As Vivid Sydney returns in 2024, we continue our tradition of celebrating the world's oldest continuing culture with an electrifying line-up of First Nations talent. This year, we've gone further to spotlight these incredible artists across our Light, Music, Ideas and Food pillars, from the atmospheric stages of Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House to brilliant nights under the stars at Tumbalong Park, we’re excited to celebrate Country and Culture this year. In the words of Vivid Sydney's First Nations Advisor Rhoda Roberts AO, "the truthtellers and current dialogues expose the darkness of our nation’s past – but now Vivid Sydney 2024 shines, throwing an inclusive light on today’s First Nations perspectives. From conversations to the universal language of music, across genres and generations, the program highlights the love we have for culture, community and interconnection." Vivid Sydney is proud to spotlight First Nations art, stories and voices, and acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land and waters upon which Vivid Sydney is hosted. We offer our respect to their Elders both past and present. 

Celebrating Culture at First Light and Beyond

First Light Ceremony

First Light is Vivid Sydney’s opening ritual celebrating our First Nations Culture with a Calling Country, that pays respects to the lands of the Gadigal. Curated by Vivid Sydney's First Nations Advisor Rhoda Roberts AO, this year, the Gadigal clan have invited neighbouring nations to pay homage to the often-overlooked voices of the ancestral women of the Sydney Basin with song, dance and performance

Faces of Change

Marvel as the Harbour Bridge Pylons are animated with First Nations artist Tori-Jay’s vibrant, surreal art. Faces of Change tells the compelling story of climate action warriors the Torres Strait 8 and their totems — Great Blue Heron, Dugong, Sea Birds and Crocodile. This powerful display blends vibrant art with a critical environmental message for all of humanity to heed.

BARANI

Watch as the facade of the Australian National Maritime Museum transforms for BARANI, a moving coming-of-age story told through a unique blend of digital illustration and First Nations iconography.

Tumbalong Nights: A Hub of First Nations Musical Excellence

Featuring some of the best First Nations talent, Tumbalong Nights is Vivid Sydney’s home of free, contemporary music.

Budjerah and Jem Cassar Daley

Join pop sensation Coodjinburra man Budjerah and singer-songwriter and Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung woman Jem Cassar-Daley as they close Tumbalong Nights out with an evening of soul-stirring R&B pop and indie magic. This is your opportunity to experience two of Australia's most compelling voices with a night of uplifting melodies and storytelling.

3% Album Launch

An extraordinary celebration of First Nations stories and sound, as the innovative rap powerhouse 3% takes centre stage with a live performance of their debut album KILL THE DEAD. See the whole album performed live, including appearances from all the album’s guest contributors including Jess Mauboy, Tia Gostelow, Marlon Motlop, Stay True God and Denni.

WILDFIRE MANWURRK

Experience the intense energy of WILDFIRE MANWURRK, a six-piece band that combines traditional songlines with thrashing rock. Singing in endangered languages, their performance promises to be a raw and powerful tribute to their heritage.

Jalbu Muna

Jalbu Muna, ‘confident, brave woman’, offers a unique night of multi-generational First Nations storytelling through music. This event features a line-up of all-women First Nations artists including Christine Anu and Kee’ahn, curated by Yalanji musician Deline Briscoe. Come early for free kids’ music and dance workshops from Buuja Buuja Dance. This First Nations led dance group will teach all the little feet some of the oldest dance steps in the world! 

Machine Hall Precinct: A Celebration of Sound and Story

Jen Cloher

Drawing from their rich heritage as Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu and their life on unceded Wurundjeri land, Jen Cloher has an mistakable taut folk rock style that has likened her to a modern day Patti Smith. On stage, their tight, electric sound speaks to the misfit in us all. With influences rooted deeply in the wāhine Māori line and a sultry, honest voice that cuts through the noise, this will be a show brimming with raw emotion, warm guitar and razor-sharp lyrics.

Ngulmiya

Immerse yourself in the evocative sound of Arnhem Land’s Ngulmiya for an unforgettable evening of traditional storytelling through song. A Ngulmiya Nundhirribala performance is a powerful exploration of the ancient and the contemporary, where his traditional singing style — a craft honed and handed down over thousands of years — meets innovative improvisation, chamber and contemporary classical music.

