All times are Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)
Australia Day LIVE Concert tickets will go on sale at 10am, the 14th of January 2026 here. They are free & are limited in stock but don’t worry if you miss out, you can still enjoy the event without a ticket from around Circular Quay on the night or through the visual broadcast provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation! The Australia Day LIVE Concert goes for 2 hours & features Australian musical acts & fireworks celebrating Australian identity, beginning at 7:30pm, following a 1-hour non-broadcasted pre-show. Meanwhile, here are some other updates on Australia Day In Sydney for the 2026 edition…
Harbourfest
Mega Kidz Zone is no longer a Harbourfest event but will still be held in the Overseas Passenger Terminal between 10:30am & 4pm.
Salute (11:55am-1pm)
Centred in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Salute weaves together cultural & ceremonial traditions in a tribute to Australia including a smoking ceremony from the vessel, Wirwai & opening with a 21-gun salute from Bradfield Park.
Navy Helicopter Flag Display
After a 2-year absence, the Navy Helicopter Flag Display will return to doing a leg down and along the South Coast to Nowra.
The Navy Helicopter Flag Display sees a Royal Australian Navy helicopter tow a giant Australian flag. The route & estimated times are below:
- 11:55am – Middle Head take-off
- 11:56am – North Head
- 12:03pm – Barrenjoey Head
- 12:11pm – North Head
- 12:14pm – Sydney Harbour Bridge/Goat Island
- 12:16pm – South Head
- 12:17pm – Bondi Beach
- 12:18pm – Coogee/Maroubra Beach
- 12:19pm – Cape Banks/Kamay Botany Bay National Park
- 12:21pm – Cronulla Beach/Royal National Park
- 12:33pm – Wollongong
- 12:38pm – Shellharbour
- 12:43pm – Kiama
- 12:50pm – Comerong Island
- 1pm – Nowra landing
Other
The Salute will see His Majesty’s Australian Ship Canberra returning for the 1st time since 2020 & at 12pm, a F35-A Lightning II stealth strike fighter jet aircraft returns for the 1st time since 2023 to do a flypast and handling display.
The Salute will end with a sing-along of the National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair. The National Anthem will also be played following the 21-gun salute.
Ferrython Fun
The Ferrython Race & Maritime Mayhem, while still being 2 distinct events, will be combined under a new umbrella term, Ferrython Fun, this year. It begins at 12:10pm and lasts until 12:30pm.
Beginning at 12:15pm, Maritime Mayhem sees jet boats carve up Circular Quay & tugboats pull off stunts within the hub of Sydney Harbour.
Race
The race sees 4 of Sydney’s Emerald Class ferries racing each other from in 2 laps in-between the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Fort Denison.
This year, the competing ferries will be carrying members of the Department Of Defence.
Parade
The Parade will start 15 minutes later than usual this year at 1pm. It will run the same duration so it will finish at 2:15pm, 15 minutes than usual though. If you want to be part of the Parade, you can register here by 3pm, 21 January.
The Parade, which begins in front of Mary Booth Lookout, sees vessels dressed to impress judges in a display of national spirit. The Parade goes west to turn around in front of Goat Island before heading back east past the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House to finish in Athol Bay.
Australia Day Eve Open Air Cinema
Image: Northern Beaches Council
The Australia Day Eve Open Air Cinema film this year is Kangaroo. Rated PG (Parental Guidance Recommended – Mild Themes, Violence & Coarse Language) & inspired by the true story of The Kangaroo Sanctuary, it is about a former television star, Chris Masterman, stranded outside Alice Springs (Mparntwe), who teams up with a spirited 12-year-old Indigenous Australian girl, Charlie, to rescue orphaned joeys.
This 2-hour event is held at 6:30pm on the 25th of January in Rat Park, Warriewood. Gates open at 5:30pm with the following food trucks on site:
There will be water stations available for you to refill your own water bottles.
Free tickets must be reserved here to gain entry before 6:45pm on event day. Tickets can only be cancelled before 6:45pm on the 18th of January.
Australia Day Council Of New South Wales (NSW)
The Australia Day Council of NSW is now 50% Indigenous & 50% Non-Indigenous with a total of 6 members. The 3 new members are:
- The Honourable Linda Burney, Wiradjuri nation member
- Joseph Carrozzi, NSW Business Chamber President
- Mick Bainbridge, Operational Legal Australia Pty Ltd Director
This follows the Council becoming Indigenous majority for the 1st time ever last year.
Australia Day In Sydney will be held on January 26.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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