Sydney Festival Kicks Off

Sydney Festival kicks off today, jam packed with arts and entertainment from across the globe.

From January 7 – 29, the city of Sydney will come alive with an extensive program covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts, cross media and forums from Australian and International Artists.

Many of the main theatres in Sydney will house Sydney Festival events, including Sydney Theatre, CarriageWorks, the Seymour Centre, City Recital Hall and various venues at Sydney Opera House.

Tonight, the heart of the city will be transformed for Festival First Night – an extravaganza that invites everyone to experience Sydney in spectacular and surprising new ways. All are welcome, big and small. And it’s all free.

Over several precincts, the Festival First Night will be celebrated in style: The Domain, Hyde Park, College Street, Elizabeth Stree, Macquarie Street and The Art Gallery of NSW will all be hosting Festival First Night events.

Be sure to watch out for:

Elizabeth Street

Electric Empire – funk sensations from Melbourne who have been tearing up stages internationally with their feel good soul.

College Street

As The World Tipped: An extraordinary piece of aerial theatre

Hyde Park

Norman Jay’s Good Times Sound System: a London double-decker bus will house this celebrated DJ for eight hours of idyllic summer tunes this afternoon.

The Domain

Each year Festival First Night begins with an acknowledgement of the traditional custodians and elders of the Eora nation and the Gadigal people upon whose land and water much of the Festival takes place. Twenty-nine clans make up the traditional owners of the Eora nation, home to one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world today. The boundaries of this mighty nation are the Georges River to the south, the Nepean River to the west and the Hawkesbury River to the north. The Welcome to Country to begin the evening’s entertainment.

Check out the Sydney Festival program via their website www.sydneyfestival.org.au – or download the FREE iPhone app here.