Famous Arias, Daring Cabaret and Urgent Conversations – What’s On at Sydney Opera House in 2026

Aren’t we lucky to have an Opera House that stages all sorts of events?

I’m thinking of contemporary live music in the Concert Hall, or the invigorating discussions I’ve heard in every theatre under the sails. I’ve seen world-class plays, partied in the Studio, been blown away by the talent at the opera and ballet. I’ve danced outside too, on the steps or on the Northern Broadwalk. It’s a wonderful thing to have a contemporary program at such a historic landmark. We shouldn’t take it for granted. 

If you’ve already snapped up tickets for the sold-out shows of the Streets, Basement Jaxx and Pulp, you should also feel lucky. The same goes for those Zadie Smith and Jacinda Ardern talks at All About Women (also both sold out).

Starting to feel left out? Here are 16 upcoming events at Sydney Opera House to check out. And it should go without saying – tickets for these don’t hang about.

Turandot

Even if you’ve never seen Puccini’s last opera, you probably know its famous aria Nessun dorma. Pavarotti sang it at the 1990 Fifa World Cup, and it’s become a soccer anthem. If you do know Turandot, then what’s interesting about this production is its focus on the psychological trauma embedded in the story, thanks to director and choreographer Ann Yee. Australian soprano Anna-Louise Cole astounds as the icy, misunderstood princess.

Turandot runs until March 27 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.

Gatsby at the Green Light

Audiences can’t seem to get enough of partying like it’s 1922. Following its previous sold-out season, the daring and dazzling cabaret show is back for more literature-adjacent good times. There’s aerial acrobatics, tap dancing, sexy singing and jazzy dance moves. Forget the trauma of F Scott Fitzgerald’s tragedy and sink into the magic of this low-lit speakeasy. 

Gatsby at the Green Light runs until March 28 in the Studio. Tickets are on sale here.

Grace Jones

Slave to the Rhythm and Pull Up to the Bumper transcend generations so it’ll be a party for the ages when Grace Jones plays Sydney for the first time since 2018. Her one-night-only Forecourt gig is also her first performance at the Sydney Opera House, where she’ll play a career-spanning set in her unique and drama-filled way. 

Grace Jones performs on February 28. Tickets are on sale here.

The Normal Heart

Forty years since its debut, Larry Kramer’s semi-autobiographical play returns. This time, Sydney Theatre Company’s newly minted artistic director Mitchell Butel stars as New York writer Ned Weeks. It’s the ’80s, during the first years of the AIDS crisis, and Weeks is determined to understand the mystery illness affecting his friends and colleagues.

The Normal Heart runs until March 14 at the Drama Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.

Julius Caesar 

Ambition. Power. Envy. Murder. Shakespeare’s famed tragedy has it all, and this Bell Shakespeare production brings a modern slant to the Bard’s words with a set reminiscent of ’90s Eastern Europe. Artistic director Peter Evans has cherrypicked an elite squad including Leon Ford (Elvis), Peter Carroll (Aftertaste), Brigid Zengeni (The Artful Dodger), Mark Leonard Winter (The Newsreader) and Septimus Caton (Coriolanus).

Julius Caesar runs from March 7 to April 5 at the Playhouse. Buy tickets here.

All About Women

Emily Maitlis will share her thoughts on the Epstein Files. Jacinda Ardern will talk about leading with kindness. Antoinette Lattouf moderates a panel about starting over in a new country. Zadie Smith will coax us back to nuanced storytelling. The toughest part about the All About Women program is knowing what to book first. If you’re only looking now, I’m sorry to say a number of sessions are sold out. If you’re lucky, you might still get a ticket for talks on how to best raise boys and the wisdom of aging.  

All About Women takes place on March 8. Tickets are on sale here.

Eugene Onegin

Ever regretted not asking that hottie out? Or saying “no” when they asked you? This Tchaikovsky opera is all about what could have been. Years after Eugene Onegin rejects Tatyana’s advances, he looks back on his decision with longing and regret. In this beautifully staged production, Lauren Fagan is Tatyana and Andrei Bondarenko is Onegin.

