Western Sydney’s first state cultural institution, Powerhouse Parramatta, will swing open its doors to the public on Saturday 7 November 2026.

Located on the banks of the Parramatta River, the museum will be a major new landmark for Australia and a global cultural destination for Western Sydney.

Its opening marks the most significant cultural infrastructure project since the Sydney Opera House. The Powerhouse Parramatta is $915 million project, including $75 million philanthropic contribution, and the delivery of the new Castle Hill collection storage facility.

A celebration of applied arts and sciences, most of its exhibitions will be free. The first five exhibitions will showcase more than 3000 objects, with more than 1600 from the Powerhouse’s own collection, with others sourced from collections around the world.

The first exhibition, Task Eternal, will include the historic Qantas Avro 504k aircraft and explore the intersection of design, innovation and technology and trace humanity’s quest to human ambition to defy gravity, take flight and journey into the sky.

The second major exhibition, The Mall, has today been announced as the next opening exhibition, one of five groundbreaking exhibitions which will premiere at the opening.

The exhibition examines the history, evolution and cultural significance of the shopping mall, one of the most influential and ubiquitous forms of architecture in modern life.

Western Sydney played a foundational role in the development of global urban shopping centres with Blacktown the location of the very first large-scale, transport-integrated Westfield shopping centre, opened in 1959.

From Blacktown and later Parramatta, Westfield grew to export the urban shopping malls concept to stores across Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Italy.

Unfolding across two storeys, the exhibition explores Australian and global innovation across architecture, design, technology, engineering and fashion with over 560 objects from the Powerhouse Collection, presented alongside more than 280 loans, ephemera and personal stories collected from the local community.

Highlights include:

  • Victor Gruen’s archive. The archive of Austrian-American architect and urban planner and a mastermind of modern American mall design, presented for the first time.
  • Rare archives from Australian brands including Le Specs, Hot Tuna, Mambo, Globe, Crumpler, Above the Clouds and Song for the Mute.
  • The art of visual merchandising: a reimagining of a 19th-century arcade, featuring a series of window displays developed in collaboration with leading Australian brands Breville, David Jones, Oroton, R.M. Williams and Sportsgirl
  • The signature Levi’s 501 jeans worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the Predator Boot prototypes, conceived by former Liverpool player, Australian Craig Johnston and worn by David Beckham.
  • An Australian premiere of acclaimed South Korean artist Ayoung Kim an animated film, co-commissioned with M+ in Hong Kong
  • The iconic Raindrop Fountain from Southwest Sydney’s Roselands which has been reimagined and created by industrial design studio Vert.
  • Japanese artist yang02 presents an autonomous ballet of warehouse robots, developed with KNAPP.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car said: “From the Powerhouse Parramatta and Metro West to the new Western Sydney Airport, Western Sydney represents an opportunity for the state’s visitor economy.

“Powerhouse Parramatta will give our region’s young people more and better access to our engineering and innovation history, inspiring Western Sydney’s next generation of scientists, designers, and engineers.”

Minister for the Arts John Graham said: “When it opens this November, Powerhouse Parramatta will transform Parramatta, linking the centre with the riverfront.

“Visitors to the Museum will have great cost of living options as entry to the Museum and most exhibitions will be free.

“It will bring audiences from across Sydney, NSW, Australia and the world to explore its bold exhibitions and reshape what audiences think of a museum experience.”

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said: “The Minns Labor Government is delivering a world-class cultural institution in the heart of Western Sydney that will transform the Parramatta River waterfront and become a crown jewel for the region.

“Powerhouse Parramatta will give Western Sydney a cultural institution on a scale it deserves and help cement Parramatta as a major new cultural and tourism destination that will draw visitors from across Australia and around the world, while creating jobs and supporting local businesses across Western Sydney.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts and Member for Granville Julia Finn said: “The opening of the Powerhouse Parramatta will be a proud moment for Western Sydney. It’s been made for and by Western Sydney creatives, workers, and local businesses.

“Western Sydney has a long history of leading the world with our creativity and innovation, which have profoundly impacted the way we live.
Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said: “For years and years Parra Mall was the food court of choice for workers and locals alike and one of the few places to grab a quick lunch.

“While Parra Mall has made way for the Metro I look forward to the Powerhouse Parramatta exhibition taking me back to the aromas and lunchtime shopping at the mall shopping at the mall in the 90s.

“We know visitors from across the region are in high anticipation to cross the threshold of Powerhouse Parramatta. And those coming from interstate or overseas will soon head straight from the new airport to the Museum to explore the best innovations and creativity from around our city, state and the globe.”

Powerhouse CEO Lisa Havilah said: “Powerhouse Parramatta is a museum built for the future, where local knowledge meets global perspectives. We are thrilled to be opening our doors this November with five world-class exhibitions and a program that is as bold and diverse as the communities it serves.”