Category: ‘Flagship’ Sydney Spectaculars

There is more to see & do at this year’s bigger, bolder, brighter festival

Winter favourite Vivid Sydney returns in 2017 with a bigger family-friendly offering than ever before. Over 23 nights, there are over 100 family-friendly installations & events including 32 Vivid Ideas & Music events.

From Friday the 26th of May to Saturday the 17th of June, Vivid Sydney – proudly owned, managed & produced by Destination New South Wales (NSW) – will transform the city into a creative canvas. Light installations & projections will illuminate iconic buildings & locations including new precinct Barangaroo (South) & returning favourites, the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Martin Place, Darling Harbour, Chatswood, the Royal Botanic Gardens & Taronga Zoo.

NSW Minister For Tourism & Major Events, Adam Marshall, said “Vivid Sydney is family-friendly and jam-packed with fantastic fun programming & importantly for parents, most of the festival is free & available for all to enjoy. There is so much to see, do, discover & be entertained by, it is the ultimate family excursion that entertains the little ones & turns grown-ups into kids at heart”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said “Each year, Vivid Sydney presents a family-friendly program that delights & entertains children of all ages. Interactive installations give youngsters the ability to control light, colour and sound & create amazing, magical landscapes through touch and movement while other activities inspired by gaming, music-making & future worlds cater to the interests of older kids and teens”

Family-friendly highlights include Vivid Ideas’ Rhodes: Creative in Rhodes including the Human Friendship Robot Ball, where kids can learn, interact & dance with humanoid robots called ‘NAO-bots’. Get the whole family swinging with Vivid Lights at Freedom Of Movement at Dawes Point, an interactive, larger-than-life set of humble swings that combine the wonder of motion with colour, light, sound & performance. Vivid Music presents 2 of the kids’ favourite activities mashed-up for a 2-week-long free festival: the Silent Disco Ice Skating Rink in Central Park combines a live disc jockey set played through individual headphones with the magic & excitement of ice-skating.

OTHER FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

0 – 6 Years: Bubs To Pre-Schoolers

Vivid Sydney’s youngest visitors can watch light and colour dance & animations come to life. They will enjoy interactive installations featuring giant friendly flowers, favourite animals & a fantastical fairytale world where colours, sounds & forms change simply by moving, touching or walking past something. Highlights include:

• Dipping Birds (The Royal Botanic Gardens) – Just like the ‘drinking bird’ novelty toy perched on a glass, these brightly coloured, spindly legged, 2 metre tall birds bob up & down seeking a drink of water too, changing colour as they quench their thirst.
• The Sunflowers (The Royal Botanic Gardens) – Kids will be delighted by this joyous creation. Charming, giant sustainable sunflowers welcome you with a bow as you walk by at night, using solar energy they harnessed during the day.
• Never Ends (The Rocks) – A lone illuminated rocking horse on a platform 4 metres in diameter, waiting for a rider. Hop on for a ride into the night & everything changes as you create a fairy-tale setting.
• Lights For The Wild (Taronga Zoo) – After the permanent zoo residents have retired for the night, the giant light sculptures of endangered animals take centre stage along an illuminated trail of interactive animal lanterns with crowd favourites including the Asian Elephant & toothy Sumatran Tiger joined by new additions: Gorillagram, Pelican, Tasmanian Devil, a swarm of tiny buzzing bees & PJ, a 20 metre walk-through Port Jackson Shark.

7 – 11 Years: Primary Schoolers

Activities that tap into primary school-aged children’s natural curiosity & sense of discovery through exploration and play include watching combat action with Australia’s best robots battling it out & making their own interactive creation by giving coding a crack. Youngsters will burn off energy at installations that challenge them to get involved from jumping over cracks to swinging giant, colour-changing balls.

