Powerhouse Parramatta opens — Parramatta, Sydney, 7 November 2026 (Opening Festival 7–29 November)
On Saturday 7 November 2026 Western Sydney’s first state cultural institution opens its doors. Powerhouse Parramatta, on the banks of the Parramatta River, is the new museum of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, and the New South Wales government describes its opening as the most significant cultural infrastructure project since the Sydney Opera House. The project cost $915 million, including a $75 million philanthropic contribution and a new collection storage facility at Castle Hill.
Five exhibitions open together on 7 November: Task Eternal, Overflow, The Mall, Es Devlin: The Turning and The Dark. Between them they show more than 3,000 objects, more than 1,600 of them from the Powerhouse’s own collection and the rest from collections around the world. Task Eternal, about aviation, space and the ambition to leave Earth, includes the historic Qantas Avro 504k aircraft. Most of the exhibitions are free; Task Eternal is ticketed, with children under 16 admitted free.
The opening is stretched over 23 days. The Opening Festival runs from 7 to 29 November with more than 170 programmes of talks, food, performances, music, screenings, workshops and tours. “Powerhouse Parramatta is a museum built for the future, where local knowledge meets global perspectives,” said the Powerhouse’s chief executive, Lisa Havilah.
Practical details
- Opens: Saturday 7 November 2026
- Opening Festival: 7–29 November 2026
- Where: Powerhouse Parramatta, 34 Phillip St (1 Danyamada Place), Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
- Admission: entry and most exhibitions free; Task Eternal ticketed, children under 16 free
- Programme and tickets: powerhouse.com.au
Cultural Heritage Online lists this opening because a collection of applied arts and sciences built up over generations is moving into a new home, and because the first thing it shows there is a historic aircraft.
Sources
- NSW Government, ministerial media release “Powerhouse Parramatta opening date confirmed”, nsw.gov.au — read 3 November 2026 (opening date, site on the Parramatta River, cost, free admission, number of objects, the Avro 504k, quote by Lisa Havilah).
- Powerhouse, “Opening Festival”, powerhouse.com.au/program/opening-festival — read 3 November 2026 (festival dates, number of programmes, the five opening exhibitions).
- Powerhouse, “Powerhouse Parramatta”, powerhouse.com.au/visit/parramatta — read 3 November 2026 (address, Task Eternal ticketing, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences).
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