The Rolling Stones have chosen Sydney as their only Australian stop for their multimedia exhibition, Exhibitionism.

Scoring the Rolling Stones 50-year retrospective is a real coup for Destination NSW and NSW Premier Mike Baird and one likely to put the new International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour, which opens this December, firmly on the map.

Exhibitionism took over two floors at London’s Saatchi Gallery when it opened in April and it finished in London last week. It opens in New York’s Industria Superstudio, West Village this November.

The flagship event will be a test of the ICC’s metal and its 35,000sq m exhibition space.

It is a momentous exhibition with nine themed gallery spaces throwing open the Stones’ archives to present original stage costumes and lyric books, backstage and touring paraphernalia, album art, photography, stage designs, personal diaries and never before released audio and behind-the-scenes footage.

The exhibition aims for immersive realism in parts as it recreates ‘Edith Grove’, the band’s first shared flat in Chelsea and their recording studio, complete with original instruments and interactive mixing desks. It ends with a mind-blowing backstage and 3D concert experience.

NSW Premier Mike Baird said the exhibition was travelling around the world and would arrive in Sydney in December 2018.

“We’re pleased the greatest rock band of all time has selected Sydney as the only Australian stop on the global tour of their exhibition,” Baird said.

“It’s a great endorsement for Sydney as Australia’s event capital and we look forward to hosting Exhibitionism at the new ICC Sydney.”

Minister for Major Events and Tourism Stuart Ayres said the event would attract thousands of people and deliver an estimated $35 million to the local economy.

The breadth and size of the Exhibitionism is close to the heart of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger.

“We’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time but we wanted it to be just right and on a large scale. It’s not going to be like walking into a museum. It’s going to be an event, an experience. It’s about a sense of the Rolling Stones – it’s something we want people to go away talking about.”

The Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards said that the event was not only about the band.

“It’s also about all the paraphernalia and technology associated with a group like us, and it’s this, as well as the instruments that have passed through our hands over the years, that should make the exhibition unforgettable.”

Exhibitionism was secured by Destination NSW in conjunction with TEG Live and iEC Exhibitions! and will open at the ICC Sydney in November 2018.

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