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 theSydney Committee, theNSW State Governmentand theCity of Sydneywitha 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.

The Festival has a history of presenting Australian premieres and many of Australia's most memorable productions such as Cloudstreet have resulted from Sydney Festival's commitment to nurture local artists. It has brought many of the world's great artists to Sydney for the first time including: Ariane Mnouchkine and Thèâtre du Soleil (Flood Drummers), Robert Wilson (The Black Rider), Robert Lepage (Far Side of the Moon and The Andersen Project), George Piper Dances, Netherlands Dance Theatre, James Thièrrèe, Philip Glass and Ian McKellen (Dance of Death)

Sydney Festival attracts a total audience of approximately 1 million across all of its events each year making it the most attended cultural event in Australia.

Visit: www.sydneyfestival.org.au