Vivid Sydney—the city’s yearly festival of lights, music, ideas, and food (and more or less everything else in between)—has officially kicked off. Returning for its 13th year, Vivid Sydney’s program is an intricate circuit of nearly 200 events over 23 days and nights, bringing together artists, musicians, chefs, and thinkers around this year’s theme, "Vivid Sydney, Naturally".
Ticket prices this year range from a whopping $285 for a seat at the Vivid Sydney Dinner at Merivale’s Ivy Ballroom to, well—nothing at all. And for those looking for a way to experience Sydney’s award-winning festival without breaking the bank, look no further. Most of Vivid's much-loved 8.5km Light Walk is free to see this year, with the exception of Dark Spectrum at Wynyard (tickets from $35) and Lightscape in the Royal Botanic Garden (tickets from $30). Here, we’ve hand-picked the very best of the free and cheap events on offer this year.
Vivid Light
Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened
Price: Free
The illuminated Opera House is the iconic image of Vivid Sydney. This year, the works of the late Australian artist, John Olsen, are being cast onto the sails of the Opera House, in a project that was planned before he passed away in April. Olsen’s paintings, which reflect his lifelong fascination with Australia's nature and landscape, have been animated by creative technologists Curiious, to capture his artwork in a spectacular new dimension and as never seen before. More info is here.
The Last Ocean
Price: Free
In keeping with the theme of nature for this year’s festival, Barangaroo’s Stargazer Lawn is playing host to a colossal interactive installation from renowned American artist and engineer, Jen Lewin. Visitors are invited to walk over the massive tessellated "ice sheet" made from salvaged ocean plastic and watch its swirling lights splash and spill in response to their footsteps. The Last Ocean captures the vast and unique beauty of Antarctica and powerfully represents the damage of warming waters due to climate change. More info is here.
Written In The Stars
Price: Free
For six nights, Circular Quay will witness the biggest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere to date. Watch for free as 1,000 drones light up the night sky, cloaking Sydney Harbour with the natural world of the Milky Way, complete with drone-lit shooting stars and revolving planets. For the best views, head to the Circular Quay foreshore, the Cahill Expressway footpath, or the Olympic Park at Milsons Point. And what else? There’s a soundtrack: Sydney producer Peewee Ferris has reworked Gustav Holst’s orchestral masterpiece, The Planets, which you can download for free as the perfect accompaniment to the show. More info is here.
Wild Lights At Taronga
Price: From $27
The most photogenic zoo in the world is taking it to the next level for Vivid Sydney. Head to the North Shore for an illuminated night trail, created by Wiradjuri artist Nathan Peckham together with Sydney-based art collaborative, Ample Projects, featuring giant light sculptures of Australia’s native animals. Walk amongst intricately designed koalas, dingos, kangaroos, emus, and platypuses, plus get the chance to see the zoo’s new Nura Diya Australia section, which celebrates native flora and fauna and First Nations connection to Country. Buy tickets here.
Vivid Live
Tumbalong Nights
Price: Free
Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park is transforming into a stunning open-air music venue for 12 nights during Vivid Sydney. Set at the heart of the iconic Light Walk—Vivid Sydney’s 8.5-kilometre loop walk lined with more than 60 illuminated artworks and installations—Tumbalong Nights involves an eclectic line-up of live music, with DJ sets for every other night of the festival and children’s acts kicking off the entertainment each Saturday. Among the myriad performances by artists from overseas, across Australia, and right here in Sydney, don’t miss Triple J’s one-time-only showcase on Friday 2 June, featuring previous winners and finalists of the radio station’s annual music competition, Unearthed High. More info is here.
DJs At The Goods Line
Price: Free
The Goods Line—an 800-metre urban walkway that connects Central Station and Darling Harbour over an abandoned railway track—is being lit with a series of installations throughout Vivid Sydney. But that’s not all. Each night of the festival you’ll be able to catch a free DJ set at The Goods Line, with some of the city’s best producers playing the sounds of the vibrant and diverse communities they represent. More info is here.
