One would think that after Sydney’s raucous New Year’s Festival, the city would be ready to take a well-earned rest. Not the case. To kick-start 2017, Sydney Festival (7 – 29 January) is launching an energetic cultural programme that will see Sydneysiders entertained right through to February.

While the festival schedule is predominantly focused on performance – from hi-tech burlesque to Russian theatre – this year’s edition offers a host of inspiration for the A+D Community. We have whittled down the exhausting go-to list and present to you, our top five.

The Beach, The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve
New York-based art and architecture practice Snarkitecture bring an alternative beach scene to the city. Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonen have filled the Cutaway with 1.1. million white, antimicrobial plastic balls to offer visitors all the fun off the seaside, without getting wet.

House of Mirrors, around the Meriton Festival Village
Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney offer visitors the chance to get lost at The Meriton Festival Village. The maze of endless mirrors provides an immersive and dark installation that has been carefully crafted for maximum aesthetic appeal.

Scent of Sydney, Carraigeworks
Scent of Sydney, by conceptual and olfactory artist, Cat Jones is making its world premiere at Carraigeworks. Using the UTS Science Super Lab as her atelier, Jones has composed ten scents based on data collected from interviews with a number of Sydney’s locals. The exhibition attempts to discover if one can truly understand a city from how it smells.

Still-Life, Carraigeworks
Creator of the Athens 2004 Olympics opening and closing ceremony, artist Dimitris Papaioannou combines theatre, movement, art installation and philosophy in Still-Life. This theatrical performance incorporates striking set design that promises to impress with its inventive use of mundane elements like concrete.

Institute, Seymour Centre
Award-winning physical theatre company Gecko brings Institute to Sydney’s Seymour Centre. The spell-binding performance combines a cleverly crafted stage with masterful choreography for an unforgettable show. The set design conjures a mysterious world with landscapes of towering filing cabinets and tricks of light.