The Comedy of Errors

Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.

Bring and wear a mask. Patrons aged 12 and over are required to wear a face mask at all times while inside our foyers and theatres, including during the performance.

As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage. 

Within venues, always take your allocated seat.

For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.

Yes. Patrons and visitors aged 16 years and over entering the Opera House building are required to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless lawfully exempt (under 16s not fully vaccinated must be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult). This includes visitors and patrons attending a performance or event, taking a tour, or visiting the box office, retail store, bar or restaurant operated within the building (Bennelong and Portside). These requirements do not apply to visitors attending outdoor events or venues on the Lower Concourse, including Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and the Welcome Centre. Check-in processes will be in place for verifying proof of vaccination upon entry. 

Yes, please bring and wear a mask. Patrons aged 12 and over attending performances and tours are required to wear a face mask at all times while inside our foyers and theatres, including during the performance (unless medically exempt). We highly recommend children aged 11 years and younger wear a mask at all times.

Some members of the community may have issues wearing masks due to health conditions. We ask that you be respectful to others as reasons for not wearing a mask are not always obvious.

Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.

As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.

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 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.

Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times. Babies aged 0-11 months at the time of a performance may be seated on an adult’s lap but they must hold a valid Babes in Arms ticket ($10). Children 12 months and older will need to hold a standard ticket.

Children under the age of 12 are not required to wear a face mask.

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. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you, find out more information here.

Foyers will be open 60 minutes pre-show for 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 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.

All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to the 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 consistent with COVID-safe rules.

In February 2020, the Opera House began major Concert Hall renewal works to transform the world-famous venue for 21st century performances. You can find out more here.

While the Concert Hall is closed, the rest of Opera House will remain open and vibrant, with unmissable performances and experiences across all other venues and the wider precinct.

Guests may experience some noise in foyers and theatres but we are working hard to minimise disruption associated with these important works.