Sydney Spectaculars

A Bigger, Brighter ‘Vivid Sydney’ For 2014

Vivid Sydney is set to enthral audiences once again with the largest program of light, music and ideas in its six year history, NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner announced today. The 18 day festival, named Australia’s Event of the Year in 2013, is on from 23 May to 9 June.

Vivid Sydney is a signature event in the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar, and welcomes back Vivid Sydney partner Intel, with major supporters for 2014, Canon, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, City of Sydney, Sydney Opera House, NSW Trade and Investment and North Sydney Council.

“Every year Vivid Sydney brings something new, bigger and brighter to wow the hundreds of thousands of people who come to see the event. Vivid Sydney 2014 promises to be nothing short of amazing, with creative industries events, eclectic music performances and spectacular light displays that will transform Sydney’s harbour foreshore and surrounds,” Mr Stoner said.

“In 2013, over 800,000 people came to Vivid Sydney, which is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the Government’s Tourism and Major Events agency. The event contributed over $20million in new money to the NSW economy, and shone a spotlight on the State’s creative industries, establishing new connections and opportunities across the many areas of business that Vivid Sydney spans. 2014 is set to be even more successful.”

VIVID LIGHT

“This year for the first time, the harbour will join in like never before, with Harbour Lights – ferries and vessels decked out in LED lights, their colours computer-controlled by satellite navigation as they pass through the world’s most beautiful harbour. The new CBD precinct Martin Place will dazzle audiences with giant light installations, and new Vivid programming at Carriageworks, the Seymour Centre, Sydney University and The Basement will take the event and its music content, into more locations than ever before,” said Mr Stoner.

“Of course, the Lighting Of The Sails of the Sydney Opera House is one of the festival’s most anticipated highlights, which I am pleased to announce will be designed by the award-winning creative agency 59 Productions, renowned for their work on the London Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremony and the West-end show War Horse. The Sails are set for a stunning arrangement of 3D-mapped projections.

“The sandstone facades of Customs House and the MCA will once again be bathed in light through collaborations with local and international artists, and new light installations are set to utterly absorb every visitor, including for the first time, five works commissioned by Destination NSW.

“And after the huge success of last year, the Sydney Harbour Bridge will once again be lit by visitors with a stunning colour palette, making this a very special coat hanger indeed.

“Darling Harbour will be transformed by a spectacular water show with fountains, water jets and lasers as Aquatique, the French pioneers of dancing fountains, return again to Vivid – this year with a water show twice the size of last year, spanning two-thirds of the Bay.

“The foreshore running from East Circular Quay right around to Campbell’s Cove and Walsh Bay will become both a playground and a gallery, with over 50 new light installations, in a program full of both interactive installations and stunning works of art, curated by Vivid Light Festival Director Anthony Bastic,” Mr Stoner said.

VIVID MUSIC

With music events a favourite in the Vivid Sydney line up, Vivid Music is expanding in 2014 with an exciting line up of performances and talent as well as expanding into new venues, with new and bigger programs and more content to be announced in the coming weeks.

“The core of Vivid Music, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House curated by Fergus Linehan, will see another fantastic line-up including Pixies, Giorgio Moroder, and Timeline, a special collaboration between the Australian Chamber Orchestra, led by Richard Tognetti and electro-pop duo The Presets – in which they present the history of music in two hours,’ Mr Stoner said.

“Expanding into Redfern, a new event has been created for Vivid Sydney this year – Modulations at Carriageworks (6-8 June). Modulations, curated by the extraordinary Steve Pavlovic, brings together the best talent across music, light installations, design and food. It will be headlined by multi-award winning electronic pop legends Pet Shop Boys – their performance a rare opportunity to experience a spectacular multi-media production in an intimate and immersive environment, and their only Australian performances of their 2013/14 Electric World Tour.”

VIVID IDEAS

Vivid Ideas features 15 signature events with 12 keynote talks from globally recognised designer and artist Candy Chang; media strategist and expert in unconventional marketing Ryan Holiday; Sara Critchfield, editorial director of Upworthy – the fastest growing media company of all time; global leader of the 4D printing movement Skylar Tibbits; and director Joshy D of REBEL8, one of the world’s most credible youth brands.

