Events that will feature the discounted tickets include French ballerina Sylvie Guillem's performances with George Piper Dances, Elvis Costello's concert with the Sydney Symphony, and British director Declan Donnellan's staging of Twelfth Night. The top price tickets for the three events are A$138, A$144 and A$65, respectively.

Linehan's strategy was inspired by success stories at venues such as London's National Theatre, which saw increased ticket sales and new audiences after offering Ô£10 tickets. Linehan's strategy for the Sydney Festival is already paying dividends: A$1 million in tickets have been sold since the program's launch on November 3, an increase of 60 percent over the previous festival.