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Welcome to Ignite Talks – Sydney’s festival of fast and furious ideas!

Ignite Talks Sydney returns to the Oxford Art Factory in 2026, with its famously fast-paced presentations that are guaranteed to blow your mind and enlighten your thinking. Ignite Talks has become a staple fixture on Sydney’s cultural calendar thanks to its underground-music-venue setting and white-knuckle presentation format:

15 speakers
each talk is exactly 5 minutes
with exactly 20 slides
that auto-advance in exactly 15 seconds

The result is a fast-paced, high-energy evening designed to keep speakers on their toes and audiences engaged from start to finish. Equal parts entertainment and inspiration, Ignite Talks proves that great ideas don’t need hours — just the right stage. So bring your work fam and your home fam, your sports team and your trivia team; friend or foe  – everyone’s welcome and everyone’s in for an epic night of high-energy talks that will leave them inspired, enlightened and motivated.

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We’ll be back in 2026!

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Ignite Friends get discounted tix

Become an Ignite Friend today (it’s FREE!) and you’ll not only get discounted tickets, you’ll also be the first to know when we announce speakers, open applications for hitting the stage yourself and of course, when the next Ignite Talks Sydney is on!

Connect at Ignite Talks Sydney and you might just meet your next collaborator, mentor or friend.

Ignite Talks Sydney brings together a community of curious and ambitious people (just like you) for an epic night of music, drinks, food and 15 mind-blowing, high-energy talks.

We love you too, Sydney!

“It's a wonderful thing you guys are doing for the Sydney community.”

“It's generous. People really share something that matters to other people.”

“I have to say Ignite is exceptional, I'm thrilled and I think this is so great.”

We’ll be back in 2026!

Oxford Art Factory
38 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst

The Ignite Talks format:

5

Minutes

Every Ignite talk lasts 5 minutes. No more, no less. Speakers talk about anything they are passionate about, get to the point, and quickly.

20

Slides

Most humans are visual learners, so slides with interesting imagery are a key element of why Ignite talks are so engaging.

15

Seconds

Slides auto-advance every 15 seconds, so speakers must be clear and concise with their words. Every word counts.

The 5 rules of Ignite Talks Sydney:

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Blow our minds

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Make it quick

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No clickers

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Pitches get stitches

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Show support

Be prepared for a fun night of 15 lightning-fast talks. Talks delivered by people who know their stuff.  Plot twist, their talks have to be exactly 5 minutes. Nothing like a time constraint to squeeze out the essence of someone’s knowledge. You will walk away energised, entertained and most definitely a little more enlightened.

Become an Ignite Friend 👍

Get access to discounts, exclusive pre-sale tickets and stay up to date on all things Ignite Talks Sydney!

Think you’ve got what it takes to hit the Ignite Talks Sydney stage?

Got an interesting story to tell? Know something that will blow peoples minds? We’re always looking for people to put on the Ignite Talks Sydney stage. Drop us a line and we’ll let you know when speaker applications open for our next event.