“With a strong role to play in showcasing our creative industries to the world, the Vivid Ideas program has also expanded. The Vivid Ideas Exchange on Level 6 of the MCA is once again at the heart of the program, this year featuring creative ideas, public talks, industry seminars, conferences, workshops and debates, structured around eight ‘content clusters’, spanning digital media and design to architecture, animation, fashion to filmmaking, and beyond,” said Mr Stoner.

Vivid Ideas is again collaborating with Mumbrella, SPARC, Good Design Festival, Semi-Permanent and Sydney Film Festival, and new events Modulations and Remix at Carriageworks. There are also programs with external partners including Sydney Living Museums, University of Sydney, Carriageworks, Seymour Centre and Powerhouse Museum.

“Over 18 days Vivid Sydney will this year offer everyone a unique and very special experience of Sydney in winter, showcasing the many creative talents not only from NSW but from around Australia and across the world,” Mr Stoner said.

Sandra Chipchase, the CEO of Destination NSW, said the event generates extraordinary interest which transforms the city not only for visitors, but for its hundreds of small businesses.

“Last year’s festival attendance was unprecedented, and it is testament to the popularity of Vivid Sydney and the significant marketing, promotion and travel packaging activity delivered by Destination NSW for this ‘only in Sydney’ event. In 2013 more than 11,000 visitors came from overseas travelling on Vivid travel packages. Aside from giving visitors a spectacular experience, Vivid Sydney is also fantastic news for the retail stores, restaurants and cafes that have fallen in love with the festival for the huge crowds it brings and the happy, joyful atmosphere created.”

Vivid Sydney Creative Director, Ignatius Jones, said, “Vivid Sydney continues to grow exponentially. Every year we are overwhelmed by the excitement that Vivid Sydney generates, and this year is really building on what’s come before. New precincts, new installations, new music, new ideas and new business all play a leading role in creating Vivid Sydney, and really give our city and everyone involved in Vivid a huge chance to shine. The spotlight is firmly placed on Sydney as the Creative Industry hub of Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region.”

Some of the highlights for Vivid Sydney 2014:

Where	What	When
Sydney Opera House	Lighting Of The Sails by 59 Productions: see The Sails like never before with unforgettable 3D mapped projections	Nightly from 6pm
Customs House	Play Me by Danny Rose: turning the façade of this great building into a sequence of giant fantasy musical instruments	Nightly from 6pm
MCA (sandstone original building)	Light projects where art meets light by Jess Johnson and Spinifex	Nightly from 6pm
MCA (new building)	A collaboration like no other where interactive light meets incredible 3D projections by The Digital Shamans and MCA artist Ross Manning	Nightly from 6pm
Sydney Harbour and North Sydney	Boats lit up, floating on the Harbour in a symphony of colour and the largest coat hanger in the world transformed into a beautiful palate of colours	Nightly from 6pm
Darling Harbour	Water jets, lasers, 3D projections on water screens – Aquatique transforms the Bay into a symphony of water, all set to music	Nightly, on the hour from 6pm (last show 11pm)
Martin Place	Map your face onto a 3D, 1.6m head with eΙMERGEnce	Nightly from 6pm
Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House	Pixies rock it out in their only Australian performances	23-26 May
Vivid Music and Modulations at Carriageworks	Pet Shop Boys – Electronic music artists extraordinaire – play three intimate gigs in this fantastic inner west venue	6-8 June
The Vivid Ideas Exchange on Level 6 of the MCA	Hear from one of the world’s most credible youth brands and the business brain and global art icon behind it – Joshy D and Mike Giant from Rebel8	28 May

The full Vivid Sydney 2014 program is available at http://vividsydney.com

‘Vivid Sydney’ Secures World’s Best Creative Industries Events

Vivid Sydney, the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest annual celebration of light, music and ideas, is gearing up for another blockbuster year with two of the world’s leading creative industries events now secured for the upcoming festival, Sandra Chipchase, CEO of Destination NSW, announced today.

Vivid Sydney, which will be staged this year from 23 May to 9 June 2014, is Australia’s major winter festival and a signature event on the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar, and is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.

“Last year more than 800,000 Sydneysiders and visitors from around Australia and overseas flocked to Sydney’s harbour and surrounds over 18 days and nights to experience Vivid Sydney’s world-class program of lighting art installations and projections (Vivid Light), music (Vivid Music) and creative ideas and events (Vivid Ideas),” Ms Chipchase said.

