A Guide to the Best Festivals Sydney Puts on Every Year

Sydney runs on spectacle, and nothing shows it off better than its festivals. 

Each year the city turns into a stage: Sydney Festival kicks off the year with more than 100 different events, The Sydney Lunar Festival fills Chinatown with lanterns and lion dances, Vivid Sydney turns winter nights into a neon playground, while Sydney Film Festival and Sydney Writers’ Festival keep the city thinking. 

The challenge isn’t finding a festival in Sydney - it’s figuring out which ones you can't miss, and when to time your trip. Pick your season, pack your stamina. Here’s your guide to a year full of the best festivals Sydney serves up.

When: New Years Day

Every January 1st Sydney's Domain becomes a pulsing mass of sunscreen covered shoulders, glitter, and beats. Running since 2002, Field Day is Sydney’s commitment to not slowing down once the New Year's day sun comes up. This isn’t a laze-on-the-grass kind of event: it's dancing all day while the sun dapples through the gigantic fig trees. The line-up mixes hip-hop, house, electronic, and indie acts, drawing both local favourites and international names and usually attracts over 20,000 people.

Where to stay: Preload an Opal card for trains and light rail to save on rideshares and tired-legs logistics or book in early to a hotel in walking distance from the Domain like ibis Styles Sydney Central, ibis Sydney Darling Harbour, or ibis Sydney World Square.

When: January

The Harbour city ushers in the new year with a cultural bang with Sydney Festival, which sprawls across theatres, parks, and waterfront spaces with theatre, dance, circus, concerts, and large-scale installations. It began in 1977 and has grown into one of Australia’s major annual arts events, with a mix of ticketed and free programming. 

Summer nights, outdoor stages, and a program that covers everything from international headliners to experimental local work. It’s a smart pick for travellers on a budget: art installations open to the public, plenty of no-cost evening concerts, and pop-up shows. If you’re on a budget, stack free up on the many free events, then choose a single splurge show. It’s the best way to stretch the budget while still getting a dose of blockbuster culture.

Where to stay: ibis budget St Peters is close to the T8 trainline and puts you equidistant between the CBD and Western Sydney events, so you won't have to miss out on anything. 

When: Late January – Early February

Sydney’s spectacular Lunar New Year celebration is one of the biggest outside Asia. Over two weeks the city lights up with lion dances, street feasts, lantern installations, fireworks, and dragon boat racing on Darling Harbour. The official program emphasises neighbourhood street parties, cultural performances, and art across the city. It’s all-ages, wildly photogenic, and largely free to enjoy. It's a culinary and cultural adventure where you can snack on traditional dumplings in Darling Harbour then jump a train to Cabramatta for mooncakes and late-night banh mi.

Where to stay:  ibis Sydney World Square or ibis Sydney Barangaroo are both just a few blocks from Chinatown’s Dixon Street and the Haymarket action, and still an easy walk to Darling Harbour for dragon boat races and night shows.

When: Usually February

From scrappy beginnings in 2005 Melbourne, Laneway has grown into a national institution with a reputation for catching next-year’s indie pop, hip hop and electronic music headliners early. In Sydney, it’s a summer rite for live music fans. Expect a one-day, non-camping festival with staggered sets and fast changeovers rather than sprawling fields with intimate layouts that encourage serendipitous discovery of new music. One of the most loved musicfestivals in Australia, past performances include Tame Impala, Father John Misty, Stormzy and St Vincent, and now-legendary sets by the Avalanches and The Presets from the festival's early days.

Where to stay: This depends on where the festival is being held, though the 2025 edition was incredibly popular due to its Sydney Olympic Park location so it's a safe bet that it will again be the venue. ibis has two excellent options nearby in ibis Sydney Olympic Park and ibis budget Sydney Olympic Park. 

When: February or March

Australia’s most famous street party is also one of the world’s largest night-time LGBTQIA+ parades. The Mardi Gras Sydney Parade returns each year to its heritage route along Oxford Street with more than 200 floats and thousands of participants, while the broader festival packs in talks, theatre, cabaret, and community events.

