Gates open at 6pm. We encourage you to come early, as to us, OpenAir is as much about the pre-cinema experience, as it is the films. It's important to note that for General Admission ticket holders, dining seats and cinema seats are not reserved and are taken up on the night by guests on a first come first served basis. Whilst there is a seat at the cinema for every ticket holder, if you plan to sit together in a group or have a particular vantage point in mind, arriving early is your best chance of making this happen. If there are any changes to opening times, they will always be published on our Instagram account and on the website.

There are Australia Day events occurring on the 26th January, so please note there will be important access changes within Botanic Gardens of Sydney. Queen Elizabeth II Gates will be closed at 3pm instead of 8pm on the 26^th January. Tarpeian Precinct and Bennelong Lawn will be closed to public access from 3pm on 26 Jan. Please note, roads around Circular Quay, The Rocks, and Milsons Point will be closed during the day and evening for Australia Day events in the city and around the harbour. See link for more details Live Traffic NSW | Incident List. 

A bit of both...  GA tickets require you to reserve your seat in the cinema on arrival at the event, on the night of your screening. This means that arriving early is key for those who are part of a group that want to sit together, or if you have a specific place you like to sit. Whilst we will always do our best to help you find seats together, the later in the evening the harder this gets so why not join us early, from 6pm and enjoy the magic hours harbourside, knowing your cinema seat is waiting for you. 

If having a reserved seat in the cinema is important to you, then you will need to opt for either a Reserved Dining ticket in The Chandon Garden, or for a Premium Dining Pass in Summer House Dining. Go to our tickets page to read more about these options. 

To purchase tickets for a screening, locate the film program, then select the movie you want to see and click tickets. This will take you to the booking page, where you can select the section that you are wanting to purchase tickets for, subject to ticket availability. If the section is not showing on the booking page it means it has sold out. If the screening is fully sold out, it will say no tickets available.

Yes, just like other ticketing platforms we need you to set up an account with us, there is no guest checkout. This will allow you to log back in and see your tickets at any point as well as download them. The link to sign up for an account is here www.westpacopenair.com.au/en/login and we suggest you do this in advance of the on sale for a speedy check out.

Not only do we have the best view of our magical harbour from late afternoon into twilight, but we also spend months thinking about every detail to make the evening hours with us as picture perfect as the view. Some special treats for the early birds include: 

- A Tony's Chocolonely Chocolate sample on arrival

- $9 cocktails at The Point before 7pm for General Admission ticket holders

- DJs at The Point from 6pm every evening 

- For The Chandon Garden ticket holders, enjoy tasting and sample sips of Chandon Garden Spritz in The Chandon Garden before 7pm

- For Summer House Dining ticket holders, enjoy tastings of Whispering Angel 

Sorry to hear you can’t make it, but the good news is you can exchange your tickets for another screening subject to availability for a small non-refundable fee of $5. Requests for exchanges are accepted up until 72 hours before the screening time; within 72 hours of screening time, we cannot exchange. The account holder who made the booking needs to contact tickets@summertix.com.au. We do not offer refunds if you're unable to attend anymore and encourage you to share the love and give your tickets to a friend if you can't join us. 

Unfortunately, sometimes things happen beyond our control, and we have to make the tough decision to cancel screenings. You can find the full cancellation policy in the terms and conditions on the website. 

Preview indicates that the screening is taking place before the wider cinema release of the film, so rest assured it’s the full length feature.

As an outdoor event, our Cinema is subject to prevailing weather conditions. Specifically, rain will not prohibit the screenings of films. Screenings will be cancelled only if weather conditions present a danger at Fleet Steps at screening time. We all know that Sydney Summer weather can change quickly so we always hope to proceed with the screening and make weather-related decisions, based on the conditions at our event site at the time of screening. Regardless of the forecast, we monitor the weather closely throughout the day and evening and keep everyone updated on Facebook,  Instagram and our website. Our number one priority is safety, so if we have to make the difficult call to cancel to ensure our patron’s safety, we will do so, but our preference is to proceed with screening our great programs of films if possible!