“With growing demand for the Vivid Ideas program, we are delighted that two world-class events, Semi-Permanent and The Good Design Festival, will now feature in the 2014 Vivid Ideas program, bringing global leaders in design, art and media to Sydney to participate in and experience a range of creative industry conferences, exhibitions and networking events.”

Both Semi-Permanent and The Good Design Festival are supported through funding by the NSW Government through Destination NSW. Semi-Permanent will take place exclusively as part of Vivid Sydney, meaning the only chance creative practitioners will have to experience this event in Australia will be at Carriageworks from 22 to 24 May.

The Good Design Festival which is one of the only forums for professional designers and manufacturers to showcase their design expertise to a national and international audience, will take place from 23 May to 9 June and feature the prestigious Good Design Awards Gala Night, formerly the Australian International Design Awards.

Vivid Sydney’s Creative Director, Ignatius Jones, said, “These two events and the Vivid Ideas program, which fall within the Vivid Sydney festival, reinforce Sydney’s position as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific region, with this year’s program sure to attract even more international creative industry leaders and professionals to NSW during winter.

“Vivid Sydney is a major international player in the creative industries events calendar, and we are looking forward to welcoming returning visitors and those experiencing Vivid Sydney and Vivid Ideas for the first time to the festival and to NSW.”

Ms Chipchase said the 2013 Vivid Ideas program featured more than 180 events with over 50,000 tickets sold.

“The Vivid Ideas program during Vivid Sydney is a unique platform for global creative industries to come together in a striking harbourside city to network, share ideas and do business,” she said.

Sydney Film Festival Has A ‘Vivid’ Future In NSW

The renowned Sydney Film Festival will continue as part of the Vivid Sydney program for at least the next two years following new funding by the NSW Government, Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris, announced today.

Although the NSW Government has supported the official competition for the past six years, this year the Sydney Film Festival was, for the first time, a key part of the Vivid Sydney festival program, with the Official Competition and Festival Hub at Town Hall forming the backbone of the strategic partnership with Vivid Sydney,” Mr Souris said.

“The Sydney Film Festival is Australia’s longest running film festival and the only one in the country with an internationally endorsed Official Film Competition, firmly positioning NSW as Australia’s creative capital.

“I am delighted the NSW Government, through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, is supporting this key cultural event on the NSW Events Calendar for an additional two years, from 2014-2015”.

Mr Souris said Destination NSW estimates that over that period, the Sydney Film Festival will attract more than 4,000 overseas and domestic visitors while organisers expect 140,000 people to attend next year’s 12-day Festival.

“In 2014 and 2015, the Sydney Film Festival will continue to deliver the ‘Sydney Film Festival presents…’ talks series as part of the signature Vivid Ideas program, which attracts leading international film makers and experts to NSW to speak about the latest trends in international filmmaking.

“This Partnership brings together two of the most creatively inspired events in Sydney and will help attract more commercial interest and investment in Sydney and NSW.”

Sydney Film Festival Director, Nashen Moodley, said: “Sydney Film Festival’s ever-expanding partnership with the NSW Government, Destination NSW and their Vivid Sydney event brings one of the city’s oldest and one of its newest events together in winter.

“The international significance and reach of both festivals continues to grow, attracting some of the world’s leading creative and filmmaking exponents as participants. Sydney now has more reasons than ever to look forward to winter each year.”

‘Vivid Sydney’ – Australian and Tourism Event of the Year

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner and Minister for Tourism and Major Events George Souris today celebrated and recognised the creative services industry as Vivid Sydney received two major awards at the Australian Event Awards in Sydney last night.

In addition to being named the country’s Best Tourism Event and the Australian Event of the Year, Vivid added to NSW’s success as the overall Best Event State.

“Vivid Sydney, owned and managed by Destination NSW, is a great representation of the creative services industry in Australia, which is showcased during what is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, and which this year attracted record audiences of over 800,000 people,” Mr Stoner said.

“Over 18 days, visitors immersed themselves in Sydney and in the creative talents of artists, performers, innovators, entrepreneurs and experts as the Vivid Sydney festival transformed the harbour city.

“This year was the biggest Vivid Sydney ever, with an expanded Vivid Light footprint which took in new precincts in North Sydney with the first ever lighting of the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the spectacular water theatre of Aquatique in Darling Harbour.

