Due to a forecast of a thunderstorm with possible heavy falls, tonight’s Fire Kitchen & Lightscape are cancelled along with 7 Vivid Light Walk installations. The 7 installations are:
For Lightscape ticketholders, you will receive an email shortly from the event owner with further details, including how to rebook this experience or request a refund.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and remind those visiting Vivid Sydney this evening to keep an eye on our digital screens on the footprint for further updates.
Vivid Sydney
A thunderstorm is forecast for tomorrow, but no cancellations have been announced yet for tomorrow.
A send off for New South Wales in the 8th minute following a dangerous tackle on Queensland’s Reece Walsh by New South Wales’s Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i ensured Queensland dominated Game 1 of State Of Origin 2024 to lead the series 1-0.
State Of Origin 2024 begun with Brisbane’s Story and Victoria Bridges, City Hall, the Tropical Dome & Reddacliff Place sculptures all lit up maroon from sunset at 5:01pm. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was also illuminated blue but for only 15 minutes from 5:45pm, before ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular, Vivid Sydney, started at 6pm. Also at that time, at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, the venue for Game 1 of State Of Origin 2024, an Under-15’s New South Wales RISE Boys exhibition rugby league match between Sky Blues & Navy Blues was held. Navy Blues won 40-4. At 7:15pm, the coin toss for the main match was held. New South Wales called it correctly & chose to kick off. Then, at 7:30pm, a New South Wales Blues flag display & marching band performed on the field before a light & pyrotechnic show got the main game ball brought out by 7-time surfing World Champion, Layne Beachley, who was greeted by a Blue Heeler. New South Wales Origin greats, Paul Gallen, Trent Hodkinson & Josh Reynolds, then brought the State Of Origin shield out onto the ground. The Final Countdown by Europe then played to a light show before the team line-ups were introduced to the crowd via the screens around the stadium.
The New South Wales side then walked from their Centre Of Excellence across the road through the former athlete transfer tunnel from The Games of the XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 to Stadium Australia where they ran past flame signs saying ‘NSW’ & through a banner, where they met the Queensland side on the field, who came from the stadium’s changing rooms. The customary Welcome To Country, conducted this match by Savannah Flynn, and performance of the National Anthem, performed this match with guitar by Australian Idol 2024 winner, Dylan Wright, then followed before a countdown on the big screens signalled the approach to kick-off.
Anyway, to the game. It started just under 4 minutes late. Queensland opened the scoring with a converted try in the 4th minute by Ben Hunt. 3 minutes later, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i dangerously tackled Reece Walsh, knocking him clean out. Reece Walsh didn’t have the ball at the time of the tackle, having just passed it after been in possession of it only momentarily. Reece Walsh was immediately found by sideline doctors to be suffering from Category 1 symptoms of a head injury, resulting in him being immediately ruled out from the rest of the match. Once his condition improved, he was later formally interchanged & Queensland’s brought into the interchange their 18th man. The referee had significant decisions to make too, producing a shock, though unsurprisingly given how the tackle was played even if the outcome was accidental. He sent off Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i for the entire match, only the 6th time to ever happen in a State Of Origin match, the 3rd in a year & the fastest ever in State Of Origin history, beating the previous record by just over 50 minutes. New South Wales was now down a man. Queensland were also awarded a penalty goal as a result, which was kicked by Valentine Holmes, expanding Queensland’s lead by 2 points.
5 minutes later, a kick from Jerome Luai across the field under the Queensland defence allowed James Tedesco to find a gap to ground the unpossessed ball over the tryline to open New South Wales’s account in the 2024 series. His try was converted, narrowing Queensland’s lead to just 2 points. There was hope for New South Wales but over the next 10 minutes, every 5 minutes, Queensland easily found massive holes in New South Wales’s defence (being a man down doesn’t help) allowing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score 2 easy tries, expanding the lead to 14 points. The rest of the half was uneventful apart from the announcement that Reece Walsh had passed a head injury assessment but as he was initially suffering Category 1 symptoms, renewed play on the field is not risked so he stayed in the dressing rooms. At half-time, the score was 20-6 in favour of Queensland.
