Christmas in Sydney: Where to find the best shows, lights, decorations and carols

Sydney is a stuffed stocking of imminent Christmas shows, concerts and events. From The Nutcracker and Elf: The Musical to Rockettes-inspired dance and magic spectaculars, immersive North Pole worlds, Christmas cabarets, yuletide movies with live orchestras and buses and streets decorated with tinsel, baubles and millions of lights. Ring in the season with these bell-jingling festivities.

Grace Carroll and Marcus Morelli star in the Australian Ballet production of The Nutcracker. Credit: Simon Eeles

The Nutcracker

The traditional festive tale of Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Rat King and the Nutcracker Prince twirls through the Kingdom of Sweets in two shows. The Australian Ballet’s rendition of Sir Peter Wright’s classic production is led by soloist Mia Heathcote amid swirling snowflakes, toy soldiers and a Christmas tree growing to the ceiling (until December 18, Sydney Opera House). The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s production (December 13-22, Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay) features ballet and live classical music in collaboration with David McAllister, former artistic director of the Australian Ballet. A livestream of the Australian Ballet production runs December 12-26.

Christmas spectaculars

Big Christmas Spectacular, an all-ages, all-twinkling, old-fashioned Christmas concert with a choreographed battalion of 40 dancers, live orchestra and choir trilling carols and Christmas songs will fill the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall (December 1). The Christmas Spectacular (December 20-22, State Theatre) is a sequinned carousel of magic tricks, circus skills, high-kicking chorus dancers and Nutcracker-inspired choreography. Led by Prinnie Stevens, it also features conjurer Michael Boy. The Sydney Santa Spectacular (December 12-26, Blacktown Showgrounds) has a double-decker carousel, bumper cars, circus shows, jumping castles, toboggan snow slides, a Santa train, a petting zoo and a walk-through enchanted forest with falling “snow”.

Gareth Isaac and Simon Burke star in Elf: The Musical.Credit:

Christmas movies on stage

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, presents Home Alone in Concert, a live performance of John Williams’ score with a screening of the 1990 Christmas film classic starring Macaulay Culkin (December 5-8, Sydney Opera House). Elf: The Musical, a stage adaptation of the beloved 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas movie about a human raised by Santa’s elves at the North Pole searching for his father in New York, features Gareth Isaac (Grease the Musical, Mary Poppins) as Buddy and Simon Burke (Wicked, Moulin Rouge! The Musical) as Walter Hobbs, the father who knows nothing of his son (December 19-29, Sydney Opera House). Hayes Theatre’s Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (until December 22), based on the 1942 film and directed by Sally Dashwood, follows crooner Jim Hardy’s new life in Connecticut, with classic tunes Cheek to Cheek, Steppin’ Out with My Baby and White Christmas. You can also revisit Nancy Meyers’ romance The Holiday, starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, with its Hans Zimmer score played live-to-film by Southern Cross Symphony (December 14, Darling Harbour Theatre, International Convention Centre), and then Richard Curtis’ 2003 Christmas film Love, Actually, with the soundtrack played live by Sydney Lyric Orchestra and conducted by Guy Noble (Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC, December 21) as well as its hits (Mariah Carey, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles and more) sung live in Christmas Actually at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, Rooty Hill (December 21).

MacGyver Models’ Simon Cavanough at work on a David Jones Christmas window installation. Credit: Louie Douvis

Christmas windows

Created over 12 months by artists, designers, engineers and sculptors at MacGyver Models in Marrickville, the David Jones Christmas windows feature more than 50 motorised puppets in scenes based on A Very Wombat Christmas, illustrated by Lachlan Creagh. Elizabeth Street, Sydney CBD.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect balance of scary and merry.Credit:

Tim Burton Emo Christmas – Emo Night

Dress as Wednesday, Beetlejuice, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington or any character from Burton’s oeuvre (The Nightmare Before Christmas seems a ripe choice) at this gathering of festive gloom, emo music and makeovers, with prizes for best costume (December 14, Oxford Art Factory).

Carols by Cabaret

Raising money for the Wayside Chapel, the Hayes Theatre’s Carols by Cabaret returns for its 11th year with an evening of tunes sung by musical theatre and cabaret performers, plus Christmas cocktails (December 9, Hayes Theatre).

Wundrful World of Christmas is peak Christmas. Credit:

Immersive Christmas world

A mix of CGI animations, festooned Christmas trees, a North Pole post office and Mrs Claus baking in her kitchen, Wundrful World of Christmas is a walk-through experience with elves, a gigantic advent calendar, a wishing well and a visit from Santa (until December 24, Wundr Store, 31 Market Street, Sydney CBD).

Go fully festive at Carols in the Domain. Credit:

Christmas carol concerts

Have a picnic with harbour views, Christmas choir carols, dancing elves and festive disco action at Taronga Zoo’s Christmas Concert (December 14, Taronga Zoo concert lawns). Carols in the Domain (December 21) features performances from the Wiggles, Samantha Jade and Rhonda Burchmore, plus dancers, a youth orchestra and two choirs. Santa is also expected. Christmas at Sydney Town Hall (December 17) features carols, choirs, harp-playing, the NSW Police Band and music from the 134-year-old grand organ.