“Vivid Sydney also enjoyed an expanded music program both with Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House, opening with legendary Kraftwerk, but also Vivid Music, with new music programing at the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Seymour Centre.

“Vivid Ideas, where the creative industries intersect with business to create real opportunities, expanded to over 180 events, and sold over 6,000 tickets.

“Vivid Sydney not only makes an important contribution and provides a platform to showcase our creative industries, but generates an important economic contribution, with in excess of $10 million delivered to the NSW economy this year.

“I am very pleased to see Vivid Sydney recognised as the Australian Event of the Year, and would encourage anyone who hasn’t experienced Vivid yet, to mark the date for Vivid 2014 in their diary – May 23 to June 9.”

Mr Souris said Vivid Sydney was enjoyed not only by Sydneysiders, but by visitors from interstate, intrastate and overseas, who came to experience the city like they had never seen it before.

“Vivid Sydney is an important boon for visitation to NSW. In 2013 the number of domestic and international packages grew, in particular from China with 7,200 packages sold. It is an event that translates across countries and cultures,” Mr Souris said.

“Vivid is also now an event that is seeing more and more visitors staying in Sydney for one or two nights – it is a fitting, and very deserving, winner of the Best Tourism Event category.”

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said it was a wonderful honour and achievement for the event to be named the Australian Event of the Year.

“Our thanks go to our sponsors, partners and festival directors, creative advisor Ignatius Jones and the NSW Government agencies across the city who have supported us to create an event which has captured the attention and interest of people across the world.”

The Australian Event Awards is the pinnacle awards program for the events industry in Australia.

Global Creative Industry Leaders And Practitioners Invited To Take Part In ‘Vivid Ideas’ 2014

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner has called for expressions of interest from the world’s leading creative industry thought leaders, businesses and practitioners to take part in next year’s Vivid Ideas, the industry and business events pillar of Vivid Sydney.

Vivid Sydney is the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest annual celebration of light, music and ideas. Vivid Sydney next takes place from 23 May to 9 June 2014.

Vivid Ideas offers a program of creative industry talks, conferences, workshops, panels, showcases, exhibitions, creative product launches, award presentations, and social and networking functions.

“Vivid Sydney is a must-attend event on the international creative calendar,” Mr Stoner said.

“It is renowned the world over as a key platform for members of the creative industries from both Australia and across the globe to collaborate, foster business connections and showcase new ideas.

“In 2013, more than 800,000 people attended Vivid Sydney across the 18 days of the festival. The Vivid Ideas program showcased 122 unique events across 25 Sydney venues, including The Vivid Ideas Exchange at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and a wealth of creative local and international talent.

“Vivid Ideas provides an excellent opportunity for creative industries practitioners and businesses to align with this globally recognised event, right here in Sydney, the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific.”

Vivid Sydney Creative Director, Ignatius Jones, said Vivid Sydney is about turning inspiration into action and attracts the world’s best creative practitioners in the fields of design, lighting, architecture, music, fashion, film, visual arts, advertising and more.

“In 2013, Vivid Sydney cemented its position as the leading creative industries event in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 6,000 people attending Vivid Ideas across its signature program and associated events,” Mr Jones said.

“Vivid Sydney is growing every year – in reputation, size and appeal – and 2014 will be the year for the creative industries to really engage with Vivid Ideas.

“There are many ways to get involved in Vivid Ideas, from developing a forum or workshop and hosting a networking function to launching your latest innovation or running a think tank or debate session.

“So far, more than 1300 creative industry practitioners across the world have registered interest in submitting designs for Vivid Light, the centrepiece of the Vivid Sydney festival, which closes on Friday 4 October. We’re expecting a similar high level of interest in the Vivid Ideas program, with more opportunities to participate than ever before.”

Expressions of Interest to participate in Vivid Ideas 2014 will close on 4 November 2013. The Vivid Ideas Expression of Interest form is available via www.vividsydney.com.

‘Vivid Sydney’ Draws Record Crowds

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade & Investment Andrew Stoner today announced Vivid Sydney 2013 an unprecedented success, with preliminary estimates showing record attendance of more than 800,000 people across the 18-day event.

Visitors flocked to the biggest Vivid Sydney ever, which included the largest Vivid Light Walk expanding into North Sydney with the lighting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Darling Harbour showcasing Australia’s first spectacular water show performances.

