Courtney Barnett, Electric Fields & More Lead 'Bolder Than Ever' Sydney Festival Program

One of the country’s most renowned music events, Sydney Festival, is returning in January 2024 with a program that’s “bolder than ever”.

The 24-day music and arts program (5-28 January) comes with 26 world premieres, 29 Australian exclusives, 15 co-commissioned works and 43 free events amidst an expansive program of local and international highlights featuring more than 1,000 artists and over 150 events.

The 2024 edition of Sydney Festival kicks off with the three-day celebration entitled Summerground, taking place at Tumbalong Park and starring the likes of “The James Brown of Cuba”, Cimafunk, Beckah Amani, Electric Fields, Dem Mob, Fantastic Negrito, Full Flower Moon Band, The Teskey Brothers, King Stingray, West London acid jazz icons The Brand New Heavies performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and more.

Beyond the Summerground live music hub, live music will take over Sydney in pop-up venues, theatres and outdoor spaces, with Aussie favourite Courtney Barnett performing two sets at the City Recital Hall. Barnett will play tracks from her instrumental album, End Of The Day (music from the film Anonymous Club), as well as a set of treasured tracks from her incomparable discography.

Elsewhere, Paul Grabowsky AO and fellow Australian performers Joe Camilleri and Deborah Conway will pay tribute to Elvis Presley with the concert Edge Of Reality. Conway will make another appearance at Sydney Festival throughout the 24-day music event, accompanying Willy Zygier for a no-holds-barred music and words memoir of their rock’n’roll life in Songs From The Book Of Life, which examines their four-decade-long musical careers through eight scenes and eight songs.

At Parramatta Park, Sydney Symphony Under The Stars: Pictures In The Sky will showcase the didgeridoo magic of William Barton alongside Aunty Delmae Barton, Véronique Serret and Iva Davies AM, as well as the sitar playing of Anoushka Shankar.

Sydney Festival also proudly presents its Blak Out program and the reimagined Sydney wharf location, with arts taking over The Thirsty Mile.

These are only some of the highlights of what will take place at next year’s Sydney Festival – you can find the entire program on the festival website. Tickets go on sale today at noon.

“Get ready for a blockbuster summer that speaks to the heart and soul of Sydney – the best harbour city in the world,” Festival Director Olivia Ansell commented in a press release. “With an explosive music program and the biggest to date, 2024 also offers spellbinding theatre, exquisite dance, electrifying circus and immersive experiences that lift Sydney’s underbelly – see you in January at The Thirsty Mile.”

John Graham, NSW Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, added, “Sydney Festival brings our city to life in Summer. It opens a new year with a burst of cultural expression and artistic activity full of diverse ideas from around the world alongside a deep commitment to First Nations expression and a championing of the multicultural force we have become in NSW.”

“The sounds, tastes and emotions of the communities the Festival interacts with kick off any year with great joy. It is why you are in Sydney in January. It is why so many people from around the country and the world want to be here too.”