Festival Feasts: The Best Dining Deals to Fuel Your Sydney Festival 2026 Experience

Overview

Sydney Festival turns 50 in 2026, celebrating the milestone with a citywide program from January 8–25 across theatres, parks, galleries and unexpected spaces. The diverse lineup features both established and emerging Australian artists, as well as extraordinary talent from around the world. Spanning theatre, dance, music, cabaret, visual art and immersive work, Sydney Festival 2026 is set to spark imagination and reframe how we experience art in the city.

And with so much to take in, the festival has partnered with some of Sydney's best restaurants for Festival Feasts — a series of exclusive dining deals available throughout the program. Here's where to line up a pre- or post-show bite or sip — plus how to make a night of it with a Sydney Festival show.

Arcadia Liquors

Arcadia Liquors has been doing Sydney's small bar scene proud for nearly 15 years. With its approachable drinks list, spacious covered courtyard and come-as-you-are attitude, it's easy to see why this Redfern stalwart has stood the test of time.

The offer: Start (or end) your night with a cheese and charcuterie board, piled high with antipasti and lavosh. It's available for $30 (minimum two people) and includes a house wine or tap schooner of your choosing. Find out more here.

Location: 7 Cope Street, Redfern

Make a night of it with: WAKE, a rollocking reimagining of the traditional Irish celebration of life that's taking over Carriageworks this January.

ATTENZIONE! Food & Wine

This Euro-leaning, pseudo-osteria dishes up playful Italian-inspired plates in a moody, amber-hued setting. The seasonal menu takes its inspiration from the dining cultures of Continental Europe — with a few Asian riffs thrown in for good measure — with an equally expansive wine list that spotlights Italian varietals.

The offer: For Sydney Festival, the vibey Redfern spot is offering a three-course set menu for $55 a head. Start with a top-tier snack, then tuck into a shared small plate, risotto, and bread to mop it all up. Find out more here.

Location: 180 Redfern Street, Redfern.

Make a night of it: The vibrant flavours on show here are a perfect complement to the bold artistry on show at genre-bending variety show WAKE, just a short stroll away at Carriageworks.

Bar Allora

The glamorous spirit of 1980s boom-era Milan — neon accents, terrazzo floors, mirrored brass and all — pulses through Bar Allora, Bond Street's new all-day Italian restaurant and bar by award-winning operators The Maybe Group and Accor's in-house hospitality arm, Table For. Dishes draw inspiration from Milan's post-war dining boom, when migrants from Italy's south brought warmth and soul to the sleek northern city, with cocktails that celebrate the art of aperitivo.

The offer: Stop by for a pre- or post-show aperitivo, done properly. Enjoy any cocktail with a snack for $30 — a very Italian way to start (or end) your evening. Find out more here.

Location: Mantra 2 Bond Street Sydney, corner of George and Bond streets, Sydney CBD.

Make a night of it with: Post-Orientalist Express, the powerful new work by celebrated South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn that draws on dance traditions from Okinawa, Bali and Manila, performed by eight dancers who don more than 90 attention-grabbing costumes.

Cafe Sydney

This bucket-list Sydney institution has built its reputation over a quarter of a century with its refined Modern Australian seafood dishes and postcard-perfect views from the top of Customs House. If you've been looking for a reason to go — or you're keen to revisit an old favourite — consider this your sign.

The offer: Throughout Sydney Festival, Cafe Sydney will present a daily selection of à la carte specials, with a focus on premium meats and fresh and exotic seafood. Find out more here.

Location: Level 5, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay.

Make a night of it with: LACRIMA, a sweeping, multilingual epic from French director Caroline Guiela Nguyen tracing the global creation of a royal wedding gown, from Parisian ateliers to embroiderers in Mumbai.

Champagne Bar

Sofitel Darling Harbour's sleek third-floor bar features just about everything you'd want in a hotel bar: dimly lit intimacy, plush seating made for settling in, well-executed cocktails, and panoramic views of the harbour and city skyline beyond. As its name would suggest, the venue also boasts one of Sydney's most impressive champagne menus, with a focus on vintage cuvées.

The offer: Take in those views with a Sydney Festival-exclusive two-course menu. For $55, you'll enjoy lemongrass and makrut lime-dressed kingfish tartare on crispy rice crackers, followed by steak frites with chimichurri and a fresh garden salad. Find out more here.

Location: Level 3, Sofitel Darling Harbour, 12 Darling Drive, Darling Harbour.

Make a night of it with: Save the Last Dance for Me, a breathtaking reinterpretation of the early 1900s polka chinata, where two dancers whirl with astonishing intensity in a celebration of intimacy and endurance at nearby Palm Grove.

Anna Kucera

Jounieh

Perched on the water's edge in Dawes Point, Jounieh offers refined, produce-backed Middle Eastern classics. It's set in the thick of the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, making it an easy pitstop if you're looking for somewhere to unwind in between shows.

The offer: This Sydney Festival, the venue is plating up shared vegetarian, meat and seafood spreads for $55 per person, which includes generous meze spreads and a glass of house wine or beer. Find out more here.

Location: 2/17 Hickson Road, Dawes Point.