New South Wales went in the 2nd half putting the send-off behind them. This attitude initially paid dividends when Zac Lomax reached for the heavens to score an unconverted try just 3 minutes into the half. Despite the missed conversion, New South Wales had renewed hope, with their deficit reduced to 10 points. They were now in total commitment for 23 minutes despite being unable to find the tryline & Queensland having 2 try attempts being ruled ‘No Try’ during that time period. Then the straw that broke the camel’s back: New South Wales’ defence barely held onto Ben Hunt, who ran the final 20 metres to score a converted try for Queensland in the 66th minute. This was followed in the next 13 minutes with 2 more converted tries, 1 from Xavier Coates, who leaped for the boundary, after Daly Cherry-Evans kicked the ball 25 metres out, to score before the ball went dead and a 3rd from Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, running 20 metres from the tryline after Queensland broke through theoretically a 1-man defence from New South Wales, giving him a hat-trick & Queensland the win in Game 1 of the 3-game series.
All successful conversions were kicked by Valentine Holmes for Queensland & Nicholas Hynes for New South Wales.
The final score was Queensland 38-10 New South Wales, in front of a crowd of 77,214. It was Queensland’s biggest victory ever in Sydney. Player of the match was Daly Cherry-Evans. Queensland is now just 1 win away from a 2024 series victory. The Story Bridge in Brisbane shone maroon the rest of the night.
Yeah, (pretty had to recover from that) playing at this level, uhm, playing with 12.
I thought ‘You know, we put ourselves actually in positions at times where, you know, we were quite dominant but, um, I guess, you know, fatigue comes in at some stage but, uh, you know, playing along the game then, you know, when you’re playing sort of with a man down, it’s, uh, you got to sort of really try and bury the opposition into the corners and, you know, fatigue finds you at some stage, um, but, you know, I am actually really super proud of their efforts if I say’. Look, individuals are out on their feet, um, yeah, so, it, it made it a bit tough but, you know, 1 thing I do know about this, this group: They’ve really shifted the dime on where they see & how hard they want to work, uh, for the jersey so that’s something there that we will, you know, continue to push going forward.
Michael Maguire, New South Wales Blues coach
The team’s adapted to adversity the last 3 years. Um, you know you think back to last year, you know, Adelaide. We, we had both our wingers go off the field. We had centres playing in on, on the wing. We had, you know, David Fifita playing in the centres. Ben Hunt was playing in the centres. The team’s been accustomed to adapt to adversity & um, that’s no different to tonight. Um, you know, I thought ‘Hammer’ (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow) was great just slipping back into that fullback position & everyone else. Felise Kaufusi came on the field and done a great job, you know.
His (Daly Cherry-Evans) preparation for his team was great & uh, we have got so much room. We have got so much to go with our footy. Uh, I thought we were so far off with our footy tonight, um, but that’s, that’s all to come.
Billy Slater, Queensland Maroons coach
Game 2 will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:05pm AEST & Game 2 of an expanded 3-game Women’s State Of Origin, which New South Wales is leading, is tomorrow (Thursday 6th June) at 7:45pm at Hunter Stadium.
For Lightscape ticketholders, you will receive an email shortly from the event owner with further details, including how to rebook this experience.
Since our initial post, the forecast for Sunday the 2nd of June has improved. As a result, Sydney Spectaculars no longer expects a cancellation for that date.
Ignatius Jones AM, the creative director of Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) between 1996 and 2001 & Vivid Sydney between 2011 and 2019, has died suddenly aged 67, following a short illness.
He was also the creative director of the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000.
The iconic artistic direction he did for the Olympics & the Millennium propelled Sydney’s events into global popular culture.
In 2001, he was also artistic director of the Centenary Of Federation celebrations, which had a parade throughout Sydney as its’ centrepiece.
Between 2011 & 2015, he also artistic director of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
In 2017, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Australian Event Awards, which was followed a year later with him becoming a full member of the Order Of Australia, General Division, for his “significant service to entertainment”, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Whilst he made most of his event achievements in Sydney, he also worked internationally:
Ceremonies of XXIst Olympic Winter Games: Vancouver 2010
Opening Ceremony of Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Ceremonies of XV Asiad: Doha 2006
Independence Of East Timor ceremony
Dolly Parton’s productions in the United States Of America
Before his iconic career in events, he was a musician, being a singer with the shock rock band Jimmy & The Boys, which introduced shock theatrics to Australia, before forming a swing band, Pardon Me Boys, with his sister, Monica Trapaga. His sister also performed the John Paul Young classic, Love Is In The Air, at the Millennium celebrations as well as doing sets at the Sydney NYE segments: 4 Kids (1997-2001), Carnaval (1999-2001) & Hot Jazz In The City (2001).
