Category: ‘Flagship’ Sydney Spectaculars

Due to the continuing extreme weather conditions including heavy rain, flash flooding & high winds that are currently impacting Sydney, visitors are once again being urged to postpone their visit to Vivid Sydney until weather conditions improve.

The festival’s light projections on the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Customs House & at Central Park and Chatswood will be operating. However, the majority of the Vivid Light locations will not be switched on this evening including Taronga Zoo, Martin Place, Darling Harbour, the Royal Botanic Gardens & the majority of lighting installations around Circular Quay, The Rocks and Walsh Bay.

Vivid Sydney events that will proceed as scheduled today include the Bjork Digital exhibition at Carriageworks, light projections at Central Park, indoor precincts The Galeries and Westfield Sydney, the Vivid Ideas sessions & Vivid Music events.

Destination New South Wales Chief Executive Officer & Vivid Sydney Executive Producer, Sandra Chipchase, said “Vivid Sydney’s priority is always the safety of its patrons & with this in mind, we need to close some of the festival precincts and light installations this Sunday night & we encourage visitors to postpone their trip until the weather improves. We want to thank Vivid Sydney fans for their patience & understanding as we continue to manage the impact of this weekend’s extreme weather”

“The festival will run through to Saturday the 18th of June so there’s still around 2 more weeks to visit Vivid Sydney once the weather improves” Ms Chipchase said.

For more updates, visit the festival website, www.vividsydney.com & follow Vivid Sydney at www.facebook.com/vividsydney and www.twitter.com/vividsydney.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Due to severe weather warnings & localised flooding, visitors are being urged to postpone their trip to Vivid Sydney tonight.

Although the projections on the Sydney Opera House, Customs House & the lighting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will go ahead, the majority of the other lighting installations around Circular Quay & Martin Place will not be operating.

Strong winds overnight have damaged several light installations including one of this year’s crowd favourites, the Cathedral Of Light at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The Bureau Of Meteorology predictions of king tides & damaging winds may cause further impact to some art installations & hoardings, posing a threat to public safety. Lighting installations at First Fleet Park, the Museum Of Contemporary Art, Martin Place, Darling Harbour, Taronga Zoo & the Royal Botanic Gardens precincts will not be activated this evening. Activations at Chatswood are likely to be scaled down.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer & Vivid Sydney Executive Producer, Sandra Chipchase, said “We apologise for any inconvenience but the number 1 priority is public safety”

“Vivid Sydney will go ahead in the indoor precincts at Westfield Sydney & The Galeries where the Perspectives installation brings together some of the most prominent video artists to create an immersive galaxy of colour, light & movement.”

“Vivid Sydney still has another 14 nights to run, so we suggest visitors delay their trip until weather conditions improve” Ms Chipchase said.

Visitors are urged to check the Vivid Sydney website for updates over the weekend, should weather conditions continue to affect the festival.

Vivid Music & Vivid Ideas events will proceed as scheduled.

For more updates, visit the event’s website: vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

World’s largest festival of light, music and ideas kicks off in Sydney

Sydney, Australia is awash with colour this evening as more than 90 light installations light up the city for the annual Vivid Sydney festival, projecting colourful art on the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House & throughout the city. Vivid Sydney officially opens tonight, the 27th of May, & runs for 23 nights until the 18th of June 2016.

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. More than 150 artists from 23 countries have created the light installations and projections that appear in more than eight Vivid Sydney precincts spread across Sydney. Vivid Sydney also features 195 Vivid Music events and more than 500 speakers appearing at Vivid Idea talks and forums.

The New South Wales (NSW) Government’s Premier Mike Baird said “Tonight thousands of people have visited Sydney to witness the amazing Vivid ‘Lights-On’ moment. For the next 23 nights, Sydney’s most iconic landmarks will be lit up in a symphony of colour and movement, attracting visitors from across the world. Vivid is a creative festival for a global audience and its popularity is evident in the 1.7 million visitors who attended last year’s festival.”

This year, Vivid Sydney will celebrate Australian Indigenous culture with the Songlines projection appearing on the sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House. The spectacular animation showcases the work of 6 renowned Indigenous artists: Karla Dickens, Djon Mundine OAM, Reko Rennie, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, Donny Woolagoodja and the late Gulumbu Yunipingu. Co-curated by Destination NSW and the Sydney Opera House, Songlines speaks directly to the spirituality and culture of Australia’s First Peoples, depicting the interconnected sharing systems and the trade routes that weave through time and distance, earth and sky.

With other major 3D projections appearing on the façade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and Customs House, Vivid Sydney showcases Sydney as a hub for the creative industries, with world-first technologies and design used to create the stunning spectacle of light.

