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Every year Vivid Sydney, the Southern Hemisphere's leading multi-artform festival, transforms Sydney into a vibrant hub of creativity, innovation and community connection.   Over 23 nights, light installations, music, ideas and food inspire global audiences and encourage cultural exchange across the harbour city. This year the festival theme of ‘Humanity’ will spark connection, wonder and reflection.  

Vivid Sydney is a spectacular annual festival of lights and culture. Every year visitors from across Australia and around the world converge on Sydney for the 23 days and nights of illuminations, art, music and events. Whether you're planning a holiday in Sydney or you're a local seeking a front-row staycation, here's our guide to some of the best hotels to experience Vivid Sydney and where to stay for Vivid Sydney to make the most of the festival.

Vivid Sydney is such a stunning spectacle, you don't want your photo memories of this famous festival to be blurred, dark and impossible to share. Step into our world with Vivid Sydney and get your social media feed looking bright and beautiful with nine photography tricks of the trade from Vivid Sydney photographer Daniel Tran.

What better way to keep the adventure going after your Vivid Sydney visit by exploring our natural wonders just outside of the city? A treasure trove of experiences await: hike into the mountains, taste wine from the barrel and walk among the treetops. And best of all, these trips are all within 2.5 hours' drive of Sydney – perfect if you’re looking to extend a holiday for just a few days.

Vivid Sydney 2023 is just around the corner and this year, we're proud to be adding Vivid Food to our program of Light, Music and Ideas, celebrating Sydney as our culinary capital. From 26 May to 17 June, world-class hatted chefs, restaurants, producers and venues take centre-stage alongside esteemed international chefs and guests, across more than 20 innovative events.

2023 marks Vivid Sydney's biggest year yet, with innovation found across this year's program of Light, Music, Ideas and, for the first time, Food.

With this year's Vivid Sydney program more stacked than ever, we asked Ideas Curator Tory Loudon for her unmissable events. In her own words…

First Nations talent is front-and-centre this Vivid Sydney, as we celebrate the world's oldest continuing living culture and shine a spotlight on the artists and voices continuing to shape it.

With 60 light works at this year's Vivid Sydney, it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve already offered an itinerary for this year’s 8.5km Light Walk, but here are eight works that really exemplify this year’s Creative Direction, 'Vivid Sydney, Naturally'. Beautiful and on an awe-inspiring scale, these works ask us to reconsider our relationship to nature and our surroundings, rendering our city anew while opening our eyes and minds alike. See them yourself from 26 May to 17 June!

Gill Minervini, Vivid Sydney Festival Director and Light Curator "In 2023, Vivid Sydney is all about celebrating what really matters – connection, authenticity, love, nature. Nature provides a sense of discovery, a celebration of authenticity, an invitation to connect and a chance to create, all experiences we can share at Vivid Sydney. This year, I’m excited that we have our biggest and boldest light works to date from both world-famous artists and local talents, as well as our rich program of ideas, music and, for the first time, food."

The excitement is building for the return of Vivid Sydney to our city — just 100 days to go. The countdown is on — find out about the festival's direction for this year, the new festival focus Vivid Food, and take a sneak peek at the Light Walk, returning for Vivid Sydney 2023. Today, February 15, Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin and Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini launched the official 100 day countdown to Vivid Sydney 2023, revealing some of the exciting festival-first experiences we can expect this year.

Vivid Sydney is a visual and sonic extravaganza – and with the 2022 festival offering the longest Light Walk in the history of the event, stretching from Sydney Opera House to Central Station, there are more artworks to admire than ever before. Don’t miss 10 of the most Instagrammable and unforgettable works when exploring the soul of the city. 1. Yarrkalpa - Hunting Ground, 2021 by the Martu Artists and Curiious Soundtrack by Electric Fields and Martu Artists