Everything you need to know about the 2026 Biennale of Sydney

The Biennale of Sydney has announced its first round of details for the iconic art festival’s 2026 edition. And there’s a few exciting details you should know ahead of the full program reveal later this year.

When is the 2026 Biennale of Sydney?

First off, let’s pencil in some dates. Mark your calendars for March 7 to June 8, 2026 as Sydney’s biggest and most diverse art festival brings life and colour to spaces like Cockatoo Island and, for after incredible success in 2014, Rozelle’s awe-inspiring White Bay Power Station.

Who is the curator for the 25th Biennale of Sydney?

Next, let’s see who we’ve got running the show. President of the International Biennial Association Hoor Al Qasimi has come on board as the eighth woman for ever curate the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most historic festival for the arts. Her experience is unquestionable. In 2009 she founded the Sharjah Art Foundation and has been the direct of the Sharjah Biennial since 2002.

This year, she was also given the honour of being the first person outside of Japan to be appointed Artistic Director of the sixth Aichi Triennale, which is one of the largest international art festivals in the country and has been running since 2010.

Is the Biennale of Sydney expensive?

As always, the 25th Biennale of Sydney will be completely and absolutely free across all of its seven major venues.

Where is the 25th Biennale of Sydney?

For many years, the Biennale of Sydney sat across six major sites around Sydney, filling each space with artworks from acclaimed international and Australian artists to showcase an incredible diversity in thought, expression and statement. The exciting activation of the White Bay Power Station, a newly restored and formerly abandoned industrial icon from over 100 years ago, added a seventh last year and it has completely transformed how the Biennale of Sydney snakes around the Harbour City.

In 2024, the Biennale welcomed more than 777,000 visitors. 174,000 of those came from the White Bay Power Station along, making it the most attended non-museum site in long-running festival’s 50-year-history. That’s even more than Cockatoo Island has managed, and the floating behemoth is generally referred to as a highlight of the Biennale for both locals and visitors.

Assuming no other additional venues are announced for next year’s Biennale, the sites where you will find incredible art include:

• White Bay Power Station
• Cockatoo Island
• Art Gallery of NSW
• Artspace
• Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney
• Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
• UNSW Galleries
• Sydney Opera House

What we know so far about the 2026 Biennale of Sydney

Al Qasimi isn’t the only new appointment for the arts festival. The Biennale has also announced that Bruce Johnson McLean is the next Foundation Cartier pour l’art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow.

“The 25th edition of the Biennale of Sydney will be an important moment for First Nations art and artists globally,” said Johnson McLean.

“It is with great pride that I look forward to carrying on the work of my colleague and friend Tony Albert in supporting ambitious projects by, and building connections between, many of the leading First Nations artists from Australia and around the world.”

Bruce, a proud Wierdi man from Wribpid country, comes wiht 25 years of professional experience curating many high profile exhibition and programs in Australia and beyond, including high-profile work with none other than Vincent Namatjira, who has been given the reigns for the Museum of Contemporary Art projects at Vivid Sydney this year.

Sydney Travel Guide will be updating this article as more information is announced about the 25th Biennale of Sydney.

Biennale of Sydney

Where: Multiple venues and sites around Sydney
When: March 7 to June 8, 2026
Price: Free

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