The Vivid Music program also expanded into new venues and Vivid Ideas featured more than 180 events with over 6,000 tickets sold. Over 40,000 tickets were sold for Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House.

Mr Stoner said, this year, Vivid Sydney achieved record results for NSW, with crowds significantly larger than last year.

“Vivid also reached audiences in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide through extensive media coverage. I am confident Vivid Sydney will have delivered this year well in excess of the estimated $10 million in economic impact,” Mr Stoner said.

“Vivid has huge appeal and has been successful in attracting visitors not only from this state and across Australia – where domestic travel packages were up 8% – but also internationally, with over 11,000 travel packages sold, including 7,200 from China.

“Bringing so many visitors into Sydney for this festival also delivered terrific results for local retailers who all embraced Vivid. Some of the waterfront restaurants at The Rocks saw a 300% increase in diners, with reports of their capacity last seen during the Olympics. Many Darling Harbour restaurants also experienced similar growth.”

The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest annual festival of light, music and ideas is a signature event in the NSW Events Calendar, owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said the most successful Vivid Sydney yet was great testimony to the way the festival has been embraced by Sydneysiders and visitors alike, and the creative services industry.

“So much enthusiasm and passion is invested in making Vivid Sydney a wonderful winter event by not only the creative practitioners involved in the festival itself, but the hundreds of thousands of people who attended. To be able to hold an event which attracts so many visitors, not only domestically but also from all over the world is very special, and of course is an important contributor to the goal of doubling overnight expenditure by 2020. During Vivid Sydney we hosted 76 media and 284 international travel buyers,” Ms Chipchase said.

“There has been excellent collaboration with key partners and sponsors as well as hundreds of local businesses and communities to make Vivid Sydney a success, and something that is looked forward to every year. It’s a hallmark event for Sydney and Australia, and is also increasing its fan base”

Vivid Sydney also saw success digitally, with almost 40,000 downloads of the free Vivid Sydney application, more than 1 million people who visited the vividsydney.com website from May 1, a 200% growth in Vivid Sydney Facebook fans and a huge 2,800% growth of Vivid Ideas Facebook fans.

Vivid Sydney 2013 Highlights

Stepping into the history books with Sydney Harbour Bridge: The western façade was lit for the first time by Vivid Sydney partner Intel Australia and 32 Hundred Lighting, with North Sydney Council. It captured the imagination of everyone and even supported the NSW Blues ahead of the first State of Origin Game when Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, turned the bridge blue with NSW State of Origin vice-captain Robbie Farah.

Extending into Darling Harbour for the first time: More than 200,000 people enjoyed the dancing water fountains and dazzling light and water shows. The show was created especially for Vivid by French artists Aquatique Show International, and staged in collaboration with Destination NSW, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Darling Harbour Alliance. The event was supported by Citibank, which hosted customers at its Pop-Up Bar.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the world’s most iconic space traveller, ‘Doctor Who’: Legions of costumed fans attend the one night only 3D-mapped projections on the façade of Customs House on Saturday 1 June. The projections, created by Sydney’s own The Spinifex Group, saw ‘Doctor Who’ travel through space and time, pursued by some of his greatest enemies. The Spinifex Group also created the projections on the Sydney Opera House called ‘Play’, and ‘Collaboration #3′ with renowned artist Gemma Smith at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

Vivid Ideas cemented its position as a champion of Sydney and Australia’s creative industries: It showcased Sydney as the place to collaborate, foster business connections and showcase new ideas – Headquartered on the sixth floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia with events at more than 25 venues across Sydney, Vivid Ideas grew in 2013 from 100 to 122 unique events and boasted a wealth of creative local and international talent including keynote talks by UK artist and Turner Prize nominee, David Shrigley; IDEO’s chief creative officer Paul Bennett; street wear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes and big data artist Jonathan Harris.

More than 6,000 people attended 18 days of talks, workshops, panels and meet-ups at The Vivid Ideas Exchange with thousands more attending key creative industry events as part of Vivid Ideas including Semi-Permanent, AMPlify, Australian International Design Festival, Reportage Photography Festival, ISEA 2013, SPARC International Lighting Event, Mumbrella360, X|Media|Lab and more.

Over 40,000 tickets were sold to the 10-day music celebration Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House: Audiences were attracted by a stellar line-up that included the world premiere of ‘Empire of the Sun’’s highly anticipated second album, ‘Ice on the Dune‘, in addition to the eight sell-out ‘Kraftwerk‘ retrospective 3D shows, ‘The Catalogue: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8’, and the Australian debut of R’n’B soul legend Bobby Womack.

