Tag: ‘Flagship’ Sydney Spectaculars

Introducing The ‘Sydney Spectaculars Society’

If you look at our Frontcover page, you may have seen that it is called Sydney Spectaculars Society.

We would now like to introduce it.

The Sydney Spectaculars Society will work to promote Sydney’s iconic events’ history & future through:

  • historical research,
  • historical conservation,
  • spectator representation,
  • event management education &
  • creative art education

Historical research will see the Society delve into historical records to bring to light the rich history of Sydney’s iconic events while historical conservation will see the Society preserve & restore historical artefacts related to Sydney’s iconic events.

Spectator representation will eventually see the Society represent you if you & others have a dispute regarding an event. Using as an example the rail strike threat to Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) last year (which wasn’t covered on our blog as it had not got serious enough to justify coverage). There was no formal body to represent event spectators at the Fair Work Commission. Only New South Wales (NSW) locals were represented via the NSW Government. As this didn’t include the international audience of Sydney NYE, this Society will eventually include international members, who we intend to help represent in any dispute they have with an event or its stakeholders. Due to the legal nature of this part of the Society, this feature won’t immediately be available. We want to ensure we have a sufficient number of members before exploring this feature in more detail.

Event management & creative art education will see the Society, as it states, offer education on the management of events & how to be creative, particularly in regards to events. Initially, this service will only be friendly advice, but we hope to expand to include formal credentials.

Membership is currently open for FREE, though in the future, as the Society expands, it is likely we will have to begin charging membership fees so get in while it is FREE!

Our initial membership tier is called Spectator & includes all Sydney Spectaculars. In the future, there will be other membership tiers based on specific events & different pricing levels and features.

Spectator will give you a digital pass, which can be put into your Google or Apple Wallet & allow you to attend monthly meetings of the Society, where you would have a right to vote. These would be held in Sydney except in March & September, when it will be in Shellharbour – the home of Airshows Downunder Shellharbour. Your concerns regarding Sydney’s iconic events will also be represented (but as stated above, this feature won’t initially be implemented).

While anyone can apply to become a member, applications will only be accepted from Australian residents aged 18 years & over. This is due to our hope to incorporate the Society, which due to NSW legal requirements, requires local people above that age to form the core of the incorporated association’s committee. We also hope to be eventually registered as a not-for-profit organisation. Once the initial committee is formed, they will decide whether or not the time is right to expand the current acceptance of membership applications.

So, without further ado, join the Sydney Spectaculars Society now!

Just click ‘Join’ on our Frontcover page & follow the prompts.

In the meantime, if you don’t want to become a member, we encourage a 65-cent donation, also through our Frontcover page.

‘Sydney Spectaculars’ Now On ‘Frontcover’!

Sydney Spectaculars is now on Frontcover!

After over a decade, our site has now reached the point where we need to earn revenue in order to provide further coverage of Sydney’s major events without losing existing popular content. Therefore, Sydney Spectaculars has joined Frontcover.

We want to still keep our content as free as possible but in order to do that, we need donations. Initially, we were going to request a donation of 5 cents per year per visitor but due to technology limitations, it will have to be a minimum donation of 65 Australian cents per year. Out of our annual site visitation, we estimate 9% of our visitors to end up contributing 65 Australian cents compared to 100% if it was just 5 cents per year.

To donate, head to our Frontcover page. Then, click ‘Support’, sign up to Frontcover & then follow the prompts to donate. You can donate any amount but it is a minimum of 65 cents regardless. We, unfortunately, cannot make it any lower. A processing fee rounds up the full cost to 1 Australian dollar. A tip to the Frontcover platform is completely optional.

We are initially raising funds in order to fund an expansion of our storage so we can continue to add imagery to our posts. Unfortunately, we have ran out of storage to continuing providing imagery on our posts even after deleting unnecessary existing media & keeping imagery to the minimum requirements in terms of pixels. This is why there have been no posts since March (though luckily, no super major news has broken in that time).

If we find we are not raising sufficient funds to cover this cost, we will have to remove old content in order to publish new content, at least in the short term.

If you donate more than 65 cents, contact us if you have a suggestion on where you want the extra funds to go.

In regards to Frontcover, you may have seen that our (rather empty) page is called Sydney Spectaculars Society. We have plans to expand in the very near future so sign up to Frontcover through our page & stay tuned!

…but for now, in the short term, 65 Australian cent donations are appreciated.

High Cost For Safety: No Drone Show For ‘Vivid Sydney’ 2025 – ‘Dream’

High costs have forced Vivid Sydney organisers to not hold a drone show at this year’s edition of the festival, themed Dream.

The high costs come from the increased need for public safety resources following last year’s near-crowd crushes of 94,000 people at the 1st of 3 drone shows, which has now resulted in New South Wales (NSW) Police & Transport For NSW raising concerns around the drone show format & its crowd management, which were shockingly to be the same measures/format as last year’s disastrous implementation. A quarter of a million people attended last year’s 1st drone show, over double the average daily attendance.

Another claimed reason is reports of drones falling from the sky during major events worldwide.

When Vivid first held a drone show in 2016, it took 6 years for the next one to be held.

The media launch of Vivid Sydney 2025 – Dream will be held next Wednesday.

Unfortunately, we have had to make the difficult decision not to proceed with drones this year.

The changes required to mitigate the safety risk at Vivid Sydney 2025 created a significant increase in cost.

