In less than 300 days, Vancouver will open to the world's top winter-sport athletes and their spectators at one of the biggest international sporting competitions.

But visitors to Vancouver during the Olympic Winter Games will have the opportunity to appreciate more than just the best of athletic competition next February. If organizers have their way, people in Vancouver will also get some culture.

At the same time as the Olympic Winter Games, Vancouver will also host the 2010 Cultural Olympiad: From January 22 to March 21, 2010, Vancouver will host 60 days of Canadian and international arts through more than 600 performances and exhibitions in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia's Sea to Sky corridor.

20 projects for the Olympiad were announced Tuesday, including works by Robert Lepage, the Alberta Ballet, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.

"With the incredible wealth of talent and outstanding value these shows
have to offer, we expect them to sell out and encourage people to go online
now and get their tickets," said David Guscott, executive vice-president,
celebrations and partnerships for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), in a press release.

Tickets to Cultural Olympiad events are available at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad. Organizers say they will release information on further performances in coming months at the same location. Hundreds of artists are expected to participate as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2010 lineup.