Sydney’s biggest cultural event kicks off this month and it promises to be a grand affair. With street installations, glowing pop-ups and shimmering lights taking over the city, there’s a whole lot to explore this year. If you’re wondering where to start, there’s one way to make sure you don’t miss any of the major attractions and then some — the Vivid Sydney Light Walk. The renowned walk returns in 2023 and it will stretch a massive 8.5km from the Sydney Opera House to Central Station. On the way, stunning light installations, 3D projections, venue takeovers and artworks will line up the illuminated path.
Vivid Sydney Light Walk
The long and magical walk can be tackled from a variety of starting points with a number of food and beverage options along the way.
Kick things off with Sonder at Circular Quay Station with a set of LED tubes reaching up to the station’s rooftop, then check out Inside Out — a celebration of Australian interior design featuring hand-drawn wallpaper and fabrics projected onto Customs House.
For the first time ever, a jaw-dropping drone show dubbed Written in the Stars will light up the skies above Circular Quay featuring over 1000 drones.
Over at the MCA, discover Barerarerungar which will take over the museum’s front facade and learn more about Sydney’s history with City Gazing Sydney, through an interactive and animated map floating above our heads. Not to be missed is Lightning of the Sails at the Opera House where you can see John Olsen’s vibrant artworks projected on the sails of the Opera House every night of the festival.
Further away, Wynyard’s abandoned railway tunnels will transform into an electronic labyrinth with robots, music and lasers for Dark Spectrum.
Then head down to Walsh Bay and explore a number of stunning light shows including Spirograph and Ghosts. Excitingly, Barangaroo is set to host Vivid Sydney’s biggest installation to date called The Last Ocean, a giant tessellated ice sheet made out of reclaimed ocean plastic depicting the beauty of Antarctica.
Darling Harbour, Darling Square and Darling Quarter will host a number of installations and light shows along with live music and dance parties. Don’t forget to make a pitstop at Powerhouse Museum for the Up Late Vivid program where ideas, music, food and performances will take centrestage.
And finally, Central Station’s Clock Tower will light up for Eco, giving Sydneysiders something to gaze upon on their busy commutes. You’ll also see dazzling bonfires on the way with Fluxit.
There’s a lot more on the cards including Lightscape at the Royal Botanic Garden featuring tree canopies, vibrant flowers and glowing tunnels on a 2.1km light track, a funky glow-in-the-dark pottery class and late-night zoo tours courtesy of Wild Life Sydney Zoo.
Wondering where to eat during Vivid? There’s a Bob Dylan-inspired bar at the Opera House, Carriageworks’ popular night market plus food trucks slinging ramen, gozleme, German-style sausages, schnitzel burgers, wraps and more. Check out the full Vivid food line-up here.
Find more info about the Vivid Sydney Light Walk here.