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The Ashes - SCG New Year's Test 2027: how crowded Sydney gets
The Sydney Test of an Ashes summer: England against Australia at the SCG in the New Year week, with the travelling England supporters — the Barmy Army — in town for the duration.
How busy is Sydney during The Ashes?
4–8 January 2027 — we checked these dates against the organiser's own site
Peak of 5 days: Packed our forecast · Sydney scaleCalm · Lively · Busy · Packed rank a day against Sydney's own year — not a headcount.
The 2027 The Ashes - SCG New Year's Test makes Sydney busier than 99% of its year, in a January that otherwise peaks well below — 84% on Friday 22 January. our forecast
When does Sydney get back to normal after The Ashes?
Sydney eases back the day after The Ashes: Saturday 9 January is Calm (12%), and stays below Packed through Friday 15 January, the last day shown here.
Going anyway? See timed entries and tours for January 2027, matched to Sydney's forecast
- Dates checked against www.cricket.com.au
- joint #2 of 3 major events by crowd impact
Tap any day to see that day's forecast; the whole month is at January in Sydney, day by day.
- Dates
- Mon 4 – Fri 8 January 2027 · we checked these dates against the organiser's own site
- Crowd
- The busiest of the 5 event days is Packed. our forecast
- Peak day
- Wednesday 6 January our forecast
- Last updated
- 10 Sep 2026, nightly
More about this event
- City
- Sydney
Tickets for The Ashes
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Official site — www.cricket.com.au →When to arrive in Sydney for The Ashes — and which nights are busiest
The quietest days before it are Fri 1 – Sat 2 January — Calm (26–35%) in Sydney — while the 5 event days peak at Packed (99%). our forecast
Here for it?
Book the week, not the day: the supporters stay for all of it. Between sessions the SCG is a short hop from the centre, and the city's evening is part of the Test. advice
The days before The Ashes are Calm (26%) on Sat 2 January and Busy (80%) on Sun 3 January in Sydney; the 5 event days peak at Packed (99%). our forecast
Staying for The Ashes? The event days, Mon 4 – Fri 8 January, peak at Packed in Sydney; Sun 3 January is Busy. The link opens Expedia's hotel search for Sydney. our forecast
Search hotels in Sydney on Expedia →See Sydney around The Ashes: tours and tickets, a small selection from Viator
Koala & Kangaroos Experience, Waterfalls and Scenic Train Journey
Books on Viator
Blue Mountains Tour: Deluxe Small Group, ScenicWorld, Featherdale
Books on Viator
Booking a tour or a stay through these links earns Avoid-Crowds a commission — it never changes the forecast or the picks. Prices and photos are Viator's; hotel prices are Expedia's.
Plan Sydney around it Book skip-the-line for the rest of your trip don't stand in a line on this day →Not here for it?
The cricket keeps to its own corner, so the harbour is the answer: a Manly ferry with the front deck westbound at sunset, a slow cove like Watsons Bay or Balmoral, or the Botanic Garden's lawns at golden hour. The city's pubs are the fans' in the evenings. advice
Nearest calmer day: Tue 5 Jan (Busy). our forecast
Tours for the quiet days (9–11 Jan 2027), matched to Sydney's forecast
When is the The Ashes - SCG New Year's Test 2027?
The 2027 The Ashes - SCG New Year's Test in Sydney runs 4–8 Jan 2027, checked against the organiser's own site.
| Year | Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Mon 4 – Fri 8 January | confirmed |
How we verified this.
Is Sydney worth visiting during The Ashes?
Packed on the busiest of the 5 event days; the nearest calm days are Calm. our forecast
Worth it if The Ashes is why you're coming — expect Packed days; if crowds are your concern, it is the one time to avoid — the calm week of 9–11 Jan 2027 is the quieter plan. advice
Where are the crowds in Sydney during The Ashes?
The ground is close to the city and the crowd stays the week: the SCG by day, the pubs by night, and hotels carrying the cricket fans of both countries at once.
Match and session days — and the fan zones
The match days and session times are Cricket Australia's to publish — check them there nearer the time. The shape of the week is simple: the SCG by day, the city's pubs in the evening.
Times and routes change: www.cricket.com.au is the organiser's own page and the authority.
Our crowd forecast is an informed estimate, not a guarantee — check with the organiser and/or local authorities before you plan around it.
our forecast marks a number we worked out from published data; advice marks something we think. Never the other way round.
Named places appear here only after checking their own website; anything unverifiable is left out.
Photo: Pixabay.
All Sydney events · Sydney day by day · Disclaimer
Avoid-Crowds is the reference source for how busy destinations get — the only open, day-by-day crowd forecast looking a full year ahead: 33,580 daily predictions across 92 cities, recomputed every night, free to cite (CC BY), featured by The Washington Post and CNN, and mentioned by the Los Angeles Times.