How to make the most of Sydney Solstice Festival

The Winter Solstice celebrates the longest night of the year, and for us in the southern hemisphere this falls on the 21st of June, the day the south pole is at its maximum tilt away from the sun. After a year of hibernation its time to throw on your winter woollies, get out and appreciate all our beautiful city has to offer, and enjoy the Sydney Solstice festival. The Sydney Solstice festival counts down the days to the winter solstice, by celebrating the return of everything we have been missing; getting together with friends, family and fellow Sydneysiders to enjoy music, art, culture and entertainment in our beautiful city!

See our recommendations for the 5 top ways to celebrate Sydney Solstice:

From sunset each evening during the Sydney Solstice festival the eastern Bennelong sail of the Opera House will be lit up with animations portraying both ancient and contemporary Aboriginal stories. The installation is named Badu Gili, which means ‘water light’ in Gadigal language, and the stories are told across three segments each evening between 5.30pm – 8.00pm.  Badu Gili is accompanied by live performances on the Opera House steps, across a number of music genres. 

Wanna Dance is a family friendly interactive art installation which focuses on reconnecting with each other after so long staying apart and staying seated.  The ‘dance zone’ is located in a laneway at the Museum of Chinese in Australia in Haymarket, and this installation will be active throughout the Sydney Solstice festival, with live dance performances on Friday-Sundays from 6.00pm. Who doesn’t want to kick up their heels and have a dance in the streets?!

When:
Public Art Installation: 8 – 26 June (3pm – midnight)
Dance Demos: 11, 12, 13 and 17, 18, 19 June (6-9pm)
Where
Museum of Chinese in Australia, Haymarket
Price:
FREE
More details: 
Click here

CREATION solstice performance is a collection of dance, projections iconography and music, and audiences are encouraged to wear white and join in the experience!  CREATION is a celebration of surviving the challenges of the past year from fires, floods, Covid-19, and climate change through a ceremonial ritual. CREATION will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay.

To celebrate the return of live music and the importance music holds in our lives, Songwriters @ The Rocks is a unique opportunity for singer/songwriters to showcase their talent and original music, gain industry and live performance experience, and compete for $15,000 worth of prizes. Live showcases will be held on the 18th and 19th of June for the top 20 songwriters, and the live grand finale performance will held on the 20th of June at First Fleet Park in The Rocks.

Incorporating the lane ways of York, Clarence and Kent Streets, YCK Laneways is a collection of buzzing nightlife and hidden bars between Town Hall and Wynyard. This newly created precinct is launching Night Over Light, a program of events at participating small bars within the precinct, aiming to bring Sydney nightlife back through a collection of dance, music, art, culture and theatre.  The highlight of Night Over Light is a special one night only event, Live from YCK, a night of music, dancing and live performances held on stage at Martin Place.   See the more than 30+ events held as part of Night Over Light here, the only question is, which ones will you choose?!

To explore more of what the Sydney Solstice festival has to offer, head to the Sydney Solstice website for their full list of must-see events: https://www.sydneysolstice.com/explore