One of the main cultural happenings of the Sydney year is the Festival of Sydney (www.sydneyfestival.org.au), which takes place throughout January. This features all kinds of artistic events, from grand opera and drama to performance art and buskers.

During the summer there are various surf festivals at the beaches – see the photo. In May and early June there’s an international film festival (www.sff.org.au). A popular event which attracts huge crowds (of watchers as well as participants) is the 8-km City to Surf Race (www.city2surf.com.au), which takes place between the city centre and Bondi Beach in August and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The final event of the year, which attracts even larger crowds, is the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race (www.rolexsydneyhobart.com), which starts from the harbour at the end of December.