Christmas in Sydney: the Martin Place tree, carols in the Domain and fireworks over the harbour

By the ULTIMATE Sydney Editorial Team

The Martin Place Christmas tree

The City of Sydney calls it the tallest Christmas tree in New South Wales: more than 110,000 LED lights, a 3.4-metre colour-changing star and 330 baubles, its 800 branches dressed with 15,000 flowers of nine Australian kinds, from waratah and banksia to kangaroo paw. It stands in Martin Place from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Tuesday 5 January 2027, with a light show every 15 minutes from 8pm to midnight and choirs every night in December; the Martin Place Christmas Markets stay open late until Christmas Eve.

Our advice: come after 8pm for the light show, then walk to Pitt Street Mall for the Canopy of Light.

City guide →

Carols in the Domain

The Salvation Army’s Carols in the Domain, in its 43rd year, is on Saturday 19 December 2026 in the Domain beside the Royal Botanic Garden; check its site for times and what to bring.

The QVB and the arcades

The Queen Victoria Building raises a great Christmas tree beneath its dome each year, and the Strand Arcade and David Jones dress for the season: Thursday is late-night shopping at the QVB, until 9pm.

Shopping →

Prawns, oysters and pavlova

A Sydney Christmas lunch is often cold seafood, prawns and oysters, eaten outdoors, with pavlova to follow. The new Sydney Fish Market on Blackwattle Bay, open daily 7am–10pm, is where the city buys its Christmas seafood; go early in the week before Christmas.

Australian food →

New Year’s Eve on the harbour

Fireworks light the harbour at 9pm and midnight on New Year’s Eve; the official site lists the vantage points, ticketed areas and transport home (sydneynewyearseve.com). Many harbourside parks are ticketed or fill early.

Our advice: choose your vantage point weeks ahead, and plan your way home before you go.

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