Dance Together
Price: Free
Beneath three huge, suspended rings in Tumbalong Park, Dance Together is a 360-degree show that celebrates the importance of gathering as strangers. With the backing of an ethereal soundscape and rotating messages illuminated inside the rings, dance in the lights and sounds created by Lucid Creates, a multi-award-winning design studio who have had their installations and public art appear at the likes of Glastonbury and Berlin Light Festival. More info is here.
Vivid Food
Carriageworks Night Market
Price: $15 Entry
Carriageworks is returning to the Vivid Sydney program with their one-night-only Night Market on Friday 16 June. Curated by Australia’s leading sustainable chef, Matt Stone, Carriageworks will be showcasing the best of Sydney’s restaurants, bars, and producers, in a celebration of sustainable food practices. Among the 45+ stallholders, OzHarvest is putting on a zero-waste veggie menu, Gelato Messina will be serving up a galette made from rescued apples, and Redfern locals Bush Sydney will bring some of their signature dishes that celebrate sustainably harvested, native Australian ingredients. The likes of Rockpool Bar and Grill, Porcine, and Sake have also conjured special menu offerings, plus there will be interactive food demonstrations and live entertainment all evening long. More info is here.
Vivid Fire Kitchen
Price: Free Entry
A brand-new addition to the Vivid Sydney program, Vivid Fire Kitchen brings together Sydney’s finest chefs and the best pitmasters from around the world to cook spectacular dishes on open flames. For free, you can watch—and possibly take part in—live demos from the guest chefs, including the likes of Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie, Masterchef Australia runner-up Pete Campbell, Michelin-starred Dave Pynt, and World BBQ Champion Sterling Smith. Set in the below-ground, concrete halls of The Cutaway, Vivid Fire Kitchen promises to fuse street food and fine dining for three weeks of foodie heaven. More info is here.
Vivid Ideas
Powerhouse Late x Vivid Ideas
Price: Free
Vivid Sydney has partnered with The Powerhouse Museum to curate three free one-off events that explore our relationship with nature. On Thursday 1 June, Pearls of Wisdom will explore what food can tell us about ourselves, featuring talks about how First Nations people and migrants have shaped Australia’s culinary landscape. As well as a bunch of great guest speakers, there will be fresh oysters, cocktails, live jazz, and a bookstall with classic cookbooks.
On Thursday 8 June, Natural Wonder is a curation of talks on art, music, and film, plus interactive craft workshops where you can learn about making flora embroidery, paper flowers, and the art of floral arrangements. The final event, Paradise Fair, takes place on Thursday 15 June, and celebrates the critically-acclaimed, interdisciplinary artist Yuki Kihara’s new exhibition, Paradise Camp, including a conversation with the artist, and an immersive walk through the exhibition led by performing guides. See the full program of talks here.
Australian Museum x Vivid Ideas: Connection to Country
Price: Free
The Australian Museum is co-hosting an immersive evening of talks, art, and music, celebrating First Nations connection to Country, exploring what caring for Country means, and how First Nations' practices for water and land management are essential to the future of Australia’s natural environment. The program includes a conversation with Barkindji artist, David Doyle, and Barkindji curator, artist, and researcher, Zena Cumpston, about the future of the Murray Darling Basin. This will be followed by a talk from First Nations landscapers from Dhinawhan on methods for restoring Country. There will also be an art exhibition, Barka: The Forgotten River, by Barkandji elder Badger Bates and Sydney-based artist Justine Mulley about saving the Darling River (Barka), and performances from Wiradjuri, Yuin, and Gadigal song woman and artist, Nadeena Dixon, and Koori Radio host, DJ Shark. More info is here.
Queeries
Price: $19
Part of Vivid Ideas’ Human Nature series, Queeries is a night of literature, stand-up, and performance, challenging previous ways of thinking and exploring new normals in sex, relationships, body politics, and more. Hosted at Telstra Customer Insight Centre in Sydney’s CBD on Sunday 11 June, Queeries will feature eight Australian and New Zealand LGBTIQ+ writers, comedians, and artists, including singer-songwriter Montaigne, drag artist Etcetera Etcetera, memoirist Bastian Fox Phelan, poet Freya Daly-Sadgrove, novelist Fiona Kelly McGregor, comedian Gen Fricker, and screenwriter Vonne Patiag. More info is here.
Now, get the full rundown of this year's packed Vivid Sydney program here.
Image credit: Destination NSW