Darling Harbour’s Laser-Dragon Water-Theatre features a world-first water-screen mounted on a 13 metre robotic arm floating high above 56 fountains. Laser-Dragon Water-Theatre show includes 4 video projected water-screens on which dancers will be projected moving to a music score created by The Presets. Visitors will be astonished by forty 20m-high vertical fountains, sixteen 25m-high moving fountains, twenty 15m-high flame jets and ten powerful lasers. In another world first at Darling Harbour, visitors will be able to scan and project their own face onto the water screen, through the use of Intel RealSense™ technology.

World-famous Sydney Harbour will be showcased to the world with the Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated by 1,640 lighting fixtures tubes, containing 72,000 individual LEDs, and 6,700 individuals LEDS in 140 Cans as part of the Dress Circle installation which allows visitors to literally control the colour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sydney Harbour Ferries will also be illuminated with up to 1,480m of LED tape to light up their journey across the Harbour.

Vivid Sydney stretches across the city with the Vivid Light Walk, starting at the Sydney Opera House, taking in the harbourside of the Royal Botanic Gardens celebrating its 200th anniversary, and following the waterfront to Walsh Bay. Illuminations and projections appear in Sydney’s Martin Place, Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum, and Vivid Sydney’s first indoor precinct at The Galeries in the city’s CBD. The precincts of Central Park and Chatswood have also become a vibrant nighttime playground, as well as Taronga Zoo where illuminated lanterns will represent critical species to celebrate the Zoo’s 100th anniversary.

Destination NSW CEO & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said “Vivid Sydney has again delivered remarkable technical and artistic world-firsts as part of Vivid Light. Our biggest ever Vivid Sydney program will deliver an impressive line-up of music acts from punk rockers to global superstars, up-and-coming homegrown talent, cabaret legends and more. This matched by a diverse program of social trend disrupters, including Jenji Kohan, Spike Jonze, Beau Willimon and Margaret Zhang, who appear as part of Vivid Ideas talks and forum series. Vivid Sydney 2016 is truly a celebration of innovation and creativity.”

To help visitors make the most of the biggest Vivid Sydney yet, Destination NSW offers some suggestions of the many festival highlights:

Light

1. Stomp your way around a pre-historic, Bio-kinetic city at Chatswood where you will find an amazing collection of installations and activities inspired by the animals of Gondwana.
2. Profess your love for your significant other, or hot date at I LOVE YOU, a giant illuminated heartshaped ‘love-o-meter’ that glows brighter the louder people say ‘I love you’ into the microphone.
3. Stroll through the Garden Of Light at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and visit Sentiment Cocoon, an interactive installation that visitors can touch that will express human emotion through light.
4. Be The Light For The Wild at Vivid Sydney’s wildest precinct, Taronga Zoo where visitors can make the interactive chameleon lantern change colour & watch the giant platypus lantern swim.
5. Take some time out along the Vivid Light Walk & lie down under the multi-sensory artwork, Osmose, where shards of light will wash over you.

Music

1. Catch a gig at Vivid LIVE with powerful, boundary pushing artists including New Order, Bon Iver & Anohni all performing exclusive Sydney shows at Sydney Opera House from 27 May.
2. Find your 80’s groove at the Enmore Theatre on 29 May as The Models, Machinations and Dave Mason from The Reels take to the stage.
3. Enjoy a festival-like afternoon of acoustic, electronic, improvised and composed music on 29 May from 3pm at the Sydney Conservatorium Of Music.
4. Jump around to Drapht, ALLDAY and Sydney’s own Spit Syndicate at Come Together festival at Sydney’s Luna Park on Saturday June 11.
5. Be amazed at Avant-Cabaret where Sydney’s finest, most flamboyant cabaret artists including Jeff Duff, Mikelangelo, and Zsa Zsa La Fine will perform at The Kings Cross Hotel.

Ideas

1. Get some inspiration and fashion advice from digital game-changer Margaret Zhang at Vivid Ideas on 28 May.
2. Meet the Persuaders at the Museum of Contemporary Art on 31 May. Hear from panelists Phillip Adams, Dee Madigan, Michelle Law, Tim Levinson and Yassmin Abdel-Magied who have used their good ideas to successfully influence others.
3. Celebrate all things handmade and meet local crafters, collectors, artisans and designers from etsy.com at the Etsy Sydney Made Market on 4 June.
4. Don’t miss the hugely popular Robowars showdown on 5 June. Robots big and small, built by hand from metal, power tools and remote-controlled toy parts will fight against each other in the ultimate test of man and machine.
5. Catch a film at the 63rd Sydney Film Festival from 8 June. Each year, the Festival brings the best new films from around the world to audiences with over 300 screenings.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the State Government’s tourism and major events agency. In 2015 it attracted 1.7 million visitors and delivered more than $63 million in visitor expenditure to the local economy.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Vivid Music, part of Vivid Sydney has announced international pop-icon Boy George will perform an exclusive disc jockey (DJ) set on the rooftop terrace of Darling Harbour’s Café Del Mar on 12 June.