Vivid Music, a new addition to Vivid Sydney sold more than 5,400 tickets: A program that featured leading-edge electronic dance and house music at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, a two-day program of innovative and experimental music at the Seymour Centre, dance music at The Argyle and the sold out performance of ‘Datamatics 2.0′ by Japanese artist Ryoji Ikdea at Carriageworks for ISEA 2013.

2,000 people danced in front of Customs House to ‘Move your Building‘: While thousands watched wild horses run across buildings and engines rev out of walls at the Audi installation ‘Speed of Light‘, the Spinifex Group transformed the historic façade of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company building into a feast of light, colour and speed. Creative light sculptures and installations were selected from around the world, including artists from Germany, England, Italy, France, USA, Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand. Australian light artists featured from Sydney, Queensland, Victoria and regional NSW including Nowra, Wagga Wagga and Tuggerah.

Vivid Sydney’s Illuminating Quick Facts

Over 800,000 cumulative attendees
More than 200,000 attendees to Darling Harbour
Media coverage in over 200 countries
Over 40,000 tickets sold for Vivid LIVE
More than 6,000 people attended Vivid Ideas
Over 5,400 tickets sold for Vivid Music
11,304 international packages sold*
7,200 of these international packages from China*
8% increase of domestic package sales*
284 international trade familiarisation visitors (205% increase on last year)
40,000 people downloaded the Vivid app
More than 1 million visitors to www.vividsydney.com
200% growth on Vivid Sydney Facebook page
2,800% growth on Vivid Ideas Facebook page

*package sales over the Vivid period generated via JTG

Must Dos for Final Days of ‘Vivid Sydney’ 2013

With just four days remaining until the Vivid Sydney lights turn off for another year, here’s a Top Ten Vivid Essentials List from festival owners Destination NSW:

1. Colour the Sydney Harbour Bridge, take in some delicious bites and shopping at North Sydney’s Food and Artisan Markets in Bradfield Park also featuring street theatre, then maybe hop on for a ride on Luna Park Sydney’s Ferris Wheel for a unique view of all the lights!

2. See where water, music, lasers and fire meet at Darling Harbour for the Aquatique water theatre show, on the hour, every hour, with fireworks at selected shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

3. Watch wild horses run across buildings and engines rev out of walls at the Audi installation Speed of Light, where the Spinifex Group has transformed the historic façade of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company building into a feast of light, colour and speed.

4. Bring out your inner child and hop on the See Saw light installation at Campbells Cove or tinkle the ivories at The Enlightening Piano – a fantastic interactive light installation that lights up as you play a tune.

5. Got milk? Head into The Rocks and step into a maze of interactive, couloured milk crates dangling above your head, or create your own unique experience of space, light and colour at Polka Kucha in Walsh Bay by simply turning a wheel.

6. Get your groove on at Customs House for Move Your Building, where your dance steps make the colourful light projections on the building move.

7. Hop on the free Vivid Sydney Harbour Shuttle Ferry and catch a view of the city bathed in colour and light from the magnificent harbour. Services depart between Kirribilli, Walsh Bay and Darling Harbour.

8. Get into Vivid Music at the Overseas Passenger Terminal with Finely Tuned presenting some of the biggest names in house music for the Terminal Projekt, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June, 4pm till late (tickets still available at www.vividsydney.com).

9. Go West! (well, Inner West), and experience the Australian premiere of the Test Pattern [No 5] installation by acclaimed Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda at Carriageworks in Eveleigh. Seymour Centre in Darlington is also hosting a two-day explorative music program, New Wave: Sound, featuring national and international talent while New Wave: Light and Design will showcase innovative light installations created by University of Sydney students.

10. Take it all in. Find a spot, settle down and watch the entire projections on the Sydney Opera House called Play created by the Spinifex Group, and Collaboration #3 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, created by renowned artist Gemma Smith and the Spinifex Group. Simply amazing! And don’t forget to grab a drink at The Vivid Ideas Exchange Lounge on Level 6 of the MCA from 7pm.

Vivid Sydney, developed, owned and managed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, will continue to illuminate the city from 6pm to midnight ending Monday June 10.

