By Linda Morris
The NSW government has ditched plans to place an annual cap on the lighting of the Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails.
New guidelines which took effect on Friday bar the projection of international flags, texts, logos or emblems and corporate logos on the sails.
The Opera House’s sails show King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s previous visits to Australia.Credit:
But the sails can be lit for “significant artistic, cultural and community initiatives as well as to promote causes, and celebrate or commemorate events of NSW, Australian or international significance”.
The guidelines supersede a detailed draft policy developed by the Opera House that would have restricted the number, duration and frequency of projections at the cultural landmark to no more than 14 occasions a year across 44 nights.
Exceeding such limits would have required separate approval under the Heritage Act.
The Opera House said at the time its updated policy would ensure protection “of the cultural significance of this World Heritage-listed masterpiece while continuing to meet community and artistic expectations”.
At the eleventh hour, in December 2023, the draft policy was pulled back to state cabinet for further consideration. It has been in limbo ever since.
The initial policy rewrite was triggered by revelations by this masthead that the Opera House sails had been lit for 71 nights in 2022, almost double the previous year.
In 2023, the number of lightings fell under the proposed cap, with the Opera House sails lit on 17 occasions across 42 nights.
This year, the landmark sails were lit on eight occasions across 30 nights: for the Olympics, in tribute to responders to the Bondi Junction Westfield attack, on Remembrance Day and Diwali, and to mark the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The Opera House displays poppies on the sails in recognition of Remembrance Day.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The Opera House has not accepted projection applications from the public while the updated policy was undergoing final consultation.
In 2024, the Opera House received more than 80 requests to light its sails. In 2023, it received more than 70.
A NSW government spokesperson said the new guidelines “recognised the unique heritage status of the Sydney Opera House and the need to treat this internationally iconic structure respectfully”.
“We have provided updated guidelines for lighting the Sydney Opera House sails,” they said.
“These guidelines get the balance right as they give the community guidance when putting in applications for projections while also ensuring the sails are used appropriately and in line with community expectations.”
It’s unclear if the guidelines, which have immediate effect, apply to government-initiated requests to honour visiting heads of state and diplomatic missions.
Over the past decade, the Opera House fielded a substantial increase in requests to illuminate the sails, including from community groups, charities, organisations, foreign embassies or consulates, and government.
In 2018, the Opera House sails were controversially lit up with colours, numbers and a trophy of the Everest, billed as the “world’s richest race on turf”, following the intervention of former premier Gladys Berejiklian.
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