Sydney's SOFT CENTRE Festival Returns With Ryoji Ikeda, Pink Siifu & More

SOFT CENTRE, the pioneering experimental sound, art, and media festival, returns to Sydney/Eora this August.

The 2025 edition of SOFT CENTRE finds the festival expanding to take place over four days (28-31 August) and host six events in five venues. Over 60 acts across music, performance art, cinema, and more feature on this year’s line-up, which you’ll be able to witness at venues including the White Bay Power Station, Chauvel Cinema, St. Barnabas Church, and Brand X.

This year, SOFT CENTRE presents a stellar line-up of talent, including famed audiovisual artist Ryoji Ikeda, performance artist Stelarc, hip-hop giant Pink Siifu, ambient composer Malibu, dubstep pioneer Coki, and the Australian debut of the avant-garde collective, Rắn Cạp Đuôi.

In addition to the acts mentioned above, the festival will be home to a new audiovisual collaboration between Worlds Only and Junior Major, the force of Bhenji Ra and Karina Utomo, and a performance from the all-star Australian hip-hop group led by CONTENT.NET.AU, which will star BAYANG (tha Bushranger), David Ketamine, and Sidney Phillips.

You can register for pre-sale tickets to this year’s festival and check out the full line-up on the SOFT CENTRE website.

If you thought SOFT CENTRE had stopped there, it hasn’t: the event is officially the first-ever Australian festival to partner with a global platform, receiving a significant endorsement and growing its influence in experimental music and art culture.

This year, NTS—a UK-based tastemaker music and culture broadcaster that’s championed music heroes such as Aphex Twin and FKA twigs—has partnered with SOFT CENTRE.

The event began with grassroots movements. It started at the Casula Powerhouse in 2017 and quickly developed a reputation as one of the country’s most progressive festivals. Known for its genre-defying programs that combine local and international talent, SOFT CENTRE provides a space for boundary-pushing artistry you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

Earlier this year, the event was named the Green Room Award Winner and among Resident Advisor’s Top Ten Festivals globally. It was also twice named FBi Radio’s Best Music Event (2017 and 2018). SOFT CENTRE will continue its growth with its 2025 event.