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas & features 195 music events. This will be Boy George’s only DJ performance in Australia and limited to 500 tickets, available to purchase from ticketbooth, here.

Vivid Music curator, Stephen Ferris, said “Boy George is universally recognised as one of the world’s most iconic pop artists. It is exciting to add this internationally acclaimed artist to the diverse and comprehensive Vivid Music line-up.”

“The Vivid Music program continues to expand every year showcasing international music artists including Bjork and New Order, as well as local legends Archie Roach and Don Walker. It is a program that offers something for everyone from rock, pop and cabaret, to dance music, and hip hop and I encourage all visitors to get out to venues across the city over the next few weeks to experience these events.”

Boy George said “I’m so excited to be performing alongside these amazing Sydney light shows. I’ve seen the photography from across the globe so it’s going to be a special moment for me.”

The exclusive DJ set will be performed at Café del Mar which offers a perfect viewing spot to see Vivid Sydney overlooking Darling Harbour where guests can enjoy the Harbour installations whilst watching and dancing Boy George.

The Vivid Music program features music performances across 28 venues, with over 1300 hours of music for visitors to experience.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the State Government’s tourism and major events agency. In 2015 it attracted 1.7 million visitors and delivered more than $63 million in visitor expenditure to the local economy.

Event Details:

• What: Rodd Richards Presents & T1000 Events in conjunction with Vivid Sydney present An Intimate Afternoon With Boy George.
• When: Sunday, 12 June 12pm – 10pm
• Where: Café del Mar, Darling Harbour
• Support: Kate Monroe, Johnny Gleeson, Mark Dynamix & Husky Rodd Riches featuring Arnott Olssen
• Tickets: On sale midday Friday 27 May at www.ticketbooth.com.au.

Attendees can choose between General Admission, Vivid Dining Packages or get the entire VIP Experience.

6 artists to feature in the 1st Indigenous ‘Lighting Of The Sails’ at Vivid Sydney

Australia’s ancient songlines will weave across the sails of the Sydney Opera House from 6pm on 27 May as part of the first Indigenous Lighting Of The Sails at Vivid Sydney, in a spectacular animation co-curated by Destination NSW & the Sydney Opera House.

Songlines is inspired by the ancient dreaming tracks that weave across the landscape and skies, featuring the work of six renowned Indigenous artists: Karla Dickens, Djon Mundine OAM, Reko Rennie, Gabriella Possum, Donny Woolagoodja & the late Gulumbu Yunipingu.

Songlines Director & Sydney Opera House Head Of Indigenous Programming Rhoda Roberts says: “The songlines have been connecting Australian Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Songlines is a monumental work and an unprecedented opportunity for people around the world to really connect with the culture of Australia’s First People and glimpse the old trade routes that connected us all to country.”

“The songlines are a living map and an archive of our culture. These pieces of art bring an entirely new look to the Opera House – steeped in tradition but so contemporary and relevant today. I simply cannot wait to see it unveiled during Vivid Sydney.”

Vivid Sydney Creative Director Ignatius Jones says: “It is an honour to have these artists sharing such a profound cultural story of Australia’s Aboriginal people through Songlines at Vivid Sydney.”

“Each year Vivid Sydney showcases art and innovation, and cutting-edge animation has been utilised to bring the Songlines projection to life. By placing Songlines on our most significant cultural icon, we put Indigenous art at the heart of Australian culture and showcase this amazing story to visitors across the world.”

The music accompanying Songlines is composed and designed by Rhoda Roberts & Damien Robinson, the creative force behind Sydney’s Wicked Beat Sound System & features songmen Djakapurra Munyarryun and Cecil McLeod. The music explores the themes of salt water, fresh water, sky, wind and the desert.

That has a particular resonance on Bennelong Point, known to the Gadigal for thousands of years as Tubowgule, which means where the knowledge waters meet. Songlines honours Tubowgule’s rich history as a gathering place for community, ceremony, songs, storytelling and celebration.

Contemporary Indigenous visual artists from across the country interpret the songlines through distinctive symbols, patterning and imagery representative of the stories of their clans and groups.

Songlines has been animated for the Opera House sails by award-winning studio Artists In Motion. A tapestry of moving images tracing the songlines from the east, across the centre, to the north & to the west of the country will be projected in a breathtaking display.

Charged with being a meeting place for matters of local, national and international significance, the Sydney Opera House continues the traditions of its site on Bennelong Point through a year-round program celebrating the richness of First Nations culture through dance, music and talks events.