• Don’t Step On The Crack (Alfred Street, Sydney) – You might have childhood memories of not stepping on cracks in the footpath but never like this. Kids jump over illuminated cracks, cross boundaries & question what really lies beneath the surface.
• Cradle (Customs House Square) – The coolest physics lesson ever. Kids can channel their inner Isaac Newton & give 5 giant illuminated spheres a gentle push so they swing back & forth, changing colour every time they touch.
• {Kids/Code/Create} (27th of May, 10am – 3pm, Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo) – Presented by Code Club Australia, kids are inspired to create a project using code, light & music. Parents can learn what all the fuss is about & give it a go too! Tickets can be purchased via www.vividsydney.com/event/ideas/kidscodecreate-1.

12+ Years: High Schoolers

Pre-teens can interact with installations featuring favourite teen activities including making music & playing video games. They can also get their hands on some of the coolest technology around at events featuring 3 dimensional (3D) printing, coding & robotics.

• SYDNEYLAND (Pertain Precinct in The Domain. Best viewed from Circular Quay) – Ooh snap! Paired with its very own geotag, teens can pose for a Hollywood-style Sydney selfie & share it with friends and followers via Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat.
• MailboX (The Rocks) – Part video game, part post box: Posting a letter has never been this much fun. By interacting with MailboX’s game inspired design & tapping at different places, teens can help create anything from an emoji to a smiling koala.
• Gen XI: Educating The Next Generation (28th of May & 4th of June, 9am – 4pm, Surry Hills) – Calling all budding change-makers, problem solvers & inventors! Learn to tap your imagination & turn it into tangible prototypes at this interactive 1 day Vivid Ideas workshop for 14 to 18 year olds. Tickets can be purchased via www.vividsydney.com/event/ideas/gen-xi-educating-next-generation-innovators.
• Rhodes: Creative (Rhodes) – Curious kids who enjoy creating cool things with the latest technology will enjoy this program of masterclasses, workshops, activities & talks on 3D printing, robotics, wearable art & technology.
• Future City, Smart City (Chatswood) – What teen does not love a funky, retro-futuristic smart city? That is what they will find in Chatswood, where the central business district is reinvented with ingenious, steampunk installations & light sculptures inspired by 19th century steam-powered machinery. Follow a flight to an airborne, sustainable community then return to Earth & discover the submerged magic of Steampunk Waterworld & try to solve hidden light messages sent by Crossword.

TOP TIPS FOR FAMILIES TO MAKE THE MOST OF VIVID SYDNEY

• Visit early in the week – Monday to Wednesday are quieter compared to Friday & Saturday.
• Visit early in the evening – Experience the wonders of Vivid Sydney when the lights go on at 6pm. It is lights on at 5:30pm at Chatswood & Taronga Zoo – ideal for taking in the lights, grabbing an early dinner & getting the family home for bedtime.
• Visit more times for more fun – It is impossible to see everything in 1 night. Plan your visit & travel to different precincts on different days.

On the city side, Barangaroo (South) & nearby Darling Harbour could be done in 1 night. Arrive by train at Wynyard, take the Wynyard Walk tunnel straight to Barangaroo (South) to experience Trapdoor & A Day In The Light before journeying past the Australian National Maritime Museum which will be illuminated with the projection, Inspire By The Sea, then arriving at the spectacular water theatre spectacle, Magicians In The Mist.

On the north side, Chatswood & Taronga Zoo are best done in separate visits. Send the kids ‘back to the future’ to learn about the steampunk era at Chatswood & grab dinner from one of the many food offerings. Head to Taronga Zoo on another night to see giant animal multimedia light sculptures & make the most of one of the Lights For The Wild sessions. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.taronga.org.au/vivid.

• Visit by public transport – Leave the car at home (extensive road closures will be in place). Take advantage of extra bus & train services during the festival instead.
• Visit a Vivid Information Booth & get an identification wristband for children – Wristbands are available at Darling Harbour, Customs House & West Circular Quay. Add your contact number & put them on your children’s wrists to make it easier to be reunited should you be separated at any time. Be sure to keep an eye out for Vivid Sydney’s friendly army of volunteers in their bright pink jacket. They can answer any questions or point you in the right direction.
• Visit prepared – Planning your visit beforehand is simple with precinct and accessibility maps, transport options & activities available at www.vividsydney.com or through the festival smartphone application.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Note: All times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

More than 400 events have been revealed as part of Vivid Sydney’s biggest-ever Vivid Music program including the announcement of a 2nd show from global pop icon, Boy George.

