Beautiful and provocative, Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour is "a glittering night out"

• Now playing until 23 April
• Strictly limited season!

"A wonderful, quintessentially Sydney evening of great music, great performance and great Harbour-side vibes. ★★★★½"
– Culture Binge

"This compelling, heartfelt and provocative Madama Butterfly remains as relevant and powerful as when first staged in 2014. ★★★★½"
– Limelight

"Fireworks and treachery combine for a night of intense drama. ★★★★½"
– Sydney Morning Herald

"Simply outstanding... the night unquestionably belongs to Karah Son; she is worth seeing for this performance alone."
– The Daily Telegraph

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is Sydney's most lavish annual event. With spectacular live performances, an unbeatable view and al fresco dining, this is everything Sydney does best.

In 2023, our acclaimed production of Puccini's heart-breaking Madama Butterfly returns to the harbour-top stage. Here are just some of the extraordinary facts behind this ambitious production.

1. The pop-up site is built in about 25 days.

The bulk of the construction happens in the first 15 days. During this time surf lifesavers keep an eye over the water activities of the workers and staff. On day 15, the cast and creatives begin on-stage rehearsals while the finishing touches are added. That's pretty fast for a site that includes 5 restaurants, 3,000 seats, and a huge stage more than twice the size of any indoor stage in Australia.

2. There giant sun which inflates over the water is 12 metres in diameter.

There is also a glowing moon which appears on stage, measuring six metres in diameter. And you'll see two cars and a speed boat as part of the performance.

3. 75 musicians in the Opera Australia Orchestra perform from a custom built studio directly beneath the stage lovingly named the “underworld”.

The orchestra pit in the "underworld" is 120m2 and there are 2 air conditioning units running at all times to keep it at a suitable temperature for care of the instruments. The conductor maintains contact with the singers via in-ear monitors and video screens.

4. There are 600 lights used throughout the pop-up site including 1km of festooning.

This includes 140 moving lights and 6 follow-spots. The stage and venue are powered by 65 kilometres of power, data and audio cable.

5. 71 people perform in the cast, including 20 principals and 51 ensemble members.

A cast of this size is necessary to fill the stage, which is almost two and a half times larger than any Australian indoor stage. Throughout the performance, the harbour-top stage is accessed by a floating walkway.

6. The costumes took combined 1,920 man-hours to create.

There are also 24 wigs, and a body stocking made to resemble a full-body tattoo, which Cio-Cio-San wears under her kimono.

7. Approximately 330 people work on the site at each performance.

From cast to musicians, dressers, makeup artists, stagehands, bar staff, chefs: there's a huge team of people required to make each night truly magical.

8. The rubber floor tiles used across the venue are composed of up-cycled rubber tyres which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfill.

Other sustainable practices include using 75 metres of recycled signage from previous events as waterproofing for walk ways, producing printed materials on recycled paper, choosing biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging, and hiring bio-diesel generators to support the power requirements for the event.

9. Over 26 performances, audience members enjoy almost 21,000 glasses of sparkling wine. Cheers to that!

You can grab a glass at one of our 5 different pop-up bars and restaurants on site, including the Platinum Club which has gourmet menus and spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - Madama Butterfly

Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney
24 March–23 April 2023
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