Songlines will run each night from 6pm to 11pm from 27 May to 18 June. Vivid LIVE, the Sydney Opera House’s annual contemporary music takeover, runs from 27 May to 13 June.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

With over 80 light installations to see, more than 170 creative ideas talks to be inspired by & eclectic music performances at over 22 venues across the city, there is no denying that experiencing Vivid Sydney will make you hungry. Thankfully, as Sydney lights up from the 27th of May to the 18th of June, food retailers have prepared a delicious offering of Vivid Sydney-inspired food & beverages that will satisfy visitors’ appetites all over the city.

New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Trade, Tourism & Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said “Vivid Sydney is set to once again delight visitors with some of Sydney’s hippest purveyors of food and beverage presenting a smorgasbord of Vivid-inspired treats that showcase our city’s world-class food and wine culture. With so much to choose from, foodies can even plan their own Vivid Sydney dining trail to ensure they’re not only experiencing the best light, music and ideas, but they’re also tasting the best cocktails, market food, and gelato. It’s the perfect addition for a night out at Vivid Sydney.”

Here are 14 of the many unique food and beverage experiences on offer at Vivid Sydney:

1. This year for the first time at Vivid Sydney, two Sydney based production powerhouses, Motti+Smith and Paper Moose have collaborated to bring Martin Place their very own 8 Bits+Bytes burger activation. Throughout the festival, 5 of Sydney’s best burger houses including Mary’s, Milk Bar by Café ish, Pub Life Kitchen, Bang Bang & Sammy’s Burger Bar will be making visitors burger dreams come true. Themed like the inside of a vintage arcade game, visitors will be able to vote for their favourite burger in an interactive burger battle which will be tallied in realtime on a digital score board.
2. For Vivid Sydney 2016, the ground-breaking Songlines will showcase ancient Aboriginal stories on the Sydney Opera House sails. In keeping with this year’s stunning Lighting Of The Sails, restaurants across the Opera House will celebrate Australia’s rich culinary heritage with uniquely local ingredients. Opera Bar will serve oyster shots enriched with Indigenous berries and herbs for vibrant colouring, with ‘bush tucker’, including fingerlimes, lemon myrtle & smoked macadamia nuts. Colourful cocktails, a GIF photo booth, projections and lights will add to the playful Vivid Sydney festival atmosphere.
3. Carriageworks are hosting a series of bespoke dining experiences called Sydney Table, created by Sydney’s leading forces in food and creative industries. At each dinner, 50 guests will be treated to an evening designed and prepared by some of Australia’s most exciting talents from the fields of food, music, art and design. The line-up includes Sam Miller from Silvereye & artist Lisa Madigan. For the full program & ticketing information, visit: http://www.vividsydney.com/event/music/sydney-table
4. Visitors can chow down in Chatswood ahead of previewing the vibrant WildLight – The Bio-Kinetic City installations. Throughout Vivid Sydney at Chatswood, the precinct will have market stalls in the Mall, food trucks on Anderson Street, and the new Asian inspired Hawker lane in Westfield Chatswood. At Chatswood Interchange visitors can enjoy a meal at Chatswood’s newest dining precinct, The District, open daily until 11pm. The Concourse, and Chatswood Chase will also offer food options galore with restaurants, desert bars, and coffee shops.
5. At the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, visitors can sit down, relax and unwind at Busby’s Bar for a Tyrrell’s Wine & a bite to eat as they take in the spectacular light installations and join in their 200th birthday celebrations. For those on the move, Busby’s Bites will offer a delicious range of food from gourmet cheese toasty’s, beef brisket or lamb shoulder rolls, to heart-warming soups. There are also sweet treats on offer with hot mini doughnuts and Liquid Lindt chocolate shots. Busby’s Bar is named after James Busby, who collected vine cuttings from Europe that were planted in the Garden in 1833 which were critical to the evolution of the Australian wine industry of today. Busby’s Bar & Busby’s Bites will be open from 6pm – 11pm every night during Vivid Sydney.
6. This year, The Galeries will bring Vivid Sydney indoors with impressive installations lighting up the centre. As visitors explore the dazzling Perspectives installation they can enjoy fine dining until 10pm at The ArtHouse Hotel, Graffiti Italian Ristorante, Lotus & Sushi Hotaru to name but a few.
7. At Westfield Sydney, the Enchanted Forest installation offers a perfect backdrop to diners on level 5 & 6 of the centre. The food court includes a variety of cusines such as delicious dumplings from Tim Ho Wan & Din Tai Fung with late night bites open to the public until 9pm from Thursday to Saturday.
8. 12 Squares at Central Park will have a pop-up bar located next to Chippendale Green offering the perfect spot for visitors to sit back with a drink & enjoy the impressive projections. The lower ground dining district offers an alfresco dining experience with soulful Asian comfort food from Ippudo, traditional fall off the bone ribs and indulgent burgers from Ribs & Burgers, all offering family friendly outlets that could feed an army.
9. Chef Peter Gilmore’s menu at Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House celebrates the abundant flavours and diversity of Australian produce, and no dish highlights this more than the locally sourced red claw yabbies from Mandandanji country in South West Queensland, served with lemon jam, cultured cream and buckwheat pikelets. The Bennelong Billy, an Aussie rum-based cocktail with river mint, quandong liqueur & strawberry gum served over crushed ice will also be on offer during Vivid Sydney.
10. Showcasing the very best producers and chefs from across Sydney and regional NSW, The Night Market at Carriageworks will be Sydney’s first large scale immersive contemporary food and wine event. Curated by Carriageworks Farmers Market Creative Director, Mike McEnearney, these markets on 4 June & 18 June will feature over 50 stallholders including Young Henry’s, Archie Rose Distillery, Icebergs, Porteno & Cornersmith to name but a few.
11. As the lights come on, the Eat Drink, Western Foyers heaters will turn up at the Sydney Opera House, ready to serve winter warmers featuring a selection of award-winning NSW wine & produce, carefully curated by Chef Lauren Murdoch. Visitors can sample Palmer’s Island mulloway with roast tomato sauce, saffron potato & rouille or for those on the go, a pop-up on the Forecourt will serve Lozzie’s Hot Dogs, jaffles, soup & other family-friendly food and drinks.
12. The team behind Tios & The Cliff Dive are back in a perfect haze with the hotly anticipated return of the Deep Purple Pool Hall pop-up bar at the Sydney Opera House. This hidden speak-easy is likened to a piece of Americana flotsam washed up on Sydney Harbour. Guests will follow the 8-ball up the western stairs to discover a unique bar, run by ARIA Catering. The venue is about juxtaposing high & low culture, bringing artisanal beer & wine from some of Australia’s smallest & best producers to the domain of opera & sparkling wine.
13. 1 burger is never enough, so Blackstar Pastry, Little Marionette & N2 Extreme Gelato have teamed up to create ice cream burgers in Martin Place. For those visitors not boarding the burger bandwagon, other on-site food offerings include Bar Pho & Sandweesh. Martin Place will host a pop-up bar on-site serving Young Henry’s Beer, 4 Pines Beer, Batlow Cider & James Estate Hunter Valley Wines.
14. Parked trucks with scrumptious foodie treats will line Hickson Road Reserve throughout Vivid Sydney serving meals from the likes of Happy As Larry, Urban Pasta & Agape Organic. The City Of Sydney Food Trucks will rotate throughout the festival & will offer everything from yum cha favourites to New York-style pastrami sandwiches, organic pizzas, soft tacos & gourmet bangers and burgers. The trucks are a great place to grab a quick meal to take with you as you stroll around the famous Light Walk.