After selling out his 1st show, Boy George will perform a 2nd intimate disc jockey (DJ) set on the rooftop of Café del Mar on Saturday the 17th of June against a fabulous backdrop of pyrotechnics & lights at Darling Harbour. Tickets will go on sale 12pm AEST tomorrow, the 20th of April, at www.ticketbooth.com.au.

Vivid Music Curator, Stephen Ferris, said “Vivid Music showcases international acts like Boy George & celebrates the diversity and creativity of the local Sydney music scene. Established & emerging artists will perform across a variety of Sydney music venues including The Factory Theatre, Leadbelly Newtown, 107 Presents, Oxford Art Factory & many more as part of the X|CELERATE program in partnership with the City Of Sydney, expanding the Vivid Sydney footprint from the Harbour around the central business district (CBD) into Sydney’s creative Inner West”

Dustin Tebutt will join homegrown singer-songwriter, Lisa Mitchell, at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville on Saturday the 10th of June. The pair will weave their songs together as part of their collaborative Distant Call tour, performing each other’s popular hits & new music.

Exclusive to Vivid Music 2017, Heaps High, a new club night by Heaps Gay will be held at Sydney Tower Eye on Saturday the 17th of June & will feature Australian indie pop star, Brendan McLean. The Sydney Tower Eye will also be home to an intimate show by electro-pop sensations, Elizabeth Rose & Touch Sensitive on the 2nd of June.

Music lovers will also get to experience culinary delights with Cake Wines’ Pie In The Sky rooftop music series on the 3rd of June 2017. Held on 3 different CBD rooftops, chefs from Three Blue Ducks, Thievery & Superior Burger will create bespoke menus to be served with matched Cake Wines & paired with a range of music performances from eclectic house to disco beats. The location of the 3 rooftops will be revealed closer to the date.

Music fans will be treated to a performance by American jazz-legends The Donny McCaslin Group at The Basement on the 31st of May. McCaslin collaborated with David Bowie on his last album, Blackstar.

Vivid Music will also feature a series of musical showcases including Women In Electronic Music Showcase II at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday the 17th of June, hosted by Triple J’s Linda Marigliano, and a showcase by independent record-label Personal Best on the 27th of May at Freda’s, where dream-pop ensemble, Moody Beach & Sydney space-funk duo, The Goods, will feature.

New Zealand’s answer to 90s femme-pop, Bic Runga, will also be making an appearance this year at the Sydney Conservatorium Of Music for 1 night only on Sunday the 11th of June. Tickets are available here.

Some Other Events To Diary Note

• • The Strides – Instrumental Stylee | 26th of May 2017 at Venue 505

Reggae, ska, dub & afro-beat originals and classics from The Skatalites to Fela Kuti! A musical experience powerfully explosive & authentic with 3 acclaimed albums already under their belt.

• • Silent Disco Ice Skating Festival | 26th of May – 9th of June 2017 at Central Park

Think Blades of Glory figure skating whilst listening to an incredible live DJ set on your very own pair of headphones.

• • Thursday Night Live With The Ladies Network |1st of June 2017 at Harpoon Harrys

Every Thursday night during Vivid Sydney, Harpoon Harrys will present Thursday Night Live — a night of emerging & established live electronic acts with supporting DJs. On the 1st of June, The Ladies Network will add their femme touch to the program.

• • Cabaret performer, Jeff Duff | 3rd – 4th of June 2017 at Leadbelly Newtown

Wild & permissive London in the late 1970’s! Many who experienced that madness are no longer here to recall the excitement & the excesses – but Sydney’s Jeff Duff has survived to tell the tale & sing the songs!

