Sydney’s annual festival of colour, light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney, will return on Friday 26 May to immerse the Harbour City in a spectacle of light and colour once again. 

Taking place across 23 days and nights, the Vivid Sydney 2023 program will be a celebration of creativity, innovation and technology, with events centred around its four pillars – Vivid Light, Vivid Music, Vivid Ideas and for the first time, Vivid Food.

Various locations throughout the city will be illuminated and activated, including Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, The Goods Line, Central Station and Sydney icons such as the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Museum of Contemporary Art and more.

Owned and operated by Destination NSW, this year’s event will run to the theme of ‘Vivid Sydney, Naturally,’ which is inspired by humans’ connection to the natural environment and will be brought to life via a kaleidoscope of colourful light projections and activations, alongside free and ticketed events.

Minister for Tourism and the Arts Ben Franklin said Vivid Sydney will showcase NSW as the best place in the world to live, work and play.

“The Vivid Sydney 2023 program is bursting with mesmerising displays from the world’s brightest light artists, the biggest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere, exhilarating live performances, deep-dive discussions with international thought leaders, innovative experiences from food creatives and more than 100 free events,” Minister Franklin said.

Last year Vivid Sydney was attended by more than 2.5 million people and injected $119 million into the NSW economy.

“Vivid Sydney is NSW’s biggest annual event and makes a significant social and economic contribution to our State. From our creative industries to entertainment and hospitality venues, accommodation and retailers, Vivid supports and creates jobs across our economy.

“With international borders fully reopened, we’re anticipating this year’s festival to be our biggest and best yet.”