Ignatius Jones retired in 2022 & passed away in his birth country, the Philippines, in Iloilo City on May 7 at 9:30pm Sydney time.
He will be remembered for an Eternity.
Below the below quote, you can find highlights from his 3 most iconic Sydney events: the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE1999: Sydney’s Millennium, the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 & Vivid Sydney 2019.
We are absolutely devastated to announce the passing of my brother, Juan Ignacio Trapaga, the formidable Ignatius Jones.
Last Wednesday night, at the Tom Hughes Oration, a public speaking Liberal party fundraiser for the Federal seat of Berowra, held at the Sydney Opera House’s Studio, the Opposition Leader of Australia, Peter Dutton, compared the social significance of the crime that occurred at pro-Arab protests at the Sydney Opera House on the 9th of October last year during an Israeli Solidarity Opera House Western Sails Illumination after the attack on that state by Hamas to that of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, describing both event’s social significance as “akin” to one another:
While no one was killed during the October 9 protests, the events at the Sydney Opera House were akin to a Port Arthur moment in terms of their social significance.
In my judgement, Prime Minister Albanese has not risen to that moment.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
On 28th of April 1996, 35 people were killed & 23 others were wounded in a mass shooting at Port Arthur, Tasmania, prompting then-Prime Minister John Howard, who was only elected to office just over a month prior, to significantly amend Australia’s gun laws.
Tom Hughes, a Liberal politician, was Australia’s Attorney-General from 1967 to 1971.
The next morning, Peter Dutton made a press conference where he was questioned on his statement by an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist:
Do you stand by comparing the pro-Palestinian rally on the steps of the Opera House last year to the Port Arthur massacre? How is the social significance of these 2 events in any way comparable?
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Journalist
The Opposition Leader responded saying he would not have tolerated antisemitic protests, just as he would not tolerate any other minority-directed hatred:
I, I, I made the very important point last night that in 1996 when we saw a tragic loss of life, uh, in Port Arthur with that massacre there that John Howard, the Prime Minister at the time stood up & was strong as a leader, not weak.
He stood up for what was right, not what was wrong & he led the Australian public on a path that we still benefit from today. That is, gun law reform & we had a chance, I think, for the Prime Minister to see the controversy that was created, uh, after October 7 in our country, those dreadful scenes on the steps of the Opera House.
Uh, fortunately there’s no loss of life in our country, uh, as a result of that protest, of course, no one is suggesting there is but what we saw was a rise in antisemitism where we’ve got armed guards outside schools, at the moment, in our country. There are people of Jewish faith who are worried about going to a synagogue or worried about going to a Jewish supermarket or gathering in communities. We’ve got Holocaust survivors who sought refuge in our country & have felt safe for decades under Liberal and Labor Governments, are now talking about wanting to leave Australia because they feel unsafe so, yes, did I think John Howard stood up in ’96 when he needed to in our country’s interests?
Absolutely & did Anthony Albanese stand up and show the strength John Howard demonstrated and change the course of our country’s history? No, he didn’t. He was weak. He’s been trying to walk both sides of the street when it comes to this issue. He’s trying to tell people in Western Sydney 1 story and people in Dover Heights a completely different story & Australians are seeing through it.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
John Howard, who comes from the same Liberal-Nationals Coalition as Peter Dutton, was Prime Minister (PM) of Australia from 1996 before being replaced by Labor’s Kevin Rudd in 2007. Party in-fighting saw a leadership spill in 2010. Australia’s Deputy PM, Julia Gillard, replace Kevin Rudd. in June 2010, who was 3 years later, replaced by Kevin Rudd after more party in-fighting resulted in another leadership spill. Kevin Rudd and his Labor party lost the Federal election & thus, the Prime Ministership less than 3 months later in September 2013.
Dover Heights is a suburb in eastern Sydney, where just about half (49.9%) of the population follows the religion of Judaism while western Sydney has a significant Arab minority with at least 8% following the religion of Islam.
I think the point of that question though is the events that were compared are very different.
Unknown ABC Journalist
But, but, hang on, look, look at the comments that I made, uh & you can’t, the basis of that question that has come out of Canberra, uh, is obviously a Canberra-based question from the ABC. If you look at the facts of what I said, I don’t think you can have the, the, the, the, presumption in that question that you asked so I would say to whoever it is from the Canberra bureau, uh, to look at what I had to say last night because I think they’ve set you up with that question if I’ve might say.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and thus, the home of Australian Federal political news bureaus.