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra performs Noël Noël.Credit: Keith Saunders

Brandenburg Orchestra – Noël Noël

The Brandenburg’s annual Christmas concert, a collection of traditional chamber music, chorales and festive music performed with the Brandenburg Choir, has swelled to include extra performances in various Sydney churches. The programs, which range from O Come All Ye Faithful and Stille Nacht to excerpts from Vivaldi’s Gloria and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, is at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Paddington (December 10); Parish of Holy Name Church, Wahroonga (December 11); City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney CBD (December 12,14); and St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta (December 17).

Bus driver Ian Rowsell behind the wheel of his best-decorated bus of the 2023 Christmas season.Credit: Steven Siewert

Train Rides with Santa

Catch Transport Heritage NSW Christmas railway rides via steam tram, steam train or electric train with the bearded one onboard. Routes include Blue Mountains departures (December 7-8, 14-15), Central to Rhodes (December 7-8) and Thirlmere to Buxton (December 7-8). Santa is also flying in for train rides at the Zig Zag Railway in Clarence (December 7-8). The annual Christmas bus decoration competition, with city buses decked inside and out with tinsel, baubles, twinkling coloured lights and Santa hat-wearing drivers, is also expected to return.

Stock up at the Carriageworks Christmas markets. Credit: Anna Kucera

Christmas Markets

Festive markets festoon the city in November and December. Grab hams, fresh-cut Christmas trees, fruit puddings, mince pies, Christmas tree-shaped crumpets, farm produce and chats with Santa on a velvet throne in full sunshine. Cambridge Christmas Markets are at Centenary Square, Parramatta (November 28); Steyne Park, Double Bay (November 30); Royal Randwick Racecourse (December 6); Burwood Park (December 14); and Green Square Plaza (December 21). Swing between Martin Place Christmas Markets (running between November 28 and December 21), and the wooden chalets, wine bars and melted cheese stations of French-themed Le Jolly Market in Belmore Park, Haymarket (December 13-22) and Mosman Christmas Night Market (December 12). The Summer Seasonal Market (December 7) at Carriageworks offers fresh produce, cut and potted Christmas trees and cooking demonstrations from Nadine Ingram of Flour and Stone bakery. Gather meat, vegetables, baked goods, jams, pickles and preserves at the Carriageworks Christmas Market (December 21), also featuring handmade ceramics and a Christmas DJ. Then gird yourself for the Sydney Fish Market 36-Hour Seafood Marathon (December 23-24) at Pyrmont.

The spectacular Martin Place Christmas tree. Credit: James Alcock

Giant Christmas trees and lights

The annual Martin Place Christmas tree, the tallest Christmas tree in NSW, lights up with Santa’s arrival on a sleigh on November 28 (until January 3) with more than 110,000 LED lights, 330 baubles, a 3.4-metre colour-changing star and 15,000 decorations comprising waratah, bottlebrush, wattle, eucalyptus gum flower, kangaroo paw, flannel flower, pink wax flower and white wax flower. Choirs sing each day at 6pm, December 1-24. There is also a Canopy of Light, with 80,000 suspended lights, across Pitt Street Mall (November 28-January 1), the Queen Victoria Building’s ceiling-high Christmas tree with artwork created with First Nations artists from Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, and the lighting of a 16-metre-high tree at Parramatta Square (November 28) with carols and live music. Darling Square’s light tunnel returns (with live DJs on December 7, 14 and 21). St Mary’s Cathedral is running its light shows and projections, along with trees, stalls and live entertainment (December 12-25).

No mistaking the message at 7 South Street, Tempe.Credit: Steven Siewert

Christmas house decoration streets

An army of tinsel-loving residents, bravely casting aside thoughts of their electricity bills, decorate their homes with millions of flashing bulbs across hundreds of Sydney streets each year. Visit the biggest and most creative displays on Cumberland Road, Whalans Road and Vernon Street in Greystanes, Benaud Street in St Clair, O’Neill Street in Guildford and Lochview Crescent, The Rapids and Caley Way in Mount Annan. There are also South Street in Tempe, Alice Street in Rooty Hill, Avoca Street in North Bondi, Magic Grove in Mosman, Dunmore Street in Bexley North, Sydney Road in Hornsby, and First, Second, Third and Fourth avenues in Willoughby. Payten Avenue in Roselands goes all-out. Check christmaslightsearch.com.au/australia for a map of streets with Christmas displays.

Contact Santa Claus

Call Father Christmas at his North Pole workshop for free from any Telstra Payphone (dial #HO HO HO or #46 46 46). For written messages, visit any Australia Post Office before December 24 to hand-deliver letters, wish-lists or drawings, and you’ll receive Santa’s reply on the spot.

A group dance at the Wayside Chapel Christmas lunch.Credit: Getty Images

Helping others

People can donate money, volunteer their time and buy products to help charity organisations across Sydney to help others at Christmas. Check out Two Good Co, which supports women escaping violence and abuse; Variety Australia, which fundraises for sick, disadvantaged and disabled children; Share the Dignity, for providing access to sanitary products; Orange Sky, which offers laundry services to homeless people; Wayside Chapel, which provides year-round assistance and a free Christmas lunch for people affected by homelessness or social isolation; and OzHarvest, which provides food and meals to people in need.

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