On Opening Night we celebrate artists, audiences and Melbourne itself. Rain or shine, it all kicks off at 6pm and gracing the stage at Federation Square are various bands, musicians and singers whose cultural backgrounds and musical influences make for a remarkable global tour and celebration: ska, reggae, jazz, Latin-fusion, brass, percussion, choral, hip hop, traditional and contemporary music by musicians whose contribution to Australia's music scene is ever-expanding and not to be missed.

One of the world's most prestigious dance companies returns to Melbourne Festival with a bold new work that explores three very basic and yet profound themes: beauty, nature and existence.

Classic, modern and contemporary dance forms come together with awe-inspiring synergy as the radical physicality of Three is taken even further in this, the newest work from Batsheva Dance Company.

Internationally celebrated choreographer Deborah Hay trained with Merce Cunningham in the 60s and was a member of a group of the Judson Dance Theater that became one of the most radical and explosive 20th century art movements. If I Sing To You is a dance that is also a song, music, poetry and voice. It is held together through innumerable absurdly human moments choreographed and directed to engage the attention of its cast.

Combining original live music from acclaimed female vocalist New Buffalo; incisive text from award-winning playwright Ross Mueller; and featuring a fusion of dance, theatre and visual design - Appetite promises to be a literal feast.

One of Australia's most innovative dance companies moves through the confines of physical and psychological space in a highly anticipated, intelligent new work.

Helen Herbertson and Ben Cobham team up with long time collaborator Trevor Patrick and Nick Sommerville in this corporeal evocation of the mind's eye. Stripped back to movement, light and design essentials, Sunstruck exists in a landscape of isolation, absence and the dislocating slippage of memory, reality and the imagination.

The company behind the groundbreaking 2007 Festival work Glow returns with a bold new dance-theatre work that gives a rare glimpse into the performers' world and takes the audience backstage. Melbourne's leading contemporary dance company Chunky Move has earned an enviable reputation for producing a distinct yet unpredictable brand of genre-defying dance performances and Two Faced Bastard promises to be another truly extraordinary experience.