Putting aside the headache it is to try and drive to this area and find parking during this crazy event, Vivid was pretty damn cool. We went on the Starship Sydney, which despite the amount of people on board, still had plenty of space for great views of all lights. I'm especially impressed how Sydney coordinates all the different displays, especially the bridge which baffles my mind. Overall, it was just an awesome experience for a reasonable price. And loved having a couple drinks during the cruise as well. read more

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Vivid is an annual arts festival in Sydney held yearly in late-May and through most of June. It was started in 2009 so it is relatively new. I didn't know about this festival until I learned about it the week before I traveled it to Sydney. It is apparently one of the biggest festivals of the year there. The 2016 event was the most successful one to date as it drew over 2.3 million visitors. The festival is most known for its art installations around Sydney that are lighted up at night for the festival. It is like a Christmas lights festival in the middle of the year. The most popular landmark to see lighted up is the iconic Sydney Opera House. Other attractions like Darling Harbour and Sydney Harbour Bridge are also decked out in lights. There are also two other parts of the festival which are lesser known. There is a music festival component of local and international acts at numerous venues around Sydney which was headlined this year by Björk. The other part is an ideas/discussion symposium on an array of diverse topics. Since I had a limited time in Sydney, I only was able to make it to the lights portion of the festival. While the Vivid lights can be found around the city, the main location to visit is Circular Quay. The lights at the festival start around 6 pm, so you will want to get to the area before they turn on. The festival takes place at the end of fall/beginning of winter in Australia, so make sure to cover up if you go as it can get chilly in the evening. Based on the traffic in the area, it seems like public transportation is the best way to get there. I would recommend taking the train to Circular Quay Station if you can. Due to the crowds, you might be asked by the conductor to get off at an earlier station and walk over so the train can make room for people at Circular Quay trying to leave the area. If you don't want to deal with the crowds, another way to enjoy the festivities is by taking a Vivid cruise for a view of the lights from the water. When I arrived at Circular Quay, I found it to be full of people as it would be since it was a Saturday evening. The lights for the festival were just about everywhere. There was a lights show called "The Matter of Painting" being played on a building that was intriguing. And if you walked to the waterfront, you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge lighted up. After mulling about in this area, I walked towards the Sydney Opera House to see the lights there. The ones there were my favorite of the festival. It was cool seeing this landmark decked out in different colors and patterns. While I didn't get a chance to see them, I would also recommend checking out the lights at the Royal Botanic Gardens which is adjacent to the Sydney Opera House. I walked through the gardens the next afternoon and see that they had a huge lights display there. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay into the evening to see them. Really enjoyed Vivid. While much of the music and ideas portions of the festival require admission, the lights festival is free and open to all. If you decide to visit Sydney next year when Vivid is on, I highly recommend checking out the light shows that this festival puts on around the city. read more

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I cannot believe any of these reviews are less than 5 stars! We stayed a week in Sydney and went out for Vivid almost every night. There was always something new to see. The city is lit with gorgeous lights. There is music and lots of different interactive experiences. The streets are full of children laughing and people looking up in awe. Yes, there are crowds and yes it may get a bit chilly but throw on a jumper and quit complaining! This is a FREE event! And one that brings together the community and gives people the opportunity to share in beautiful, magical experiences. I would recommend this to any and everyone. You can see what will be offered on the website but honestly, we were in Circular Quay and we saw and explored so much within walking distance. Plan ahead or have an adventure. Either way, you can't go wrong with this event! read more

Vivid Sydney - Festivals Near Me

Absolutely incredible light show in Sydney! I went during the winter so it was cold and rainy but the show still looked great. If you time your pictures right, you can get a wallpaper-worthy picture of the opera house. They also light up the bridge, buildings, and some other areas. I never went beyond Circular Quay during Vivid, but I've heard other places look great as well. Stop by on a weekday if possible to avoid huge crowds! read more