Well, Mike Burgess last year said ‘words matter’ when maintaining social cohesion in Australia. Did you breach that advice in your speech last night?
Unknown ABC Journalist
Mike Burgess is Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
As Mike Burgess said, no. Again, the Labor Party were running this line through the ABC last year and Mike Burgess came out to say he was making no reference to comments that I made whatsoever so, I’m not going to be tarnished by the ABC. I’m not going to cower because of the ABC and other left wing media organisations in our country. My job is to stand up for what is best in our country’s interests. My job is to share our vision with the Australian people about what we want for the future of our country.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
We understand Mike Burgess has not responded to Peter Dutton’s recent social significance comparison. Port Arthur’s Federal Parliament member, the Member For Lyons, Brian Williams, responded to Mr Dutton’s comments though:
From the unspeakable tragedy & horror of what occurred at Port Arthur in 1996, the Australian people put politics aside and came together in common purpose.
As the local member here, I would ask Peter Dutton to reflect on that & refrain from making such divisive and inflammatory comments using the tragedy in our community.
The Sydney Opera House featured a projection of a black ribbon on its western sails last night in tribute to the 6 victims who succumbed to their injuries from the stabbings at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.
Due to how this projection came about, this projection is not considered a Sydney Spectacular.
The New South Wales (NSW) Government has announced the Sydney Opera House will feature a projection of a black ribbon on its World Heritage sails from 6pm Australian Eastern Standard Time tonight in tribute to the 6 victims of the stabbings at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.
8 people including a 9-month-old baby still remain in hospital in a stable but for 3, including the 9-month-old baby, serious condition. 2 of which are in intensive care.
Due to how this projection came about, this projection will not be considered a Sydney Spectacular.
I have to report that the Opera House this evening will be lit up with a black, uh, ribbon to commemorate the loss of those lives & Government buildings will be flying their flags at half-mast.
On Monday the 13th of November last year, all the State Of Origin 2024 dates were confirmed with the extra announcement that the women’s version will equal the men’s version in terms of number of games in a series with both versions now featuring 3 games, which is the historic standard for a State Of Origin series since the inaugural men’s edition in 1982. Women’s State Of Origin had an inaugural 2-game series last year after 5 years as a single match.
State Of Origin (men’s version) 2024 will have all matches on a Wednesday night with kick-off at 8:05pm local time with the matches dates’ & venues being:
Game I – 5th of June, Stadium Australia, Sydney
Game II – 26th of June, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Game III – 17th of July, Lang Park, Brisbane
Starting just under 3 weeks earlier, the Women’s State Of Origin will take place on:
Game I – 16th May, Lang Park, Brisbane
Game II – 6th of June, Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
Game III – 27th of June, North Queensland Stadium, Townsville.
All Women’s State Of Origin matches will be on a Thursday night with kick-off at 7:45pm local time.
Despite now being a 3-game series, Women’s State Of Origin will not be classified as a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular yet. The minimal ‘official celebration’ of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Australia & New Zealand last year has hampered Women’s State Of Origin‘s short-term chances of being recognised as a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular. Most importantly, this year’s edition is also not being held in Sydney at all. The closest venue is Newcastle, 160 kilometres north of Sydney, which has never hosted a State Of Origin match before. The attendance is also still too low compared to the men’s version (15,000 per event day vs 59,000 per event day). Sydney Spectaculars will continue to monitor Women’s State Of Origin‘s development for possible future recognition.
After a successful debut last year, the ticketed experience, Dark Spectrum, returns to Vivid Sydney in 2024.
This year’s theme for Dark Spectrum, which is also its’ 1st, is A New Journey.
Located in the abandoned tram tunnels near Sydney’s Wynyard Railway Station, Dark Spectrum will feature 8 themed chambers, each with a monochromatic colour scheme, video effects & flashing, flickering and patterned lights.
1 chamber will feature a maze with 700 illuminated arrows.
The entire experience consists of a 1-hour, 1-way, 1 kilometre walk (limited exits along the way) & features 500 handmade hanging lanterns, 300 lasers and strobe lights, 250 searchlights as well as smoke and haze effects & a high-volume backing dark, atmospheric electronic dance soundscape and favourite club hits of the past night-club generation.
