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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Sydney Freebies
Cheap Charlie · October 9, 2000

The Sydney Olympics are a celebration of the entire city and international friendship rather than only the celebration of international competition. The Australians have created an unprecedented series of free events and art exhibitions to compliment the Olympic Games.

I'm always on the lookout for a bargain and they don't come much better than this-world class and free.

This is a series of free events that Daily Telegraph has outlined in a 62-page booklet designed to be hung around your neck. (You'll see if you come to the Olympics that people seem to have all sorts of things around their necks - I guess it makes them feel credentialed for the events.)

The city has established six performance venues for the Olympics. Most have events every day and all have big screen TV with non-stop Olympic action. I'll outline a typical day, in this case Thursday the 28th of September.

One venue, Domain in the center of a town park, will have only big-screen TV.

Circular Quay, the main ferry landing in town, has aerial acts performed every ten minutes throughout the afternoon.

Martin Place, in the center of the business district, features performances by folk artists from noon to 2 p.m., groove performers later in the evening, a cabaret from 10 p.m. to midnight, then funk until 2 in the morning.

Central, near the main train station, has the Louisiana Shakers playing jazz in the afternoon, three bands playing modern music in the evening and more jazz starting at 11 p.m.

Darling Harbor, one of the city's top tourist destinations, has reggae in the afternoons with bluegrass at night.

Nearby, Pyrmont, on another wharf has a play about Icarus and arts video later that evening.

These live performances are complimented by a complete arts program taking place across the city. Many of the performances have a price tag, but many are free.

One evening a laser show is cast on the curving roof of the famous Opera House. Another performance takes place at sunrise on the beach commemorating the meeting of the rivers and the ocean. Photo exhibitions are on display at the Stills Gallery. You can have the chance to see the inside of the Sydney Opera House when the Tainui Artists perform aboriginal dances and songs at another free presentation.

These events are all detailed in an Olympic Arts brochure available throughout the city, again for free.

The other arts events scheduled include country, opera, chamber music, comedy, orchestra, ballet and jazz. It is a feast for the artistic senses surrounding the Olympic Games.

For anyone coming to the Olympics there is far more here in Sydney than simply the games, competition, international athletes and the Olympic spectacles. This city has created a complete celebration that embraces all the senses of the Olympic of bringing the world community together through art and entertainment as well as through sport.

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at cheapch@aol.com or access his Web site.