Sydney Opera House’s All About Women Festival Is Back For 2026—And The Lineup Is Stacked

All About Women is back at the Sydney Opera House for its fourteenth year, and the 2026 program is shaping up to be one of its biggest yet. Taking over the sails on Sunday 8 March (International Women’s Day, no less), the festival will bring together more than 30 of the sharpest minds in culture, politics, literature, money, medicine and pop feminism for a full day of bold, brainy and sometimes spicy conversation.

Joining previously announced heavy-hitters Jacinda Ardern, Zadie Smith, Emily Maitlis and Laila Lalami are a new wave of headline speakers—including Marisa Meltzer, Yumi Stynes and Chanté Joseph. There's also a seriously stacked lineup of writers, thinkers, artists and experts ready to tackle everything from dating burnout and medical misogyny to money, motherhood and modern masculinity.

If you love your cultural calendar to be packed with substance and thought-provoking content, this one deserves a big circle in your diary.

Jump to:

• When And Where It’s All Going Down
• What To Expect From The Program
• How To Get Tickets

When And Where It’s All Going Down

All About Women 2026 will take over multiple venues across the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 8 March 2026.

Tickets start from $35, with three chances to get in early:

• Insiders pre-sale: Tuesday 13 January, 9am
• What’s On pre-sale: Wednesday 14 January, 9am
• General public on sale: Thursday 15 January, 9am

Sessions sell out fast every year, so if there’s a talk you’re set on, you’ll want to move quickly.

What To Expect From The Program

The 2026 lineup is a perfect mix of cultural heavyweights, viral thinkers and fearless truth-tellers—built around conversations that actually meet women where they are right now.

Here are some of the standout sessions to put straight at the top of your must-see list.

A Feminist Roast (Because Even Movements Need A Reality Check)

A fan favourite returns with Yumi Stynes, Gina Chick and friends delivering an affectionate but pointed ribbing of modern feminism, hosted by Steph Tisdell. Expect big laughs, hot takes and plenty of self-reflection.

Heterofatalism: Why Dating Men Feels So Bleak Right Now

If you’ve ever opened a dating app and instantly regretted it, this one’s for you. Chanté Joseph—whose viral British Vogue essay named the phenomenon—dives into why so many women feel disillusioned with heterosexual relationships.

It Girl: The Real Jane Birkin

Marisa Meltzer unpacks the cultural legacy of Jane Birkin and why being labelled a “muse” erased so much of her creative power, in a sharp, feminist re-reading of pop history.

Money Matters

A practical, empowering panel led by finance journalist Emily Stewart with Zee Heart, Tasnia Alam Hannan and Catherine Fitzpatrick on closing the gender pay gap, building financial independence and actually feeling confident with money.

Raising Boys In A World Of Red-Pill Podcasts

Jess Hill and Zac Seidler tackle how to raise emotionally literate, respectful boys in a digital culture still pushing outdated masculinity—and how to spot the red flags early.

Medical Misogyny

Following Australia’s first inquiry into women’s pain, Zoe Wainer and Gabrielle Jackson pull apart the ways the healthcare system fails women—and what real reform could look like.

After Birth: When Motherhood Turns Dangerous

A powerful and necessary discussion on post-partum psychosis, bringing together lived experience, medical expertise and media insight to explore one of motherhood’s most misunderstood realities.

The All Fours Effect

Miranda July’s divisive perimenopause novel gets the book-club treatment, with Marisa Meltzer leading a deep dive into desire, marriage and why the book caused such a cultural shockwave.

And that’s just scratching the surface—there are also sessions on donor conception, migrant stories, ageing with attitude, opera as truth-telling, and why intimacy keeps getting added to women’s to-do lists.

Additionally, free financial literacy workshops from MoneyGirl and the Arise Foundation will be held in conjunction with the talks, providing practical tools for building everyday money confidence.

How To Get Tickets

Tickets go on sale across three waves starting Tuesday 13 January at 9am, and you can grab them directly via the Sydney Opera House.

Whether you’re keen to see Jacinda Ardern live, unpack the chaos of modern dating, or finally feel across your finances, All About Women 2026 is one of those rare festivals that manages to be smart, funny, uncomfortable and empowering all at once.

We’ll see you in the foyer.

Image credit: All About Women Festival | Supplied