The government has announced a new six-day festival called the Elevate Sydney Festival which will kick off on New Years Day.

The Cahill Expressway is set to be transformed into a stage overlooking Sydney Harbour and Circular Quay.

Stuart Ayres, Minister for Jobs and Tourism, told Jim Wilson the event is to get people back into the Sydney CBD.

“The Cahill Expressway will be out of action from a traffic perspective and we are going to turn the Cahill into what I think is one of the absolute best stages in the world,” he said.

“You drive down this road and before you know it you have gone past the best view in the world, you have the Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, Opera House, stunning Sydney Harbour.

“We have put together an amazing program over six-days, things for the kids in the morning … talking to our great sporting heroes … plenty of music on during the course of the day and then going into our evening session where we have an amazing lineup of artists.

“It is a free event and it is all about driving activity back into the Sydney CBD, those businesses are the businesses that have done it absolutely the toughest.

“Ashes Test will be on at the back end of the week so there are plenty of reasons to come into the city.”

Click here to register for the free tickets and to find out more.

Press PLAY to listen to the whole interview with Stuart Ayres, Minister for Jobs and Transport 

Image: Getty / iStock