The nerves. The lack of sleep. Unending hyper-vigilance. Sydney Festival director Kris Nelson doesn’t mind it so much. “It goes with the job. I am a festival man through and through,” he says.

About to light the fuse on his first Sydney Festival, Nelson’s job is done to some extent, but there are still many, many things to worry about. Just because the festival program brochures are out and queues are forming at the box office doesn’t mean everything else is plain sailing. There’s the weather, for example (“40C on the weekend – I have no idea what that’s going to be like,” he admits).

For the next three weeks, he’ll also be keeping an eye on all manner of things that might impact the festival – from logistical issues to public transport snarls to Sydney’s unpredictable summer weather. Then there are events the likes of which no festival curator can ever anticipate. Earlier this week, the Festival postponed its Bondi Pavilion production WAVERIDER as a mark of respect to a community still reeling after the December 14 terrorist attack that claimed 15 lives.

“Bondi has weighed very heavily on the...