A Complete Guide to Vivid Sydney 2025
Over the course of 15 luminous years, Vivid Sydney has rapidly evolved from what was then an open-air gallery of light installations into what is now widely celebrated as the Southern Hemisphere’s leading multi-artform festival. This year’s iteration is garnering special appearances from food icon Nigella Lawson, famed businesswoman Martha Stewart and Time magazine’s creative director DW Pine. While dazzling light displays remain at the heart of this annual celebration, the 23-night program now includes genre-spanning music performances, diverse culinary moments and a forum to explore ideas through discussions, performances and experiences. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of your visit to Vivid Sydney in 2025.
What is this year’s theme?
The artistic direction of 2025’s Vivid Sydney falls under the umbrella of one word: dream. The question of “what’s in a dream?” is a concept festival director Gill Minervini believes is integral to exploring and understanding the human experience. “Dreaming is as old as time and as universal as life itself,” Minervini says. “Dreams can be prophetic, life-changing and inspirational as well as trivial, hilarious or terrifying. These interactions are evident in every aspect of the program this year.”
When is the best time to go?
In 2025, Vivid Sydney will run from Friday 23 May to Saturday 14 June. The light installations will be switched on from 6pm to 11pm each evening, while Vivid music, ideas and food events will occur across the city every night of the festival. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights typically attract the biggest crowds, so consider visiting mid-week when things are (a little) quieter.
Where is Vivid Sydney?
The festival has sprawled to encompass five key zones across the city: Circular Quay and the Rocks; Barangaroo; Martin Place and the CBD; Darling Harbour and The Goods Line; and the Inner City. The festival’s centrepiece, the completely free eight-kilometre Vivid Sydney Light Walk, will connect more than 30 glowing displays and immersive installations across the precincts. The nightly Lighting of the Sails illuminates the Sydney Opera House, is set to be a highlight – this year’s iteration, Kiss of Light by Hobart-born David McDiarmid, is a playful exploration of diverse gender and sexual identities.
Throughout the festival you’ll find music performances at Tumbalong Park, the Sydney Opera House and Carriageworks, immersive theatrical performances at Barangaroo Reserve, inspiring talks at Town Hall and more. At the Goods Line, you’ll find world-class chefs turning up the heat at the Vivid Fire Kitchen (think barbecued classics and spice-infused flavours from across the globe) and on nearby Mary Anne Street, the Spice Lounge’s various fire pits and drums will be ready to warm you up after your wanderings in the crisp winter air.
Where to stay
Whether you’re visiting from out of town or want to use Vivid Sydney as an excuse to plan a staycation, here are two stand-out hotels to book that are within easy reach of festival highlights.
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Located by the water in Darling Harbour, Sofitel Sydney is a 15 minute stroll from the CBD and a 20-minute walk to the buzzy restaurants and bars of Barangaroo. Sprawled over 33 floors, there are 590 contemporary French-inspired rooms and suites to choose from – from the Luxury Room, you’ll take in city vistas (and the festival's lights) from the comfort of your cosy bed or freestanding bathtub. When your appetite calls, make your way to the in-house restaurant Atelier by Sofitel, which dishes up French-style fare such as butter-poached sustainably sourced bream and grilled Rangers Valley striploin, before sinking into a cosy leather booth at the bar for a glass of bubbles (the cellar stocks more than 60 bottles from some of France’s top Champagne houses). In your down time, swim laps in the infinity pool located on level four, do a workout in the 24-hour gym or indulge in a Vino Therapy Signature Ritual at the Sofitel Spa to indulge in a decadent full-body papaya enzyme exfoliation, head and scalp massage and 60-minute facial.
Little National Hotel Sydney
For a welcome haven that’s still in the heart of Vivid Sydney’s festivities, check into Little National Hotel, a seven-minute walk from Barangaroo. With curved edges, soft finishes and warm lighting, the décor across the 230 rooms is minimalist yet cosy – each room has a super king bed, Byredo toiletries and a Nespresso machine. After an evening of exploration, retreat to the hotel’s exclusive rooftop bar for cocktails.
How to get around
Exploring on foot will enable you to appreciate the light displays up-close – and, in some cases, interact with them – so rug up, slip on your most comfortable shoes and prepare to soak up this winter wonderland’s otherworldly glow. A hot tip: jump on a ferry from Circular Quay to Pyrmont Bay to admire the harbour sights from a different perspective.
