Symphony Under the Stars will return to the Sydney CBD for the first time in eight years after the flagship event was given a last-minute lifeline to run another year.

The Sydney Festival concert was cancelled for 2026 after Parramatta City Council pulled its $400,000 annual support from the hugely popular community event which has historically closed the festival and set the tone for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s annual season.

Days out from the announcement of Sydney Festival’s upcoming program – the first for director Kris Nelson – comes confirmation the Symphony under the Stars will go ahead at Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park and not western Sydney, its home since 2018.

The event will be shifted to the festival’s middle weekend on Saturday, January 17, and will feature footage

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