First Nations talent lights up Vivid 

Experience Australia’s First Nations cultures with must-see experiences across Vivid Sydney’s Light, Music, Ideas and Food pillars. From the First Light’s Calling Country ceremony to stunning light installations that transform Sydney’s landmarks with First Nations storytelling; and across the city, stages come alive with the sounds of First Nations musicians, while dining experiences showcase Native ingredients crafted by renowned First Nations chefs, Vivid Sydney 2025 celebrates the world’s oldest living culture to foster lasting connections to Country. 

Hear First Nations stories 

Be moved by the ancient stories, Songlines and traditions of the Gadigal people and neighbouring nations at First Light, the evocative Calling Country ceremony and performance at Campbells Cove in The Rocks that opens the 2025 edition of Vivid Sydney. 

Curated by Vivid Sydney’s First Nations advisor Rhoda Roberts AO and framed by the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, the ceremony features moving performances by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers from Central Coast-based NAISDA Dance College. Working in affiliation with custodians from Northeast Arnhem Land, alongside our Torres Strait Islander and PNG neighbours, as they sing up the Morning Star. 

In a powerful fusion of technology and movement at Barangaroo Reserve, Bangarra Dance Theatre’s An Act of Being marks the 25th anniversary of the People’s Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Blending contemporary dance with physical theatre and using cutting-edge holographics to project historic documents onto moving bodies, the work explores how government policies have impacted First Nations communities over the years. 

At Barangaroo Reserve, Wiradjuri poet and artist Jazz Money hosts the Firetalk series of free fireside storytelling sessions with First Nations writers, poets and songwriters. Immerse in these intimate, powerful experiences – created in partnership with Sydney Writers’ Festival – each Wednesday evening in a setting heightened by the eye-catching presence of the nearby eight-metre tall Bon{d}fire LED installation. 

Immerse in new and old stories through Vivid Light  

As darkness falls each evening, four extraordinary Vivid Light installations transform public spaces into scenes of First Nations storytelling that will challenge and inspire.  

Subverting the narrative of Australia’s colonial occupation of the past and presenting the country’s native dog as a symbol of First Nations power, Western Aranda artist Vincent Namatjira’s striking King Dingo lights up the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks. Let Namatjira’s expressive images move you as a score created in collaboration with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara musician, composer Jeremy Whiskey stirs the spirit.  

A short walk away, the Museum of Sydney forecourt becomes a portal to the past with Symphony of the Dreaming. Created by Dharawal and Yuin artist Alison Page together with creative technologist and composer Charlie Chan, the installation invites you to journey along the ancient Songlines of NSW as you engage with a space filled with illuminated poles, light and sound.  

Gaze up at the rooftop of the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour as it comes alive with the eye-catching graphics of Tunku and Ngaadi. Learn of the eternal connection between the Moon and Earth in this Dreaming story from the NSW South Coast, illustrated by Walbunja and Ngarigo artist Cheryl Davison and voiced by the Djinama Yilaga Choir. 

Sway to First Nations rhythms at Vivid Music shows 

After the thrilling opening ceremony of First Light, First Nations artists from Australia and overseas take over the Campbells Cove stage for the free concert First Light: Live.  Kicking off the Vivid Music program, First Night: Live features Kaytetye producer and DJ RONA and her club culture-meets-desert Country dance music; Jeremy Whiskey’s virtuoso hard rock; the neo soul of Papua New Guinea-born, Naarm-based Kaiit; Wiradjuri/Gadigal singer-songwriter Akala Newman’s electro-pop; and the high-energy hip hop of Canada’s Snotty Nose Rez Kids from the  Haisla Nation of Kitimat BC . 

Across the water from Campbells Cove, ARIA award-winning First Nations hip hop supergroup 3% fires up the Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Room on 28 May with a celebration of First Nations joy and resilience.  

The Tumbalong Nights free concert series in Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park brings more First Nations talent to Vivid. For Adrian Eagle + Jada Weazel on 29 May, ARIA award-winning roots singer Adrian Eagle and rising R&B and soul star Jada Weazel light up the amphitheatre to complement the park’s Light Walk installations. And for Body Type + Ripple Effect Band on 5 June, the all-female members of Arnhem Land’s Ripple Effect Band perform their unique ‘saltwater rock’ in the Ndjébbana, Burarra, Na-kara and Kune languages alongside Sydney indie band Body Type. 

On 7 June, Metro Theatre in the city centre pulses with My Sis: Celebrating 10 years of Bad Apples Music, showcasing an all-female First Nations line-up including Western Sydney’s Barkaa and Aotearoa New Zealand neo-soul queen Ladi6, curated by Yorta Yorta rapper, author and actor Adam Briggs’s ground-breaking record label. 

Feast on First Nations flavours at Vivid Food events 

As the lights dance across Sydney, embark on a delicious journey of discovery through First Nations cuisine.  

Make your way to a hidden room in the Sydney Opera House and take your seat under a mesmerising light projection to savour a three-course menu infused with Australian bush flavours during the Saltbush & Starlight Dining experience. Showcasing the passion of Mark Olive – Bundjalung chef and the driving force behind Sydney Opera House’s Midden restaurant – for First Nations flavours, the dinners will be held on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the festival.  

Elevate your Vivid experience with Dreaming Skies: A Culinary Journey with Dwayne Bannon Harrison on 29 May and 30 May at the revolving restaurant Infinity at Sydney Tower in the city centre. Watch the cityscape slowly shift beneath you from your 81st-floor table as Dwayne Bannon Harrison – founder of the South Coast’s Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness – presents an immersive experience featuring native ingredients-inspired dishes, storytelling and performances by leading Aboriginal performing arts group Muggera Dance Company. 

On 3 June, Bannon Harrison teams up with Parliament of NSW executive chef Vanessa Harcourt to present Native Food Experience at Parliament House. A degustation that will delight as it weaves together First Nations cooking traditions and contemporary culinary techniques, using fresh produce harvested from Parliament’s own Native Food Garden. 

The zero-waste philosophy of the OzHarvest charity meets the passion of Australian native ingredients pioneer and  Gamilaroi woman, Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo in Aunty Beryl | Our Shared Dream: A world with no waste in Surry Hills on 11 June. Secure your spot as Aunty Beryl creates a memorable four-course vegetarian dinner infusing rescued produce with native flavours at Refettorio OzHarvest, a collaboration between OzHarvest and Italian chef Massimo Bottura and his charity Food for Soul.