Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one interval.
Please note
This production contains sexual references, themes of sexual abuse and suicide.
Special Offer: Book 4+ tickets and Save!*
That’s a saving of $176 when you book four A-reserve tickets to any performance.
Simply select the ‘Group of 4+’ price when choosing your seats in A, B, C, D, or E Reserve and the offer will be automatically applied.
Strategic Sponsors
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Principal Partner
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Dr Haruhisa Handa
“A modern Butterfly soars as art and spectacle combine on Sydney Harbour” (Limelight)
The critically acclaimed and wildly popular Madama Butterfly returns to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage.
Under the stars, with fireworks every night as well as pop up bars and eateries, this is “the most impressive outdoor event in Australia… You don’t need to understand opera to understand what makes the occasion great” (Concrete Playground).
Take your seats overlooking ‘Paradise’ – complete with a bamboo grove, a giant moon, and a rising sun floating in the harbour. The picture-perfect backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge twinkles with thousands of city lights as night falls.
For innocent Cio-Cio-San, love flutters on wings of desire. For brash Pinkerton, a flight of fancy is irresistible. On their wedding night, passions ignite. Yet, how ephemeral is their ecstatic embrace?
Puccini’s intimate ode to unrequited love has always been shocking. East meets West, devotion meets disregard, expectation meets disappointment. In the clash, Cio-Cio-San’s dreams shatter.
Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour is a “five star world-beating triumph, surely one of the most spectacular outdoor operas ever staged anywhere” (Time Out).
Join us for Sydney’s best night out.
“Beautiful, heartrending, provocative ★★★★½”
Limelight
“A wonderful, quintessentially Sydney evening. ★★★★½”
Culture Binge
“A glittering night out.”
Stage Whispers
Cheat Sheet: Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour
Here’s everything you need to know…
What happens in the story? Who was the composer? What should I expect from the music?
Add a taste of luxury to your evening with pre-performance drinks and fine dining.
Enjoy exclusive access to an undercover pop-up restaurant and bar with uninterrupted views overlooking Sydney Harbour, exclusive menus, superior NSW wines, five-star table service, and dedicated restrooms.
From La Traviata to The Phantom of the Opera. Find out more about the spectacular 10-year history of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, and discover extraordinary behind-the-scenes stories.
Aida on Sydney Harbour is located at Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney.
If you’re arriving by train, bus or ferry and planning to walk through the Royal Botanic Garden, please note that access through the Gardens closes at 6.30pm in March and 6pm in April.
Please note that a marine exclusion zone is in place for the duration of the event.
Mrs Macquaries Road, leading into the venue, is likely to experience traffic congestion. We highly recommend avoiding this road by catching public transport or Water Taxis, or parking in surrounding car parks.
Public transport
If you are planning to walk through the Royal Botanic Garden, please note that access through the Gardens closes at 6.30pm in March and 6pm in April.
*These linked maps and estimated walk times use routes outside of The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. If you're walking before the Garden gates close (prior to 6.30pm in March and 6pm in April), using a route through the Garden will save time.
All schedules, times and dates can be viewed at the transportnsw.info.
Water Taxi
H2O Water Taxis operate between 5pm and 7.30pm, departing from Man O'War Jetty near the Sydney Opera House and arriving at the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool Wharf, Woolloomooloo, just a 5-minute walk from the venue.
Following the performance, return services operate back to Man O'War Jetty.
Water taxi fares are $20 each way. You can add water taxi transfers to your booking at any time by logging into your account or by contacting our Box Office.
The Domain Car Park is the closest car park, approximately a 10 to 12 minute walk to the venue. The car park is open 24 hours, with Mobility Parking Scheme spaces located at the northern end of the ground floor.
Metered parking is also available along Mrs Macquaries Road, Hospital Road and Macquarie Street, with payment by credit card or mobile phone.
Please note: Art Gallery Road can become heavily congested before and after performances. If arranging pick up or drop off, we recommend choosing an alternative meeting point.