Make a night of it: American polymath Lonnie Holley headlines a three-night residency at nearby AOC On The Pier, including improvised jam sessions alongside elder Kankawa Nagarra and emerging Sydney neo-soul vocalist Yasmina Sadiki.

Kid Kyoto

Set against the backdrop of the alternative music scene of the 90s — with a generous dash of the 80s — Kid Kyoto makes its own rules and turns up the volume. The menu pays homage to classic Japanese flavours while toying with surprising ingredients and textures, with a focus on bold flavours and local produce.

The offer: Whether it's a quick pre-show pitstop or you're looking to linger, this vibey Bridge Street spot has you covered — snack and sip with a trio of skewers, summer salad and a glass of wine or schooner of Sapporo for $30, or settle in for a $55 two-course menu of wakame-cured ocean trout followed by the venue's signature oyakodon. Find out more here.

Location: 19 Bridge Street, Sydney CBD.

Make a night of it: Cabaret firebrand Reuben Kaye storms the Sydney Opera House for one night only this Sydney Festival — and with an 18-piece ensemble, no less — with enGORGEd, his flashiest and most fearless show to date.

Kuro Bar & Dining

Hatted restaurant Kuro unites familiar Japanese flavours and techniques with high-quality Australian produce and native ingredients to create an exciting array of dishes. Located in a heritage-listed building on Kent Street, the venue unfolds across three distinct spaces: a 40-seat dining room, an eight-seat bar and an intimate chef's table, where executive chef Taka Teramoto draws on his experience at Michelin-starred Restaurant Pages, Paris and Florilège, Tokyo.

The offer: Choose your own two-course adventure this Sydney Festival. For $55, pick from starters like salmon carpaccio with watercress and daikon or green tea soba with nori and fennel, before moving to mains like ocean trout confit with romesco and eggplant or wagyu karubi steak with burdock and sansho sauce. Find out more here.

Location: 368 Kent Street, Sydney CBD.

Make a night of it with: Vigil: Belong, a moving sunset ceremony among the sculptures of Lucy Simpson, honouring songlines, ancestry and Country by the artist's sister, musician and writer Nardi Simpson.

Nikki To

Manon Brasserie

This grand cafe and brasserie brings relaxed Euro charm to an expansive space in QVB. Stop by for all-day French classics remixed with local ingredients and flavours — with a side of people-watching to complete the Euro vibes.

The offer: Manon is keeping things classic this Sydney Festival, with two two-course menus available for $55. Start with your choice of confit duck leg or pan-seared gnocchi with ratatouille and creamed goat's cheese, and finish with a crème caramel. Find out more here.

Location: 455 George Street, Sydney CBD.

Make a night of it: When you've polished off your dessert, hop across the road for Mama Does Derby, a high-energy and poignant play by Clare Watson and Virginia Gay that transforms Sydney Town Hall into a full-scale roller derby track.

Anna Kucera

PIER Bar

PIER Bar is Walsh Bay's breezy openair bar that's about as close to the water as you can get without being on it. Its location makes it a prime pitstop for pre- or post-show sip and snack, with DJs on weekends setting the right harbourside mood.

The offer: Graze the night away this Sydney Festival with a generous spread of cold cuts, cheese and pickles — plus a house wine, beer or soft drink — for $30 per person. The impressive front-row view of the harbour is on the house. Find out more here.

Location: Pier One Sydney Harbour, 11 Hickson Road, Dawes Point.

Make a night of it: Buckle up for Bigmouth Strikes Again (The Smiths Show), New York trailblazer Salty Brine's genre-bending cabaret mash-up of The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and memoir, combining indie rock, theatre and camp drama at Sydney Theatre Company's neighbouring Wharf 1 Theatre.

Planar Bar & Dining

Planar is an al fresco retreat with uninterrupted views of Darling Harbour, featuring a crowd-pleasing menu that celebrates fresh Australian produce through Italian-leaning dishes.

The offer: Enjoy a two-course meal with wine or sparkling on arrival — and unbeatable Darling Harbour views — for $55 per person this Sydney Festival. Start with caprese bruschetta, truffle arancini or salt and pepper calamari, then move to larger plates like pappardelle ragu, pumpkin risotto or a stone-fired sopressa and broccoli pizza. Find out more here.

Location: Shop C08, Ground Floor ICC Sydney, 14 Darling Drive, Darling Harbour.

Make a night of it: After dinner, slip into Tumbalong Park for a special 50th-anniversary edition of the much-loved Sydney Symphony Under the Stars and celebrate Sydney's artistic spirit beneath the night sky.

The Living Room at Park Hyatt Sydney

Unwind in the inviting ambience of The Living Room at Park Hyatt Sydney, where a relaxed harbourside all-day dining experience pairs iconic views with five-star hospitality.

The offer: This month, you can pair those sweeping harbour views with a glass of Taittinger champagne and the house club sandwich — or a tofu katsu sando — for $55. Find out more here.

Location: 7 Hickson Road, The Rocks.

Make a night of it: One of Australia's most magnetic performers channels the spirit, defiance and soulful joy of the High Priestess of Soul this Sydney Festival as Ursula Yovich explores the songbook of Nina Simone at Wharf 1 Theatre.

Sydney Festival 2026 runs from Thursday, January 8–Sunday, January 25, 2026. For more info on Festival Feasts, head to the Sydney Festival website.