Owned managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, Vivid Sydney is set to once again transform the city into a colourful canvas of light, music & ideas for 23 nights from the 27th of May to the 18th of June. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Visitors to the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas are being encouraged to download the new-look Vivid Sydney smartphone application to find their way around the stunning precincts & events featured in the 2016 program.

Minister For Trade, Tourism & Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said Vivid Sydney has an expanded footprint with new precincts & visitors can use the application to browse and discover all of Vivid Sydney’s light installations & music and ideas events.

“The 23-day festival, set to run from 27 May to 18 June, features more than 80 light installations, 1,500 hours of programmed music events and 170 creative events,” Mr Ayres said.

“This app is a fantastic way to interact with our biggest festival yet, with so many fantastic light installations and projections, music & ideas events. The app includes Vivid Trails, bringing Vivid Sydney to life with itineraries exploring different precincts, light walks & types of events.”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer Of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said the app will be a must-have addition for visitors keen to experience as much of Vivid Sydney as possible.

“The app features maps conveniently matching visitors’ current location with nearby installations and events, making moving around Vivid Sydney even easier,” Ms Chipchase said.

“Users can also save their favourite light installations, events and precincts and speakers with a My Vivid log-in feature. This year we are also very excited about the new precinct additions to Vivid Sydney, with the festival welcoming The Galeries, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney & Taronga Zoo giving visitors even more opportunities to experience this fantastic event.”

Visitors coming to Vivid Sydney are being encouraged to leave the car at home and use public transport, including 3,200 extra bus services and over 600 extra train services running in addition to the regular timetable services.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and runs from the 27th of May to the 18th of June.

