2001

The 2002 Festival was Brett Sheehy's first year as Festival Director. It opened with a free theatrical performance by the internationally acclaimed Transe Express on the Sydney Opera House forecourt, followed by projected lighting of the majestic colonial buildings starting with Customs House, created by Electric Canvas in a Festival commission.

2000 marked the year the city would host the Olympic Games, but prior to that, Sydney Festival put on its own spectacular show. As part of the Festival, internationally renowned Australian designer Marc Newson was commissioned to create a celebratory lighting scheme for the Sydney Opera House. The first of these, Sunset, was projected during the Festival, and the other three during the Olympic Arts Festival later in the year.