The crowds at Vivid have been described as a ‘nightmare’ after footage of thousands of attendees trying to go home went viral on TikTok.
Throngs of people were filmed flooding into Circular Quay train station, the major public transport option at the heart of Sydney’s annual music and lights festival.
The crowd was seen slowly shuffling through the ticket gates, leading some viewers to compare it to crowded cities such as New Delhi or Tokyo.
The video is believed to have been taken on the weekend – when crowd numbers are at their highest – following the night’s performance at 11pm.
Many said Vivid wasn’t worth the trip because of the overcrowding issue, with one Sydneysider saying it was a ‘big reason why I hate going’.
‘I would rather be anywhere else but there,’ another said.
‘I’ll pass, everyone just wants their new TikTok video and Instagram photo,’ one person said on TikTok.
Another commented: ‘The last time… the crowds were so bad. I will never go again.’
Vivid is a highlight of Sydney’s event calendar, and those keen to get in on the action have long been warned of huge crowds throughout the city while it is on.
‘Generally, Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights and the Monday public holiday night [June 12] attract the largest crowds,’ the Vivid website states.
The festival has handed out some tips on how to avoid the crowds for those still keen to look at the lights.
‘Those with young families and strollers should also consider coming to Vivid Sydney on weeknights when visitor numbers are expected to be lower than the weekends, and earlier in the night,’ organisers said.
Some Sydneysiders also commented on the TikTok with tips of their own, urging others to walk to either Wynyard or St James stations to avoid the masses.