Sydney Festival 2009

The first Sydney Festival took place in 1977. It has since grown to become one of Australia's largest annual cultural celebrations with an international reputation for modern, popular and intelligent programming.

The Festival was originally conceived by the Sydney Committee, the NSW State Government and the City of Sydney with a view to attracting people into the city centre during the holiday month of January. While in many ways still probably best understood as a celebration of this city, it has become synonymous with energy, style, spectacle, sophistication, diversity and accessibility - values that aptly reflect the confidence and vigour of one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Each year the Festival offers a rich and diverse program spanning all art forms including dance, theatre, music, visual arts, film, forums and large scale free outdoor events. For three weeks in January the Festival hosts around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists from Australia and abroad. In any given year, it makes use of most of the main theatres across the breadth of the city and also has a commitment to the presentation of quality, large-scale outdoor events such as the iconic Domain Series.