Tourism, Nightlife and Festivals
A reported 21.1 million tourists visited Sydney in 2004. Many of the tourist attractions are scattered all over the city, the most famous and visited being the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which opened in 1932. Other attractions include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Luna Park and Sydney Tower.
Sydney has much night life, with jazz and rock venues and nightclubs across the city. Kings Cross is the city's red-light district. There are huge celebrations for New Years Eve and Australia Day in Sydney, including a fireworks display that features the Harbour Bridge.
Many festivals are held in Sydney, including the Sydney Festival, a celebration of free performances throughout January; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (see below); the Sydney Royal Easter Show, which unites rural and urban communities together in 1 annual event at Homebush; the Sydney Film Festival and many smaller festivals such as Tropfest.
There are also several music festivals including Big Day Out, Homebake, The Great Escape, Stereosonic and Future Music Festival
Read more about this topic: Culture Of Sydney
Famous quotes containing the word festivals:
“Why wont they let a year die without bringing in a new one on the instant, cant they use birth control on time? I want an interregnum. The stupid years patter on with unrelenting feet, never stopping—rising to little monotonous peaks in our imaginations at festivals like New Year’s and Easter and Christmas—But, goodness, why need they do it?”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)