From Sydney Fringe Festival to Sydney Design Week, big-name music gigs and bold new stage works. It’s all go for September in Sydney. Here's your inspo list.
Live music
Wunderhorse
5 September – Bad Dreems at Mary's Underground. Adelaide’s purveyors of literate pub rock, Bad//Dreems, hit the road to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their ground-breaking debut album, Dogs At Bay.
5-6 September – Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. Arrkula Yinbayarra is a celebration of resilience and cultural ownership through rich harmonies and timeless melodies, ensuring that the region’s languages and stories survive and thrive.
6 September – One Four at the City Recital Hall. For the first time ever, ONEFOUR takes the stage on home turf for a debut Sydney headline show.
6 September – Shared Waves at Riverside Theatres. Human Waves reverberates through Western Sydney for the very first time, amplified by powerful new movements commissioned by River City Voices, telling Western Sydney stories.
7 September – James Morrison Quartet at Ground level, Kaldor Hall, Art Gallery of New South Wales. The legendary Australian multi-instrumentalist James Morrison is joined by his valiant quartet for a night of pure jazz.
9 September – Rachmaninov Variations by Theodor Doré at Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room. Teodor Doré reimagines the legacy of Rachmaninoff in his acclaimed Variations, premiered at Carnegie Hall and now brought to Australian audiences for the first time.
12 September – Cut Copy live at The Barracks. GRAMMY nominated, ARIA Award-winning, and the soundtrack to every Millienial's early clubbing era. Cut Copy delivers their signature blend of indie and electronic in a stunning clifftop location.
13 September – FBI Radio Eighteenth bday with Miss Kaninna at Oxford Art Factory. After 18 years at the heart of Sydney’s live music, art and nightlife scenes, Oxford Art Factory is officially coming of age and celebrating the only way it knows how: with a party for the people.
13 September – The Mary Wallopers at the Enmore Theatre. The Mary Wallopers take on century old songs and new blistering originals and are truly one of a kind. The upcoming tour follows the band’s acclaimed 2024 second album Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll, and recent EP Home Boys Home.
18-20 September – Genesis Owusu with Shady Nasty at Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room. Be among the first to hear tracks from Genesis Owusu’s highly anticipated new album alongside beloved favourites in an intimate show at the Sydney Opera House.
18-20 September – Donald Runnicles Conducts Sibelius & Wagner at Sydney Opera House. World-renowned Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles summons every ounce of passion from the talented musicians of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
20 September – Wunderhorse at the Enmore Theatre. Wunderhorse has seen its popularity snowball the old fashioned way; winning fans over through visceral live performances and Slater’s vivid songwriting.
20 September – JOHN BUTLER PRISM TOUR at the Metro Theatre (Supported by Emma Donovan). Aussie blues baron John Butler returns to Sydney for an intimate show at the Metro, and will be introducing his brand-new album, Prism Live.
20 September – Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at The Sydney Opera House. The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra brings over 70 musicians for its Australian debut, celebrating the elegance and vitality of Chinese musical traditions.
20 September – Lime Cordiale at the Barracks. Formed by Northern Beaches brothers Louis and Oli Leimbach, Lime Cordiale blends indie pop, retro flair and modern edge with infectious energy.
20-21 September – Folk Bitch Trio at The Landsowne. Angelic voices notwithstanding, The Folk Bitch Trio women also have a shared sense of humour embedded deep in their music, which truly sets it alight.
21 September – George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at the Enmore Theatre. Music icons in the truest sense of the word, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are back in Sydney and ready to funk the f*** out.
23 September – Billy Ocean at the Darling Harbour Theatre. The platinum-selling Billy Ocean returns to Australia performing his many hits. He's sure to be a class act, as always.
26 September – The Art of Violin at Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House. This program shines a light on how German, Italian and French composers interpreted this genre with concertos by Telemann, Leclair, Handel, Vivaldi and Bach.
24-27 September – Music of Jo Hisaishi at Sydney Opera House. Experience the extraordinary music of Studio Gibli's Joe Hisaishi in a new concert event celebrating one of the world’s most beloved modern composers, performed live in concert by the Sydney Symphony.
27 September – CLEOPATRICK at Crowbar. Canadian post-rock duo CLEOPATRICK debut their explosive live show. Where else but Crowbar.
27 September – Transgenre Volume II at The Red Rattler. Following a sold-out debut in 2023, the one-of-a-kind Transgenre Festival is returning for its hotly anticipated second edition, featuring Second Idol and more.
Theatre, music theatre and opera
La Bohème
12 September – The Journey Back at the Sydney Opera House. Strap in for a hilarious work about the Rangers football club, its return to top-flight football, and the eccentric fans along for the journey.