The free Vivid Sydney app is now available on Google Play and iTunes stores. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Already a firm favourite on the winter calendar, Vivid Sydney has even more in store for families this year including the chance to walk with dinosaurs, a record number of light installations, new locations to explore & an additional 5 days to pack it all into.

With the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas set to run from the 27th of May to the 18th of June, Vivid Sydney organisers are encouraging families with children to visit early in the week & early in the evening to avoid late finishes for littlies.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said: “Vivid Sydney ticks all the right boxes for parents – it’s family-friendly, fun, and mostly free. With this year’s festival set to run for 23 days, families will have more time to take in the growing number of attractions and locations for this much loved event, and to visit more than once for the ultimate Vivid Sydney experience.”

Destination New South Wales (NSW) Chief Executive Officer & Vivid Sydney Executive Producer, Ms Sandra Chipchase said, “Vivid Sydney is magical for children of any age. We urge visiting and local families to come early and come often to enjoy the spectacle.”

Top tips for families to enjoy Vivid Sydney:

• Come early in the week – it’s quieter Monday to Wednesday; and busiest on Friday & Saturday.
• Arrive early in the evening – before the crowds grow & kids grow tired.
• Come back – don’t try & fit everything into 1 visit.
• Travel by public transport – leave the car at home and take advantage of extra bus, train and ferry services during the festival.
• Come prepared – plan your visits beforehand. Vivid Sydney precinct and accessibility maps including transport options and activities can be downloaded at vividsydney.com

The best family fun for all ages:

0-5 years

• Join the dinosaurs at WildLight – The BioKinetic City – Step off the bus or train at Chatswood and discover a world of digital dinosaurs featuring 3D animations of prehistoric creatures playing at The Concourse. Join in by taking control of mechanical dinosaur frames at the Exoskelton Encounter created by puppetry masters, Erth. Victoria Street, Chatswood
• Electric Jellyfish – Venture inside the spectacular dome and pluck, bounce or wobble electric light rings to create your own light and sound jellyfish – and watch it float across the surface. Museum Of Sydney
• Be The Light for the Wild – Taronga Zoo lights up with giant, interactive animal lanterns ranging from the magnificent Asian elephant to the brightly coloured Corroboree frog. Families can interact with the larger-than-life lanterns which change colour and make sound in spectacular fashion.
• Sydney’s Hidden Stories at Customs House – A blue-tongue lizard leads a journey through enchanted forests with witches, snakes, cockatoos, gnomes and gumnut fairies in an aweinspiring projection on the grand sandstone façade of Customs House. Customs House, Alfred Street, Circular Quay
• Cathedral Of Light – Take little ones on a mesmerising walk through a 70 metre long, eight metre high tunnel made from tens of thousands of LED lights in The Royal Botanic Gardens. Enter through Queen Elizabeth II Gates via the Opera House forecourt. Royal Botanic Gardens
• VIVID HOT TIP: Vivid Sydney at Chatswood and Taronga Zoo lights up at 5.30pm, so Vivid’s youngest visitors can get an early start (and finish).

6-10 years

• Spectrum – The kids can put their own creative stamp on this interactive light sculpture by tilting a line of multicoloured rods to form unique colour and pattern combinations. The Rocks
• Shadow Wall – Your shadow has never looked so bright! Watch your shadow come to life as a multicoloured silhouette as the interactive walls mirrors your movements. Circular Quay
• Dress Circle – The kids haven’t coloured in like this before. Add colour, light and patterns to the Circular Quay skyline using a 3D, touch-sensitive model – and see your creation light up Vivid Sydney in real time. Circular Quay
• IMPOSSIBLE Voyage – Take an interactive ride to strange and mysterious lands as one of Sydney’s oldest buildings is transformed into an imaginary vessel. Create a unique family journey as the light art responds to your movements, transporting you through changing landscapes. Cadman’s Cottage, The Rocks
• Silent Disco – Sshhh! The kids can burn off energy dancing to music that you don’t have to listen to! They simply pick up a set of headphones, select an audio channel and hit the dance floor with music only they can hear. Central Park (Friday and Saturday, 6pm – 9:30pm)
• VIVID HOT TIP: Take advantage of Vivid Sydney accommodation deals and stay near the action. Choosing a location near the city centre, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont or North Sydney will make it easy to visit multiple precincts – and give the kids easy access to other attractions during the day.

