Sydney Summer Arts Guide: Festivals, Cultural Trails and Open-Air Events
Sydney’s summer arts program reaches galleries, parks, waterfront spaces and neighbourhood streets. David Hockney: Bigger & Closer makes its Australian debut at Carriageworks on October 22, with 360-degree projections tracing six decades of the artist’s work. From December 5, the Art Gallery of New South Wales hosts a Sydney-only Takashi Murakami exhibition of paintings, sculpture, video, installations and new work. Powerhouse Parramatta opens on November 7, giving Western Sydney a major cultural venue. Its 23-day Opening Festival has 179 events, including design and music performances, vintage trains and a Diwali Day Party. About 65 per cent of events are free, and admission is free for under-16s. Philippe Parreno’s 5 Moons opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia on November 21, bringing film, sound, robotics and installations across several floors. Beyond the major museums, visitors can follow gallery trails in Chippendale and Bundeena, see sculpture around Walsh Bay’s wharves or explore street art in St Peters. Piece by Piece, the Penrith Regional Gallery’s summer exhibition, examines mosaics through works by about 25 artists. Concerts return to the Sydney Opera House forecourt, and Sydney Festival runs across Greater Sydney from January 7 to 25. Open-air screenings include Westpac OpenAir at Mrs Macquaries Point, where a three-storey screen rises beside the harbour, with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge behind it.
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