CITY IN FULL VOICE

FESTIVAL FIRES UP

HUNDREDS joined in song last night as the Festival of Voices lit up Salamanca Place.

The Big Sing Bonfire featured some of the Australian and international acts gracing stages around the city during the festival, including FACE Vocal Band, Deke Sharon, the Modern Maori Quartet, the Sydney Children’s Choir and the Young Voices of Melbourne.

Last night the crowd danced and sang along to popular tunes and two bonfires each threw out a warm glow. MC Vicky Jacobs led the crowd in a mass chorus of Pharrell Williams’s Happy.

The two-week festival, which opened on the East Coast on June 29, is in its 14th year and the Big Sing Bonfire remains its signature ure event.

Thee bonfire was moved to Sunday this year to make it easier for families to attend. Also new this year is the festival hub, The NEST, at the Waterside Pavillion at Mawson Place.

The NEST is full of information about the festival

and will host planned and impromptu performances during the week. Festival goers can also buy tickets at The NEST, which is open from 11.30am7.30pm until Saturday.

The Festival of Voices continues until July 15, with

this week’s highlights set to include concerts featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo, FACE Vocal Band and Eric Bogle; two more Pub Choir events; dozens of pop-up choir performances; and a series of short courses and masterclasses. See www.festivalofvoices.com