Parramatta Showcase

This January Parramatta will again be on display playin an expanded role in the expanded Sydney festival. Through its own efforts over the years, and with government support, Parramatta has developed a deserving reputation as an arts and culture centre - coming on the back of its multicultural festivals.

The Sydney Festival will run from the 13^th to the 22^nd of January and this year, for the first time, Parramatta will have its own dedicated program of events.

There will be an opening party on 14 January, with free admission, which will include live performances at Prince Alfred Park and along the foreshore at the Old Kings School site. Parramatta's offering will include live music, cinema and a cabaret in Prince Alfred Park. Open spaces, a thriving dining precinct, and a burgeoning arts scene have all played a role in Parramatta taking a high profile in Sydney's signature event.

It is the local influence in the programming that is perhaps our City's most important contribution. As Lord Mayor Clr Lorraine Wearne has put it, "One of the great things about this Festival is that it will feature many of our local artists from the Parramatta Artists Studios and the Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), which will only encourage more local creativity and expression throughout Western Sydney."

Trevor Oldfield 

President