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Sydney is the place to be in January as the Festival of Sydney hots up. There are masses of outdoor events lined up; all we need now is a sun-soaked January (and so far, it’s looking good for those with sunburn fetishes). So, you don’t get confused trying to sort out all the Festival options—3-D checks out the best bets, outdoor and otherwise.

1990 and the Festival of Sydney kicks off on the first day of the decade with the first of the Free Concerts. Midsummer Jazz in The Domain features the fifteen-piece band, Supermarket, and Special Guests, Monica and The Moochers. So, when the previous evening’s hangover begins to recede, pack the esky, slap on the suntan/moontan lotion and head to the Domain for the evening’s festivities (from 4-9pm).

Arrive early to find a spot where you’ll be able to see the stage (!). The same applies for Opera in the Park (8pm on Friday, January 12) and Symphony Under the Stars (8pm Saturday, January 20).

The list of concerts and appearing artists for this year’s Festival is impressive with two BIG names amongst them; Wynton Marsalis, the brilliant jazz trumpeter will blow everyone’s’ minds on Jan 20 at the Sydney Town Hall (6pm and 9pm) and Michelle Shocked, one of this decade’s most exciting singer-songwriters plays the Sydney Town Hall on Jan 8.

Each year, the Festival’s organisers try to improve our embarrassingly small theatre scene with a healthier selection, once again they have succeeded, Leo McKern returns to the Sydney stage as Boswell for the Defence. McKern’s one-man tour-de-force performance as James Boswell: lawyer and shameless womanizer is a powerful and brilliantly funny performance, an unforgettable highlight from January 11 to February 3 at the Seymour Centre.

Expressions Dance Company, in their premier Sydney season, perform a quadruple bill incorporating a diverse range of contemporary dance styles at the Seymour Centre from Jan 16 to 27.