Sydney Festival is Australia's largest annual arts festival, taking place throughout Sydney each January with over 1,500 performances by local and international artists across music, theatre, dance, and visual arts with total attendance exceeding 800,000. Celebrating the cultural diversity of the world's most naturally spectacular harbour city, Sydney Festival fills the summer with extraordinary live experiences across indoor venues and free outdoor events. Sydney hotels throughout the city are in strong demand during January, and the festival adds an additional layer of excitement to an already popular travel period.
Our Picks — Sydney
The Rocks
Sydney's most coveted hotel address sits directly beneath the Harbour Bridge with unobstructed views of both the bridge and Opera House from its rooms, pool, and rooftop terrace — a combination that places it among the world's great hotel settings. Impeccable service matches the extraordinary views.
Overlooking the Opera House and Circular Quay from its elevated CBD position, the Four Seasons Sydney delivers 531 rooms of pure luxury with a rooftop pool, award-winning spa, and multiple restaurants. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge views from upper floors are sensational.
CBD
A masterpiece of theatrical design inside a lovingly restored 1890s arcade and cinema complex, QT Sydney combines Art Deco heritage with flamboyant contemporary interiors and a legendary nightlife reputation. Gowings Bar & Grill is one of Sydney's most consistently good restaurants.
Woolloomooloo
Occupying the finger wharves of Woolloomooloo — the world's largest timber wharf, now a luxury residential and hotel development — Ovolo delivers 100 individually designed rooms over the harbour with a lively restaurant-bar and complimentary wine hours. The waterfront terrace is magical at sunset.
The Rocks
A bastion of old-world luxury near Circular Quay with Sydney's most celebrated hotel spa, an exceptional Michelin-calibre kitchen, and rooms of timeless elegance. The Langham's afternoon tea is possibly the finest in Australia.
Millers Point
A beautifully restored heritage hotel in the quiet, historic Millers Point neighbourhood above the Rocks with a rooftop bar that offers some of Sydney's most unexpected and spectacular harbour views — a hidden gem at notably lower prices than the waterfront giants.
Looking for more options? See all Sydney hotels