Hungry Kids of Hungary
Tim Rogers.
PARRAMATTA will live up to its reputation for having one of the nation's biggest Australia Day celebrations.
This year, Parramatta City Council has put together an action-packed schedule of entertainment and activities, and invites families and friends to celebrate the special day together in Parramatta city. Parramatta lord mayor John Chedid said Parramatta was the perfect place to celebrate Australia Day.
"There is a fabulous array of quality entertainment suitable for the whole family," Cr Chedid said.
"Whether it be Parramatta's famous mass hot-air balloon launch at 6am, kids workshops and live entertainment at the Big Backyard or the star-studded line-up of the Dig 1100 Concert, featuring You Am I, the Hungry Kids of Hungary, Barry Morgan as well as the Rock'n'Soul Choir, Parramatta's Australia Day will see you partying all day long.
"This year we also see two other major events in Parramatta, the Sydney Festival closing concert and our Western Sydney Wanderers doing battle at Parramatta Stadium, making 2013 the biggest Australia Day yet in Parramatta.
"I encourage everyone to bring their families and join me at the World Heritage listed Parramatta Park for a fun-filled Australia Day."
Highlights of the day include the Aerial Carnivale, which has been an Australia Day tradition in Parramatta since 1985.
The Aerial Carnivale sees the skies fill with colour as a fleet of hot-air balloons ascend above the park at 6am. An ongoing list of entertainment follows with live music, performances and roving entertainment throughout the morning.
Take a stroll through the park during the day at the Big Backyard, and keep the whole family entertained with amusement rides, live entertainment, historical re-enactments, art and craft workshops, eco experiences and much more.
Aussie rock group You Am I will headline Parramatta's free Australia Day Dig 1100 Concert, along with the Hungry Kids of Hungary, Barry Morgan and Rock'n'Soul Choir, from 6pm to 9pm at the Crescent Amphitheatre, Parramatta Park.
Sydney Festival will also draw to a close on Australia Day with indigenous performer Archie Roach taking to the stage to present his new album Into the Bloodstream.
The evening will end with a bang as fireworks light the night sky from 9pm.