Sydney Festival 2008

January is always a big month in Sydney. Having just celebrated the new year with a big bang of fireworks the party is on again!

The annual Sydney Festival is being held from January 5 - 26 and as usual, a big line up has been planned for this event. Themed 'This is our summer' as always, the festival is the time of year for the Sydney community and its visitors to come together and celebrate our beautiful coastal city.

The festival this year will start with "an opening night that takes some of the biggest names in the Festival and places them on the streets, laneways and parklands of the city centre", says the festival director Fergus Linehan. The Festival First night starts with activities for kids in Martin Place and ends with concerts and food fair til late. Local and international artists will perform at various stages being set up around the city, and selected restaurants in Sydney will showcase the best of their menus. Three lucky Sydney couples will also tie the knot in front of 20,000 people on this night!

The first of Sydney Festival took place in 1977 and is now Australia's largest festival event in a city. It's the time to celebrate old and new talents and showcase both local and worldwide artists in one giant event. Many of Australian theater premiers are held during the Sydney Festival.

There will be free events such as Movies in the Overflow, Symphony in the Domain, Jazz in the Domain and outdoor performances and displays at Darling Harbour for the whole family. Theater, dance, music and visual arts exhibitions are all part of the festival excitement and will no doubt attract visitors and locals alike to join in the fun. This year, big names like Bjork, Spank Rock and the new Newcastle band Operator Please and theater performances by The National Theatre of Scotland and Spinifex man Trevor Jamieson will grace our stages and open our eyes to the wonderful world of performance art.

This is the time to visit Sydney and celebrate with us.

Further information: Sydney Festival 2008