The entrance is via Wynyard Park Rooftop above Wynyard Train Station & the main/final exit is in The Rocks just south of the intersection of Essex & Cumberland Street. Head down the length of Essex Street then turn left into George Street (a 300 metre/5 minute approx. walk) to join the iconic free Vivid Light Walk at 1st Fleet Park at Circular Quay.
Dark Spectrum: A New Journey can be experienced as early as 12pm* & as late as 9:15pm, every 15 minutes. People with sensory needs who prefer smaller crowds are advised to purchase a session before 2pm on weekdays. The Vivid Light Walk does not begin until 6pm & concludes at 11pm each night.
*Except Friday the 24th of May, the 1st day of Vivid Sydney, where sessions begin at 6pm, at the time of the Lights On! Moment.
To experience Dark Spectrum: A New Journey, you must be aged minimum 6 years old. People aged between 6 & 12 years must be accompanied by an adult.
For people who used a wheelchair or mobility scooter, their wheelchair/mobility scooters’ width must be no larger than 1.1 metres & note the experience is on difficult terrain with gradients up to 6.7 degrees downhill & 7.8 degrees uphill.
Tickets for Dark Spectrum: A New Journey are on sale now! Depending on choice of time slot, tickets cost AUD$36-46 per adult, AUD$24-35 per child (6-12) & AUD$98-$154 per family (2 adults & 2 children). Group tickets cost AUD$31.50-$41,40. If your group contains more than 21 people, you can receive a 10% discount by contacting Ticketek here.
All tickets cost $5 more if purchased on the day regardless of purchasing method. A cashless ticket booth will be positioned between York Street & Carrington Street.
You are advised to dress warmly as temperatures inside the experience are similar to those outside.
It is recommended to arrive 15 minutes before your designated session start time, though you will be allowed to be admitted to the experience no later than 10 minutes after the designated session start time. All tickets, pre-purchased or not, are scanned in Wynyard Park before a steward guides you to the entrance as stated above.
Dark Spectrum: A New Journey is presented by Sony Music Entertainment and developed in partnership with Mandylights & Culture Creative. Mandylights also develop Our Connected City, the iconic light show utilising the Sydney Harbour Bridge & city buildings.
Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity is held between Friday the 24th of May & Saturday the 15th of June.
Vivid Sydney 2024 is exploring what makes us uniquely human, with a diverse program designed to foster connections, spark imagination & showcase the multitude of ways creativity enriches our lives. We are so excited to welcome back Dark Spectrum: A New Journey to Vivid Sydney 2024 to bring the festival theme to life with a brand-new wholly immersive experience.
Gill Minervini, ‘Vivid Sydney’ 2024 Director
We are so pumped to bring an all-new Dark Spectrum: A New Journey to Vivid Sydney in 2024. We’ve taken the latest in laser and lighting technology, the intensity of a music festival & the originality of an art exhibition & packed it all into Sydney’s historic Wynyard Tunnels in an unforgettable spectacle.
Richard Neville, Mandylights Managing Director
Dark Spectrum intrigued visitors last year with its unique underground location transformed into an immersive playground of light & sound. This year, we’re taking it to another level, returning with new themes with an epic soundscape to ignite emotions that make you feel alive!
Dark Spectrum: A New Journey is a great opportunity to bring together a talented, creative team to deliver an intense, vibrant “underworld” for all to experience. It’s the closest you can come to immersing yourself in the soul of the city.
Vanessa Picken, Sony Music Australia & New Zealand Chair & Chief Executive Officer
Every illuminated experience that Culture Creative designs and builds is unique & we are excited to once again work alongside Mandylights to create a labyrinth of light in such an unusual and thrilling location.
Gold Or No Alcohol: AUD$149 per adult, AUD$139 per junior/concession & AUD$428.95 per family*
Silver: AUD$89 per adult, AUD$79 per junior/concession & AUD$249 per family*
Bronze: AUD$59 per adult, AUD $49 per junior/concession & AUD$159 per family*
Restricted View: AUD$25 per adult & AUD$70 per family*
*2 adults & 2 juniors
Hospitality packages including dining & cocktail functions are also available here.
Australia’s biggest rugby league match will be played in Australia’s biggest stadium, as the MCG hosts the decisive 2nd game of the 2024 State of Origin series. We’re proud to bring this iconic contest back to the MCG & welcoming fans from near and far to enjoy Melbourne’s vibrant hospitality, retail and hotel sectors.
Steve Dimopoulos, Victorian Minister For Tourism, Sport & Major Events
Sydney Spectaculars 
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