11+ years

• Laser-Dragon Water-Theatre – Big action for big kids. 4 video-projected water-screens, 56 fountains, 22 flame jets and 10 powerful lasers create awe-inspiring forms and effects including ferocious dragons and laughing clowns on the waterfront at Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour
• Sound Bubble – A huge, transparent, inflatable cube with an artificial brain senses when visitors approach and reacts by sending out colourful light patterns and sound effects. The bigger the crowd, the grander the display. Circular Quay
• U-Tube – Your family can leave a mark at this interactive sculpture, literally. You’ll form coloured shapes on the wall and leave an imprint by pushing your face, hands or whole body against the surface. Circular Quay
• Robowars returns – for one day only. Robots big and small and built by hand from metal, power tools and toy parts battle it out in an epic showdown on 5 June. Tickets are limited. Visit www.vividsydney.com for details. Circular Quay
• VIVID HOT TIP: Grab a front row seat to enjoy the spectacular Laser-Dragon Water-Theatre at Darling Harbour by dining at one of the restaurants along the promenade or get takeaway from the fresh food outlets/ food trucks & find a spot to watch the action on the water.

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, which for 23 days – from the 27th of May to the 18th of June 2016 – transforms the Harbour City with its colourful creative canvas. Now in its 8th year, Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations and projections (Vivid Light); music performances and collaborations (Vivid Music including Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House); and creative ideas, discussion and debate (Vivid Ideas), all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific.

For more information visit www.vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

For the 1st time as part of Vivid Sydney, the Kings Cross Hotel will host a diverse program of music, theatre and cabaret over 4 weeks including an eclectic, all-star line-up of disc jockeys (DJs) performing across 5 levels at a special one-off vertical music festival Welcome To Kings Cross, and an immersive theatrical journey titled Visiting Hours.

Vivid Music Curator, Stephen Ferris, said “This year’s Vivid Music program celebrates local musicians, artists and performers and spreads the Vivid Sydney footprint across the city. Kings Cross Hotel is an iconic venue in the heart of Sydney that will showcase the best of Sydney’s dance music, cutting edge DJs, cabaret and an incredible new theatre experience”.

“Inspired by internationally successful theatre program, New York’s Sleep No More, Visiting Hours will transform the hotel into a mysterious hospital with live performances happening around the audience over multiple floors.”

“The hotels intimate Red Room will also be home to Avant-Cabaret, a new offering to the Vivid Music program featuring invigorating and extravagant performances from cabaret stars including Jeff Duff, Betty Grumble, and Zsa Zsa La Fine, and directed by Terry Serio.”

Kings Cross Hotel owner, Elliot Solomon said, “Kings Cross Hotel has played a key role in the Sydney live music and nightlife scene over the years, and now being a core venue in Vivid Sydney is an exciting next step in the burgeoning arts and entertainment diversity that we are building at the Kings Cross Hotel.”

The Kings Cross Hotel’s Vivid Music Program includes the following events:

Welcome To Kings Cross | 28 May

For one night only, the Kings Cross Hotel is bringing together an all-star line-up of Sydney’s finest DJs, collaborators and crews for an eclectic, dancefloor-driven adventure through the city’s diverse and thriving late-night culture. Curated over 5 floors with over 20 DJs, Welcome To Kings Cross features a special 20 year reunion of Sydney’s legendary 90s party Sounds Of Seduction, a tropical beat-filled paradise from Le Fruit, and an immersive tribute to Kings Cross from Bad Deep. Across the venue will be sets from CC: DISCO!, Kato, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Stephen Ferris, Martin Novosel (Purple Sneakers), Adi Toohey and many more.

Vivid Au Go Go:

Visiting Hours | Wednesdays and Thursdays from June 1

After dark Kings Cross Hotel will transform into a surreal, immersive, theatrical time warp. Produced and directed by bAKEHOUSE Theatre, the hotel will become a mysterious old hospital with performances taking place around visitors in multiple floors and rooms with lighting by Richard Neville and Mandylights. Inspired by internationally successful immersive theatre programs like Sleep No More in New York, Visiting Hours is a unique new theatre experience for Sydney.

Avant-Cabaret | Friday and Saturday evenings 27 May – 18 June

Over 8 nights, a curated collection of Sydney’s cutting-edge cabaret luminaries will make visitors laugh, cry and raise the rafters with delight. A whole new chapter of Vivid Sydney will unfold in the intimate and ultra-plush velvet jungle of the Red Room. Performers include Jeff Duff, Cabaret Sasquatch, Betty Grumble, and Zsa Zsa La Fine among many more.

Twenty Years of Seduction with Jay Katz & Miss Death | Saturdays 28 May-18 June

In a special four-week run, The Sounds of Seduction returns to the intimate lounge environment of the Kings Cross Hotel Dive Bar. This is a chance for visitors to re-live the Lounge Revival – a rare, beloved, and uniquely Sydney craze.

For further details on the Vivid Music program at the Kings Cross Hotel visit www.vividsydney.com.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

With less than four weeks to go until the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney, illuminates the city, 141 artists from 23 countries are working to create more than 80 light installations and projections that will appear in more than eight Vivid Sydney precincts spread across Sydney.