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Vivid Sydney is here! The first weekend is over, but fear not, you still have 2 more weeks of night lights to go. I must say I'm really impressed by organization of the event. Yes, it may be a little tedious with all the one way traffic, but it definitely helps with dealing with the huge crowds. For the best view of the Sydney opera house, head over to the overseas passenger terminal. You get a clear view of the sails, and if you fancy, thee are several bars and restaurants at terminal for you to watch in comfort. The feeling is quite magical when the lights go on at 6pm sharp. The short animation of the gum nut babies is really adorable even for someone like me who have never heard of them before. The show is screened on the building right beside the ferry terminal (31 Alfred Street). Lots of kids and adults alike sit in front of the building for some heart felt nostalgia. And it's their 100th year anniversary. There's a little booth selling some of their merchandise closer to their ferry terminal. The Royal Botanical Gardens spared no effort in participating in Vivid Sydney. They have a one way walk filled with various exhibits that starts next to the Sydney opera house entrance and ends at the exit next to the Cahill Walk. It felt a little lengthy, but there were some interesting exhibits and you can see many bats interacting with the lights. There are one or two food and drinks areas, and they definitely check your ID to make sure you're of drinking age. I'm also really excited about some talks that are held in association with Vivid Sydney, check out their app or websites for more details. Some are free and others come at a lofty price but all for very exciting workshops. Sadly I won't be around for ones that I'm keen on. Now for the food recommendations: #mateburger has the most amazing Lechon fries. Crispy pork skin, tender delicious pork, fries, mayonnaise, spring onions. Definitely my go to for only $15 The Brussels waffles are amazing from the yellow waffle bus. Nice crisp outside and nice chewy inside. I would avoid the bomb ($14.50) though, the ice cream was meh, and the caramel sauce plus Belgian chocolate and ice cream was overkill for the waffle. I definitely would stop at just Nutella and strawberries next time. Mulled wine ($9) at the booth outside Sydney Harbour - don't bother. The wine was way too acidic, and not enough fruits and sweetness in it. The only comfort was that it was warm. Come dressed warm, it gets quite cold from the winds. The trains are only letting off passengers at the circular quay station. The ferries are a nice way to come into the harbour and see some lights, but there's a Long line and people tend to panic even though the are plenty of seats on the ferry. If you're heading to the MCA side, I would suggest coming by the ferry or train at circular quay, or from the Sydney Harbour bridge. If you're heading to the Sydney opera house or Botanic Gardens, you have to go around in a loop from the MCA side. Cut through the foodcourt with Messina if the doors open. Have fun and enjoy beautiful Sydney! read more

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We were so lucky to have planned our trip and coincidentally have it be during Vivid Sydney! Seeing various monuments & sights in Sydney lit up in vibrant, rainbow colors & art was really cool. Obviously, the crowds during weekend days were ridiculous...but if you have a chance to swing by the various decorations during the week, I would definitely recommend it! So lovely :) [44/100] read more

Vivid Sydney - Festivals Near Me

I would say this is the best thing I enjoy about Sydney. If you want to visit Sydney, make this event top priority. You can visit Opera house anytime but when can you see those amazing light shows that transform Opera house and Harbour bridge? This event happens during Australia winter which is America summer, so you can plan summer vacation there. For best viewing, take a ferry ride around the harbor, eg Circular Quay to Lunar Park or at the passengers terminal side of Circular Quay. If you have American Express card, there is a AMEX lounge with free snack for you to enjoy the event. Street will be closed around The Rock and filled with foods and entertainment. I would say public transportation is your best bet to get there or if you are visiting from somewhere, plan to stay at hotels within walking distance, this will save you lot of times and let you enjoy more on the event. read more

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Some say it is Sydney's "mini" or "lite" version of SXSW, but more spread out over a few weeks. While others say its "Reverse earth hour" (Hey! You have to balance out the energy grid load) Whatever it is, its a great festival for music artists (or artists wannabes), and creatives (photographers, photographer wannabes or attending some of the internet/web related sessions held at the Museum of Contemporary Art) or its a good place to see lots of neon displays around Sydney at night. But I do think that part of the neons should be displayed all the time though just like they do in Hong Kong. Doesn't have to be the full show but at least the Circular Quay / Rocks area should be lit up. read more

