What's Happening At The Sydney Festival Each Year

Every year after New Year, Sydney opens itself up to the world with the Sydney Festival provides a full on celebration of the arts throughout the city. The festival lasts nearly a month and it includes loads of events, performances and concerts in the city, many of them totally free.

The festival is famous for drawing large crowds to the city with many arriving from interstate or around the world, coming to see the different cultural events. The starting event of the festival is a big outdoor concert with dancing, art, music and an atmosphere that annually draws about 1 million people to the center of Sydney. This is just the start of impressive cultural events put on all over Sydney.

Variety is the main target of the festival and each year the program includes a broad spectrum of performances. You can find all kinds of things served up including circuses, dance of all descriptions, indigenous music, mime, drama and much more. Around the city there are around 300 presentations, and more than 80 events with over 1000 distinct performers.

The events that are staged are free, or at very affordable price so that they are accessible to as many people as possible. Some of the most popular program inclusions of the festival are the free open air concerts that are put on in Sydney's botanical gardens. During these outdoor concerts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra often take part as well as international artists presenting their talents.

The festival has been thrilling and entertaining people for over thirty years, and during this time it has evolved to become not only an important event on the calendar of Sydney, but throughout Australia as well. There is a definite Sydney vibe to the event, and when you visit, you get a genuine taste of the range of cultures and living in Sydney that use the city as their inspiration. Besides top local artists and performers, there are also international acts on stage each year. Previously some of these international artists have included: Sir Ian McKellen, Elvis Costello, Grace Jones, Peter Sellers, Ralph Fiennes, and Bjork.

The Sydney Festival is a highly regarded and essential part of contemporary Australian arts, performance and culture. It is not uncommon for some of the events included in the artistic festival program to be world premieres of drama, art, music or dance from some of the world's most revered artists. Generally you can find premieres of many artistic endeavors, which will tour Australia or internationally after their run in Sydney.

Summer in Sydney is an energetic and enigmatic time when you can kick back on the beaches, relax in outdoor cafes, soak up the sun and lap up the bolt of energy pulsing through the city when the mercury rises in the warmer months. You can combine this steamy summer season with the Sydney Festival and have a great time seeing the city at its most enigmatic.

If you love a touch of culture and arts, then you will adore the Sydney Festival. It has an exciting blend of performances for all interests and it is showcases some of the best talent that Australia has to offer in the cultural sphere. If you have never visited the festival, then make next year your time to go.