In 2016, Vivid Sydney will host its longest program ever running for 23 nights from 27 May until 18 June. Last year more than 1.7 million guests attended Vivid Sydney including 112,000 international and domestic visitors. In 2015, Vivid Sydney generated $63.2 million in visitor spend for the NSW economy.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said, “With less than a month to go until Vivid Sydney begins, our city is gearing up for this year’s festival which will once again shine a light on Sydney as a hub for culture and innovation. The city’s hotels and major attractions are reporting strong bookings and are preparing to welcome visitors from across Australia and the world who will travel to Sydney to be a part of this incredible annual event. I encourage everyone to make plans for Vivid Sydney today, as there is so much on offer over the festival’s 23 nights.”

Destination NSW CEO and Vivid Sydney Executive Producer, Ms Sandra Chipchase agrees. “Vivid Sydney is simply too big to cover in just one night. It’s the combination of light, music and ideas that makes Vivid Sydney a completely unique experience. Visitors should plan to stay in Sydney and surrounds to enjoy a jam-packed schedule of daytime Ideas talks, seminars and forums combined with night time tours of the light installations and evening music performances,” she said.

Vivid Light will see the city illuminated into a dazzling playground of fun and free sights for all ages. New precincts at Taronga Zoo, The Galeries and the harbourside of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will join returning favourites at Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and the Australian Maritime Museum, Martin Place, Central Park and Chatswood.

According to Vivid Sydney Creative Director, Ignatius Jones, the next four weeks are a time of intense creativity and construction for light artists. He says “Vivid Sydney takes art off the walls and literally puts it on the street. You cannot underestimate the complexity of creating touchable, durable outdoor light art. Artists are working intensely, often developing new technologies to bring their vision to life.”

Over the next four weeks, Vivid Sydney’s artistic and technical teams will be busy preparing for the incredible lights-on moment at 6pm on Friday 27 May. Up to 1,480m of LED tape will be installed to light up Sydney Harbour Ferries as they journey across the Harbour.

Approximately 1600 LED tubes, containing 76,800 individual LEDs, and 140 High Output LED Cans will be laid so visitors can literally control the colour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as part of the Dress Circle installation at Circular Quay.

Light artists Ruth McDermott and Ben Baxter have exhibited at every Vivid Sydney since the festival began in 2009. In the coming weeks, they will be installing lighting by boat under Walsh Bay’s Piers 2/3 to bring to life the Underwater Forest, a light work that pays homage to the massive turpentine tree trunks which support the heritage pier.

Wunderkind designers, Thomas Martin and Sebastian Barkoczy, will be fitting thousands of clear light tubes to build U-Tube, a frame in which guests can imprint their palm or body. Martin and Barkoczy are well known for their popular Robtoanic installation which was a hit in Martin Place during Vivid Sydney 2015.

At the McGrath Foundation, almost 3,000 Australians have submitted images of those touched by breast cancer to create the inspirational McGrath Foundation Mosaic installation. Images will be projected on the AMP ‘Sydney Cove’ Building at Circular Quay to form a mosaic tribute to Jane McGrath who inspired a nation, and whose legacy via the McGrath Foundation continues to support families across Australia experiencing breast cancer through its McGrath Breast Care Nurses.

Artists Justinus Hartany, Sean Virili, Matthew Fungs and Jamie Bastiol are collecting 1,200 PET bottles to fill with 120 litres of tonic water. Quinine in the tonic will glow under UV light to create Tectonic, a playful installation suspended above visitor heads in Kendall Lane.

Mr Jones points out that these initiatives are just a small part of the overall efforts undertaken by artists to create the most original and exciting Vivid Sydney festival yet.

“Every year artists outdo themselves to create new art works, use new technologies and engage with audiences in new ways. Vivid Sydney is never the same, it is always evolving to provide fresh experiences to visitors annually,” he says.

Tickets to Vivid Sydney’s Vivid Music and Vivid Ideas events are also selling fast. Limited tickets remain for Vivid Ideas’ Game Changer talk series featuring filmmaker Spike Jonze, House Of Cards creator Beau Willimon, Orange Is The New Black creator Jenji Kohan & fashion creative director, Margaret Zhang while demand is high for Vivid Music events such as New Order and Anohni at the Sydney Opera House, the Models, Machinations & Dave Mason reunion event at the Enmore Theatre & the arts-meets-music dance party Curve Ball at Carriageworks.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations and projections (Vivid Light); music performances and collaborations (Vivid Music including Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House) & creative ideas, discussion and debate (Vivid Ideas), all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific.

For more information on travel packages, light installations, events & to make tour bookings, visit www.vividsydney.com/.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney