The month of January sees an emptied city center, free of cars and transformed into a spectacle of music and surprise, featuring a mesh of talent ranging from bands of international and local fame to acts including a burlesque circus and indigenous arts practice. Overall, Sydney Festivall, Australia's largest cultural event ushers in more than 1,000 artists and offers free and freewheeling events including Festival First Night. See sydneyfestival.org.au for more.