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Grammy Award-winning Leon Bridges to perform on the harbourside Forecourt this summer

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Leon Bridges returns to the Sydney Opera House on Friday 26 February, this time performing beneath the summer sky on the harbourside Forecourt.

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Leon Bridges in sunglasses, wearing a striped blue shirt and ring posing in front of a blue brick wall.

UK ska icons Madness to make their Sydney Opera House debut on the Forecourt this March

Legendary chart-topping British ska icons Madness will make their Sydney Opera House debut on Friday 5 March 2027, bringing nearly five decades of infectious ska, pop and new wave to the Forecourt.

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The band members of Madness all wearing formal suits in a grey room.

Full program announced for DanceRites 2026

The full program for DanceRites 2026 has been revealed, with two packed days of family-friendly performances on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. Taking place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, the biennial celebration of First Nations dance, song and culture will present more than 300 dancers across the weekend’s competition and special guest performances. 

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Angus & Julia Stone announced as the first act to open the Opera House’s 2027 Forecourt summer season

Australian music favourites Angus & Julia Stone will return home to the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 28 February, opening the 2027 Forecourt summer season.

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Angus and Julia Stone posing against a blue cloudy sky.

Hook’s Neverland

The swashbuckling spectacular Hook’s Neverland sails into the Concert Hall this summer for its world premiere, with the irrepressible Captain James Hook at its helm.Forget the boy who wouldn’t grow up: this tale is all Hook’s as he flips that well-trod legend of villainy and introduces a world filled with reverie and wonderment.

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Captain Hook's dazzling silver hook hand against a starry purple sky.

Tara Clerkin Trio

Groundbreaking UK trip-hop outfit Tara Clerkin Trio will make their Australian headline debut this summer, performing songs from their celebrated new album Somewhere Good (2026) in the Sydney Opera House’s intimate Utzon Room on Monday 14 December.

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The members of Tara Clerkin Trio smiling in front of a lake. A city skyline can be seen behind them.

Dijon

Visionary US singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and actor Dijon will make his highly anticipated Australian headline debut when he plays the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Saturday 12 December.

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A black and white photograph of a man, Dijon, sitting in a recording studio.

Live cooking, music and storytelling take centre stage in a journey of family, identity and migration

A Place in the Sultan's Kitchen (or How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Chicken Curry), a multi-sensory journey of ancestral discovery by Sydney-born, Wollongong-raised theatre-maker Joshua Hinton, comes to the Sydney Opera House Studio from 14-17 October. Blending storytelling, music and live cooking, this warm and playful show, created and performed by Hinton with his brother Dominic, explores identity, migration and the cultural histories that shape who we are.

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A man lays on a rug smiling and looking upward. He is holding a wooden spoon and is surrounded by metal pots and a curry dish. A tea towel is draped over his shoulder.

Raise a glass at The Choir of Man this summer

Raise a glass this summer as international smash hit The Choir of Man opens its doors at the Sydney Ope

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Cast of The Choir of Man performing in West End production.

Celebrate the silly season with Christmas Carol Goes Wrong

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, 17 – 29 December, CONCERT HALL

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Characters in the front hold on to performer dressed as a Nutcracker themed Christmas present box

Award-winning Aotearoa soul sensation returns to the Sydney Opera House for live debut of new music

Acclaimed Māori R&B singer-songwriter TEEKS returns to the Sydney Opera House to play the Concert Hall on Wednesday 18 November, celebrating the first live performance of his new music.

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A man wearing black trousers sitting on a pale floor. He is extending one arm to hold himself up and the other rests on his knee.

Curious

A culture-shaping intellect who makes us look anew at ourselves, one of Australia’s most-cherished comedic performers and an internationally celebrated chef lead the line-up of influential thinkers from across the country and the world at the Sydney Opera House’s ideas festival, Curious.

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Inverted pink cartoon cat with yellow background

Sydney Opera House launches Wild Things International Kids Festival

This spring school holidays, Sydney Opera House will transform into a creative wonderland for kids and their families with the inaugural Wild Things International Kids Festival. Across 16 days, leading companies from Europe, North America, the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia will illustrate the breadth and artistic ingenuity of performance-making for young people aged 0-14 – and the young at heart. 

