A free outdoor Sydney Symphony concert, one of the main attractions of the Sydney Festival for the city’s west, has been moved after a local council stopped its funding.
Symphony under the Stars has been held in Parramatta Park for years but has been moved for 2026 to Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour.
The decision to relocate Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s concert follows the end of a longstanding agreement between the NSW Government and Parramatta City Council for the latter contribute $400,000 annually to the Sydney Festival.
The council has copped blame for the move, according to Parramatta Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter.
“I’d like to tell the State Government to put their money where their mouth is, and not blame council for a decision they’ve made,” he said.
At the launch of the festival’s 2026 program on Thursday, NSW Arts Minister John Graham said the government had to step in to ensure the concert went ahead, after the council withdrew its support.
“I think that’s a pity, and I call on that council to reconsider,” Graham told reporters.
The $400,000 in ratepayer funding had also supported a wider program of Sydney Festival events in western Sydney.
The concert could still have been held in Parramatta despite the council reallocating its funding, insisted Zaiter.
“I really don’t want to be sitting here and smashing the government, but I don’t think it’s fair that we cop all the blame,” he said.
That money will now be spent on local events including the return of Christmas carols after six years, Lunar New Year festivities in Epping, expanded New Year’s Eve celebrations and a new winter event, said Zaiter.
The council decided to reallocate the Sydney Festival funds based on community feedback, Zaiter said.
“The feedback we received from our local community members is that they want to have more accessible events that provide value for money, run by their own community,” he said.
The Sydney Festival’s 50th anniversary program to run in 2026 will be roughly half the size of its 2025 slate.
To mark the Sydney Festival’s 50th anniversary, the 2026 Symphony under the Stars concert has been programmed as a look back through the festival’s history with live music matched to a show of archival footage.