That’s 50 years of culture making, 50 years of festival drama, 50 years of memories made across the city by artists and audiences. From the 1970s to the 2020s, festivalgoers have cherished different iterations and moments of this remarkable, uniquely Australian event. Over the decades, Sydney Festival has welcomed the world’s best and most daring artists, while celebrating and launching countless local creators – it’s been held by generations and shaped generations in turn.

Ideas and themes of generations are at the heart of our 2026 Festival. We’re creating collective moments and experiences that will resonate no matter your birth year, whether you’re an old hand or shiny newcomer. We’re embracing an ‘alphaboomer’ vibe – we’ve got intergenerational line-ups, stories across the ages and performances fit to excite your aunty or the teen in your life.

This is a festival that’s ideas-rich, deeply local and invested in the world we live in. Sydney’s a global city and in my first year, I want to introduce leading international voices to match the heartbeat of our city. Over these next four years, my vision is to create festivals that can transform us – an ambition that encompasses not just the kind of shows we present, but how you as Sydneysiders experience art and that inspires us to imagine together the future of this great city.

Kris Nelson
Festival Director