Top Events in Sydney for 2009

by Mairead Foley

Travelling to Australia and Sydney in 2009? Sydney is a magical place to visit with much to see and do, from sun kissed golden beaches to the famous Sydney Harbour, and of course Sydney Opera House. Find out what are the city's top events for 2009 so you can make the most of your trip.

Sydney is the capital of the New South Wales state, and is widely regarded as the oldest city (and the most populated) on the continent. A vibrant business and art sector, along with a busy nightlife, make it a perfect place to spend your holiday to Australia. The hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games brought Sydney to the attention of the world, and visitors have come in their droves even more since the Olympic Torch held court in the city.

Sydney hosts several cultural and social events that are of huge interest; many of these events are annual and attract large numbers year after year.

What are the major events to look forward to in 2009?

The Sydney Festival

The Sydney Festival takes place from January 10th to January 31st 2009. Regarded as the premier event of music and culture in Australia, the festival is now in its 32nd year. The January 2009 Festival will showcase over 300 performances in the genres of theatre, dance, film and music.

The festival kicks off on January 10th with a Free Festival First Night showpiece, which will create a huge party atmosphere on Sydney's streets, with performances by Grace Jones and The Cat Empire to name but a few. It's estimated that more than 200,000 people enjoyed the first night shows in 2008. Event organizers are hopeful of hitting the magical figure of 250,000 at the opening night street party in 2009!

The 3 week festival will feature many esteemed international music perfromers including US artist Bon Iver, French singer Camille, UK group The Cinematic Orchestra, and the stars of the critically acclaimed Irish film "Once" which highlights the great talent of singer songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

The Sydney Theatre Company has endorsed the production of the "War of the Roses", which will feature leading Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett and Robert Menzies. This production incorporates many of Shakespeare's lead play characters, and is over seven hours in length!

There will also be many events and free performances for children and younger audiences throughout the festival.

Big Day Out Sydney

The Big Day Out Sydney takes place on the 23rd of January 2009 at Homebush Bay's RAS Showgrounds. Due to huge demand, tickets were sold out quickly. The Big Day Out is part of a music tour showcasing some of the best Australian and International acts, and travels throughout Australia and New Zealand during this month. The line up for the Sydney concert is very impressive - Neil Young, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, The Vines, Hot Chip and the Ting Tings.

The Saint Patricks Day Parade & Festival Sydney

The 2009 Saint Patrick's Day Parade & Festival takes place on Sunday March 15th. Yes, Ireland may be thousands of miles away, but Sydney has its very own Saint Patricks Day Festival on the feast day of Ireland's patron saint. The event has a wonderful and vibrant parade, as well as free street entertainment for all the family.

The festival attracts huge numbers each year, and in the past Sydney's Hyde Park has played host to wide variety of Irish themed acts, from ceili dancing, folk music to a U2 tribute band.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show

The Sydney Royal Easter Show takes place at the Sydney Showgrounds and Sydney Olympic Park from the 9th to the 22nd of April 2009. It's a great day out for all the family with so much on offer for you all to enjoy. There will be a carnival, animal displays, live music and stage shows, and plenty to activities for the kids to enjoy along with food and wine tasting!

The Sydney Home Show Expo

The Sydney Home Show exhibition takes place at the Sydney Convention and Visitor Centre from April 30th to the 3rd of May 2009. If you're interested in home design then this is the place to go to

The Sydney Writers Festival

The Sydney Writers Festival 2009 will take place from the 18th to the 24th of May. There are no event details as of yet. It's expected that event details will be announced in March 2009.

Sydney Italian Festival

The Sydney Italian Festival is a celebration of Italian culture and food. The dates for the 2009 event have yet to be confirmed.

Sydney has a large Italian population, and this festival is a very popular annual event. Held around the time of the Italian Day Celebrations on June 2nd, this three week festival has in the past incorporated more than 300 events.

Visitors to the festival can explore all things Italian with many art and cultural exhibitions, cinema and more.

Byron Bay Writers Festival

Traditionally held on Byron Beach Bay Resort, the 2009 event will be held somewhere new. This new venue has yet to be confirmed but bear the dates in mind - 31st July - 2nd August 2009.

The Byron Bay Writers Festival is a celebration of Australian literary genius and the respective authors. It will incorporate arts and culture and the best literary writing that Australia has to offer.

Sun Herald City 2 Surf Festival

The Sun Herald City 2 Surf Festival takes place on Sunday August 9th 2009. Since its inception in 1971, this race has increased in size to be, perhaps, the largest fun run in Australia. Over 60,000 runners have competed in the past. Basically it's a 14km fun run from William St in Sydney to Bondi Beach. There has been a great amount of money raised for charity in the past few years, and this is always a popular event in Sydney.

The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival

The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival (Sydney Marathon) will take place on Sunday 20th September 2009. Over 25,000 runners took part in Australia's biggest running festival in 2008, and helped raise over 1 million dollars for various charities.

Sydney World Masters Games

The World Masters Games are held every four years, and has grown to become one of the biggest international sporting events. It is expected that possibly 12,000 competitors will take part in the 2009 games. The dates for the festival are October 10th to the 18th 2009.

The sporting events will take place at Sydney Olympic Park as well as other sporting arenas throughout the city. There are 28 sporting subjects in the masters games, from archery and athletics to tennis, soccer, volleyball and watersports.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1229863