Festival Melbourne 2006 formally opens

Melbourne's Commonwealth Games cultural festival has been formally opened with a series of exhibitions across the city.

Festival Melbourne 2006, billed as Australia's biggest ever festival of arts and culture, gets fully underway at the start of the Commonwealth Games in seven days' time.

But exhibitions such as Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus, a photographic exhibition of Australia's sportsmen and women, and Tribal Expressions, a selection of works from Victoria's emerging indigenous artists, have already opened to the public.

The exhibition programme is one of three strands of the cultural festival, which is also set to feature performing arts and a youth programme.

"Festival Melbourne2006 will be fresh, exciting and contemporary, putting the world’s best performers and artists alongside the world’s best athletes," said Australia's Commonwealth Games minister Justin Madden.

"The vibrancy and diversity of the festival will highlight Melbourne as one of the world’s truly cosmopolitan cities, strengthening Victoria’s reputation as both an arts and sporting capital. Events will be free during Games time and open to all members of the public."

The festival is set to feature several free concerts at locations across the city, alongside dance displays, circus acts, and beach parties on a specially created beach in the city centre.

For more information on the festival, go to: www.melbourne2006.com.au/Festival+Melbourne2006/ XXX