City in party mode

There really is no place like Sydney in summer and if proof of that were needed, the Sydney Festival first night provided it in full.

North Bondi director Nigel Jamieson made sure there was lots of free family entertainment when he put together this year’s fare for the street fest that kicks off the three-week Sydney Festival.

An outdoor aerial circus display and performances by Kasey Chambers and family, The Manganiyar Seduction and indigenous group The Black Arm Band gave revellers plenty to enjoy.

And in his visit ever visit to Australia, Al Green performed at the Domain – a concert that would have rocked if he’d finished a few songs completely instead of delivering a hotchpotch medley that failed to ignite the expectant crowd.

First Night was less spectacular than last year but also less manically crowded (240,000 in 2009) and better organised logistically. It was much easier to move from site to site and the pedestrian bottlenecks that plagued last year’s event were thankfully avoided.

There’s much to look forward to over the coming weeks: Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre from January 20 to 31, and the radical re-interpretation of Giselle by Fabulous Beast, an international ensemble led by Irish director and choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan, at CarriageWorks Bay 17 from January 22 to 26.

Rogue’s Gallery on the Forecourt of the Sydney Opera House on January 28 will have international stars such as Marianne Faithfull, Tim Robbins and Sarah Blasko performing pirate ballads, sea songs and chanteys; Optimism at the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House will provide a new look at Voltaire’s classic satire Candide from January 13 to February 14; and the brilliant Bale de Rua from Brazil in the Concert Hall until January 17 will really have the house rocking.

And don’t forget the popular festival favourites in the Domain: Summer Sounds in the Domain (January 16), Symphony in the Domain (January 23), and Opera in the Domain (January 30).

For the full program visit sydneyfestival.org.au.