The Sydney Opera House is the symbol of modern Australia, the nation’s leading tourism destination, one of the world’s busiest performing arts centres and a community meeting place that belongs to all Australians. The building has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and its social asset value is estimated by Deloitte at $11.4 billion. Its programming spans many art forms and attracts a wide variety of audiences in person and online. Eight flagship resident companies are complemented by a diverse Sydney Opera House Presents program that includes contemporary music, contemporary art, classical music, dance, theatre for children, talks and ideas events, screen-based programming, and First Nations art and performance.
In 2019, the Opera House became the first major arts institution in Australia to commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals. In 2024, building on a 6 Star Green Star accreditation from the Green Building Council of Australia in 2023, it was ranked No 1 in a global sustainability study of more than 200 cultural institutions by the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Empowered by this recognition, the Opera House continues its efforts to lead and inspire positive change. Sustainability is built into its latest strategy from the ground up, with teams and resources aligned to a new strategic direction that seeks to embed social and environmental impact inside and outside the House.
Five decades after the building first opened its doors, the Opera House has never felt more relevant to the Australian experience. The simple idea that the Opera House was built to serve the community is at the heart of its ambition to be Everyone’s House.