No Fixed Address and Stray Blacks

Prepare for an extraordinary night of resilience, culture and electric music at Machine Hall Precinct, with legendary First Nations rock-reggae band No Fixed Address. Plus, a special performance from Stray Blacks, a band that’s synonymous with the Victorian Koorie community's spirit and resilience. No Fixed Address, formed in 1979 and led by Pitjantjatjara man Uncle Bart Willoughby, has long been a pillar of First Nations resistance and pride, blending reggae and rock to critique and challenge societal injustices. This show promises to be a powerful testament to the band's enduring legacy, and a chance to revel in their songs of survival, resistance, and cultural pride. 

Carriageworks: Musical and Culinary Delights

Emma Donovan

Emma Donovan brings her hypnotising blend of reggae, gospel, soul, and country to Carriageworks, promising a moving performance that celebrates her deep musical roots. A First Nations singer-songwriter, Emma regularly performs songs in Gumbaynggirr and Noongar traditional languages, and shares stories that invite her audience into a greater understanding of Country and community.

Warakirri Dining Experience

The Warakirri Dining Experience at Carriageworks invites you to immerse yourself in the beauty of Australian native foods, botanicals, culture, and rituals, presented by Sharon Winsor, a Ngemba Weilwan woman. Across two nights of gourmet dining, the beauty of over 60,000 years of culture will be celebrated on the plate. Enjoy Australian native food and beverages, prepared in a unique fusion of modern techniques with traditional methods.

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House

Thelma Plum

In just over a decade, Meanjin-born singer-songwriter and Gamilaraay woman Thelma Plum has become one of the country’s most beloved singer-songwriters, racking up a string of awards and hit records, and blowing away audiences with her powerful live performances. After her triumphant set with Paul Kelly at the Sydney Opera House Northern Broadwalk in 2022, the Indigenous star returns to Vivid LIVE, performing her first ever headline show for the festival at the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

Tia Gostelow

Multi-talented Indigenous musician Tia Gostelow has captured the hearts of audiences around the nation in just a few short years. Moving with ease between folksy roots rock, sleek dancefloor jams and crystalline pop, the rising Queensland star is among Australia’s hottest young talents. Riding high on the acclaim for her third album, Head Noise, Gostelow returns to the Sydney Opera House for her exciting Vivid LIVE debut at the Utzon Room.

Barkaa

BARKAA is one of Australian music’s most powerful voices. Since her explosive breakthrough in 2020, the Malyangapa and Barkindji rapper, musician and activist has become a galvanising force for the Blak nation, speaking truth to power – and dropping a blistering succession of bangers – in a country rocked by division. After show-stealing appearances at Sydney Opera House’s Barrabuwari concert in 2021 and Astral People’s 2022 anniversary celebration, hip-hop’s irrepressible Blak matriarch returns to make her solo debut at the Drama Theatre for Vivid LIVE.

Bumpy

With a voice equal parts tender and towering, Naarm-based musician and proud Noongar woman Amy Dowd – better known by her stage moniker, Bumpy – is one of the country’s most thrilling, transportive soul singers. Bumpy lit up the stage as part of Astral People’s birthday celebrations at last year’s Vivid LIVE, and this year she’s back to make her headline solo debut at the Sydney Opera House Utzon Room.

MO'JU | Vivid Sydney Supper Club

Step into MO'JU’s world for a night of music, story and truth-telling. This Naarm/Melbourne-based multidisciplinary artist crafts a powerful, unique brand of RnB, tackling themes of race, identity, and colonisation with incisive lyricism. A third gender, third culture powerhouse (Filipino / Wiradjuri), MO'JU resists being pigeon-holed by genre and stands not just as an artist but as a vital voice for change. They’re known for continually exploring new sounds and aspiring to create music that is completely them.

Culinary and Conversational Gatherings

The festival also features rich discussions and culinary experiences that reflect First Nations culture. 

Vivid Fire Kitchen at The Goods Line celebrates the traditional and contemporary flavours brought by First Nations chefs, like pitmaster and First Nations chef/restaurateur Mindy Woods. Do not miss her live demonstrations.

The Free & Equal Conference at the Hyatt Regency, also features First Nations speakers like Tanya Hosch and Dr. Amy McGuire, as they bring a First Nations perspective to this important discussion on human rights.

After The Fact, the nightly panel discussion dissecting the day’s headlines at Barangaroo House. will feature several notable First Nations thinkers and speakers, including Vivid Sydney First Nations adviser Rhoda Roberts. The full line-up for each evening will be announced closer to the date and will be dependent on the news cycle. Vivid Sydney 2024 is more than just a festival. It's a place for community connection, celebration and a platform to highlight the power and enduring vibrancy of First Nations culture.