Aida on Sydney Harbour is an open-air and all-weather event
The venue, audience seating, and the stage are completely uncovered. The event is an all-weather experience and we are committed to going ahead with a performance of Aida on Sydney Harbour even in doubtful or unfavourable weather conditions. Please come prepared so that you are as comfortable as possible, and ready to support the performers, who will carry on singing in the rain.
Bring warm and waterproof clothing
Sydney weather is full of surprises so we recommend that you dress with this in mind and bring warm, weatherproof clothing. Please note that although umbrellas can be brought to the venue, out of consideration for other members of the audience they cannot be used during the performance.
Ponchos
Biodegradable ponchos will be available to purchase at the event. Once disposed of, the poncho takes about a year to break down and become a protein of the ecosystem.
Ticket exchanges
You may call our box office on +61 2 9318 8200 to exchange your tickets. You must request an exchange or refund at least two working days before the Event. We will only exchange or refund your tickets in our sole discretion or as required by law.
You can also exchange your tickets online, or receive a credit voucher for the value of your tickets, right up until the start of the performance.
Performance pauses and cancellations
We will only cancel a performance during electrical storms (within 10km radius) or during times of extremely high winds and/or rain. We will not cancel a performance until 7:30pm or later. We may decide to cancel a performance once the show is underway. Please plan to travel to the venue for a 7:30pm performance start time even in unfavourable weather conditions.
In some weather conditions, we may delay the start time of Aida on Sydney Harbouror pause for up to 50 minutes at any point throughout the performance.
Auxiliary expenses including travel, accommodation or hospitality which you have arranged in conjunction with the performance are at your own risk and Opera Australia cannot refund these.
Aida on Sydney Harbour has wheelchair and companion seating allocations available.
Customers requiring the wheelchair and/or companion seating should contact the Opera Australia customer service team on 02 9318 8200, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. Wheelchair and companion seating can only be booked over the phone.
The best seats for persons with limited mobility who are not wheelchair users are in the first 5 rows of sections A–H.
When patrons enter the venue via ‘Entry (Sections A–H)’ they will walk downhill to their seats and then up a few stairs to seats in higher rows if seats are not booked in row A. Upon exiting the venue, the path is uphill and persons with limited mobility may consider requesting the use of a Aida on Sydney Harbour wheelchair and assistance if required
Assistance Animals
Assistance animals trained to assist people with disability are welcome at Aida on Sydney Harbour. Please phone our box office on 02 9318 8200 to make your booking so we can allocate you appropriate seating.
Courtesy wheelchairs
Patrons requiring a wheelchair should make contact with the onsite Box Office who will arrange for a transfer to allocated seating by wheelchair.
Lift access
There is a lift available for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility.
The lift provides access from Ground level (bottom of the grandstand) to level 1 (HSBC Platinum Club).
Stairs
If you have difficulties with stairs, we advise purchasing tickets in the first five (5) rows of sections A to H to minimise the number of stairs you must climb. When booking via the phone, please let our box office staff know so you can be seated in this area to best suit your mobility requirements. Our ushers are also very helpful, so please ask them for assistance.
Refer to Access Guide which includes venue step count and surface description to assist with choosing your seats.
We recognise the needs of breastfeeding parents but are unable to provide dedicated parent facilities at Aida on the Harbour. All children (including infants) attending the event are required to have their own ticket, available for purchase online, over the phone, or at the box office. If the event team can offer any additional assistance regarding breastfeeding at Aida on Sydney Harbour, please phone our box office on (02) 9318 8200.
There are five bar and restaurant areas at Aida on Sydney Harbour with a range of options.
The site opens at 5pm so you can enjoy a drink and some food while you watch the sun set over the harbour.
Enjoy Sunset Happy Hour on the Harbour!*
Selected wines, beers and cocktails from $10. Available 5–6pm at all major bars onsite, excluding HSBC Platinum Club.
With five pop-up restaurants and roving bars on site, there’s an option to suit every appetite and budget:
Please don’t bring a picnic. Only food and beverages purchased on site can be consumed within the venue.
There’s no compulsory dress code. Wear what you’ll feel comfortable in and make sure you wear sensible shoes, as you will have to walk up and down stairs to reach your seats.
