Ultimate Guide to Vivid Sydney

The star attraction of Vivid Sydney is its Vivid Light festival where Sydney’s top landmarks and skyline become illuminated in creative and interactive light projections. Lights are turned on at 6pm every night over the course of the 23-day festival, and there are over 50 installations for attendees to discover, making Vivid Lights well worth multiple visits.

Sydney Opera House

Vivid Lights kicks off every evening with the inaugural Lighting of the Sails. Watch as the Sydney Opera House comes to life with large-scale projections and music. <o:p></o:p>

This year, award-winning Los Angeles-based Andrew Thomas Huang is the torch-bearer entrusted with the Lighting of the Sails at the Sydney Opera House. Huang’s installation is called ‘Austral Flora Ballet’ and is a tribute to Australia’s native plants such as the New South Wales waratah, kangaroo paws and red beard orchids.<o:p></o:p>

This year, award-winning Los Angeles-based Andrew Thomas Huang is the torch-bearer entrusted with the Lighting of the Sails at the Sydney Opera House. Huang’s installation is called ‘Austral Flora Ballet’ and is a tribute to Australia’s native plants such as the New South Wales waratah, kangaroo paws and red beard orchids.<o:p></o:p>

Vivid’s famous Light Walk showcases 50 of the best outdoor light installations stretching over 3 kilometres. Starting at The Rocks, this outdoor gallery winds around Circular Quay to the Sydney Opera House and into the Royal Botanic Gardens. Taking you past the city’s biggest light installations on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and Customs House, Vivid Light Walk makes sure you catch a glimpse of all the draw cards. <o:p></o:p>

More of a ‘choose your own adventure’ rather than a prescribed trail, Vivid Light Walk is packed full of break-away spaces for you to sit, enjoy, and soak up the atmosphere and installations throughout the evening. Eateries and drinking holes also line this trail, providing plenty of comfy, warm places to rest your feet. <o:p></o:p>

Nature, childhood daydreams and retro-futures are the major themes running through this year’s festival. From those on a monstrous scale to others which beckon creativity, asking visitors to move through, around and under – this year’s Vivid Light Walk showcases a whole range of installations. Download Vivid Sydney's 2019 Lightwalk map for 2019 to plan your visit.   

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A great way to see Vivid Lights along the harbour is on a Vivid Sydney Cruise. There are plenty of operators running evening cruises past the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and many more, with pitstops for you to hop off and explore the installations up close. From smaller catamarans and tall ships to larger cruise vessels, there are plenty of options offering drinks, canapes and event sit down menus. You can even book a private Sydney cruise for Vivid, giving you the best set in the house!

As part of Vivid Sydney, Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House welcomes a whole bunch of ambitious and innovative local and international artists. This 23-day festival of contemporary music takes place on the nation’s most beloved stages in a celebration of artistic excellence.

Enjoy a handpicked selection of future-facing talks, hands-on workshops and industry-shaping forums at this year’s Vivid Ideas. Spike Lee and Esther Peral challenge assumptions on race and relationships. Mark Colvin asks audiences of the inevitable price of our constant digital distraction in his talk “Mark Colvin Conversation: Net Worth”. 

Stay back a little later for Vivid Art After Hours. Join in on art activities, listen to live music and free talks or even take a mindfulness class. 

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