DAWN CHORUS

5:30am SYDNEY BEACHES

Few places can match the splendour of Sydney's beaches at sunrise. Add the angelic voices of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and you have a very special Festival event.

PLAY ME, I'M YOURS

ALL DAY PARRAMATTA AND SYDNEY CBD

The streets of Parramatta and Sydney's CBD will sound more joyous this January, as British artist Luke Jerram populates the streets with 30 pianos.

ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES

10:00am COCKATOO ISLAND

Conceived as a counterpoint to large, commercial rock festivals, All Tomorrow's Parties is a music event unlike any other. The event will take place on Sydney Harbour's Cockatoo Island and be headlined and curated by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

LIPSYNCH

1:00pm THEATRE ROYAL

Theatre visionary Robert Lepage returns with his much anticipated new ensemble work. Visually and aurally spectacular, and imbued with a rare emotional wisdom, Lipsynch is theatre for the 21st century and a chance to see a great artist in full flight.

THE WAR OF THE ROSES - PART 1

1:00pm SYDNEY THEATRE AT WALSH BAY

The Sydney Theatre Company Actors Company presents The War Of The Roses, an audacious epic of language and history. Joining the cast is STC Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett, on stage in Australia for the first time in almost five years.

THE PIANIST

2:00pm BELVOIR ST THEATRE

Acclaimed concert pianist Mikhail Rudy read Szpilman's memoir, The Pianist, and dreamt up a dramatic retelling of his journey. The Pianist is a duet for two Szpilmans: Rudy on piano and a solo actor recounting the story.

BEING HAROLD PINTER

2:00pm Q THEATRE

Q THEATRE: Wild, anarchic theatre at its purest. Scenes from Pinter's plays and extracts from his Nobel Prize speech transform into a harrowing account of real life in Europe's last dictatorship. Performed at Q Theatre Penrith.

THE SMILE OFF YOUR FACE

2:00pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm AADA PILGRIM THEATRE

Sit in a wheelchair, put on a blindfold and indulge your imagination, as Ontroerend Goed digs into your pleasures, fears, desires and memories.

ST. VINCENT

5:30pm THE FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT

Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter St. Vincent's swirling indie-pop is a distinctly elegant fusion of the classical and experimental, the quirky and sophisticated.

THE NARGUN AND THE STARS

7:00pm RIVERSIDE THEATRE, RIVERSIDE THEATRES

Combining visual spectacle with warmth and humour, this is a story not only of adventure and discovery, but also of respect for indigenous culture, land and folklore. A stunning visual feast, featuring large scale puppets, live actors and digital animation.

THE WAR OF THE ROSES - PART 2

7:00pm SYDNEY THEATRE AT WALSH BAY

The Sydney Theatre Company Actors Company presents The War Of The Roses, an audacious epic of language and history. Joining the cast is STC Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett, on stage in Australia for the first time in almost five years.

KRISTIN HERSH - PARADOXICAL UNDRESSING

7:00pm BOSCO THEATER

Lead singer for Throwing Muses, Kristin Hersh's solo spoken word performance is funny, sad and candid. This wry and vivid work characterises Hersh as a shy artist who is simultaneously recognised for her brutal honesty in the spotlight.

FAITH HEALER

7:30pm PARADE THEATRE

Arguably Brian Friel's greatest play, Faith Healer influenced a generation of Irish writing for the theatre. A faith healer accepts that he must return home to Ireland, a destiny he can no longer postpone. The narrative makes up a mosaic that is both seductive and terrifying.

THE SMILE OFF YOUR FACE

8:00pm, 8:30pm, 9:00pm, 9:30pm AADA PILGRIM THEATRE

Sit in a wheelchair, put on a blindfold and indulge your imagination, as Ontroerend Goed digs into your pleasures, fears, desires and memories.

THE GYPSY QUEENS & KINGS - FESTIVAL JAZZ

8:00pm THE DOMAIN

An epic celebration of gypsy life and song combining the power of the brass section of the legendary Fanfare Ciocârlia with the gitano guitars of Kaloome and the soul of the great voices of the roma community. Music made for a summer's night.

BEING HAROLD PINTER

8:00pm Q THEATRE

Q THEATRE: Wild, anarchic theatre at its purest. Scenes from Pinter's plays and extracts from his Nobel Prize speech transform into a harrowing account of real life in Europe's last dictatorship. Performed at Q Theatre Penrith.

THE PIANIST

8:00pm BELVOIR ST THEATRE

Acclaimed concert pianist Mikhail Rudy read Szpilman's memoir, The Pianist, and dreamt up a dramatic retelling of his journey. The Pianist is a duet for two Szpilmans: Rudy on piano and a solo actor recounting the story.

UBER LINGUA

8:00pm HYDE PARK BARRACKS MUSEUM

Parisian duo DuOud blend the ancient oud with modern electronics. Rio's Maga Bo uses street sounds and rhythms from Brazil, Morocco, India and beyond. Filastine and Uber Lingua DJs also play.

MOVIES IN THE OVERFLOW

8:30pm THE OVERFLOW, SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK

Sydney Olympic Park is offering a fabulous range of free films under the stars this January.

ENTER THE DRAGON WITH KARSH KALE AND MIDIVAL PUNDITZ

8:30pm COCKLE BAY, DARLING HARBOUR

New York City based composer, multi-instrumentalist and Bruce Lee fanatic Karsh Kale joins forces with New Delhi based electronica producers, The MIDIval Punditz, to perform their incendiary new live score of the 1973 martial arts classic Enter the Dragon.

DESERT ISLAND DANCES

9:15pm BOSCO THEATER

Inspired by the popular BBC Radio program, Desert Island Discs, this work incorporates dance and spoken word into a warm-hearted and often funny exploration.

LA CLIQUE

9:30pm, 7:30pm THE FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT

An inspired melange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus and contemporary vaudeville, La Clique is sexy, funny and dangerous.

SAMSUNG MOBILE SECRET SHOWS

11:30pm BOSCO THEATER

Witness the magic of spontaneous performances and collaborations between Festival artists in the intimacy of the Bosco Theater.

LATE AT THE GARDEN

11:30pm THE FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT

Late at the Garden's unpredictable collection of music's most eclectic offerings could not be more at home than in the Samsung Mobile Festival Garden. Keep the Festival party going well into the night.