the “Tongpop” aesthetic of Sydney Festival Visual Artist in Residence Telly Tuita. Brought to life by public art experts Amigo & Amigo, the studio has teamed up with Tuita to create ten rooms for young explorers to wind their way through – with building blocks, swings and knitted playgrounds. Kids can channel their inner artist with climbable craft and sticker activities featuring Tongan motifs through a blaze of colour.

ANITO
15 – 18 January
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.

Cowboy
8 – 11 January
Saddle up for Cowboy at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres, an interactive solo contemporary dance work where audiences are not just a spectator; they are brawling in the saloon, robbing a train and transforming the story as it unfolds for one hell of a ride. Creator and performer Michael Smith, armed with an original score by Regurgitator bassist Ben Ely, gallops across the frontier to reveal the shared humanity beneath the Stetson, and the raw desires and hidden vulnerabilities that shape our identities.SF25 Katma photo by Anna KuceraKATMA
15 – 19 January
KATMA
 is a slang term from Sudan meaning “suffocation” or “no room for breathing” – a word that describes the intensity of hard partying. This immersive performance, directed by Azzam Mohamed (Sculptured Riddims), brings that frenetic energy to the dancefloor, pulling inspiration from both Sudan and Australia’s party scenes. With no seats, the audience is part of the action, fully surrounded by seven dancers performing a dynamic fusion of street and club dance styles: breaking, hip-hop, krump, waacking, locking, house and Afro dances.

The Tamilization of Ahilan Ratnamohan
16 – 19 January
The Tamilization of Ahilan Ratnamohan
 is a personal story about reminiscence, loss and language fascination. Author, choreographer and actor, Ahilan Ratnamohan attempts the performance entirely in Tamil, a language he didn’t learn as a child. His mother, sitting next to him on stage, becomes his teacher who encourages and prompts him. In this way, Ahilan traces the roots of this language loss to its rediscovery.

Cinderella (Cendrillon)
2 January – 28 March
After packed-out runs at the Metropolitan Opera of New York and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, this playful new staging of Cinderella (Cendrillon) makes a grand Australian debut presented by Opera Australia. With a delightful dash of humour, lavish costumes and playful choreography Laurent Pelly’s staging transports audiences into a land of enchantment and nostalgia. Relishing the role, audience favourite and internationally renowned Australian mezzo Emma Matthews helps make dreams come true as the Fairy Godmother.Miss-Ellaneous-in-Tina-A-Tropical-Love-StoryTina – A Tropical Love Story
11 – 12 January
Blending storytelling, cabaret and dazzling drag, Tina – A Tropical Love Story is a heartfelt tribute to the indomitable spirit of Tina Turner. Enter the enchanting realm of First Nations drag performer Miss Ellaneous (AKA Ben Graetz), who shares deeply personal tales of growing up in Darwin and the profound impact of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Tina – A Tropical Love Story is written, performed and directed by Graetz with special performances from guest artists from the drag, First Nations and queer performance scene. Simply the best.

Christie Whelan Browne: Life in Plastic
14 January

In a deeply personal cabaret, musical powerhouse Christie Whelan Browne (Show People) looks back from her childhood to today – from the blue light discos and crushing teenage doubt to battles with endometriosis and her own self-worth – to tell a tale of hard-worn self-acceptance. Written and directed by Sheridan Harbridge, Life in Plastic features a dizzying array of dance hits and pop anthems. Plus, guest appearances from Barbie, some full-on dental braces, soul-bearing diary entries and one triumphant dancing dinosaur, in a story of finding oneself and loving that person without bounds.

Jacky
16 January – 2 February
After a knockout run, the gritty new play Jacky arrives at Belvoir Theatre with its whip smart deconstruction of private life, work life and that thing called ‘culture’. Written by Arrernte playwright Declan Furber Gillick and directed by Mark Wilson, Jacky stars Guy Simon (Jasper Jones, The Visitors) returning in the title role alongside Greg Stone (A Doll’s House, Part 2).

SF25 The Bridal Lament photo by Capsule48The Bridal Lament
23 – 26 January

Drawing on her Weitou ancestry, Rainbow Chan reimagines a ritual known as the bridal lament, a public performance of grief in which a bride wept and sang in front of family and friends. Conceived and structured as a song cycle, The Bridal Lament brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong. With a new suite of songs by Chan and direction from CAAP Artistic Director Tessa Leong, this lush and lavish work pays homage to ritual in a vibrant world of projection, movement and colour.

In Her Own Words
15 – 18 January
Australian star of stage and screen, Rachael Beck (Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Cats) performs a collection of verbatim stories shared by extraordinary Australian women. Co-created by James Millar (Matilda the Musical) and with contributions by local singer/songwriters, In Her Own Words is an anecdotal, surprising and revealing celebration of inspiring female stories with stories from composer-pop star Kate Miller-Heidke, visual artists Yvette Coppersmith and Sally Browne, screen producer Celia Tait, Oz Harvest visionary Ronni Kahn, journalist and bestselling author Sarah Wilson, choreographer Kelley Abbey, Les Girls legend Carlotta and more.

Grace
21 – 25 January

The angelic vocals and emotional depth of Jeff Buckley’s 1994 masterpiece, Grace, will be paid tribute by multi-award-winning Australian singer and festival favourite Katie Noonan on the occasion of the seminal album’s 30th anniversary. Two years after her “spine-tingling” (Sydney Morning Herald) tribute to Joni Mitchell’s Blue at Sydney Festival, the ARIA Award-winning Australian singer and her band recreate Grace for five mesmerising shows.


For more information about the 2025 Sydney Festival program, visit: www.sydneyfestival.org.au for details.

Images: Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden (supplied) | Olivia Ansell – photo by Wendell Teodoro | Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera – photo by Jacqui Manning | A Model Murder (supplied) | As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement – photo by Dahlia Katz | William Yang – photo by George Gittoes | Colour Maze (render) | KATMA – photo by Anna Kucera | Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz) stars in Tina – A Tropical Love Story (supplied) | The Bridal Lament – photo by Capsule48