Rufus Wainwright Sydney Festival 2025
8 January 2025
In the Concert Hall
Contemporary Music
The acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter and his gloriously expressive voice play the biggest hits from his three-decade career at the Sydney Opera House.
| Date | Time |
| Wednesday 8 January 2025 | 8:00pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Premium | $139 |
| A Reserve | $119 |
| B Reserve | $99 |
| C Reserve | $79 |
| D Reserve | $59 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House and Sydney Festival. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Promoter pre-sale
1:00pm, Thursday 12 September 2024
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
1:00pm, Thursday 12 September 2024
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
3:00pm, Thursday 12 September 2024
General Public tickets on-sale
1:00pm, Monday 16 September 2024
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
Performance will run for approximately 90 minutes, without interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Suitable for all ages. Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times. Infants under 2 may be admitted free of charge but must not occupy a seat.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy
Content
Performance will contain haze, smoke and strobe effects.
Latecomers may enter at a suitable break between songs.
Performance may be filmed.
The GuardianFans melted and mopped up by each quiver of his voice, that irrepressibly sardonic vibrato.
Useful information:
The iconic singer plays hits from his technicolour songbook
For the first time in five years, beloved singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright returns to the stage in Sydney. This time, he brings a solo-selection of the biggest pop and folk compositions from his sweeping 11-album, three-decade career.
Unaccompanied and on piano, Wainwright and his “peerless, simultaneously sad and sensual soaring baritone” (The Herald Scotland) take you on a personal tour of his technicolour songbook.
Across his wide-ranging career, the New York-born, Montreal-raised showman has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, David Byrne, Joni Mitchell and Miley Cyrus, belted “Over the Rainbow” at Carnegie Hall, written two operas and penned a musical. In 2023, he celebrated his family folk roots with his Grammy-nominated album Folkocracy, duetting with Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and many more.
Presented by Sydney Festival
2025
Sydney Festival
Summer is on the way, and so is Sydney Festival. Join the city-wide celebration of culture, creativity and curiosity at Sydney Opera House.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.