Vida estudiantil

Florence and the Machine takes her soulful indie rock on the road once again in support of the latest album, Ceremonials. This tour date is at Sydney's Entertainment Centre in Australia and tickets are sure to sell out fast.

Manly, popular for its spectacular golden beaches and sandstone headlands, attracts over 30,000 visitors for its annual outdoor Food & Wine Festival. Browse the many stalls, sampling local restaurants' signature dishes and tipples from the region's vineyards.

The Archibald Prize is Australia's longest-running and most important award for portraiture. The best entries are displayed at Sydney's Art Gallery of New South Wales alongside the winners of the Wynne Prize (Australian landscapes/sculpture) and the Sulman Prize (subject painting/mural).

Vivid Sydney brings splashes of light, colour and music to this already vibrant Australian city. The programme is extensive, ranging from progressive music concerts at the Sydney Opera House to creative discussion and light sculptures dotted around the iconic harbour.

Held over the Queen's Birthday Weekend, the Darling Harbour Jazz & Blues Festival brings smooth sounds to Sydney's waterfront with a series of performances from soloists, swing bands and gospel choirs. A joy for aficionados and families alike!

The State of Origin tournament sees the best Rugby League talent from New South Wales (the Blues) and Queensland (the Maroons) face each other in three games across Australia. The second match is at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

Founded in 1954, the Sydney Film Festival presents screenings at venues across the city, like the State Theatre, Dendy Opera Quays and Art Gallery of NSW. It has established a worldwide reputation and is Australia's leading international film festival.

The Good Food & Wine Show makes its annual journey east from Melbourne to the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. As ever it features an unprecedented celebrity chef line-up to dispense top tips on all things culinary.

The Triple M Sydney Tower Run-Up is a running race with a vertical twist. Athletes start at Pitt St Mall and mount 1504 steps before reaching the finish line on Sydney Tower's Observation Deck. The appealing prize money totals A$26,000.

Sydney's popular outdoor area, The Rocks, hosts an all-day festival dedicated to coffee, tea and other spices. Australia's coffee makers ply their wares for cheap prices, demonstrate how to make the perfect brew and give away plenty of coffee-related freebies.

If you think surfing hotspot Bondi is only worth visiting during summer, think again. Bondi Winter Magic injects life and colour into the Sydney suburb during the chilly Australian winter months, with music, art, markets, ice-skating and kids' activities.

"There is nothing on earth like owning a boat", claims the Australian Boating Industries Association, and it aims to prove it at the Sydney International Boat Show, held every year at Darling Harbour and the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The Sun Herald City to Surf Fun Run is a 14km route for all the family. Runners start near Hyde Park in Sydney's city centre, follow the harbour through the Eastern Suburbs and finish at the famous Bondi Beach.

Experience an authentic alpine atmosphere in the heart of Sydney during the Winter Festival. Try ice-skating or watch the experts on the large rink in Cathedral Square, enjoy a taste of real après ski fun and try different winter food treats.

High-heeled Vogue followers strut to Martin Place for the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival. Organised by the same team as Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, the festival is a great chance to catch a glimpse of the upcoming spring and summer collections.

The skies above Bondi Beach fill with kites of all colours, shapes and sizes during Festival of the Winds, Australia's longest-running kite-flying event. A great day for all the family, there's also multi-cultural music, food, art, dancing and kite-making workshops.

Sydney's annual marathon (Blackmores Sydney Running Festival) attracts around 13,000 runners, with tens of thousands of spectators lining a route that passes most of the city's major landmarks. There's also a half marathon, Bridge Run and Family fun run.

The Biennale of Sydney was created in 1973 as an international showcase for contemporary art. It utilises venues across the city, such as the Sydney Opera House, Artspace, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Sydney Eisteddfod continues to search for the best young Australian talent during its annual McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge. The range of events is quite bewildering - with nine divisions all in all.

International freestyle motocross riders rev it up in Sydney at the adrenalin-packed Red Bull X-Fighters. Competitors stop off in Dubai, Brasilia, Rome, Madrid and Warsaw before bringing pure speed and breathtaking air flips to down under.

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) congregates at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum for the annual SPAA Fringe. Budding film-makers can attend inspiring talks from industry professionals, workshops, film screenings and round-table discussions.

Sydney's hedonistic Sleaze Ball is held on the long October weekend and takes place at the Hordern Pavilion. The unfettered party raises significant funds for the city's Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras the following February.

The rugby league season reaches a climax as Sydney's ANZ (Telstra) Stadium stages the NRL Grand Final. Expect a growing fervour in the run-up to the match, with the whole month of September devoted to the Telstra Premiership Finals.

Sydneysiders head to the Darling Harbour Fiesta for a long weekend of rumba rhythms and salsa steps. The Latin party fever is contagious - before long you'll be toe-tapping to salsa orchestras, watching jaw-dropping capoeira or joining in a dance masterclass.

Manly International Jazz festival presents a multitude of concerts on several outdoor stages in the Sydney suburb. Leading bands from around the country perform alongside local student groups and international guest stars.

