If there’s one thing for certain, Sydney knows how to don a sparkling pair of party shoes and show you a good time. Name your poison darlings as there is a festival in town that is made for you. Slimming the selection down to a paltry 5 hasn’t been an easy task but I have the final list here ready to go and let me tell you folks, it’s a pearler!
1. Sydney Mardi Gras
If you find a list around without this festival on it then let me tell you, it’s not the right list. This one is a whopper. The Sydney Mardi Gras is a celebration of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transsexual (GLBT) pride and is one of the largest of its type around the world. Don’t be fooled into thinking you need to identify with the tag to enjoy the festival. This can be enjoyed by everyone. The main attraction of the festival is the parade containting participants clad in colourful costumes and a number of elaborate floats. The energy and vibe is amazing; there are about 300,000 people there after all. So get in early and pick your possie as you don’t want to miss out and book your hotel early too as they are bound to fill up quick. You can find great deals on the perfectly located Mercure hotel Sydney through HotelClub.com.
When: Early March each year. Check online for details.
2. Sydney Festival
This festival is brilliant! It truly has something for everyone. You like theatre? Plenty of shows on for you. Music is more your bag? There are some stellar live artists to choose from. What about dance? Visual arts? Indigenous arts? The list goes on and on. It is all there. Each year there are more than 300 performances and 100 separate events that make up this incredible festival. To top it all off many of the events are free so you can relax and give your hip pocket a break after the spending extravaganza that is the Christmas/New Year period.
When: For the month of January each year.
3. Crave Sydney International Food Festival
Think about the best thing you’ve ever tasted. Now savour it for a moment as you won’t remember it again. It will be overtaken by at least two other dishes by the time this festival comes to an end. The Sydney International Food Festival is a one month extravaganza that will delight the taste buds and leave you coming back for more, and more, and more, until you simply can’t eat another bite. This year there are almost 500 individual events across the festival month but my favourite is always the same: the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park. These markets feature tasty morsels from all over Asia, a few bars so you can wash it all down with a glass of wine and some rockin’ live entertainment. Not to be missed!
When: October each year.
4. Tropfest
There are a number of different film festivals throughout the year in Sydney but my favourite would have to be Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival. It also has the honour of being the world’ s first truly global film festival. This is one dear to the hearts of Sydney-siders as it started as a screening for a couple of hundred people in a little Darlinghurst cafe. Now it attracts a live audience of around 150,000 people and you can join them FOR FREE in The Domain.
When: February each year
5. NSW Wine festival
What’s not to like about wine and lots of it?! This festival brings the cellar door virtually to your door. Situated in Hyde Park this festival showcases the best from around 90 wineries. There are also a number of food stalls featuring delicious cheeses and other tasty delights to complement whatever drop your heart desires.
When: February each year.
What I really like about Sydney is the architecture. It so much different from the architecture in Europe.
I’ve actually been to Mardi Gras in Sydney. Such a fun festival.
I´m straight but I´m in favor of other gender variations and preferences, I support every gay, lesbian, and specially transsexual activity. It is necessary for the world to open up and understand that gender is not just male and female, not even in animals. So if I ever go to Sydney I´ll make sure to be there for Mardi Gras and join the cause, and of course have a great time.
I’ll admit film festivals are awesome, especially when it comes to viewing films from all over the world. The Tropfest sounds like a great film fest to attend.
Sydney Festival is amazing, last year I saw Manu Chao’s first appearance in Australia. The best thing…it was for free!