The full Vivid Sydney program is available at http://vividsydney.com/

‘Vivid Sydney’ Program Leads With German Electronic Music Legends ‘Kraftwerk’

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner has today announced German electronic music pioneers ‘Kraftwerk‘ as headline act for the Vivid LIVE program at Sydney Opera House during Vivid Sydney 2013.

“Vivid Sydney continues to attract the world’s most outstanding talent, with German legends ‘Kraftwerk‘ set to perform at the Opera House fresh on the back of performances at the MoMA in New York and TATE Modern in London,” Mr Stoner said.

“‘Kraftwerk‘ will present their acclaimed retrospective series in eight unique performances at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE.

“Now in its fifth year, Vivid Sydney, which is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, has become a wonderful platform to highlight Australia’s global city to the world by featuring some of the biggest names in music, lighting artistry and ideas, to local and international audiences.

“In 2013, this 18-day festival of light, music and ideas, the biggest in the southern hemisphere, will take place in Sydney from 24 May to 10 June.”

The performances by ‘Kraftwerk‘, dubbed ‘The Catalogue: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8‘ will showcase nearly 40 years of musical and technical innovation, including new improvisations, 3D projections and animation.

Commencing with ‘Autobahn’, each night covers one of ‘Kraftwerk‘’s groundbreaking studio albums in full and appear in order of their release — ‘Autobahn’ (1974), ‘Radio-Activity’ (1975), ‘Trans Europe Express’ (1977), ‘The Man-Machine’ (1978), ‘Computer World’ (1981), ‘Techno Pop’ (1986), ‘The Mix’ (1991) and ‘Tour de France’ (2003) — alongside additional compositions from their back-catalogue.

Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House, said: “We are thrilled to have ‘Kraftwerk‘ in residence for Vivid LIVE following the phenomenal reaction to their performances in MoMA and TATE Modern. Book your Sydney flights and hotels now – these eight concerts are a mind-melting feast for the eyes and the ears that are sure to sell out. It is a huge coup for Sydney.”

Mr Stoner said the first announcement for the Vivid LIVE component of Vivid Sydney was a sign of exciting expansion across all tiers of Vivid Sydney in 2013. “In 2012, Vivid Sydney delivered record crowds of over 500,000 people, generated global media coverage in over 150 countries, fostered new tourism markets and opportunities, and saw tens of millions of dollars in new business achieved for NSW,” Mr Stoner said.

“Vivid Sydney has firmly established its credentials as a ‘must see’ global event and continues to highlight Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific, and will continue to grow and surprise audiences in 2013.

“In 2013, Vivid Light has received unprecedented expressions of interest from lighting artists from across Australia and the world, and the Vivid Ideas program will feature more than 100 creative industry events including the SPARC International Lighting Event and the inaugural Australian International Design Festival (AIDF).”

Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, said that in 2012 rising audience numbers demonstrated the events appealed with Sydneysiders as well as interstate and international visitors alike.

“Vivid Sydney raises the creativity bar every year, and in 2013 we will see an expanded program across light, music and ideas to delight festivalgoers. Vivid Sydney provides a truly global canvas and audience for our artistic, creative and business communities. The evolving 2013 program will be our most exciting to date,” Ms Chipchase said.

Vivid Sydney Creative Adviser, Ignatius Jones, said: “Vivid 2013 will see its largest expansion yet: in footprint, in technology and in sheer artistry. We will be presenting several massive installations that have simply never been seen in this country before, a much-expanded program of light art and a far greater proportion of international participation in our public-facing attractions. We will also continue to lead the world in sustainable, carbon-neutral programming—a principle which has always been a founding tenet of Vivid Sydney.”

Vivid Sydney is one of five signature events in the NSW Events Calendar developed by Destination NSW with the NSW Government as the major investor.

How To Book

Sydney Opera House expects demand for tickets will be high for ‘Kraftwerk‘’s unique series of concerts exclusive to Sydney based on recent success in New York and London. To ensure everyone has an equal chance to purchase tickets SOH have put in place an online application process. This will minimise the congestion through sales channels and fairly distribute tickets to fans across time zones, states and countries.

Apply for your tickets anytime between Monday 25th February 2013 (from 9am) and Friday 1st March 2013 (midnight AEST). Tickets will not be allocated on a first come first served basis, all applications received during this period will be equally considered. To apply go to www.sydneyoperahouse.com/kraftwerk.