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival returns to Sydney venues including Palace Norton Street Cinemas to celebrate Italian culture and arts with films for both serious Italophiles and movie buffs. The programme features over 20 films from Cannes, Berlin, Rome and Venice film festivals.

Held in the great outdoors, Parklife is a dance music festival that tours five Australian cities during September and October. The Sydney leg takes place by Kippax Lake in Moore Park.

Head to Sydney's Tumbalong Park for Malaysia Fest, a celebration of Malaysian cuisine, arts and culture. Buy a helping of steaming noodles from a food stall, then picnic on the grass while watching one of the dance and music shows.

Hunt for a bargain at Sydney's Vintage Clothing, Jewellery & Textiles Show. Floral tea dresses, beaded handbags, lace tablecloths and perfume bottles are just some of the unique pieces nestling among the displays in the Function Centre at Canterbury Racecourse.

The Australian International Motor Show is the biggest and most important in the southern hemisphere. Held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, it attracts more than 250,000 visitors every two years.

The Seven Bridges Walk is a free community event to get Sydneysiders out and exercising. Start at any of the seven "villages" on the 25km circuit and travel clockwise around the striking harbour, crossing seven bridges, to complete the route.

Get the scoop on style trends at Fashion Palette, an event that invites the public into the alluring world of designers and models. The catwalk shows, after-parties and Fashion Palette Excellence Awards take place at Sydney's Circular Quay.

Guest curator Katie Dyer, curator of Sydney's National Art School chooses the entries in this year's Primavera held at the Museum of Contemporary Art. This annual exhibition features Australian artists aged 35 or under, concentrating on individuals' achievements in various disciplines.

Equitana is Australia's number-one showcase for all things equine. This celebration of horses promises four packed days of education, competition, entertainment and exhibitions - from aussie cowboys to Olympic medallists - at the Sydney Showgrounds.

Fans and industry insiders come together at the innovative Jameson Inside Film Awards Sydney, where the Australian public choose the winners from this year's Australian films. The ceremony is held at Sydney Luna Park followed by a lavish after-party.

First held in 1997, Sculpture by the Sea sees the coastal path from Bondi Beach to Tamarama decorated with outdoor sculptures. Over 400,000 visitors come to view more than 100 works by both Australian and international artists.

Don't miss the massive alfresco party that is Harbourlife Sydney. Right next to stunning Sydney Harbour and the Botanic Gardens, this day-long festival is sure to get the crowds jumping.

The Good Vibrations festival aims to get back to basics in natural amphitheatres. The Sydney event takes place this summer in Centennial Park. After Sydney, the event moves on to Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth.

Homebake is a massive annual music, film and arts festival that is exclusively for home-grown talent. Held at The Domain in Sydney during the heat of early December, the sell-out event has become an annual institution.

This unique 2.2km (1.4 mile) ocean swim started in 2001, when 800 competitors charged down Bondi Beach to race to Bronte Beach; today 2,500 compete. All proceeds are used to purchase life-saving equipment for the Bronte and Bondi Surf Life Saving Clubs.

Handel's Messiah covers the whole story of Christ, from the prophecies of his coming and his birth to death and resurrection. The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs perform their annual pre-Christmas rendition of the famous oratorio at Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is one of the world's most famous, thrilling and dramatic ocean races. A Boxing Day tradition since 1945, the race runs from Sydney Harbour to the island State of Tasmania across the Tasman Sea.

The Sydney New Year's Eve celebrations are always among the most spectacular in the world. Activity focuses around a glittering Darling Harbour and the majestic Harbour Bridge, the backdrop for some of the most breathtaking fireworks you'll ever see.

With spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks, Luna Park's Harbour Party is a popular place to see in the New Year. There are three dance arenas with world-class DJs, and guests also have unlimited access to the park's rides!

Start the year with Fuzzy at Field Day, one of the most anticipated events on the Sydney dance music calendar. The mega party attracts a capacity crowd of 10,000 to enjoy music, cocktails and films in the atmospheric surrounds of The Domain.

The Medibank International Sydney offers a week of first-class ladies' and men's tennis, with many of the game's top names competing at the superb Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre for total prize money of over A$1 million.

Flickerfest, Australia's premier short film festival, presents an impressive programme of screenings under the stars at the Bondi Beach Pavilion in Sydney. It then tours nationally to other major cities January to March.

Thousands of spectators gather at the Harbour Bridge to watch Sydney's First Fleet ferries battle for the Lord Mayor's Trophy in the annual Ferrython. The race from Circular Quay to Shark Island is now a traditional part of Sydney Festival's Australia Day celebrations.

What better way to celebrate 26 January than at Darling Harbour's Australia Day Spectacular? A wide variety of events entertain Sydneysiders on this national holiday and, with around 200,000 turning up, it's a pretty big party.

Filling the main harbour east of Clark Island, Sydney's Australia Day Regatta was first held in 1837. Throughout the afternoon hundreds of sailing boats and vessels join in the spectacular maritime celebration.