Symphonic brilliance under the stars, with a rousing fireworks finale. Queer pop colliding with rough-hewn pub rock and First Nations storytelling. Night after night of good vibes at a dedicated free music hub.
All this and more is on the menu for Sydney Festival 2025, which features a rich Australian lineup alongside a host of international talent. To mark Ausmusic Month, here’s a selection of events showcasing the very best of homegrown music this summer.
Original shapeshifters
This year’s program is bursting with Australian acts whose fiercely independent music defies easy categorisation.
For one special night at City Recital Hall, Melbourne art-rock legends Not Drowning, Waving re-unite with acclaimed Papua New Guinean musician George Telek in a rare performance of their groundbreaking 1990 album Tabaran.
Meanwhile, Punjabi-Australian vocalist and dancer Parvyn, best known as the driving force of Bollywood-inspired psychedelic rock band The Bombay Royale, brings her beguiling solo show to ACO On The Pier, hot on the heels of her just-released sophomore album, Maujuda.
Also at ACO On The Pier, Filipino-Australian synth-pop queen Chela will perform her irresistible queer anthems, including “Cool 2B Queer” and “Hard 4 You”, along with new songs from her much-anticipated upcoming debut album.
Poetic grit
For potent rock'n'roll yarns that could only come out of Australia, look no further than Melbourne’s Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, who’ll scuff up City Recital Hall with their lauded combination of bruising post-punk rock, guttural vocals and tough, tender songwriting.
For more in this vein, celebrated Sydney bard Perry Keyes chronicles decades of living the grit and glory of public housing life in Redfern and Waterloo. At ACO On The Pier, the acclaimed songwriter will perform songs from his sixth album, Black & White Town, against a backdrop of evocative images shot by Sydney filmmaker and photographer Johnny Barker.
Stories of Country
The Festival lineup once again highlights First Nations voices taking powerful stories of Country to the world.
Celebrated Kamilaroi and Tongan artist Radical Son has the honour of kicking off the music program with a celebration of his new album Bilambiyal, which is rich with themes of cultural connection, heritage and belonging.
Also at ACO On The Pier, proud Murrawarri-Filipino rapper, drummer and composer DOBBY will stage WARRANGU; River Story, drawn from his moving and immersive debut album that takes aim at the dire effects of illegal irrigation in the Murray-Darling Basin.
A best-kept Sydney secret and reimagined classics
From sold-out monthly shows in Clovelly Bowlo to a lineup of guests that have included Tim Rogers and Kate Ceberano, the Starfish Club is Sydney’s best-kept musical secret.
The local institution takes over for two jazz-forward shows: one featuring powerhouse vocalist Dannielle De Andrea (aka Gaha), and the other with Sydney-born singer and composer Ruby Jackson. On both nights, the vocalists are backed by the always brilliant Starfish Band, led by Jonathan Zwartz on double bass and Hamish Stuart on drums.
For more 2025 twists on time-honoured sounds, two shows at ACO On The Pier are not to be missed. First up, Setwun & The Soulstranauts reimagine the music of prolific soul-jazz composer Roy Ayers, breathing new life into his classic repertoire. Later, the spotlight shifts to fast-rising Melbourne talent Allysha Joy, who’ll dive into the immense songbook of legendary singer-songwriter Roberta Flack, alongside her own fresh material.
Free live music over 12 nights
Moonshine Bar is the Festival’s always-happening harbourside hangout, featuring 12 nights of free live music from some of our city’s favourite acts and DJs.
Expect wild musical swings from night to night – think genre-crossing DJ team-ups (Maggie Tra and DJ Justin Time), a First Nations takeover (Akala Newman and Mason Browne), queer pop kick-ons (Brendan Maclean, PEPTALK and Mama De Leche), and an epic weekend of soul, funk, Afrobeats and old-school jams at Freedom Sounds and Soul of Sydney. Whenever you venture down, expect to find a new fave.
Outdoors and loving it
To enjoy the best of Sydney in high summer, park your picnic blanket for Sydney Symphony Under The Stars and enjoy a free, feelgood concert open to all — fireworks included.
For something a little different, Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is an intimate aural experience featuring a host of live performers in the iconic bohemian garden overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Finally, the free New Beginnings Festival transforms the Australian National Maritime Museum into a vibrant canvas of contemporary expression, showcasing musicians and performers from Australia's diverse refugee, migrant, and multicultural communities.
So, if you’re looking for the best in Australian music, you now know it’s just around the corner at Sydney Festival.
All the homegrown music on offer this January:
A Taste of Spain
ACO Up Close: Legacies
Allysha Joy plays Roberta Flack
Art Up Late: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Up Late: Australian Museum
Art Up Late: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Bach: Birth and Destiny
Cash Savage and The Last Drinks
Chela
Christie Whelan Browne: Life in Plastic
Converted!
Omega Ensemble: Dark with Excessive Bright
DOBBY: WARRANGU; River Story
Emma Pask Latin Jazz Orchestra: Cosita Divina
Festival Welcome
Katie Noonan: Jeff Buckley's Grace
Lotte Betts-Dean
Music at Moonshine Bar
New Beginnings Festival
Not Drowning, Waving & George Telek: Tabaran
Parvyn
Perry Keyes: Black & White Town
Rachael Beck: In Her Own Words
Radical Son: Bilambiyal
Setwun & The Soulstranauts play Roy Ayers
Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera
Starfish Club: Dannielle De Andrea
Starfish Club: Ruby Jackson
Sydney Symphony Under the Stars
The Bridal Lament 哭嫁歌
The Cage Project
Tina – A Tropical Love Story
Vigil: Gunyah
Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden
William Yang: Milestone
