Following its record box-office and award-winning debut on London’s West End, PADDINGTON The Musical will make its highly anticipated Australian premiere in Sydney in September 2027.

The NSW Government through Destination NSW has secured one of the world’s most highly sought after theatre productions, with Sydney only the third city behind London and New York asked to ‘please look after this bear’, reinforcing its position as the nation’s capital of musical theatre.

Based on the beloved characters of Michael Bond, PADDINGTON The Musical is currently one of the world’s most successful theatre productions, debuting in London in 2025 and winning a record seven Olivier Awards after recording the highest ticket pre-sales in West End history.

The production is estimated to attract over 100,000 visitors to Sydney and inject more than $64 million into the NSW visitor economy delivering a major boost to hotels, bars, restaurants and tourism operators, along with the thousands of jobs they support, while showcasing Sydney as Australia’s premier city for world-class cultural experiences.

Securing the Australian premiere of PADDINGTON The Musical supports the NSW Government’s Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which includes building a nation-leading calendar of world-class events to drive visitation and deliver economic, social and cultural benefits for the state with the ambitious goal of generating $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure by 2035.

The announcement adds to Sydney’s exclusive line-up of major cultural events for 2027, including Sydney Festival, Australia Day Live, Sydney Summertime, Vivid Sydney, Tropfest, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Opera on Sydney Harbour, Sydney International Art Series’ Takashi Murakami: When the Mountain Is High, the Moon Rises Higher at the Art Gallery of NSW and Philippe Parreno: 5 Moons at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and much more.

PADDINGTON The Musical is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, StudioCanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK, and Australian producer Suzanne Jones. It will make its Australian premiere at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in September 2027.

For more information and to join the waitlist for tickets click here.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said: “To be only the third theatre district in the world, after the West End and Broadway, to secure PADDINGTON The Musical is a fantastic coup for Sydney.

“The Minns Labor Government is thrilled to partner with the UK and Australian producers to bring this much-loved story to the Harbour City.

“With its broad cross-generational appeal, PADDINGTON The Musical will draw audiences from across Australia and around the world, supporting Sydney’s hotels, restaurants and local businesses. World-class events like this are a key part of our Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 and help keep Sydney on the global stage.”

Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said: “From the outset, we have wanted PADDINGTON The Musical to open only in cities where it can be produced with the same ambition, care and theatrical scale as in London. Paddington’s journey across the world in search of a new home - and his discovery that home can be found through kindness, acceptance and a sense of belonging - feels particularly resonant for Australian audiences.

“Together with Sydney’s extraordinary appetite for world-class musical theatre and the affection Australians have long held for Paddington, this makes the city a natural new home for our production.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the show to the Capitol Theatre and deeply grateful to the NSW Government for its belief in the production and for helping us bring Paddington to Sydney.”

JONES Theatrical Group Producer and CEO Suzanne Jones said: “As an Australian producer, I am immensely proud that Sydney will be the first city in Australia to welcome PADDINGTON The Musical. It is a rare new musical: spectacular in scale, but always led by character, humour and heart.

“Our partnership with Sonia, Eliza and the wider creative team gives us the opportunity to bring Australian audiences a production with all the imagination, craft and ambition that have made the show such an unprecedented success in London. I cannot wait for Sydney audiences to meet this very special bear at the Capitol Theatre.”