Festival First Night opened Sydney Festival with an afternoon of kid’s entertainment as Holly Throsby performed her children’s album, before DJ Norman Jay parked his iconic double-decker bus in Hyde Park, keeping Sydney dancing before the breathtaking dusk aerial performance As The World Tipped.

Festival Director: Lindy Hume

Festival First Night opened Sydney Festival with an afternoon of kid’s entertainment as Holly Throsby performed her children’s album, before DJ Norman Jay parked his iconic double-decker bus in Hyde Park, keeping Sydney dancing before the breathtaking dusk aerial performance As The World Tipped.

The Art Gallery of NSW kept its doors open late with performances and major exhibitions showcased, while 40s and 50s jive took over the streets into the night.

The Festival celebrated Redfern’s community with Black Capital, in a series of performances, seminars and exhibitions reflecting the diversity of contemporary Aboriginal practice in the heart of Redfern.

Australian premieres included 41 Strings by Nick Zinner, the exclusive of Adam Buxton presents BUG: The Evolution Of Music Video and Summer Sounds In The Domain showcased the majesty of Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane. Keystone Festival Bar hosted another diverse array of music, cabaret and performance.

Explore Program

FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT

Holly Throsby, Caspar Babypants, Erth, Polyglot, The Listies, DJ Norman Jay, Brook Andrew, As The World Tipped, My Sauce Good, Monsieur Camembert, The Jolly Boys, The Sirens Big Band, Trocadero Dance Palace and more

THEATRE

I Am Eora
Directed by Wesley Enoch, Performing Lines

Beautiful Burnout
Frantic Assembly and National Theatre of Scotland

L'Effet de Serge
Philippe Quesne/Vivarium Studio

Radio Muezzin
Stefan Kaegi/Rimini Protokoll

Tis Pity She's a Whore
Cheek by Jowl

Foley
Ilbijerri Theatre Company

The Boys
Griffin Theatre Company

Thyestes
The Hayloft Project and Belvoir

I'm Your Man
Belvoir and Roslyn Oases

Buried City
Urban Theatre Projects and Belvoir

A History of Everything
Sydney Theatre Company and Ontroerend Goed

I Am A Camera
William Yang

The List Operators for Kids do Compooters
The Listies

Adam Buxton presents BUG: The Evolution of Music Video

DANCE

Babel (words)
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet and Antony Gormley

Anatomy of an Afternoon
Martin del Amo

Assembly
Chunky Move and Victorian Opera
With Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Never Did Me Any Harm
Force Majeure
Kate Champion

CABARET

iOTA: Young, Hard and Solo

Meow Meow's Little Match Girl
Featuring Mitchell Butel
Malthouse Theatre

MUSIC

41 Strings By Nick Zinner

AA Bondy

Amiina

Asa & Fefe

Beth Orton

Briefs

CANT

Ed Kuepper

Eleanor Friedberger

Fatoumata Diawara

Frank Yamma

Holly Throsby presents See!

J Mascis

Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau Duo

Julianna Barwick

Keystone Festival Bar: Dan Deacon Ensemble & John Maus

Keystone Festival Bar: Deerhoof and DJ Yamantaka Eye (The Boredoms)

Keystone Festival Bar: FBi Night with Shabazz Palaces, Taylor McFerrin & Shangaan Electro

Keystone Festival Bar: FBi Night with Tune-Yards & Jonti

Keystone Festival Bar: Future Classic, DJ Koze & Prins Thomas

Keystone Festival Bar: Mad Racket, Peven Everett

Keystone Festival Bar: Opening Night

Keystone Festival Bar: Picnic, Andrew Weatherall & Neville Watson

Keystone Festival Bar: So Frenchy So Chic, Asa & Fefe

Keystone Festival Bar: So Frenchy So Chic, Nouvelle Vague & Moriarty

Keystone Festival Bar: Sons and Daughters, Songs & The Laurels

Keystone Festival Bar: The Pedrito Martinez Group & Watussi

Keystone Festival Bar: The Stepkids & Electric Wire Hustle

Keystone Festival Bar: The Whitest Boy Alive & New Navy

KORT

Kurt Wagner

Lambchop

Mike Patton's Mondo Cane

PJ Harvey

Sam Amidon

Taraf de Haidouks & Kocani Orkestra
Band of Gypsies

The Jolly Boys

The Young Ones
Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Brett Weymakr, Emily Sun, Nicholas Russoniello, Nathan Aspinall

Tubular Bells for Two

Tune-Yards

Vintage Trouble

Washington presents Insomnia
Megan Washington

Walk a Mile in My Shoes
The Barefoot Divas

Animagica
Amiina with the films of Lotte Reiniger

Parra Opening Party
Holly Throsby, DJ Norma Jay, As The World Tipped, Barefoot Divas, Taraf de Haidouks and Kocani Orkestar

Carnival of Souls

La Putyka

EXHIBITIONS & INSTALLATIONS

Edge of Elsewhere
Campbelltown Arts Centre, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
Artists: Brook Andrew, Arahmaiani, Richard Bell, Dacchi Dang, Newell Harry, FX Harsono, Shigeyuki Kihara, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Lisa Reihana, Khaled Sabsabi, Phaptawan Suwannakudt, Michael Tuffery and Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries

Narelle Jubelin: Vision in Motion

Travelling Colony
Brook Andrew

youtopia
University of Sydney Master of Architecture

FILM

Reflections

West Side Story
Sydney Symphony conducted by David Newman

TALKS

Bright Club
Assorted University of Sydney lecturers and researchers

181 Regent St: Addressing Black Theatre
National Black Theatre

Hope 2012
Professor Shane Houston, Stella Young, Nigel Jamieson and more

Microscope
Festival Artists interviewed by Caroline Baum

Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass

Vincent Moon

CELEBRATIONS

Black Capital Family & Culture Day
Brook Andrew's Travelling Colony and 181 Regent St, Erth's I Bunyip, Gadigal Music Label, fusion food from Yaama Dhiyaan, South Sydney Rabbitohs and more

Ferrython

Festival Archives

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