SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE LAUNCHES WILD THINGS International Kids Festival 26 September – 11 October 2026
SOH
Press Release
Sydney
| A new annual festival featuring two weeks of performances, workshops and play activities from Australia and around the world FOR BABIES & EARLY YEARS Be Kind (NETHERLANDS) || Australian Premiere 8 – 11 OCT || Studio || Ages 6-18 months Baby’s first circus follows the rhythm of the day, from dawn’s birdsong to luminous juggling clubs at dusk within a dynamic set filled with tantalising objects that rattle, creak, roll and float. From Emilie Weisse Circustheater, Be Kind is based on scientific research that aims to emotionally reach babies. Volatile Ombré (FRANCE) || Australian Premiere 6 – 9 OCT || Utzon Room || Ages 1+ An invitation to connect with the poetry of simple things, Volatile Ombré is an ode to nature, brought to life through shadow puppetry and music with live cello, guitar, ondes martenot and voice – joined by birdsong. An Australian debut from French company La Rotule. AGES TWO – SIX ZOOOM (AUSTRALIA) 26 – 29 September || Playhouse || Ages 4+ Award-winning visionary theatre-makers Patch Theatre return with an imaginary adventure through the universe inspired by Crockett Johnson’s beloved children’s book Harold and The Purple Crayon. Featuring original music, lasers and projections, ZOOOM invites the audience to help a lost star find its way home. Handa’s Surprise (UK) || Australian Premiere 28 SEP – 2 OCT || Utzon Room || Ages 2-5 Seven delicious fruits. Seven very cheeky animals. What could go wrong? A Kenyan puppet safari based on Eileen Browne’s bestseller brought to life through physical performance, live music and song from North London theatre institution Little Angel Theatre. Waiting! (KOREA) || Australian Premiere 30 SEP – 2 OCT || Studio || Ages 3+ This aquatic, multi-award-winning production from Korean theatre company Haddangse is performed lying down, bringing a magical deep-sea adventure to life. Grand Soft Day (IRELAND + UK) || Australian Premiere 8 – 11 OCT || Playhouse || Ages 2-6 A mesmerising co-production from two giants of theatre-making for children: Branar and New International Encounter (NIE). Grand Soft Day follows three friends on an adventure in the woods, where the weather keeps disrupting their plans. Mainly wordless, the performance is brought to life by a live percussive soundtrack and snippets of English, Irish and Italian woven throughout. AGES SIX – 10 Tinker Tales! (NETHERLANDS) || Australian Premiere 3 – 5 OCT || Playhouse || Ages 6+ An energetic building site where three performers dance, build, create and repair vast contraptions before everything goes haywire! Dutch company Plan d- bring their joyful celebration of tinkering to the stage through physical theatre, dance and plenty of laughs. Free “tinkering” sessions will run in the Centre for Creativity for busy small hands. The Longest Nights (KOREA) || World Premiere 30 SEP – 2 OCT || Studio || Ages 7+ A white rhinoceros and a penguin find an unlikely friendship during one very long night. From the acclaimed Ipkoason, a heartwarming bilingual pansori adventure based on the award-winning Korean children’s book by Luly. AGES 10+ We Come From Far, Far Away (NORWAY + CZECH REPUBLIC + UK) 3 – 7 OCT || Studio || Ages 10+ Abdallah comes from Syria. He wants to tell you some things about life, boats, tents, trains, McDonalds … and death. Based on the real journeys of young refugees, brought to life inside a Mongolian yurt. From renowned European theatre-makers NIE Theatre (New International Encounter). Cookies, Ann, Cream (KOREA) || Australian Premiere 8 – 9 OCT || Centre for Creativity || Ages 10+ An adventure through Antarctica and the cosmos told through puppetry, shadow and light from Trunk Theatre Project. You’ll See… (IRELAND) || Australian Premiere 10 OCT || Centre for Creativity || All Ages Ulysses for children? Yes. Yes, Ulysses for children. James Joyce’s epic novel, set across a single day in Dublin, comes to life for young audiences in this inventive new show. From esteemed Irish company Branar, You’ll See… combines live performance, intricate paper design and an original score in a piece of theatre that will excite both young and old. FREE ON THE FORECOURT SWING (AUSTRALIA) 26 SEP – 8 OCT || Forecourt || Ages 9+ On the Forecourt, a celebration of glee! Created by Ian Pidd, this enormous, bright yellow swing – almost nine metres tall – is designed so that adults (and everyone else) might regain their childhood selves in a public space. Iwagumi Air Scape (AUSTRALIA) 26 SEP – 8 OCT || Forecourt || All Ages Multi-award-winning Melbourne-based art and technology studio ENESS will celebrate the beauty of nature and pay homage to Iwagumi, which translates to “rock formation” in Japanese and relates to balance and harmony in nature. This large-scale installation of illuminated boulders is designed to be placed in the middle of the city, sharply contrasting the wilderness with the urban environment. Iwagumi’s lights will remain on after each day of Wild Things activities, providing a luminous meeting place for audiences of all ages until 10pm each night. Puzzle (TAIWAN) 26 SEP – 1 OCT || Forecourt || All Ages A production created specifically for urban public spaces from FOCASA Circus. Five talented circus performers tumble, balance, handstand and form human pyramids while stacking five hollow cubes in all sorts of combinations. Living Sculptures: How the birds got their colours (AUSTRALIA) 2 – 6 OCT || Forecourt || All ages A stunning, Indigenous-led, site-specific contemporary performance fusing traditional First Nations dance, storytelling and contemporary circus telling the important dreamtime story of how the birds got their colours. This show is a collaboration between ARC Circus and Luther Cora and his team from Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers. Les moutons (CANADA) 7 – 11 OCT || Forecourt || All ages Toronto-based CORPUS takes you to a strange and hilarious universe with their carefully studied, surrealistic yet accurate interpretation of sheep behaviour. This wordless live performance recreates a bucolic country scene where three healthy ewes and a young ram go through their daily routine of shearing, feeding, milking and … sheeping. FREE WORKSHOPS In creative collaboration with Apple, New York-based Australian artists Tin & Ed will lead workshops powered by iPad and Apple Pencil. Inspiring creativity with augmented reality, kids and families will explore the extraordinary biodiversity and interconnected ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef. |
Venue: Sydney Opera House
Dates: 26th September to 11th October 2026
