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Sydney Festival

07-29 Jan ,

Theatre

Critics' choice

We've got all your Sydney Festival 2012 needs covered

First published on 5 Nov 2010. Updated on 30 Jan 2012.

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Australia's largest summer festival is back for 2012 boasting three weeks of music, theatre, art, film and fun across the city.

Sydney what?

For three weeks in January, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thousands of films, talks, theatre, music, comedy and dance shows. In twenty five locations throughout the city, from the Sydney Opera House to street corners; local and global artists take reign. It’s about bringing Sydney together through the arts and, between high end work, free events, gigs and parties, there is something for all.

First up, scale the crowd and get amongst Festival First Night. Sydney turns in to one massive theatre with performances on buildings, rooftops, balconies and in the streets. Yo!

Parramatta’s slice of the festival opens with the Parra Opening Party. Spanning the Spiegeltent in Prince Alfred Park, the Old King’s School and the riverside of Church St, the Western streets are filled with entertainers, live bands, and beatsmiths.

Festival hubs

If at any point you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the festival, just head to any one of these central hubs to gather your scatter. They are the homes of the festival and offer a profusion of socialising and boozing too - Keystone Festival Bar, Festival Garden and Seymour Centre.

Top events that Time Out shall not miss

Norman Jay’s Good Times Sound System

A man, renowned for igniting the Notting Hill Carnival with his tunez, performs from the top of a bus - naturally

A History of Everything

They provoked a member to tears in each performance at Edinburgh Festival. What's Ontroerend Goed got now?

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Holly Throsby - See!

This gorgeous Throsby has a mellifluous kids show on the cards

‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore

Cheek By Jowl bring incest, morality, religion and corruption to the bill

L'Effet de Serge

His universe may be small, his rituals seem ordinary, but Serge will make you love the world a little more

The Jolly Boys

70 year old lead singer, Albert Minott, brings his Jamaican mento band

CANT

The Grizzly Bear bassist takes centre stage

Beautiful Burnout

If National Theatre of Scotland's boxing piece is as good as their 2008 import, Black Watch, boy are we excited

Julianna Barwick

She may be a one-woman show but she sure creates the sound of a full fledged choir

FBi Night: Shabazz Palaces

Seattle's hip-hop collective bring their heady, heady sound

The Boys

A powerful, dangerous, visceral descent into the darker parts of our city and ourselves

Babel

A maelstrom of identity, nationhood and culture

Summer Sounds in the Domain: Mike Patton's Mondo Cane

The front-man of Faith No More plays a free gig

Travelling Colony

Brook Andrew assembles a cavalcade of hand-painted caravans inspired by his Wiradjuri tradition

More Sydney Festival?

Every single show of the Sydney Festival 2012.

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Words by Natasha Gammell