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Jamaican-born singer Grace Jones and alt-rock outfit Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will lead an eclectic line-up for the 2009 Sydney Festival, which organisers promise will bring the harbour city alive.
Jones will kick off her international Hurricane tour in Sydney with a three-night stand at the
Enmore Theatre - the first Australian shows for the former Bond girl, model, actress and entertainer in 20 years.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will headline and curate a festival within the festival: the inaugural Australian edition of All Tomorrow's Parties, to be held on Sydney Harbour's Cockatoo Island.
The one-day programme, from January 17-18, features the Saints, Spiritualized, James "Blood" Ulmer, the Necks and Silver Apples.
The Sydney Festival has been running since 1977 and next year will feature more than 300 performances of theatre, dance, music and film from January 10-31.
The festivities begin with the free Festival First Night celebration, which will transform the CBD into a big street party with performances by Grace Jones, the Cat Empire, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Fanfare Ciocarlia and Santogold.
More than 200,000 people turned out this year, and organisers are expecting upwards of 250,000 to reclaim the streets next year.
New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees said the government would contribute A$4.83 million ($5.62 million) to the festival, before declaring himself more of a Grace Jones fan than a Nick Cave fan at the festival launch.
Among the theatre highlights will be the Sydney Theatre Company production of The War of the Roses, starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Menzies. The production, which features some of Shakespeare's greatest characters, like Richard II, Hotspur, Henry V, Queen Margaret and Richard III, lasts more than seven hours.
Another marathon effort is Lipsynch, directed by Robert Lepage - an exploration of human expression through voice, word and language, which runs for almost nine hours, including four intervals and a dinner break.
International music acts such as US singer Bon Iver, French chanteuse Camille, British band the Cinematic Orchestra, and the stars of the Irish film Once, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, will fill the city with song.
The festival programme also features a range of children's events and free performances, as well as the return of annual favourites like the Beck's Festival Bar, Eat Drink Talk Art, Late at the Garden, Movies in the Overflow, and Films Afloat.
The event is director Fergus Linehan's fourth and final year at the Sydney Festival, and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore paid tribute to his contribution.
"He's brought in new audiences and enlarged the festival reach, while maintaining its role as Australia's premier cultural event," Moore said. "I take the opportunity to offer our warmest thanks."
- AAP
