Opera Australia Is Hosting a Cockatoo Island Sleepover and 'The Phantom of the Opera' on the Harbour

What's better that seeing world-famous operas on a regular stage? Watching one iconic production performed on Cockatoo Island, then sleeping over afterwards — and seeing another come to life on a floating theatre right on top of Sydney Harbour. While the latter is usually a standard part of Opera Australia's annual program, the organisation has just announced that it's doubling the openair fun in its 2022 lineup.

If witnessing Cockatoo Island get turned into an opera venue sounds like your idea of an unforgettable night out, that's exactly what's happening from November 25–December 18, 2022. The production: Georges Bizet's Carmen. It's been staged in Opera Australia's harbour program before, but now it's getting its own island.

And, you'll have a few options when it comes to watching — including booking seats on Cockatoo Island, or mooring a boat and viewing the performance projected onto a big screen. Keen for a sleepover? You can choose between the waterfront campsite, a holiday house or an apartment with a harbour view.

For those eager to see the latest iteration of Opera Australia's regular Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour series, that'll take place from March as usual — from March 25–April 24, 2022. While previous shows have spanned everything from West Side Story to La Traviata, next year's season will involve the music of the night and someone who was wearing a mask long before the rest of us. Yes, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera will take to the floating stage. The show planned to debut locally (and on land) in 2021, but that was postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is usually extremely popular, with more than 400,000 people attending between its 2012 premiere and 2019 — when, in one year alone, it sold 62,000 tickets.

If you're keen to head along to either Carmen on Cockatoo Island or The Phantom of the Opera as part of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour — and to see two of opera's biggest titles staged in stunning surroundings — the waitlists are now open before tickets go on sale in November.

The Phantom of the Opera as part of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will take place from March 25–April 24, 2022, while Carmen on Cockatoo Island will be held from November 25–December 18, 2022. For further details, or to join the ticket waitlist, visit the Opera Australia website.

Images: Opera Australia / Hamilton Lund.