Get in the thick of it at Art & About Sydney

From September 20 to October 20, Sydney will be transformed into an interactive and collaborative arts space when Art & About Sydney kicks off with a huge roster of exciting events.

This year, the theme of the festival is Private Lives … Public Places, so art lovers are being encouraged to "air their laundry"!

There are a range of things to see and do taking place all throughout the month, so if you're an art enthusiast this is definitely one event you won't want to miss.

If you're looking for the easiest accommodation option, Mantra has plenty of hotels and holiday apartments in Sydney to choose from, such as Mantra 2 Bond Street, right in the heart of the city.

History

This year will mark the 12th successful outing of Art & About Sydney, which first launched in 2002.

Art & About's debut included the very first Sydney Life Exhibition. This was held in Hyde Park and showcased the best of the city in large-scale photographs. That same year, the festival featured the inaugural Open Gallery, a Sculpture in the City event and the Ranamok Art Glass Prize.

From there, the festival continued to grow, showcasing the works of different artists from Australia and around the world.

In 2013, Art & About is back and better than ever, so art fans will definitely want to catch all of the action as it unfolds in a variety of venues throughout the city.

Programme highlights and things to look out for

A Friday Night Live free launch party will kick things off for 2013, where super group The Break (made up of members from Midnight Oil, Hunters and Collectors and The Violent Femmes) will rock the crowd.

Look out for a giant screen projection of Shaun Tan's graphic novel The Arrival, Snailovation by the Cracking Art Group (featuring 24 larger than life neon snails), David Adams' video installation Little Lightning Stories and much more.