Australia Day in Sydney

Everyone is encouraged to come together to reflect, respect and celebrate this Australia Day.

From dawn to dusk and into the night, there are plenty of free events and activities taking place around Sydney Harbour. The day starts with a time to reflect as the sun rises over Sydney Cove (or ‘Warrane’, the First Peoples’ name for Sydney Cove) on Gadigal land in honour of the nation’s Traditional Custodians.

Dawn Reflection sees the Sydney Opera House sails lit with an artwork that represents Aboriginal culture and people, coinciding with the raising of the Australian National Flag and the Australian Aboriginal Flag on the Harbour Bridge as a mark of recognition and unity. This is followed by the WugulOra Morning Ceremony. WugulOra, meaning ‘one mob’, is a moving event at Barangaroo which has cleansed the way for new beginnings and celebrated the Gadigal people of the Eora nation through music, dance, language, storytelling and ceremony. 

Harbourfest encapsulates all the favourite Australia Day events staged on the sea, shore and sky throughout the day. This includes the much-loved Ferrython with an all-new (and faster) race route in 2024. Look up to see the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes perform their jaw-dropping aerial aerobatic routine above Sydney on our national day for the first time in more than a decade! There’s also be plenty of family fun and free entertainment around Circular Quay, with the Overseas Passenger Terminal transforming into a Mega Kidz Zone.

Bring your appetite to the Great Aussie BBQ at Hickson Road Reserve, one of the most picturesque Harbour spots, where multicultural foodies will show off their interpretation of the ‘best sausage sanga’ alongside the ‘classic’ version. Purchasing a snag will result in a donation to Rural Aid with funds helping our farmers.

As the sun sets in Sydney, the Australia Day Live free outdoor concert kicks into action with its all-star line-up of musical performances from Aussie acts, choreographed to a flotilla of yachts, dazzling acrobatics of jet-skiers, fly-boarders, and parachutists, plus light displays on the Sydney Opera House sails and Harbour Bridge, with dazzling fireworks throughout the show.

Performers Casey Donovan, Dami Im, William Barton, Kate Miller-Heidke, GANGgajang, Loren Ryan and Chocolate Starfish will perform some great Aussie hits in this inspiring show that celebrates the Australian spirit. Plus, there’s soprano Mirusia and mezzo soprano Emma Kavanagh, and Muggera dancers, all backed up by Aussie Pops Orchestra.

Hosts of Australia Day Live will be John Foreman OAM, Casey Donovan and ABC’s Jeremy Fernandez. Everyone is welcome to see the show from around Circular Quay where performances can be seen on the large screen in Circular Quay. Australia Day Live will also be broadcast live on ABC TV and ABC iview from 7.30pm.

Australia Day Live is produced by the NSW Government and Australia Day Council of NSW in partnership with Destination NSW and the National Australia Day Council.