As Vivid Sydney 2024 lights up Sydney again for 23 nights of brilliance, the city welcomes some incredible installations to the harbour foreshore. This year, prepare to be wowed by light projections and installations that are truly larger than life, both in terms of size but also imagination and ambition. Evoking a sense of wonder and awe, these works are amongst some of the biggest we’ve ever showcased at Vivid Sydney. Read on below for our top picks of the large-scale light works that you can’t miss.

Enter the Horizon

Expansive, hypnotic and immersive in the true sense of the word, Horizon is a sprawling installation featuring trance-like soundscapes and strobing lights that play with your spatial perception. As you gaze at the giant screen in the distance, light and sound sweep over you, creating a new vanishing point that makes you feel limitless. Step inside and you feel small, and part of something big at the same time.

Gaze up at Global Rainbow

With it’s far-reaching rainbow laser beams, Global Rainbow serves as a beacon of hope, inclusivity and a guiding light above the Vivid Sydney festivities. Beams of rainbow lasers fan out from the iconic Sydney Tower Eye for up to 40km into the night sky. Having previously illuminated the skies of London, Berlin, Toronto, and Northern Ireland, this installation unites us all under its vibrant spectrum. Bask in this unifying moment and celebrate the global connection it symbolises. Our top tips for viewing Global Rainbow are on the northern side of the city but we’d love to hear from you. Send in your photos via Instagram, @vividysdney.

Descend into the underground with Dark Spectrum: A New Journey

The immersive sound and light phenomenon Dark Spectrum: A New Journey is back, winding its way for an entire kilometre through the Wynyard Tunnels. A brand-new experience created for Vivid Sydney 2024, you’ll be plunged into a world of misdirection, colour, music, and light. With 300 kaleidoscopic lasers, 500 handmade lanterns, and over 250 searchlights, the journey takes you through eight different chambers.

Follow a trail of botanic wonder with Lightscape

Re-imagined for 2024, Lightscape lights up the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney with an entirely new trail of breath-taking lightworks by acclaimed local and international artists. Wander beneath towering tree canopies illuminated in colour, stroll under larger-than-life flowers, and explore dynamic, glowing tunnels. This globally renowned multisensory phenomenon has sold out in cities like New York, Chicago, and London, and now it's here to captivate Sydney with its epic trail of wonderment.

Step inside a new perspective with PORTAL

PORTAL invites you into a surreal, breathtaking moment in time where anything is possible. This towering installation on Barangaroo Headland is an incredible 15 metres tall, evoking the Surrealist movement with its otherworldly display of glowing light and atmospheric soundtrack. As you step within this monolith, the soundscape begins, and diffuse LED lights pulse in time to the beat.

A new way of seeing nature, and ourselves with Nest

Experience the mesmerising Nest, where the dance of the Brolgas unfolds like the unfurling of a ribbon across a huge circular structure around you. This expansive display showcases the ritualistic mating dance of the Brolga, one of Australia’s native cranes. Projected onto a transparent surface, these huge bird apparitions appear to float in the air, visible from both inside and outside the Nest.

Ponder the threads that bind us all with Connection

Step into a canopy thick with countless LED ropes in this technicolour, immersive installation. Wander through the circular 'forest' of luminous ropes, interact with the eight posts to trigger dynamic patterns of light and sound. This tactile and playful experience offers a moment to reflect on the diversity and shared experiences that unite humanity.

Join the brilliant Chorus of Light 

Samsung’s Chorus of Light, inspired by Galaxy AI, is a large-scale immersive installation uniting humanity through our hopes for the future. Contribute your voice by recording a message of hope in one of 16 languages available with Galaxy AI. Each message is translated and expressed as light, playing out within the impressive structure around you. Creative director Susan Kosti, worked in collaboration with music artist Ta-ku, to create this installation. An original track composed of vocal samples recorded within the installation will be created through the audience interaction. Large in presence, wide reaching in impact and imagination, be part of the chorus.

A transfixing vision: Kia Kaleidoscope

The Kia Kaleidoscope lights up the all-new Kia EV5 with a stunning, textural projection map. Watch as the body of the car transforms into a kaleidoscope of pattern, colour and movement, echoing the innovative nature of Kia's EV range. From liquid metal to overgrown vines, this light projection highlights Kia’s commitment to sustainable and innovative thinking. It's a brilliant, large-scale showcase of creativity and imagination.

Don't miss out on these extraordinary installations at Vivid Sydney 2024. Each one promises an unforgettable experience – an opportunity to stand in awe of the ideas and beauty of each work and celebrate our shared humanity.