Children at the Ballet

Ballet is a wonderful introduction to the world of storytelling, beauty and make-believe. At the Australian Ballet, we love it when children attend our performances.

We generally recommend children be at least 6 years old before attending a full-length production, but it depends on the production and the child.

Every production and every child are different, and whether they’re old enough to enjoy a performance depends on a range of factors, including how long they’re able to sit happily and quietly, the time of the show, and—most importantly—the content and style of ballet. Some full-length ballets have a running time of 2 hours or less, while others can go for over 4 hours.

Please note that children 15 years of age and under must be accompanied by an adult over 18 years of age. Children aged 3 to 18 years are entitled to tickets in the 'Child' price category. You can view a full list of price types and concessions here.

Children at the ballet 2026

Child-friendly ballets

For young children, the ballets we recommend as the most suitable are story ballets, such as The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Coppélia and The Nutcracker.

Storytime Ballet

Our Storytime Ballet series features interactive narrated performances that run for under an hour and are aimed at children aged 3 years and older.
Stay tuned for the Season 2026/2027 Storytime Ballet announcement.

2026 Season

Flora
The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre have collaborated on their first full-length work together with Flora. Flora shares Bangarra’s unique style with audiences, connecting traditional storytelling with historic events. Flora has a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, including a 25-minute interval and is recommended for children over the age of 12.

Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare’s tragic love story is a three-act ballet that runs for2  hours and 36 minutes and includes two intervals. Romeo and Juliet contains the use of haze, theatrical weapons and mature themes, including depictions of violence and suicide, and is recommended for audiences over the age of 15.

Copland Dance Episodes
Thirty dancers perform across 22 episodes set to Aaron Copland’s vivid music in this unmissable modern ballet that honours the art form while exploring its exciting new frontiers. An abstract, non-narrative ballet, Copland Dance Episodes has a running time of 1 hour and 16 minutes and is recommended for children aged 12 and up.

The Sleeping Beauty Stuttgart Ballet
Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet brings the story of a princess cursed to sleep for 100 years and a dashing prince who must battle to save her with true love's kiss. The Sleeping Beauty has a yet-to-be-confirmed running time and is recommended for children over the age of 12.

The Nutcracker
A cherished festive ballet draws us into the story of Clara, a young ballet student celebrating with her family on Christmas Eve. The Nutcracker has a running time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, including a 25-minute interval and contains theatrical haze, strobe and flash lighting, and a single gunshot halfway through Act I. The Nutcracker is recommended for children over the age of 6.

The Australian Ballet On Tour
The 2026 On Tour program will feature Act II of The Nutcracker alongside yet-to-be-announced works. Travelling across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory between July and August, the running time is still to be confirmed and the program is currently recommended for children over the age of 6.

Babes-in-arms

For all performances and events, children under 2 years of age are permitted entry at no cost and without a ticket. In these cases, children will not be allocated a seat and must be seated on an accompanying adult's lap for the duration of the event. If the child requires their own seat, they will be required to hold a valid paid ticket.

We encourage you to be considerate of surrounding audience members if bringing babies or children to performances and to consider the appropriateness of performance content. For the safety and security of all patrons, prams and baby capsules of any description cannot be taken into the auditorium. The aisles, stairways and stairwells must be kept clear at all times.

Preparing for the ballet

Learning about the ballet before the show can greatly increase a child’s enjoyment of the performance.

Preparation might include being familiar with the 'story' of the ballet, hearing the music beforehand, watching one of our videos, learning about the role of the conductor and the orchestra, knowing about intervals and understanding theatre protocol in general.

A synopsis of the production, along with run times and casting information will be available on the production page of each ballet around one week prior to Opening Night.

At the performance

If a child is too talkative, becomes restless or fidgety, and is disrupting the enjoyment of the performance for others, we ask that you take your child into the foyer area to settle and re-enter the theatre at interval. There are generally one or two interval breaks of approximately 20 minutes.

Patrons are advised that some ballets have special effects such as dry ice and smoke machines, strobe lighting, and loud music and sounds. Where possible, this information will be available on the production page prior to purchasing your tickets. For new works, this information may not be available until closer to the performance time; in this instance, this will be included in pre-show emails and in-venue signage.

Lockout Policies

Latecomers will not be admitted into the auditorium until a suitable break in the performance, which may not be until the interval. This also applies when stepping out of the auditorium and wanting to re-enter during the performance. This policy is in place for the health and safety of the dancers on stage and to minimise disruption during the performance.

Enquiries

Feel free to call our customer experience team on 1300 369 741 Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm, excluding Victorian public holidays when considering a particular ballet's age suitability.