New South Wales, Australia — Events
Carols in the Domain
Woolworths’ Carols in the Domain is Australia’s largest and most loved Christmas celebration. Every year family and friends come together at this spectacular event to celebrate the magic and joy of Christmas. The Domain, in the heart of Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens becomes a hive of activity as people from all over Australia join in and sing along to their favorite Christmas Carols. As the sun sets the Domain is transformed into a sea of flickering candlelight as Australia’s best talent takes to the stage in this Christmas spectacular.
New Year's Eve Fireworks Spectacular
The splendid setting of Sydney Harbour becomes the stage for one of the most fabulous and largest annual fireworks displays in the world, watched by millions of people around the globe. The 9pm display offers an opportunity for families with young children to enjoy the celebrations. The midnight spectacular covers a four-mile (7km) stretch of the harbor and the fireworks are fired from barges on either side of the Harbour Bridge and from the bridge itself.
Sydney Festival
This huge extravaganza is one of the largest and most prestigious cultural events in Australia, presenting the finest international artists and most acclaimed local talent in the performing and visual arts. Every summer the city’s concert venues, theaters, galleries, streets and various outdoor venues are taken over by the creative arts, featuring a wide range of music, dance and drama, exhibitions, circuses and free outdoor entertainment in a celebration of artistic innovation unmatched anywhere else in the country.
Sydney's Big Day Out
Australia’s massive touring music festival, Big Day Out, begins in Auckland, New Zealand each summer, then moves on to the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide before offering up its grand finale in Perth. The festival is world-renowned and certainly Australia’s biggest music event, attracting top international bands as well as some Australian pop idols.
Mardi Gras
What began in 1979 as a protest march has become a huge colorful annual event to display Sydney’s tolerant spirit. The city’s gay and lesbian community, joined by thousands of visitors from around the world, holds a three-week festival each February culminating in a massive parade of sumptuous floats, reputedly the biggest outdoor night time parade in the world. The traditional parade route runs from Hyde Park, through Liverpool Street, Oxford Street, across Anzac Parade and on to Moore Park where it ends in an all night party at Fox Studios.
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival was first held in 1954, making it one of the longest-running events of its kind in the world. It is also one of the most prestigious, showcasing top-quality Australian and international, commercial and independent films - all of which premier at the festival. The Sydney Film Festival is regularly attended by celebrities, and is an absolute must for film buffs, who rave about the post-screening talks and discussion panels, designed to aid the audience in really getting to grips with the film they’ve just seen.
Australia Day Celebrations
Australia’s National Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet and is a celebration of all that is Australian. It is the biggest day celebration in the country and includes a wide variety of water and land based activities and shows. Favorite annual events include the Ferrython, Tall Ships Race, Australia Day Parade and the traditional Regatta. Various venues throughout the city stage formal ceremonies, food and wine fairs, Australian musical performances and street entertainment, and the day culminates at Darling Harbour with a dazzling fireworks display set to music.