• • Chainsaw folk, Crooked Fiddle Band | 9th of June 2017 at Leadbelly Newtown

The Crooked Fiddle Band‘s live shows blister with an intense energy that is driven by their distinctive sound. The Crooked Fiddle Band mix blasts of fiery folk with the intense atmosphere & detail of post and prog-rock, resulting in a multi-layered, complex & ecstatic hybrid they call ‘chainsaw folk’.

• • Painting With Light Featuring Cosmos Midnight | 10th of June 2017 at the Imperial Hotel

Sydney-based electronic duo Cosmos Midnight are at the forefront of their genre cultivating their own twist on electronica.

• • Rock ‘n’ roll stars, The Radiators |10th of June 2017 at Leadbelly Newtown

Deputing in Sydney in September 1978, The Radiators have survived the road to rock ‘n’ roll stardom. This Australian household name is set to rock & dance the night away.

• • Up & coming indie musician, Jack Colwell | 17th of June 2017 at the Golden Age Cinema & Bar

Jack Colwell’s distinctive croon & hefty songwriting chops have garnered him significant praise within Australia with a sound attributed to 90’s alt-rock influences, distinctive piano inflections & confessional lyrics.

Now in its 9th year, Vivid Sydney is a major celebration of the creative industries & is owned, managed and produced by Destination New South Wales (NSW), the NSW Government’s tourism & major events agency.

For more details & to book tickets, visit vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Academy Award-winning director, Oliver Stone, will appear exclusively in Australia at Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas. The acclaimed storyteller will speak at the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series as well as at global creative forum, Semi Permanent.

Oliver Stone has written & directed more than 20 full-length feature films, earning him a well respected place in cinematic history. He is lauded for some of the most influential films of the last 4 decades including Scarface, Midnight Express, Platoon, Wall Street, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Nixon & The Doors.

Stone is a master at tackling controversial subjects. His films are grand in scale & his hard-hitting style takes a realistic and truthful look at the world which often polarises audiences.

Destination New South Wales (NSW) Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said “At the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series, Oliver Stone will speak ‘In Conversation With Margaret Pomeranz’, providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights into the creative workings of this cutting-edge cultural icon at the height of his industry”

“Vivid Sydney consistently presents & showcases the world’s leading cultural innovators & Oliver Stone’s involvement in this year’s program is a further testament to the global creative talent Vivid draws to Sydney” she said.

Semi Permanent founder & director, Murray Bell, said “Semi Permanent is excited to welcome iconic filmmaker & storyteller, Oliver Stone, to our extraordinary line up for 2017 in Sydney. The Academy Award-winning writer & director is one of the most prolific of our time, making films that profoundly capture pivotal moments in our recent history – a lifetime spent creating entertaining & provocative works. Oliver will be speaking in conversation with us on the power of film to create change & challenge perceptions at Carriageworks in May”

At Vivid Ideas, Stone will share his philosophy on telling difficult stories, navigating controversy & resistance. He will address how his approach to the interplay between writer, storyteller & director has cemented his position among the legends of Hollywood. Joining Stone on stage will be Foxtel presenter & movie critic on Foxtel Arts’ Stage & Screen, Margaret Pomeranz, Order Of Australia Member (AM). The Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talk will be held on Sunday the 28th of May, 5pm-6:30pm AEST at City Recital Hall. Tickets are on sale now at: vividsydney.com/ideas.

On interviewing Oliver Stone, Margaret Pomeranz AM, said “Interviewing Oliver Stone? One of the most significant filmmakers of the past 40 years to trawl through our political & cultural history! It is intimidating, exciting & absolutely unmissable. If I were not on the stage with him, I would be in the audience”

For Semi Permanent 2017, Stone will be speaking ‘in conversation’ on the power of film to create change & challenge perceptions. Stone is in conversation live at Semi Permanent on Friday the 26th of May at Carriageworks. For details, visit: www.semipermanent.com.