Sydney weather is full of surprises so we recommend that you dress with this in mind and bring warm, weatherproof clothing.
Purchase your tickets through authorised ticket sellers.
Opera Australia is the primary ticket seller for Aida on Sydney Harbour. Tickets are also available through authorised partners, including Sydney Opera House, Ticketmaster and Headout.
Tickets purchased through unauthorised sellers may be cancelled. Opera Australia reserves the right to cancel tickets purchased for more than 10% above their original price through unauthorised resellers.
Unauthorised sellers include, but are not limited to, Viagogo, Tickets Australia, Ticket Merchant, Ticket Blaster, TicketBis, Ticketmaster Resale, Queen of Tickets, eBay and Gumtree.
Tickets purchased through unauthorised sellers may be invalid and entry to the venue may be refused. We will also cancel forged or fraudulent tickets, including duplicate copies of the same ticket.
There are an increasing number of unauthorised ticket resale websites operating online. To avoid disappointment, please ensure you purchase through an authorised seller. If you have any questions about the validity of your tickets, contact our Box Office on 02 9318 8200 or email customerservice@opera.org.au.
For more information about ticket reselling, visit the NSW Fair Trading. website.
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B.F. Pinkerton arrives in Japan and inspects a house overlooking the harbour that he is leasing from the marriage broker, Goro. The house comes with three servants and a geisha wife named Cio-Cio-San, known as Madama Butterfly. The American consul Sharpless arrives. Pinkerton describes his life of roaming the world in search of experience and pleasure. He intends to go through with the marriage ceremony even though he says that someday he will take a real, American wife. Butterfly views the marriage differently. She is heard climbing the hill with her friends for the ceremony.
After the formal introduction, Butterfly explains that her family was once prominent but lost its position, and she has had to earn her living as a geisha. Her relatives arrive. Cio-Cio-San shows Pinkerton her few possessions, and tells him she will embrace her husband’s religion. The Imperial Commissioner reads the marriage agreement, and the relatives congratulate the couple. Suddenly, a threatening voice is heard — it is the Bonze, Butterfly’s uncle, a priest. He curses the girl for converting to Christianity, Pinkerton orders them to leave and as they go, the Bonze and the shocked relatives reject Cio-Cio-San. She is helped by Suzuki into her wedding kimono, and joins Pinkerton in the garden.
ACT II
Part I
Several years have passed, and Cio-Cio-San awaits her husband’s return. Suzuki prays to the gods for help, but Butterfly berates her, telling her that Pinkerton has promised to return one day. Sharpless appears with a letter from Pinkerton. Goro arrives with the latest potential husband for Butterfly, the wealthy Prince Yamadori. Butterfly politely serves the guests tea but insists she is not available for marriage. She dismisses Goro and Yamadori. Sharpless attempts to read Pinkerton’s letter and suggests that perhaps Butterfly should reconsider Yamadori’s offer. Butterfly shows the consul her small child. Sharpless is too upset to tell her more of the letter’s contents. He leaves, promising to tell Pinkerton of the child. A cannon shot is heard in the harbour announcing the arrival of Pinkerton’s ship.
Overjoyed, Butterfly joins Suzuki in strewing the house with flower petals. Night falls, and Butterfly, Suzuki, and the child settle into a vigil awaiting Pinkerton’s arrival.
ACT II
Part II
Dawn breaks, and Suzuki insists that Butterfly should sleep, Butterfly carries the child into another room.
Sharpless appears with Pinkerton and Kate, Pinkerton’s new wife. Suzuki realises who the American woman is. Pinkerton is overcome with guilt and leaves rather than face Cio-Cio-San. Cio-Cio-San rushes in hoping to find Pinkerton, but sees Kate instead. Grasping the situation, she agrees to give up the child but insists Pinkerton return for him. Dismissing everyone, Butterfly takes out the dagger with which her father committed suicide, choosing to die with honour rather than live in shame.
She is interrupted momentarily when the child comes in. After an impassioned farewell, she blindfolds the child then stabs herself as Pinkerton calls her name.
