SYDNEY, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sydney's Cahill Expressway was transformed into a world-class stage for the free, outdoor five-day entertainment and cultural celebration ELEVATE Sydney. ELEVATE Sydney ran from 1-5 January 2022 and featured more than 180 acclaimed Australian artists from 8am in the morning through to 10pm at night.  

ELEVATE Sydney brought together a diverse mix of Australian artists and genres and had something for everyone. The outdoor event featured a jam-packed program from children's entertainment, sport themed variety shows, disco, youth, First Nations, pop and more.  

The event also featured the biggest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Highlights of ELEVATE Sydney included:   

• ELEVATE SkyShow, an Australian first, featuring 500 choreographed drones over Sydney Cove as a natural amphitheatre, creating a mesmerising light show forming elaborate patterns set to an original soundscape. A boomerang, a waratah and a series of animations told a powerful story of Sydney's past, present and hopes for 2022 
• Final Night performances featuring Tones And I and Tim Minchin  
• ELEVATE Encore with ARIA Award-winning Australian artists Peking Duk and Lime Cordiale 
• A contemporary Call to Country designed by Rhoda Roberts AO and performances by leading First Nations artists Electric Fields and Troy Cassar-Daley 
• Children's entertainment including by The Wiggles, Bluey and Junkyard Beats  
• Disco night with Marcia Hines, Leo Sayer and Courtney Act 
• ELEVATE Music featuring BVT, CXLOE, Hauskey, L-FRESH the LION and Ngaiire 
• The best of Aussie sporting culture with live conversations from sporting legends and athletes including Australia's most successful Olympian Emma McKeon 

For more information on events and experiences to enjoy in Sydney and New South Wales go to visitnsw.com^[1] or sydney.com^[2]. Share your Feel New Summer moments with #FeelNSW and #FeelNewSydney

For more information about what's on in Sydney and NSW, go to sydney.com^[3] and visitnsw.com^[4]  

NOTE TO EDITORS

 *Download the ELEVATE Sydney content package including daily highlight footage and image selects here^[5].

About ELEVATE Sydney

ELEVATE Sydney is a six-day entertainment and cultural celebration featuring a blockbuster line-up of live music and performers from NSW performing on Sydney's Cahill Expressway. Launching for the first time in 2022 from 1 to 6 January, ELEVATE Sydney is part of NSW Government's initiative to turbocharge the recovery of the NSW visitor economy and reaffirm Sydney's position as a global events destination, and the live music and entertainment capital of Australia. ELEVATE Sydney is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency.

About Destination NSW  

Destination NSW is the lead NSW Government agency for the State's tourism and major events industry and is responsible for devising and implementing strategies to grow the State's visitor economy. Our particular focus is driving tourism and acquiring and developing major sporting and cultural events for Sydney and regional NSW. In addition, Destination NSW is the major investor in Business Events Sydney (BESydney) with the aim of securing more international conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions. 

References

1. ^{^} visitnsw.com (www.visitnsw.com)
2. ^{^} sydney.com (www.sydney.com)
3. ^{^} sydney.com (www.sydney.com)
4. ^{^} visitnsw.com (www.visitnsw.com)
5. ^{^} here (www.dropbox.com)