Vigil Awaken, January 25, 8.30pm
Gathering along the shoreline of Barangaroo Reserve, the annual tradition of Vigil takes a new form celebrating the re-awakening the spirit of the land. Ceremonial smoke, flares, music, light, performance and narration will combine to create this multimedia art piece.
Barangaroo Reserve, Barangaroo.

Message Bank, January 13-21
This 45-minute immersive audio experience tells the story of Charlie, a recruit responsible for listening in on the lives of others. Audience members are giving a phone and briefcase and take on the role of Charlie as they move around to listen into the secret stories of others.
Parramatta Square, Parramatta

The Air Between Us, January 20-22
The 18-minute aerial duet between acclaimed New Zealand dancer Chloe Loftus and award-winning Maori dance artist and wheelchair-user Rodney Bell uses a unique rigging and counterweight system to soar in a moving and mesmerising performance.
Tallawoladah Lawn (opposite MCA)

Big-ticket shows

Sun & Sea, January 6-8
This all-female-composed contemporary English-language opera confronts the themes of climate emergency. The performance is a one hour continous loop viewed from the balcony of the venue. Audience members look down onto the sandy beach stage as holidaymakers sunbake and sing about the deteriorating natural world around them.
Tickets are $39. Sydney Town Hall.

Maho Magic Bar, January 6-29
Take a seat, grab a drink and get ready to be amazed as Japan’s leading close-up magicians and sleight-of-hand specialists perform exclusive magic shows at your table. These masters a contemporary spin on magic traditions that date back to Japan’s Edo period. Enjoy a curated Japanese bar menu alongside the show.
Tickets range from $75 - $89. Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour.

Manifesto, January 12-15
Stephanie Lake Company returns to Sydney with Manifesto. Nine dancers are joined on stage by nine drummers in this percussive feast. Composed by Robin Fox the drumming builds over the hour performance, rich with visual composition, complex rhythms and unpredictable choreography.
Tickets start at $59. Carriageworks, Eveleigh.

Antarctica, January 5-8
After premiering at the 2022 Holland Festival, Sydney Chamber Opera will perform Antarctica on home soil, featuring Dutch music ensemble, Asko|Schönberg. Follow a cartographer, a natural scientist and a philosopher - the three archetypes from the Age of Discovery, as they set sail for the last great wilderness.
Tickets range from $39 - $149. Carriageworks, Eveleigh.

Sara Baras: Alma, January 27-28
Sara Baras is one of the greatest flamenco dancers of her generation and is returning to Australia to present her latest work, Alma. The Cadiz-born dancer weaves colour, shape and sensuality into the new work. Baras’ energy and spectacular technique bursts with Spanish star power in the must-see performance.
Tickets range from $49 - $129. Sydney Opera House.

Olivia Ansell’s Director’s Cut

2023 Sydney Festival Director Olivia Ansell provides her hand-chosen top picks.

Afrique en Cirque (Australian Exclusive), January 6-15
Welcome the new year with the joy of Afrique en Cirque; an exhilarating Montreal-based circus company from Guinea in West Africa whose traditional music and daring acrobatics will make you feel alive. The pulsating rhythm of the Guinean djembes and energetic choreography make this a fantastic show for families.
Tickets range form $39 - $79. Riverside Theatre, Parramatta.

ROOM (Australian Exclusive), January 11-25
Swiss-born auteur James Thierrée (star of previous Sydney Festival hits Raoul and Tabac Rouge) makes a thrilling return with Compagnie du Hanneton. Jame’s most ambitious show to date conveys the chaos of everything and nothing that can happen in a room. Co-commissioned by Sydney Festival, this Australian exclusive is a magical collision of dance, mime, music and illusion.
Tickets range $79 - $129. Rosyln Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay.

Free events at Parramatta Park
Greater Sydney is the place to be with some amazing free programming. The beloved Sydney Symphony Under the Stars returns, whilst Brenda L. Croft will transform Old Government House with her powerful projected portraitures accompanied by the music of Emma Donovan in Dyin Nura (Women’s Place).
Free. Parramatta Park.

Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon (Australian Exclusive), January 4-31
A fabulous, expansive and colourful exploration of the life and work of the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Fantastic for families, there’s live music, interactive creative play and groundbreaking technologies that will literally transport you into Frida’s world. An immersive exhibition of blockbuster proportions – and it’s exclusive to Sydney!
Tickets range from $35 - $45. The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve.

Tracker, January 10-14
A remarkable Wiradjuri work making its world premiere in this year’s Blak Out program. Tracker brings together some of the country’s most outstanding performing talents – Australian Dance Theatre’s Daniel Riley, Ursula Yovich, Jonathan Jones and Rachael Maza, to name a few – to tell the story of Daniel’s Great Great Uncle Alec Riley, a bush tracker with the NSW Police Force in the early 20th century.
Tickets $59. Carriageworks, Eveleigh.