Like every sane Sydneysider, I adore Sydney in summer; the glistening harbour, the deafening yet somehow soothing crickets, the shimmer of heat rising above grass at dawn… and most of all The Sydney Festival! (Personal fave memory is sitting in a deserted Martin Place at dusk whilst The Knife’s Silent Shout was broadcast throughout the city to test the festival audio systems – a surreal kind of bliss!)

If you’ve never done the Festival First Night in the CBD, I tell you it’s a packed out, breathtaking, and FREE evening… Last year, The Cat Empire and Grace Jones performed for over 100,000 people in The Domain alone, with dozens of other stages, art installations, and markets dotted throughout the city – people, people, music, dancing, parades, food, and more people everywhere! Here are some snaps from the 2009 First Night.

Twelve artists including Al Green (!!) and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are already confirmed for for the 2010 First Night on Jan 9, with plenty more to come. But the Sydney Festival does run for almost all of January, and there’s plenty more than just the First Night. Personal highlights include Laura Marling, Neko Case, Grizzly Bear, Patrick Watson, The Handsome Family, JOHN CALE (!!), and of course the mesmerisingly haunting The Middle East… who incidentally soundtrack the trailer for the 2010 Festival (but are *cough* from Townville *cough*). Check it!