Let’s hope it’s not an issue this summer, but if it is, on days where air quality in the city is determined by the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage to be poor, very poor or hazardous, and is predicted to remain that way into the evening, patrons who have tickets for that same night and who are concerned for their health may exchange tickets for another night later in the season, pending availability, by emailing us between midday and 4pm that day at tickets@summertix.com.au . It’s important that you email us by 4pm so we can cancel and reissue your tickets to ensure you get to experience OpenAir on another night. Also feel free to email us if you have any questions regarding this. The NSW Department of Environment and Heritage issues air quality measurements and predictions each day, as well as an index advising how different groups may be affected.

Please be aware that Westpac OpenAir is a fully licensed venue, so no BYO alcohol or food will be permitted to enter the event. We have a great range of dining choices in all of our areas, for more info around the menus visit our dining page.

Babies and infants are welcome at our cinema, however, classification restrictions apply. We do make allowances for prams whereby you can reserve a seat where you’re welcome to have the baby on your lap. You can either keep your pram with you, or we can place it aside for the duration of the film. You will now need to book these seats directly with us, in advance. Book early to secure your seats. Please contact 02 9236 7492 or tickets@summertix.com.au to make a booking. Tickets are subject to availability at the time of booking.

We ask that when small children or babies do attend the films that their parents/carers respect the experience of all patrons and if they become unsettled, we will open the closest gate and ask that they temporarily leave the premises whilst they become settled again. We hope you understand this.

Due to the event’s location as part of the Botanic Garden Sydney and Domain, dogs and other domestic animals are not permitted within the site (assistance and guide dogs are excepted).

Our event is a cashless event, and we will only accept contactless payments, i.e. credit card, app and tap payments across the venue.

You can bring a hand-held umbrella to the event, for use when walking around and when seated in the dining areas. Please note that when the film is screening, you cannot use your umbrella. This is so that you’re not obstructing anyone’s view of the screen. In the event of rain, we will distribute ponchos to all patrons.

Customers with accessible seating requirements can book tickets online. Please then contact us at tickets@summertix.com.au with your order number, so we can ensure you’re seated in the most accessible area for your needs (generally at the back of Section 4, and in front of Fleet Steps). 

BindiMaps is Australia’s leading inclusive wayfinding solution, helping people of all abilities find their way inside buildings and outdoor events. Click here to find out how BindiMaps can assist you and your experience at Westpac OpenAir. 

Find your way around Westpac Open Air cinema with the Free BindiMaps accessible wayfinding app.
 

The app enables people with a disability to navigate easily and independently, via the audio directions optimised for people with vision impairment. Wheelchair mode shows wheelchair accessible routes, and visual map directions are available for everyone to use.

 

If you require a Companion Card ticket, please contact us directly to make the complete booking: phone 02 9236 7492 or tickets@summertix.com.au. You must book all tickets simultaneously to ensure you are seated together. Please have your Companion Card with you on the night.

We do permit pass outs and re-entry. Once in the venue, exit through the main entrance ensuring you are scanned on the way out, and when you want to come back in, just come back through the main entrance again.

We will do everything we can to get your lost item back to you. Head over to our lost property page, submit your enquiry and we will be in touch if anything matching your description shows up. 

The Westpac customer pre-sale code will be available to all NSW customers within the Westpac banking app from November 2023. You can also keep an eye out on Westpac's social media or in branch. You can find more information specific to Westpac customers here https://www.westpac.com.au/help/community/openair/

Tickets are on sale from 9am, 11 December for everyone, with an exclusive Westpac Customer pre-sale window between 9am, 4 December until 5pm, 6 December 2023. 

The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the OpenAir Cinema is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the event space is a smoke-free environment (including all smoking and vaping). By becoming a smoke-free site, we are seeking to reduce exposure to harmful second-hand smoke.

Tickets will be sold via our website for the 2024 season. Just set up an account, login and follow the prompts to buy. You can browse the program now and sales commence from 4 December for Westpac customers and 11 December for everyone else. 

Only tickets purchased through the event website, www.westpacopenair.com.au, will be valid for entry. If you purchase through other avenues, including but not limited to resale sites, friends, social media marketplaces, you risk being denied entry on the night.