Update 2018: I went again this year. I saw more of it than I did last time, but I think they made it worse by setting up barricades everywhere. They are trying to do crowd control but in doing so, they make it hard to get around. Suppose you want to see Vivid in the botanical garden. You HAVE TO enter by the opera house then exit onto Macquarie St. You can't enter then turn around and go back. Why? Also, we tried to enter the Circular Quay area from Phillip St., but couldn't. We couldn't even get from there to the Customs House, we had to go back behind it and loop around. We also had trouble getting from George St. In the Rocks to the waterfront. These streets are largely closed off, what does it matter where people walk? The lights are still great and I still recommend them because of that. Vivid Sydney is unbelievable. Being from the US, I was not familiar with it. I had seen a picture or two of the Sydney Opera House lit up as part of Vivid Sydney, but figured it was a one time thing. Only when talking to an Australian the day before the event started did I find out about it. Once I did, of course, I had to change my itinerary to include a stop in Sydney to visit this event, and I am so glad I did! Vivid Sydney (VS) covers a wide area with things to see as part of it in many different areas. It includes light displays, music and something called ideas (I think this is maybe like museum displays or discussions). VS has an app you can download to tell you all about this and where/when everything is. Anyway, in my limited time here, I focused on the lights from the Royal Botanic Gardens, following the waterfront a little past the Harbor Bridge. This includes the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, and The Rocks. Everything was incredible. The light displays were cool, and made everything look awesome. There were a lot of people out seeing this, so maybe not the best if you dont like crowds, but other than that, VS had it all. In addition to cool lights everyone can enjoy, they also had stands selling food and crafts. There was a lot more to VS than just what I saw, and if you spend more time in Sydney, you can see more of it. VS runs until 11PM each nigh and last for a few weeks; in 2016 it started on 27 May. In short, this was incredible; I wish I could give it 6 stars, and if you have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. read more

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We went to Sydney for the weekend and lucky for us it was Vivd Sydney! Such an awesome event - I could stand for hours at the opera house and watch the show - really super entertaining - liked it so much that we are going to Japan and decided to fly back through Sydney to catch a night in 2019! read more

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I am lucky enough to experience this during winter in Sydney. Great visual and auditory activities during vivid (light and sound in combination). I love the different colored lights on most of the hotels and this year's theme at Circular Quay is paint the town. The colors used are both bright and welcoming. One of the best ones for the year of 2015 is the one at the customs house (Enchanted Sydney). The graphics used are colorful yet it tells the story of the natural environment in Sydney. The next off is the one at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (Mechanized Colour Assemblage). Another colorful graphic presentation projected on the building. Sydney Opera House's one wasn't too bad either. But it was tough to take a picture from the other side of Circular Quay as the graphics are more fine and detailed with lesser brighter colors. You would have to go over to the Opera House end to get yourselves nice pictures. There are vivid cruises which can be purchased on site or groupon during the vivid festival. Some of the streets will be closed for the event so it might be better to use public transports to where you need to go. Overall, this is one of the attractions during winter. Definitely must experience at least once if you are in town :) read more

Vivid Sydney - Vivid Sydney 2015 - Festivals Near Me

One of the only things to look forward to each winter. Sydney knows how to put on a good light show. I haven't experienced the music and all the other events of Vivid but the lights... I could stare at them for hours. Some of the interactive exhibitions are a bit lack luster and impossible to actually engage with; but the bridge, customs house and museum of modern art are amazing to watch! Definitely worth a visit each year to see all the new cool things they come up with. One word of advice- don't come opening weekend. WAY too crowded- hard to even walk! Try to stick to week nights if possible. read more

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Great night out - from young children to older everyone will have fun ! There is so much to see you can't do it over 1 night only. If only there would be a little more music to it, it would even take it to the next level (for MCA or opera house for example). That is what they did with house of customs and it just looks magical ! Cannot wait to see next year :-) read more

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Our weekend in Sydney happened to coincide with Vivid, so we were treated to a bunch of cool light shows including a water fountain / laser / music / firework spectacular at Darling Harbour, the CBD being lit up, and of course the turning on of the lights at the Opera House, which was lit up with animations and patterns for the evening. It was great fun to sit at Opera Bar and wait with the crowds for the lights to be turned on, and it was lovely that so many boats (and even a helicopter!) had joined in with the spirit, by adorning their vessels with bright LEDs. It would have been great if there had been some music to accompany the Opera House light show - I think that would have made it really special. I'm really glad I was in Sydney for the Vivid weekend, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Sydney especially to see it. read more

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This is my 3rd Vivid visit & unlikely I will ever go again. Herding of people through really long barriers because of the construction in the city & great black gaps where there has been so much wonderful work in previous years. I took someone from 200 kms away who has never seen Vivid & all I could do was constantly apologise for the lack of light displays and the squashed crowding Caroline read more

Vivid and Sydney, I am truly sorry, but the excessive crowds this year killed this event for me for good!! I am a lover of Vivid's past...... The first one, we wandered, joined in and my boys and I attended - it was busy but not overly so..... Our second one we happened to be in the city and remembered Vivid, so caught a water taxi from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay and saw the beautiful sights from the water. This year my hubby and I headed into the Rocks for dinner and a wander in my home town city which I adore!!!! Holy cow..... I think every person in the state of NSW visited Vivid that night. It was anxiety provoking just getting along a street to a destination. After lining up for a bite to eat (which is rare in Sydney), we shuffled to see the view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera house, gave up our regular Gelatissimo ice cream cone and legged it back to the car for some solitude!! Vivid & Sydney - please run this event longer - perhaps from May to August. Having it all through winter allows people time to visit and brings people to the city to increase patronage to restaurants and the other local events. read more

