Disney's The Lion King to open in Sydney in 2026

Disney’s The Lion King, the world’s #1 musical, will return to Australia and premiere in Sydney in April 2026. Loved by millions globally, including audiences across Australia, the award-winning musical production will open at the Capitol Theatre with performances from April next year.

The Lion King has captivated nearly four million Australian audience members over the last two tours and this new Sydney season of the world’s most iconic musical is an exciting opportunity for loyal fans to reconnect and to spark a new wave of excitement in the next generation. A global phenomenon, The Lion King has been seen by over 120 million world-wide cementing its status as one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Opening ten years after The Lion King was last on stage here in Australia, this will be the third local production for this multi-award-winning internationally-celebrated Disney musical. Returning once again to the Capitol Theatre, the original Australian production premiered on the same stage in Sydney in October 2003, followed by a second national tour that opened to Sydney audiences from December 2013.

Responsible for bringing some of the biggest and most celebrated shows to Australia, Disney Theatrical Group have driven over 500,000 interstate visitors to Sydney across the past decade, through partnerships with the NSW government and Destination New South Wales. The Lion King will be the ninth musical from Disney Theatrical Group to play in Sydney over the past twenty years, following an impressive list of smash-hits that include recent national tours of Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and Frozen. An incredible 10 million audience members have seen a Disney musical in Australia.

Critically acclaimed around the world with The New York Times proclaiming "there is simply nothing else like it". The previous 2013 Sydney season of The Lion King was celebrated by both audiences and critics:

“The King of all musicals”
-Channel 7

“Pure theatre magic, each puppet an ingenious delight”
The Sunday Telegraph

“Wonderous theatricality”
The Australian

“Every time we return to Australia, we are reminded of the region's considerable talent pool, both on stage and off, and we can’t wait to gather a talented and exciting company for The Lion King,” said Disney Theatrical Group Executive Producer Anne Quart and Managing Director Andrew Flatt. “On behalf of Thomas Schumacher and all of us at DTG, we thank Stephen Found and Graeme Kearns at the Capitol Theatre and Australian audiences, who have always welcomed our shows so warmly. We'll see you soon.” 

Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand said: “We are thrilled to welcome The Lion King back to Sydney, the place where it all began in Australia over 20 years ago. The Walt Disney Company ANZ is proud to be one of only three places in the world where, alongside Broadway and The West End, we self-produce musicals, directly employing hundreds of Australian theatre professionals. Thank you to Destination NSW and the New South Wales Government for partnering with us once again to bring this iconic piece of theatre back for a new generation of fans to experience.”

Destination NSW Acting CEO Karen Jones said: “Disney’s The Lion King is a global phenomenon that has captivated millions of theatre goers around the world, and I’m thrilled it will make its roaring return to Sydney next year. Destination NSW is laser-focused on delivering a vibrant calendar of world-class cultural experiences for Sydney to achieve our ambition of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific worth $91 billion by 2035. I look forward to welcoming Disney’s The Lion King back to Sydney and the thousands of visitors who will come to experience its majesty.”

Ticket information will be announced later in 2025. To be kept informed of ticketing details sign up to waitlist at thelionkingmusical.com.au. Casting information for the new Sydney production will be announced at a later date.

The Australian premiere of Disney's The Lion King is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. For more information about Disney’s The Lion King, visit thelionkingmusical.com.au