Stone will join iconic American artist Shepard Fairey in the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series. With just 2 months to go until Vivid Ideas, tickets are already selling fast for highlight events. The 2017 Vivid Ideas program is the largest ever, featuring more than 200 events & hundreds of speakers from across the globe. Vivid Ideas will continue to challenge, inspire & explore the changing face of the creative industries. A forum for creatives to collaborate, foster business connections & showcase new ideas, the Vivid Ideas program runs 23 nights from the 26th of May to the 17th of June 2017.

New precinct at Barangaroo
Expanded Royal Botanic Gardens footprint
Goldfrapp, AIR & Nick Murphy for Vivid Music
United States contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey headlines Vivid Ideas

The world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas, Vivid Sydney returns bigger, bolder & brighter in 2017 with a new precinct at Barangaroo, an expanded Light Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens & imaginary creatures that will transform the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Over 23 nights from Friday the 26th of May to Saturday the 17th of June, Vivid Light will transform the cityscape into a creative canvas, take over Sydney stages with Vivid Music’s biggest program to date & provide a global forum for creative conversations at Vivid Ideas.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed & produced by the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s tourism & major events agency, Destination NSW.

Vivid Light

For the 1st time, Vivid Sydney’s vibrant kaleidoscope will stream into a new precinct at Barangaroo with a trail of installations winding through intimate laneways, past waterfront vistas & into a foodie paradise. Visitors will be immersed in A Day In The Light, an outdoor theatre of light and sound that lets them become part of the artwork & treated to optical illusions at Trapdoor, which tells the stories of Barangaroo’s past.

The festival’s bright lights will return to the Royal Botanic Gardens with an expanded trail that will take visitors through the heart of the beautiful harbourside oasis. Here, Birds Of Lumos, inspired by the rare rowi species of the New Zealand kiwi, will come to life as they glow & pulse with colour. The nostalgic Dipping Birds, giant 2.5 metre illuminated sculptures, will change colour as they dip back and forth into a pond & quirky installation You Lookin’ At Me? will turn heads as big glaring eyes follow passers-by. A pop-up landmark celebrating our Harbour city, Sydneyland, will provide a beautiful & iconic photo backdrop for visitors & locals.

At the heart of the Vivid Light Walk, the sails of the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House will be bought to life by a series of imaginary creatures curated & designed by acclaimed cinematographer, editor & graphic designer, Ash Bolland. Audio Creatures will show creatures interacting with the environment, morphing & moving between each other across the iconic sails.

The city’s icons will once again be transformed including the façade of the Museum Of Contemporary Art with Organic Vibrations, a collaboration between Australian artist Julia Gorman & the Paris-based creative and artistic collective, Danny Rose. Interactive lighting display Dreamscape will let visitors put their own colourful mark on the city’s skyline from Circular Quay along the Cahill Expressway to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said “In 2016, a record-breaking 2.31 million visitors came to Vivid Sydney, which is testament to the festival’s impressive line-up, continued innovation & growth over the past 9 years”

“Vivid Sydney in 2017 will impress with a robust program across Vivid Light, Music & Ideas so now is the time for visitors to start planning their trip so they can be inspired visually, creatively & musically at Vivid Sydney”

Popular precincts, Chatswood, Taronga Zoo, Martin Place & Darling Harbour will return in 2017.

The buildings, shopping malls, streets & laneways of Chatswood’s central business district (CBD) will be reinvented as a retrofuturistic smart city called Future City, Smart City with ingenious installations & light sculptures inspired by the ‘steampunk’ design aesthetic of 19th century steam-powered machinery.

Lights For The Wild at Taronga Zoo will return featuring giant animal light sculptures that wowed visitors when they made their debut last year. A few new characters & surprises will join the 2016 favourites including a swarm of buzzing bees & a giant interactive Port Jackson shark.

