New data from Roy Morgan shows Sydney’s live theatre, ballet and opera scene has experienced the strongest post-pandemic recovery in the nation.
In the latest period for the 12 months to March 2026, Sydney attracted 869,000 visitors to live theatre, ballet or opera compared to 822,000 people in Melbourne.
Since pandemic restrictions lifted in October 2022, Roy Morgan said both Sydney and Melbourne had experienced strong recoveries. However, Sydney’s recovery was described as faster and more sustained, with overall live theatre, ballet and opera attendance above 800,000 since mid-2023.
Between 2015 and 2019, audience numbers in both cities trended upward, Sydney typically maintained a slight lead and reached a higher peak, approaching one million attendees in the 12 months to December 2018.
The decline during the pandemic was notably steeper in Melbourne, attendance fell to under 150,000 during the most restrictive lockdown period, compared with approximately 270,000 in Sydney.
Prior to COVID-19 (12 months to March 2020), around 3.2 million Australians attended a live theatre, ballet or opera performance. This figure fell to around 850,000 in the year to March 2021 as lockdowns and venue closures in different States around Australia impacted attendance and availability.
Post pandemic audience numbers rebounded following the reopening of venues and numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels with overall attendance above 3.3 million by 2023.
Over the past two years, numbers have remained relatively stable, with the latest figure showing 200,000 more Australians 14+ attending live theatre, ballet or opera compared to pre-COVID level in March 2020.
Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said: “The latest Roy Morgan data for the 12 months to March 2026 shows a quick rebound for attendance at Australia’s live theatre, ballet, and opera following the pandemic.
“Sydney and Melbourne remain the key centres for live theatre, ballet, and opera, and around 1.52 million people in these two cities attend these cultural events – nearly half of the national audience.
“Sydney’s venues are led by the world-renowned Sydney Opera House, Capitol Theatre, State Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Theatre Royal and the Sydney Theatre Company in Walsh Bay.”
Rising ballet and opera attendance
The latest Roy Morgan data shows more than 3.4 million Australians (14.7 per cent of Australians aged 14+) attend live theatre, ballet or opera performances in an average three months.
Live theatre accounted for the large majority of the sector’s audience, with almost 3.1 million Australians (13.2 per cent) attending in an average three months, unchanged from a year ago.
Meanwhile, ballet and opera attendance reached 694,000 Australians, up 63,000 (+10 per cent) from a year ago.
Nearly three-quarters (72.4 per cent) of live theatre attendees reside in Australia’s capital cities.
Melbourne and Sydney dominate live theatre attendance, attracting a combined audience of 1.52 million people, equivalent to around half of all theatre-goers nationally. Melbourne and Sydney residents are 23 per cent more likely than the average Australian to attend live theatre.