Eugene Onegin runs from March 17 to 28 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Tickets are here.

In Conversation With Stephanie Alexander

Many Australian cooks owe it all to 1990s cookbook The Cook’s Companion. Stephanie Alexander’s hugely influential “food bible” is now 30 years old and another food legend, Danielle Alvarez, will be joining her on stage to talk about farm-to-table cooking, kitchen garden programs in schools, and what we can gain from understanding ingredients.

Stephanie Alexander is chatting to Danielle Alvarez on March 30. Tickets are on sale now.

The River

Jez Butterworth’s eerie drama will have the whole audience suffering from cabin fever. Ewen Leslie and Miranda Otto play a new couple spending the night in a remote shack on a clifftop. They’re readying themselves to go night fishing, or so it seems. In just 80 tense minutes, The River is a puzzle to piece together, and once you have it figured out, it’ll be hard not to replay it over and over again in your head.

The River runs from March 30 to May 16 in the Drama Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.

Flora

Bangarra’s artistic director Frances Rings has choreographed a dynamic and transcendental new dance, which will be performed by 35 dancers from Bangarra and the Australian Ballet. It’ll feature set design by Elizabeth Gadsby, an original score by William Barton and costumes from Grace Lillian Lee – with themes of landscape, people and change. 

Flora runs from April 7 to 18 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.

Sydney Comedy Festival Gala 2026

Need a laugh? Autumn sees an influx of comedians descend on Sydney, including Bron Lewis, Harry Jun, Sammy J and Felicity Ward, all for Sydney Comedy Festival. There are gigs all over the city, but the big Opera House gala is always a hot ticket. The line-up is yet to be announced, but tickets are on sale now. 

Sydney Comedy Festival Gala is on April 20 in the Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale here. 

Parasite: Live in Concert

Who wouldn’t want to watch Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite with a live 41-piece orchestra? South Korean composer Jung Jae-il has created his own composition for the thrilling film, which he’ll perform on the piano while conducting other musicians through a baroque-style score. How very dramatic. 

Parasite: Live in Concert takes place on April 24 & 25 in the Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale here. 

Generations and Dynasties 

Last year the First Nations series celebrated the talented Anu, Barton, Lawrie and Wenitong families. This year, the stage is set for the Donovans and the Knoxes. In April, Emma Donovan and her uncles – Merv, Hilton, Michael, Leon and Ashley – will share their love of country music, and in May three generations of the Knox family will play the blues with Roger Knox taking the lead. Each set includes storytelling and audience questions. 

Generations and Dynasties is on April 29 and May 13 in the Utzon Room. Tickets are here. 

An Evening With Fran Lebowitz

She’s worked for Andy Warhol, written a children’s book, driven a New York taxi, starred in two Scorsese documentaries about herself, and she’s everyone’s favourite critic. Whether Fran Lebowitz is commenting on Donald Trump, AI, young people or smoking bans, she’ll have something witty and insightful to say. 

Fran Lebowitz will be in conversation in the Concert Hall on May 19. Find tickets here. 

Mitski

My Love Mine All Mine and Nobody singer-songwriter Mitski returns to Sydney for the first time in seven years, fresh off the back of her new album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. Mitski will perform songs from her latest album, as well as highlights from her discography. Sydney Opera House head of contemporary music and Vivid Live curator Ben Marshall calls her a “generation-defining artist”.

Mitski plays in the Concert Hall each night from May 29 to June 1. Tickets are on sale now.

The Drover’s Wife

Leah Purcell’s spirited story of Molly Johnson – a lone pregnant mother in the Snowy Mountains, holding down the fort – was first a play, then a film and a book, and now it’s being transformed into an opera. Award-winning First Nations soprano Nina Korbe is in the lead role, with Marcus Corowa (Bran Nue Dae) as Yadaka, the Aboriginal man who finds himself hiding out on Molly’s property. 

The Drover’s Wife runs from August 7 to 15 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.