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Illustration of kids playing at the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron to step down after 14 years

The Sydney Opera House today announced that CEO Louise Herron AM will step down in August after 14 years at the helm of Australia’s premier cultural institution, tourism destination and World Heritage masterpiece.One of Australia’s most respected cultural leaders, Ms Herron has delivered the largest program of capital works since the Opera House opened in 1973, including the acclaimed renewal of the Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre. She has also led the continued expansion of its programming and activities in order to engage and welcome more of the community.

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Hometown rock heroes to play Opera House debut in first Australian shows in four years

This August 8 and 10, multiple ARIA Award-winning rockers Gang of Youths will make their Sydney Opera House debut with two exhilarating nights in the Concert Hall, their first Australian shows in four years.

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Four men smile and point at something behind the camera.

Ichiko Aoba and Cat Power to play Concert Hall

Two towering enigmas return to the Sydney Opera House this year to perform in its largest venue, the Concert Hall. One of Japan’s most distinctive contemporary artists, Ichiko Aoba, will appear on 5 October, while acclaimed singer-songwriter Cat Power will return on 7 December for a landmark performance celebrating the 20th anniversary of her seminal 2006 album, The Greatest.

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One woman sitting on ground, looking out a window and one woman seen from the shoulders up standing in front of a field of white flowers.

2026 Sydney Opera House Play Award winner announced on International Day of Play

Sydney - Thursday 11 June, 2026. To mark the International Day of Play, the Sydney Opera House today announced this year’s recipient of its annual Play Award (2024–2027 inclusive) for an outstanding contribution to play-based learning. 

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Two students posing behind a paper frame that reads "BessFlix"

Celebrated Contemporary Dance Works Return to Australia for Homecoming Seasons

Following critically acclaimed international seasons, celebrated First Nations choreographers Amrita Hepi and Lewis Major arrive home for strictly limited seasons of their contemporary dance works.

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A male dancer lifts a female dancer in a black leotard gracefully overhead against a dramatic orange-lit background.

Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi by Yann Nguema

In one week, an exhilarating new digital artwork, Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi by French artist Yann Nguema, will turn the curves of the Sydney Opera House into a canvas for the natural world as part of this year’s Vivid LIVE.

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The Sydney Opera House sails are visible with the harbour in the foreground. The sails are illuminated with projected art featuring a variety of colourful elements.

Music on Tubowgule: Mungangga Garlagula by Mark Atkins and Erkki Veltheim

Music on Tubowgule returns to the Sydney Opera House in 2026, following its successful inaugural season last year, to showcase work that celebrates the vibrant evolution of First Nations expression.

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Mark Atkins is in a cowboy hat is lit with dramatic blue and orange lighting against a dark background. Erkki Veltheim stands blurred behind him, creating a mysterious tone.

Sydney Opera House Announces Kids Winter Program

This winter, kids and families are invited to experience an exhilarating range of unforgettable performances, hit shows and interactive workshops from leading local and international arts companies. 

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Production image from Bluey's Big Play, The Stage Show

Scary Piece of Work and Truck Driver

Two celebrated artists from Sydney’s thriving independent arts scene will premiere new solo works at the Sydney Opera House this June. Scary Piece of Work, a dance piece by Martin del Amo, and

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A man stands cross-armed in front of a truck. He has a handlebar moustache and is wearing a sleeveless shirt and cap with sunglasses sitting on top.

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett to celebrate bold new album this November

To celebrate the release of her highly anticipated new album, Creature of Habit, Courtney Barnett returns to the Sydney Opera House on Friday 6 November.

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A woman with long brown hair and a fringe sits slumped in a chair slightly side on to the right. They are wearing a buttoned white shirt and black jacket.

New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company make their Opera House debut

New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company make their Sydney Opera House debut with the Australian premiere of Balloon Dog from 24-28 June. Inspired by one of India’s most famous stories, this beautifully tender tale celebrates courage and shared humanity, told through theatrical magic and original music performed live. 

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A man stands in the foreground wearing a beanie, blue shirt with flowers on it and a red backpack. Behind him is a white picket fence. Behind the fence to the left is a man wearing a yellow vest and hat and holding a shovel. He looking curiously at the ma