From 25 May, the 4th annual Vivid festival will light up the city of Sydney. The festival is a celebration of light, music and ideas, and it transforms our city in spectacular colour. The festival, made up of three streams, Vivid Live, Vivid Light and Vivid Ideas, has been named by The Guardian as 'One of the top 10 ideas festivals' on the planet. Vivid Live Vivid Live is a celebration of music. This year, the spectacular line up includes Florence and the Machine, performing alongside the Ceremonial Orchestra, Melbourne's The Temper Trap playing songs from their upcoming album, and many international talents, such as R&B superstar Janelle Morae. Vivid Light Always one of the most popular events, from 6pm to midnight from 25 May - 11 June, light installations and projections, will utilise our most famed architecturual landmarks as a canvas, lighting them up in spectacular style. See see cutting-edge German lighting artists Urbanscreen illuminating the tiles of the Sydney Opera House. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Customs House, Circular Quay and the Rocks will all be illuminated. This is not to be missed. Vivid Ideas Held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Vivid Ideas will be the biggest ever meeting of creative industries in Sydney. Through information sessions, discussion panels and workshops, they will collaborate and showcase new ideas through multimple events open to the public, discussing electronic gaming, fashion, film, design, publishing, architecture and much more. So, don't miss out on this spectacular festival of light, music and ideas! read more

I've gone twice already ... and a third time might be in the works before this show wraps up and leaves our shores. Definitely worth a visit, I love that everything that is up is totally interactive! You get to watch people make absolute fools of themselves in the vain hopes of making interesting lights dance on buildings. A must see. Don't forget your camera. I have the best picture of the Opera House with zebra stripes on it. I heart it! Obviously the crowds get stupidly busy on Friday nights and weekends. For lighter crowds try weeknights. read more

Vivid Sydney is phenomenal. It's an option to do something at night that has an explorative aspect walking through the city and experiencing different light objections, spectacles and stations. I recommend walking through and experiencing different auditory and visual experiencing rather than a cruise as you see and experience more. It is a family friendly venue and can get quite crowded. Make sure to rugg up as it can get pretty cold! This year they have a Ferris wheel which is a lot of fun! Additionally I found a vivid treats station at the star which has a strawberry chocolate fountain and a pistachio chocolate fountain! Pretty tasty and cool haven't seen anything like that before! read more

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Very vividly boring I don't know what the hype is about... Nothing at Circular Quay or Darling Harbour to impress. Won't be back ... boring. read more

'The Festival of Light' they call it and if you've been in Sydney the past couple of winters then you'll know what I'm talking about. For a couple of weeks in May/June each year the city comes alive with light installations and projections - not just anywhere but on key icons like The Opera House and St Mary's Cathedral. The projections are just breathtaking and we see these places like we've never seen them before. The best way to see the projections is to grab a bike and cycle from point to point. The festival produces guides which will give you history and background, plus a map of where to find each projection. It's cold but it makes for a great night out! Accompanying the festival is cool talks and music which often have a focus on creativity and technology. Check out the website for a 2012 program. read more

Dear Vivid, I am sorry, you have dissapointed me with your average show of laser lights, music, fountain sprays from the harbour and food options. At first, i was exscited to take my family to the festival and share the experience and to eat some really good food, enjoy some good music and see an exciting show of Jazzy lights, musicians and... NO! There was none of that! You really did not show the world anything spectacular! You did not give anyone a reason to come and enjoy the harbour! You failed. I will not go again. I am sorry Vivid, you lost a fan for life! read more

Wonderful projection-based and screen-culture friendly public art event held in the dark winter nights of the Southern Hemisphere.

I've been to Vivid several times since it started, particularly during the first few years of Vivid's existence, and I'm over it. I'm over the crowds, I'm over seeing the same thing just with a different coloured light, I'm over walking half way around the Domain just a tree with a blue light shinning up into the canopy (really, I can shine a coloured light up into the trees in my backyard). Apart from the Opera House and MCA everything else is ordinary and just hyped up. read more

thought it was boring. not very exciting and wont be going again. it had no meaning or substance and all i could hear off people was "lets go its boring" or "what is it" or "why" i think who ever made it up was on something. I will say the opera house looked ok and darling harbour looked ok.. wont be going again wayyyyy tooooo boring read more