13 - 21 September – Anne Being Frank at The Sydney Opera House. This multi-award-winning play is a complete reimagining of the iconic Anne Frank story.
From 5 September – Bright Star at Hayes Theatre Company. The Sydney premiere of the ingenious and inspiring musical by the superb Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
6-28 September – Orlando at Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre. Virginia Woolf’s most beloved and brilliant novel takes to the stage in a joyous new adaptation.
Until 19 September – Carmen at Sydney Opera House. Take an adrenaline-pumping ride through lust, jealousy and spectacle in this bold new production of an opera classic.
Until 20 September – La Bohème at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. Experience the romance of the original bohemian love story. A painter, a musician, a philosopher and a poet are having a night on the town.
Until 20 September – Trent Dalton's Love Stories at Riverside Theatres. Get ready to fall in love all over again. This restless city has a story to tell in this work by the beloved Australian writer of Boy Swallows Universe.
From 19 September – White Fella Yella Tree at Sydney Theatre Company Wharf 1. Following a celebrated premiere season at Griffin Theatre Company, this production is the Sydney Theatre Company debut of Palawa playwright, Dylan Van Den Berg.
From 19 September – Menopause The Musical at the State Theatre. Inspired by a hot flush and a bottle of wine, the global smash hit, Menopause The Musical®, is back. Ladies night out sorted.
Until 28 September – The Talented Mr. Ripley at Roslyn Packer Theatre. Sydney Theatre Company. Meet literature’s most irresistible conman in Sydney Theatre Company’s thrilling new adaptation starring Heartbreak High’s Will McDonald.
Event salad
Sydney Fringe Festival
1-30 September – Sydney Fringe Festival across Sydney. The Sydney Fringe Festival will showcase over 2,900 artists this September. Chances are extremely high you're going to discover something eccentric, incredible and deliciously unexpected.
5 September – Human Movement, James Pepper and Soul Wun at Oxford Art Factory. This is more than a party; it's a family reunion on the dance floor, showcasing the sounds that have defined us from day one to now. Expect gun fingers.
6 – September – Astral People 14th Birthday, 24 Hour Party at Abercrombie. It’s a love letter to the last 14 years of clubland. A celebration of community, culture and everything we’ve built together. Time to scuff some sneakers.
13 September – Youandewan at Carousel. Expect slick house groovers and warm electronica movers from a packed lineup headed by Scotland's finest rave export, Youandewan.
14 September – Festival of the Winds at Bondi Beach. One of Sydney's most loved festivals, and the largest kite flying Festival in Australia, is back at Bondi this spring, promising to be a great day out for everyone. If it's windy.
3-28 September – Dorothy in Oz: The Immersive Experience at Marrickville Town Hall. Be whisked away by this luscious production, where you're invited to craft your own delectable cocktail as you explore the magical land of Oz and the characters within.
Until 27 September – When Night Comes, Sideshow at The Rocks - Union Bond Store. A hedonistic night out, where visions and sounds, smells and textures, tastes and feelings are conjured.
27 September – 4 October – Sydney Science Festival across Sydney. Join astronauts, space architects, science fiction writers, space suit designers and visionaries as they share industry insights and their predictions for the future of space. Epic.
Visual art and exhibitions
Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala
Until 14 September – Laith McGregor / Drawing Parallels: A Conversation at Draw Space. Draw Space presents a new performance by Laith McGregor in collaboration with Joel Cooper – a large scale drawing, an elusive portrait, a silent conversation.
From 14 September – Scene Architects Build On-Screen Worlds at the Korean Cultural Centre. Bringing to life the artistry behind some of the most striking films in contemporary Korean cinema.
Until 6 October – Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. A must-see major exhibition showcasing the extraordinary artists of Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, and the power of their art from the 1940s to the present.
Until 18 October – The Neighbour at the Gate at the National Art School. Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.
Until 26 October – Art From Behind the Wire at the Anzac Memorial. Art From Behind the Wire is a new exhibition featuring posters, magazines and other printed material created by Second World War prisoners of war, including Major John Champion de Crespigny.
Until 26 October – Stories from the Japanese Studio at The Japan Foundation. This exhibition showcases three craft practices from different regions of Japan, showcasing a fresh perspective, highlighting its dynamism and resilience.
Until 25 January – Dance Protest, Project Banaba at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. By artist Katerina Teaiwa and curator Yuki Kihara, this exhibition explores the history of Banaba, an island in the central Pacific.
Until 15 February – Apichatpong Weerasethakul at The Japan Foundation. Apichatpong Weerasethakul explores the transience of light through video diary fragments projected onto a slow-moving fabric that acts as both curtain and screen.
Until 19 October – Cerith Wyn Evans: In Light of the Visible at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Cerith Wyn Evans creates epic contemporary environments of light and sound in the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia's major winter exhibition.
