Waverley Council is thrilled to unveil Bondi Pavilion’s 2026 Artistic Program, an inspiring celebration of creativity and culture, featuring an extraordinary line-up of world-class art, music, theatre and entertainment for all ages – it’s their biggest yet!
In 2026, the Pav presents something for every season, from summer through winter, with more than 30 events on offer, including cutting-edge exhibitions, boundary-pushing theatre, award-winning comedy, free performances, youth programs and the return of the popular and acclaimed, Bondi Festival.
The Program begins in January with an astonishing array of sizzling summer events. To kick off the year, Sydney’s own world-renowned physical theatre company Legs On The Wall presents Waverider, a spectacular, new outdoor performance that mixes surf culture, acrobatics and ocean magic into a breathtaking summer celebration, programmed in partnership with Sydney Festival. Erth Visual and Physical Theatre’s Deep Sea Divers follows in late January, delighting onlookers as they encounter performances by extraordinary puppets happening around the Pav and the promenade. Kids can join in the action themselves with creative workshops programmed alongside.
In February, two of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists, proud Noongar artist Bumpy and First Nations drag performer Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz), take over the Pav, with music, cabaret and immersive storytelling. Prepare for an evening of soul-filled celebration as Bumpy presents a hypnotic fusion of jazz, funk, folk and R&B with The Kanana Tour. Next, Miss Ellaneous takes centre stage in a dazzling celebration of Darwin, drag performers and the forever Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner in TINA: A Tropical Love Story.
To round out the summer season, Australian visual artist Lauren Brincat presents her boundary pushing new exhibition Curtain Call, while Good Together brings together Waverley’s best artists in a collaborative exhibition exploring human nature, the natural environment and our ongoing quest for creativity.
As the weather calms and the sand cools, One Fell Swoop Circus comes to Bondi in autumn with a thrilling blend of acrobatics and sculptures for In Common, followed by an incredible celebration of women in music for International Women’s Day 2026 in March. Curated by Lily Richardson and featuring a smorgasbord of bands, DJs and gender-diverse artists, Amplify: Featuring The Buoys invites audiences to connect, dance and celebrate.
From May to April, the Pav lights up with comedy and theatre: re:group performance collective presents AUTO-TUNE, a raucous 55-minute rock opera about millennial culture; award-winning musical comedian Gillian Cosgriff explores the chaos of existence in Life, Oh Life; Luke Kennedy of Tracks Magazine captures the playful and reckless spirit of surf culture in Bondi and Bronte in the photographic exhibition Broken Glass and Blue Bottles; Dummies Corp, winners of multiple Best Children’s Presentation awards at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, present a side-splitting circus show for the whole family, Splash Test Dummies; and finally Emma Memma twirls her way to the Pav for a concert that celebrated creativity, inclusiveness and friendship.
Winter sees the return of Bondi’s annual music program Jazz at the Pav in June, featuring some of the best jazz groups and improvisers from Sydney and beyond, including Sydney pianist Freyja Garbett, saxophone legend Sandy Evans and immersive local trio Lisathe. Also in June, multiple ARIA Award winning songwriter Alex Lloyd performs his greatest hits and a brand-new suite of songs from his latest album, Echoes of Home. This is followed by the world premiere of two new works: dancer choreographer Annalouise Paul’s contemporary flamenco performance Self Portrait and actor Jonny Pasvolsky’s one-hour masterclass on the cult of self-improvement, The CAN Principle.
From July to August, prepare for the return of four local favourites: the annual Bondi Festival transforms the beachfront into a winter playground with award-winning performances, laugh-out loud comedy, and a 25-metre-high Ferris Wheel; Waverley Councils 12-week youth program Bondi WAVE teaches upper primary and high school students how to write and arrange original music; the Waverley Art Prize celebrates its 40th anniversary; and ARTEXPRESS arrives at the Pav showcasing the outstanding High School Certificate Visual Arts students from across New South Wales.
Concluding the winter season, Sarah Austin, in collaboration with Performing Lines, presents a special sensory theatre experience for babies aged 0-18 months and their carers in An Uncertain Time, while A Dance Makers Collective unites Western Sydney’s finest movers for a celebration of dance in all its forms, in All In.
In September, spring blossoms with the award-winning choreographer and dancer, Tupua Tigafua’s Shel We, an enchanting dance homage to the whimsical world of Shel Silverstein, followed by Jessica Wilson’s interactive project I See You Like This, where kids become art directors, transforming their parents’ faces into a living canvas. Plus Thank God You’re Here and Taskmaster star Anisa Nandaula dives headfirst into the chaos of her life in No Small Talk.
From October to November, there will be something to suit all ages: Australia’s favourite kids’ comedians, The Listies, present their one-hour explosion of slapstick, songs, cardboard chaos and ridiculous gags in This Show is a Joke!, 100 Women 100 Stories brings together six award-winning female composers in a moving choral work featuring the words of women from across Australia, and Waverley’s inaugural Bondi Writers’ Festival brings authors, subject matter experts and storytellers together for a celebration of books, ideas and community.
Throughout the year, audiences can also experience film screenings of the West End’s hottest stage shows, free lunchtime concerts in the High Tide Room, lively and thought-provoking public conversations presented by Waverley Council’s Talks & Ideas program, vibrant artist talks in the Art Gallery, and the 25th anniversary of the Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award.
Image: Joshua Morris
