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Everything you need to know about Australia's greatest show

25 May 2023by Katherine Masters

Starting Friday night, Sydney will be a riot of colour as light installations and 3D light projections transform the city for 23 nights. But there’s more to Vivid Sydney than a kaleidoscopic urban wonderland, as festival director Gill Minervini explains

Katherine Masters

Features editor

Katherine Masters

Features editor

Advise your clients to take to the waters of Sydney Harbour for the best views

Why is Vivid Sydney a great time to visit the city?

Vivid Sydney is Australia’s largest festival and brings the city to life with mesmerising art displays and 3D projections from local and international artists, an eclectic line-up of musical performers and thought-provoking talks from some of the world’s most brilliant minds. Vivid Sydney is an incredible event on the city’s event calendar during the winter months, offering visitors from all over the world the chance to see our beautiful city in a whole new light from 26 May to 17 June.

What is the theme this year?

Vivid Sydney 2023 will be delivered under a unifying creative direction, “Vivid Sydney, Naturally”. Inspired by the master of all creators, Mother Nature, this year’s theme captures the natural wonder and diversity that is Sydney and our planet and is reflected across all of the 300+ activations and events that make up the programme.

There are so many amazing events that you don’t want to miss this year. The works of late Australia artist John Olsen projected on the Sydney Opera House Sails, the 8.5km free Light Walk, the first ever Vivid Food programme activating across Sydney venues, the world premiere of Dark Spectrum, the opportunity to hear from renowned author Jeanette Winterson, and 12 nights of free music featuring incredible local and international talent at Tumbalong Nights.

Carriage Works Night Market is a one-night only Vivid Food event on Friday 16 June © Daniel Boud

What are the best vantage points?

Sydney has the most incredible harbour in the world, and one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the wonder of Vivid Sydney is from Sydney Harbour. Many of the installations on the 8.5km Light Walk have been created to be viewed from the water, so jump on a ferry, kayak or cruise for a prime view of the city skyline.

As part of the Vivid Food programme you can also see a new perspective of Vivid Sydney – the Vivid Rooftop Experience in Aster Bar will give you 270 degree views of Sydney Harbour and the Vivid Sydney Light Walk, Light Up Your Senses at the Pylon is an exclusive cheese and wine experience in the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon or there’s Chefs on the Harbour, a luxurious superyacht on Sydney Harbour with a series of unforgettable five-course degustations by leading local chefs.

What is Vivid Food and Vivid Music?

Vivid Sydney 2023 will see the introduction of Vivid Food, which will broaden the festival’s creative spotlight from Light, Music and Ideas to include culinary favourites and innovative food events. Including everything from wholesome street food at the Vivid Fire Kitchen from the world’s best BBQ pit masters to luxurious high-end dining experiences such as the Vivid Sydney Dinner at Ivy Ballroom, there is something for all tastes.

All of Sydney will become a stage for Vivid Sydney’s 2023 live music line-up, with a spotlight on First Nations artists. Vivid Music is a world-class programme of artists and truth tellers, offering something for all audiences. Featuring A Bend in the River: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Archie Roach, a celebration of the legacy of the late Archie Roach AC, 12 nights of free music at Tumbalong Nights featuring Yothu Yindi, Cornelius and more as well as intimate cabaret shows and roaming performances along the Vivid Sydney Light Walk.

Lightscape at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

Is there a cost to the event, and what happens when it rains – does the show go on?

Vivid Sydney 2023 features world-firsts and festival-firsts and both free and ticketed events to make the festival accessible to everyone. Visitors can enjoy the free installations and activations along the 8.5km Light Walk, as well as exclusive and entirely immersive ticketed events like no other including the incredible Lightscape and world-premiere of Dark Spectrum in the Wynyard Tunnels. If it’s raining, bring an umbrella as the festival goes on, come rain, (hail) or shine.

Vivid is tailor-made for social sharing, what’s been the most popular post?

In one of the biggest announcements in Vivid Sydney’s 13-year history, we are so thrilled to welcome creator, writer and director of The White Lotus, Mike White, and star of the series, Jennifer Coolidge, have been added to the festival’s programme for 2023. Jennifer Coolidge announced she and Mike White were coming to Vivid Sydney with a great video which was shared on Instagram and has been our most popular post for 2023 so far.

Head to Dawes Point for incredible views of Sydney Opera House

What’s your insider tip for a memorable experience?

There is so much to see and do as part of Vivid Sydney 2023 – I recommend taking two to three nights to really experience it all. To beat the crowds, come to Vivid Sydney on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night. There will be fewer people and you can really take your time to soak in the awe-inspiring works. One of my favourite insider tips is to visit Dawes Point under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There are incredible views of the Sydney Opera House and Our Connected City which lights up the Sydney CBD and I like to go there away from the crowds during the festival sometimes. This year, we have a Vivid Light installation at Dawes Point for the first time – City Gazing – which imagines looking down on Sydney from the stars over the last 100 years as a map lights up to chart the city’s growth over the past century.

For more information, see vividsydney.com

Vividly green

As Australia’s largest festival, Vivid Sydney aims to lead the way for positive change in environmental responsibility. Championing creativity, innovation and cutting-edge applications of technology doesn’t end with our programme but influences all elements of the festival from operations to marketing and everything in between.

With the festival engaging an entire eco-system of local and international businesses, artists and visitors, we aim to work collaboratively to embed sustainable practices across all levels of Vivid Sydney – and encourage positive behaviours and practices that resonate long after “lights off”.

For Vivid Sydney 2023 we are taking some steps forward:

We’re encouraging everyone to bring their own water bottle to Vivid Sydney this year, with more drinking stations to be installed along the Light Walk.
We’re green-powering even more of our lighting installations, aiming to increase from last year’s 86% rate of lighting installations grid-connected to 100% green power. Similarly, we’ll continue increasing our use of LED fixtures, which are less power-hungry than other lighting options. And by measuring our energy usage, we can offset any carbon emissions with the purchase of accredited carbon offset credits.
We’re aiming to remove single-use plastic bags from Vivid Sydney’s sites. We are also removing plastic water dispensers at staff site locations, replacing them with a sustainable-material alternative.
By continuing to move away from single-use and non-recyclable materials wherever we can, Vivid Sydney is lessening its impact on the earth. This year, we’re adding more digital kiosks and digital signage, with less physical signage made from non-sustainable materials.
Vivid Sydney offers bookable and complimentary accessible mini-bus parking to aged-care facilities and community groups. In addition, our website's trip planning guide is filled with tips for off-peak visits, making planning your trip to Vivid Sydney easier than ever.