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Watch Australia bring in 1999 with a bang

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The city may look like one giant red light district, but there's nothing illicit about the scarlet glow around Sydney's famous Opera House. Scores of red lights have been installed around the landmark to hail the coming of the annual Sydney Festival, which begins on Saturday and has the theme "Paint the Town Red." The city's cultural festival will feature about 1,000 artists, including 14 overseas troupes. Other landmark buildings bathed in red light for the occasion are the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Queen Victoria Building.

Reuters Limited contributed to this report.