Important times
5pm
Box office, bars and dining venues open
6pm
The Royal Botanic Gardens closed to pedestrians
7:30pm
Performance begins
10:15pm
Performance ends
11:30pm
Bars close
More information visit opera.org.au/aida
Questions? 02 9318 8200, Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm
Getting there
Important information
After 6pm, it is not possible to enter The Royal Botanic
Gardens from Sydney Opera House or Macquarie
Street and walk through.
Public transport
The nearest train stations are Martin Place, St James
and Circular Quay, which are all in walking distance of
the venue.
The City Sightseeing Bus includes the Royal Botanic
Gardens on its route, the last bus leaves from Circular
Quay at 6pm. The 200 Bus (Chatswood to Bondi)
stops in Macquarie Street.
Plan your trip at www.transportnsw.info
Water taxi
Aussie Water Taxis will arrive at and depart from the
Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool wharf opposite the event
site. The wharf is a 3-minute walk from the event.
Aussie Water Taxis services run regularly from 4:30pm
until 7:30pm picking up from Man O' War Jetty (next to
Sydney Opera House) and Milsons Point.
Services recommence at 10:15pm for the return trip
and will run until 11pm.
Aussie Water Taxi fare is $10 per person, each way.
Driving and parking
The Domain Car Park is the closest undercover car
park. From 4:30pm, there is a $10 flat rate charged
and closing hours will be extended until 1am during
the performance season. The free shuttle bus is
available to guests who park in the Domain Car Park.
Parking spots for those with disability parking permits
are located at the northern of the ground floor.
If you use the parking meters along Mrs Macquaries
Road, the M Park system is in place. M Park (Mobile
Parking) is a system on the meters that allows you to
pay via your mobile phone and credit card. There are
instructions on the machine about how to use this
service.
Art Gallery Road, leading into the venue, is likely to
experience traffic congestion. We highly recommend
arranging an alternative drop off/meeting point.
Shuttle Bus
The pre-performance shuttle service runs from
4:30pm until 7:30pm, looping from the car
park (departing from Sir John Young Crescent on the
ground floor) to the venue entrance on Mrs
Macquaries Road.
The post-performance shuttle service starts from
10:15pm until midnight which will stop at both the Art
Gallery of NSW and Domain Car Park.
The shuttle bus is wheelchair accessible.
Venue information and wet weather policy
You can collect tickets for that night’s performance
from 5pm at the box office located and clearly
signposted near the entrance to the venue.
To ensure the enjoyment of all audience members, we
will not seat latecomers until a suitable break in the
performance.
Wet weather
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is an open-air
event, the performance will proceed even in
doubtful weather conditions. Please come prepared
with warm and waterproof clothing. Please note that
although umbrellas can be brought to the site, out
of consideration for other members of the audience
they cannot be used during the performance.
Venue facilities
• Payment options on site: Cash, EFTPOS, and
credit card (Visa, Diners, American Express and
Mastercard accepted)
• There are no ATMs on site.
• There are no cloak room facilities available, so
anything you bring will need to be stored under
your seat.
• Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is largely a nonsmoking venue, however limited designated areas
will be provided where smoking is permitted.
Accessibility
The Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour site has a
dedicated access lift as well as accessible amenities
for guests attending the show.
While we endeavour to perform in all weather
conditions, we will cancel a performance when the
weather poses a threat to the safety of performers
or the audience. The decision to cancel a
performance is not made until 7:30pm or later.
Please plan to travel to the venue for a 7:30pm
performance start time and come ready to support
the performers who will carry on singing in the rain.
In the case of extreme weather, Aida may be
delayed by up to 50 minutes at any point throughout
the performance.
Read our full wet weather policy at
opera.org.au/aida
For any other special access information please
contact the Opera Australia Box Office on
02 9318 8200 or email [email protected]
The experience
What to wear
Remember this is an outdoor event so most
importantly you should dress for all weather conditions.
There are no rules about what to wear at an opera
performance. It is always great fun to dress up for the
occasion and make a glamorous night of it, but
dressing up is not mandatory.
Meet our camels
At 6pm, one of the camels starring in Aida will be
walking around the site, and willing to pose for photos!
Share and win
Take a selfie with Nefertiti at #operaharbour for your
chance to win the ultimate opera experience – 2 tickets
to see Turandot with dinner, drinks and a free program
in Sydney this winter.
To enter, share your photo on Facebook, Twitter or
Instagram, tag @operaaustralia, and post with
#operaharbour.
Dining
There are five Middle Eastern-inspired dining
areas on site: From share and mezze plates to
Moroccan lamb, Fresh Catering have designed
menus to suit all tastes and budgets.
Please don't bring a picnic. Only food and
beverages purchased on site can be consumed
within the venue.
Qantas concierge desk
Where is the Platinum Club? How big is the
orchestra? Where are the toilets? Staff at the
Qantas Information Desk will be ready to answer
any questions.
Merchandise and programs
Look out for Playbill’s merchandise cart, selling
Aida t-shirts, mugs and more. They also sell
beautiful souvenir programs, designed to increase
your understanding and enjoyment of the
performance.