Crowds line the Mardi Gras parade route many rows deep; the atmosphere is loud, political and warm. Sequins, social justice, and a busy calendar that stretches well beyond parade night. Families often opt for daytime events and Fair Day in Victoria Park; night owls plan for the parade and the official after party. For a full primer, read the comprehensive Mardi Gras Sydney guide.

Where to stay:  Booking accommodation early is absolutely essential when visiting Sydney for Mardi Gras. To be right in the thick of things stay at ibis budget Sydney East in Darlinghurst or the chic and colourful ibis Styles Sydney Central.

When: May

Come Sydney Writers' Festival, venues across the city, with regular hubs at Carriageworks, Walsh Bay, and partner libraries put on a week of ideas, debates, and readings that draw audiences in their tens of thousands. Expect 300-plus events featuring local voices and international names; it’s billed as Australia’s largest celebration of literature, stories and ideas.

Events are hosted at Carriageworks and in the inner-city, with satellite sessions across Greater Sydney. Panels that are funny one minute and fiercely debated the next, poetry in pin-drop rooms, and late-night conversations that spill out to nearby bars. You can dip in for a single day or plan a full week of sessions at Sydney Writers' Festival.

Where to stay: The Sydney Writers' Festival website lists session locations and transport tips in detail but choosing either ibis budget St Peters or ibis Styles Sydney Central will keep you close to the Carriageworks festival hub. 

When: Late May–June

Vivid Sydney turns the city into a glowing open-air gallery, with light projections, installations, music and big-ideas talks. It launched in 2009 and now spans more than three weeks across pillars of art, light, music, ideas and food, drawing huge crowds to watch the iconic Sydney Opera House sails and Sydney Harbour Bridge come alive with free to all, large scale light installations.

The illuminated trails linking precincts across the city: from Circular Quay to The Rocks and Barangaroo, then looping to Darling Harbour for reflections on the water, through the CBD and out to The Goods Line. Pack layers; Sydney’s winter is fairly mild but the breeze off the harbour can bite. Go mid-week and towards the end for thinner crowds and cheaper accommodation, and pre-plan dinner near the route rather than queueing at the busiest stalls.

Where to stay: There are a handful of ibis hotels within the festival footprint so you're spoiled for choice, though accommodation does book out quickly throughout Vivid Sydney so be smart and book early. 

When: June

One of the world’s longest-running film festivals, Sydney Film Festival began in 1954 and now spills out over roughly 12 days each June. The historic State Theatre hosts the Opening Night Gala and major premieres, with films also screening at venues across the CBD and suburbs. The Official Competition, launched in 2008, awards the Sydney Film Prize to bold, cutting-edge cinema.

There are premieres with red carpets, directors introducing their work, and the pleasure of seeing something you can’t stream next week. The venue list stretches from Dendy Newtown to the Ritz in Randwick and the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne, so you can pair screenings with neighbourhood food crawls. To save money, bundle screenings with multi-passes, go off-peak sessions, and pick cinemas within walking distance to keep costs down.

Where to stay: Again, the festival map is quite broad so your choice of accommodation has a lot more flexibility, however ibis Sydney Barangaroo is close to both the CBD events and public transport that will get you to the flicks across the bridge.

When: October

South by Southwest’s first home outside Austin landed in Sydney in 2023 and now dominates October with a cross-pollination of screen, music, tech, gaming, and culture. Choose from hundreds of sessions, showcases and premieres, from founder keynotes to night-time gigs across the city.

For anyone working in creative industries - or anyone who just likes to see what’s next - indulge in mornings spent at the conference, afternoons bouncing between expo halls and screenings, and evenings chasing live sets in compact venues. 

Full-festival tickets can be costly but there’s an excellent “fringe” itinerary of free brand activations, public talks, and gig lists often spill into open-access spaces.

Where to stay: ibis Sydney Darling Harbour will set you up close to the ICC festival hub, but also serves as a great homebase for the CBD events.