Martin Place will be home to Sydney’s most popular food & beverage purveyors alongside grand, interactive light installations. Highlights include a new version of the multi-award winning 3 dimension-mapped projection Urban Tree 2.0 & Deep Forest, an urban jungle for feasting featuring an open flame fire-pit with barbeque treats from Porteño & some of NSW’s best fire chefs.

28 tonnes of water will be thrown into the air every minute whilst lasers, flame jets, music & fireworks combine in a celebration of the power of creativity & innovation at Darling Harbour. Magicians Of The Mist water theatre will be a spectacular display of technology & art defining the digital era.

Vivid Music

The beat of the Vivid Music program is stronger than ever with over 250 events in this year’s line-up. Highlights include an Australian exclusive performance by electronic pop duo Goldfrapp and the return of Curve Ball: a large-scale live music & art event created by Fuzzy Music, both at Carriageworks.

Popular Vivid Music events return including Heaps Gay, Soul Of Sydney, Purple Sneakers & The Argyle’s Tokyo Disco.

Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House will deliver an eclectic suite of not-to-be-missed performances from influential American folk-rock band, Fleet Foxes, French electronic superheroes, AIR, British singer & songwriter, Laura Marling, & producer and bonafide hit-maker, Australia’s Nick Murphy.

City Recital Hall breaks from its’ classical roots with an incredible program – Metamorphosis – serving up everything from jazz & dance anthems to multisensory masterpieces. Sydney-based indie rock band, Dappled Cities, will launch their new album IIIII (pronounced 5), Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, Dianne Reeves, will take to the stage in a special one-off performance & Paul Mac will host a Sound Bubble Sound Party.

In a Vivid Music first, Vivid Sydney has partnered with the City Of Sydney to deliver a program across a multitude of city venues. Showcasing grassroots & emerging local music talent, highlights will include a new roof-top festival from Cake Wines, Pie In The Sky & a showcase of Women In Electronic Music at Oxford Art Factory.

Kings Cross returns with an exciting line-up of performance music, art, ‘Avant Cabaret’ & cutting-edge, independent and immersive theatre with a bohemian flavour, part of the Vivid KX program.

Vivid Ideas

The Vivid Ideas program will continue to challenge & inspire with more than 200 events exploring the changing face of the creative industries. Iconic American artist Shepard Fairey, who blurs the boundaries of art & design, headlines the Vivid Ideas line-up. His body of work includes his Barack Obama HOPE campaign, the OBEY GIANT art project & this year’s ubiquitous We The People initiative.

In a Vivid Sydney exclusive, Fairey will share his do-it-yourself approach, career highlights & how he managed to turn his creativity into an authentic voice about street culture. He will also create a large scale public mural live on a wall in Sydney’s CBD & some of his most famous works to date will be part of a pop-up exhibition at the Darling Quarter.

Throughout the city, a series of conferences will connect start-ups, emerging talent, practitioners & entrepreneurs with world-class creators & thought-leaders. Highlights include The Sunrise, which connects start-ups with successful founders; Semi Permanent, returning with a series of interactive, immersive experiences featuring leaders from Getty Images, NIKE, Google and more & family-favourite, Robowars, where some of the country’s best engineers & robotic experts put their self-built robots to battle.

The Vivid Ideas Exchange at the Museum Of Contemporary Art also boasts a diverse line-up of talks presented by creative practitioners covering topics from fashion to place-making, storytelling, ageism, marketing pitching, health, innovation, big data & mixed reality.

Vivid Sydney Sponsors

Vivid Sydney thanks its sponsors for their support of the festival in 2017 including partners, Huawei, Ford and American Express & supporters, Allianz, Canon, City Of Sydney, NSW Department Of Industry, Google, Oracle Liquid, Property NSW, Sensis, Sydney Airport, Sydney Opera House, Technical And Further Education NSW, Technical Direction Company & 32 Hundred Lighting. Vivid Sydney’s access & inclusion partner is Cushman And Wakefield & the festival continues its sustainability partnership with the Banksia Foundation.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney