Concerts & live music in Sydney

What’s on & coming soon

For headline superstars

Some of the world’s biggest stars have graced stages across Sydney, and you’ll find top performers, like Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney, playing stadium shows at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park and Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. Nearby, Qudos Bank Arena draws more big names, as does ICC Sydney, at Darling Harbour. For more intimate shows – but no less iconic – the Sydney Opera House is home to seven different stages right on the harbour. On balmy summer nights the Domain offers alfresco and often free shows on its stage between the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Art Gallery of NSW, and has welcomed legends such as Kylie Minogue, Arctic Monkeys, RÜFÜS DU SOL and more.

Art for All Concert, The Domain

For local acts and indie names

Inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1960s New York nightclub The Factory, Oxford Art Factory is one of Sydney’s top live music venues and has launched the careers of many local artists. You can now see international acts, up-and-comers and local DJs in the dynamic venue’s two performance spaces. The Enmore Theatre is the longest-running live music venue in NSW, drawing crowds for more than 110 years. For more lively options, enter the mosh pit at the Roundhouse or The Metro Theatre for high-energy rock bands or see international acts at The Hordern Pavilion or a diverse range of performers at Liberty Hall, both in Moore Park. In the west, the Sydney Coliseum Theatre brings in Australian stars as well as the occasional big name.

Patrons enjoying live music at the Oxford Art Factory in Darlinghurst, Inner Sydney

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Then there’s the more under-the-radar spots. Local bands tend to make their names at local venues, and you can find performance spaces in the most unlikely spots. The Marrickville Bowling Club is a sunny venue where both lawn bowl pros and social bowlers get together for a game by day, but at night it’s a legendary live music spot with up-and-coming acts, album launch shows and epic parties. Dee Why RSL has reinvented the traditional sport club to become a modern bar and restaurant with a performance space for DJs, live music and dance. In Chippendale, Phoenix Central Park is an intimate inner-city venue hosting everything from solo piano recitals to opera or experimental sounds in its curvy, timber auditorium.

A grand piano sits in a large performance space as people gather for Phoenix's Fazioli pianoforti - Phoenix Central Park, Chippendale

Phoenix Central Park, Chippendale - Credit: Jordan Munns

There are also a range of pubs that draw in local acts and the occasional international name. Bondi’s beloved Beach Road Hotel is a classic example, also check out the line ups at The Lady Hampshire, The Botany View, Hustle and Flow (good for hip-hop), Crowbar (for metal), The Vic on the Park and The Lansdowne.

Band performing on stage at The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale

The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale - Credit: The Lansdowne Hotel

For jazz lovers (and more)

In Marrickville, the cosy Camelot Lounge specialises in jazz and folk music. It’s also one of the few Sydney venues where under 18s are welcome, so long as they’re accompanied by an adult. Just around the corner is Lazybones Lounge, offering live music seven days a week. Golden Age Cinema & Bar (part of the Paramount House complex) has a small, moodily lit space with a buzzing atmosphere and wide range of acts on Fridays to Sundays. While Tiva creates a luxurious atmosphere to watch both Australian and international jazz and indie acts with its menu of cocktails and Champagne.

Band performing at Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

For cabaret and drag

Home of the Mardi Gras, Sydney has been famous for its drag shows for more than 50 years. Oxford Street is a LGBTQIA+ hub where you’ll find drag shows at Universal and Sydney’s oldest drag stage, Stonewall. Stop by The Imperial Erskineville from Wednesday to Sunday for a Drag ‘n’ Dine show at this legendary LGBTQIA+ spot. At Mary’s Underground just near Circular Quay you’ll find a diverse line-up of performers, from emerging bands to cabaret. At The Vanguard in Newtown you can watch both local musicians and impeccable burlesque acts grace the stage set within a stylish performance space surrounded by luxe velvet curtains.

Patrons enjoying a Drag n' Dine night at The Imperial Erskineville in Sydney's inner west

The Imperial Erskineville, Erskineville

For dance music and DJs

If you’re in the mood for a late-night party, Sydney has options across the city. The ivy – an inner-city club that has a space for every mood. On Saturdays, LGBTQIA+ night Poof Doof takes over with queer DJs, drag performers and pop stars. For a transformative experience, each Sunday Lost Paradise throws a mini-version of its tropical electronica festival. In Darlinghurst, basement bunker Club 77 offers a heavy-hitting mix of industrial, techno and house. In Western Sydney, El Patron is a high-class party hub with a luxurious menu and top-shelf tequila alongside local R&B and high-energy DJs. The Albion Hotel in Parramatta transforms from a relaxed pub into a raucus nightclub come Friday and Saturday nights.

ivy, Sydney City - Credit: Jordan K Munns

For festival-lovers

Sydney loves an outdoor music festival. After the biggest party night of the year, New Year’s Eve, Field Day, offers grassy knolls and a variety of sounds on the first day of the new year at the Domain. At St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, held in late summer, expect big names in the indie, pop and electronic scenes. If reggae is your jam, drop into Jammin, a small summer or early Autumn festival that has attracted Sean Paul, UB40, Shaggy and Sean Kingston. On 26 January every year Koori Radio transforms Victoria Park into Yabun, where you’ll find a bustling marketplace and a mixed-genre lineup of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Crowd at 100 Gecs at Laneway Festival Sydney 2023, Sydney Olympic Park

Laneway Festival, Sydney Olympic Park - Credit: Daniel Boud

For hip-hop heavyweights, Light it Up is a one-day festival at Sydney Olympic Park in spring. Good Things Festival brings some of the world’s biggest punk, metal, emo and rock artists in the world to Centennial Park near the end of the year and Festival X offers a one-day electronic dance music party at Sydney Showground in summer. And don’t miss the music line-up during Vivid Sydney, which lights up the cityscape and stage with a diverse mix of international acts and emerging local artists during late autumn and winter (with plenty of free shows, too).