Trains, buses, light rail and ferries will all run throughout the festival period, with additional services available. You can tap on with an Opal card, credit or debit card or mobile wallet. Check the Transport for NSW website before travelling for the latest updates and timetables. Road closures will be in place around the city throughout the festival period, with additional areas cordoned off on weekends.
What are the program highlights?
The festival has four pillars to explore over 23 nights.
Vivid Light is a public exhibition of outdoor light sculptures, installations and 3D projections that visitors can move between on the Vivid Sydney Light Walk. The wheelchair and pram-friendly path begins in Circular Quay and stretches eight kilometres along the foreshore through Barangaroo to The Goods Line. Step inside a real-life fairytale at Fantasmagoria in the Bond Building on Hickson Road, where deserts, verdant forests and even dragons are projected onto the walls; wander through Hay Street’s 40-metre Starscape Tunnel as more than 700 stars twinkle around you; and play with the interactive Symphony of Light on Tumbalong Boulevard – each touch will generate a new sound and light response.
Vivid Ideas explores a program of live performances, panel discussions, walking tours and immersive dance experiences. Join the original lifestyle guru Martha Stewart In Conversation at the ICC Sydney Theatre on 28 May; explore the question of “Where Do Ideas Come From?” with Time magazine’s creative director DW Pine at Town Hall on 29 May; head to UTS’s Bon Marche Studio to check out I Dream of Reality, an AI-driven extended reality/virtual reality installation; and have your own whacky adventure at Luna Park as it transforms into the immersive Stranger Things: The Experience, inspired by the Netflix show.
Vivid Music sees local and international performers take to the stage at venues across the city for free and ticketed shows. The popular and free Tumbalong Nights program will return to Tumbalong Park, featuring the likes of ARIA-award-winning Adrian Eagle, plus Indian pop star Zaeden and Grammy-winning Afrobeat performer Dobet Gnahoré. The Sydney Opera House’s Vivid LIVE line-up includes Iceland post-rock band Sigur Rós performing alongside the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, indie pop band Japanese Breakfast and New Zealand-born Marlon Williams, who will perform from his new Māori language album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka. You’ll also find American jazz artist Kamasi Washington, Australian DJ Mall Grab and more at the Carriageworks cultural precinct in Redfern.
Vivid Food has a line-up of international chef-led pop-ups, night markets and special menus at some of the city’s best locations. Headline events include three curated Vivid Sydney Dinners hosted by culinary icon Nigella Lawson, as well as a seven-night series of ‘A World with No Waste’ dinners led by Australia's top chefs including Neil Perry, Indigenous Elder Aunty Beryl and AALIA’s executive chef Paul Farag. At The Goods Line, the Vivid Fire Kitchen will celebrate the art of cooking with fire with an array of flame-grilled treats to sample and live demonstrations from top chefs. When you’d like to rest your feet, head to Mary Anne Street (the strip will be fully pedestrianised throughout the festival) and unwind by the fire at the Spice Lounge. For dinner with a side of epic Sydney Harbour views, head up to Dreamscapes at Aster, InterContinental Sydney’s rooftop bar, for a two-course meal paired with canapés and cocktails – you’ll get to choose between the three themes of Sweet, Spicy or Adventurous for your culinary journey.
What else should I do while I’m there?
In town for Vivid Sydney? When you’re not taking in the lights, attending performances and sampling innovative dining concepts, Sydney has an array of tempting experiences to keep you busy.
Get out of the CBD and soak up some vitamin D on a stroll along the grassy cliffs of the eastern suburbs. The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk showcases glorious views of some of the capital's most beautiful beaches. Winter means fewer crowds along the six-kilometre journey, giving you more room to take in the scenery. If you’re feeling brave, an ice-cold plunge at Bondi Icebergs outdoor pool will chase away the cobwebs (set to reopen in late April).
By day, join a 2.5-hour Sydney Highlights Kayak Tour with OzPaddle, which sets off from Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool near The Domain. You’ll glide past Garden Island, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a lightweight single or double kayak.
After a packed schedule of taking in Vivid Sydney’s sights, hunger pangs may hit at a most inconvenient hour. Wander over in the wee hours to JŌJI, a Japanese-inspired rooftop bar on the corner of George and King Street in the CBD. Here, executive chef Paul Farag’s menu of small bites and snacks – divided neatly into raw, not raw and robata (barbecued) – is available until 2am from Wednesday to Saturday and 12am from Sunday to Tuesday. Order the scallop and bug sando or teriyaki-glazed chicken skewers and let the good times roll.
