The city of Sydney has hosted some big events. The 2000 Olympics come to mind as one. Also APEC was hosted in Sydney last year. The latest event that is big on the world stage is the World Youth Day. This is a gathering of young catholics from around the globe.

About 100 000 pilgrims are said to be in the harbour city for the event. Many of the visitors are staying in schools or are hosted by families. When such events are on it is probably best not to visit Sydney as many streets are closed and it is difficult to get around.

Today in Sydney the largest ever mass in Australia took place. An estimated 150,000 pilgrims made their way to Barangaroo, near Sydney’s Darling Harbour. If you were not aware of this as a tourist you were in for a surprise.

World Youth Day continues for the next few day in Sydney. The highlight for pilgrims will be the service to be held by the Pope who came to Sydney for the event.