We don’t want to tip all our money into those costs or into those measures.

In the broader context of rising costs for staging events, Destination NSW has decided this is not the best allocation of resources

What we prefer to do is have a really successful event for 2025.

Karen Jones, Acting Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer

Opinion

As far as Sydney Spectaculars is aware, only 1 drone has ever fallen at Vivid Sydney. A total of 10,500 drones have flown since the 1st drone show in 2016. Making it a 1 in 10,500 chance that a drone would fall at Vivid so very unlikely. While there have been significant malfunctions at other events globally including in Australia, these are rare. The drone shows are also held over Circular Quay with a launch from a barge in Campbell’s Cove. Drones are more likely to fall into the Quay then onto Campbell’s Cove crowds & if they did, Campbell’s Cove only needed to be sealed off. Drones may go wayward flying wherever they want but that is hard to predict to occur particularly as they are not programmed to do that. It is highly likely, in our opinion, that the real sole reason for the drone show’s non-appearance in 2025 is due to last year’s crowd crushes.

However, to add more drone shows to spread the crowd out (unlike last year, when they surprisingly reduced the amount of drone shows despite their popularity), probably is currently too expensive for the event. The most drone shows Vivid has ever held in 1 edition is 8. To make drone shows at Vivid Sydney safe, they need 35: 1 per night except on Friday, the weekends & the King’s Birthday public holiday, when 2 per night should be held. As drone show costs continue to decline, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they return eventually but this may not be for a generation (30 years) at the current rate of growth.

NSW Police & Transport For NSW effectively admitted their incompetence for last year’s edition by saying this year’s proposed drone shows, which were shockingly planned to be the same as last year just with a different theme, were unsafe when last year’s clearly were also & they didn’t say a word. We all saw the outcome of that.

A relaunch of Elevate Sydney, Sydney’s 1st annual drone show, which was axed in 2023 due to NSW Government cost cutting, should now be considered, though maybe held in a different time slot to increase crowds. It was previously held in the week after New Year’s Eve, when Sydney is still recovering from its big night & thus receiving low crowds. However, any relaunch needs to have attendance capped to 70,000 with the number of shows held proportional to the total interest in the drone shows to prevent the Vivid situation. As stated before, this is a minimum of 35 shows during the Vivid period. Unlike Elevate, Vivid‘s drone show crowds though were amplified by the dense crowds already attending Vivid on those nights, which the event was already infamous for.

‘Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race’ 2025 Entries To Open On 26th February As ‘Tales From The Rails’ Dinner Announced

Entries for the 2025 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race have been announced to open on the 26th of February this year – 4 months earlier than usual due to a crowded global yachting calendar – while a Tales From The Rails dinner will be held at the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia on the 20th of February.

The 2025 edition of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race will also celebrate its 80th anniversary.

Tales From The Rails

On the 20th February at 7pm at the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia (CYCA), will be the Tales From The Rails 3-hour 2-course dinner with drinks included. A panel of Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race 2024 sailors will be in attendance including:

  • George Adams Tattersall Cup winner, Celestial V70‘s sailing master, Jack Macartney,
  • Plum Crazy Trophy winner, Sean Langman, from Kismet,
  • Accomplished local navigator, Clare Costanzo, from Whisper &
  • Debut competitor, Emmanuella Noble, from Chancellor.

The dinner will be served alternately with the main meal either:

  • Barbeque beef short rib with hoisin glaze & shredded vegetable salad with sesame and wasabi dressing (dairy & gluten free)
  • Baked Ocean Trout with brown butter, capers & snow peas (gluten free)

& the dessert either:

  • Chocolate dome, caramel mousse, cocoa soil & freeze dried mandarin
  • Lemon meringue tart with cultured cream

Tickets for Tales From The Rails, which costs AUD$113.25 (CYCA member) or AUD$123.5 (non-member) can be purchased here.

CYCA Racing Calendar 2025/26

Meanwhile, the CYCA’s 2025/26 racing calendar has been confirmed:

The Trans-Tasman Yacht Race is a new race with a 3-day staggered start, organised in cooperation with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, beginning in Sydney & finishing in Auckland, New Zealand, via the North Island’s North Cape. The Australian Maxi Championship will, as usual, conclude with the Big Boat Challenge while the Blue Water Pointscore 2025/2026 will feature:

  • Sydney-Gold Coast Yacht Race (Saturday the 26th-Wednesday 30th of July 2025)
  • Flinders Islet Race (Saturday the 20th-Sunday the 21st of September 2025)
  • Tollgate Islands Race (Saturday the 17th-Monday the 20th of October 2025)
  • Bird Island Race (Saturday the 15th-Sunday the 16th of November 2025)
  • Cabbage Tree Island Race (Saturday the 5th of December-Monday the 7th of December 2025 – also part of Australian Maxi Championship)
  • Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race (Friday the 26th of December 2025 to Saturday the 3rd of January 2026)

All these races begin on Sydney Harbour.

More Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race 2025 Entry Details

With a packed yachting calendar this year, not just here in Oceania but globally, the early opening date for entries in the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race will allow international entrants to plan their logistics & ensure their yachts are in Sydney in time for the start on the 26th of December, Boxing Day.

On the 26th of February, entries will open & the Notice Of Race will be published with entries being made online via TopYacht.

Entries will close at 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Friday the 24th of October with paperwork & payment due at 5pm AEDT on Wednesday the 26th of November.

Boats with a primary launch date between 1987 & 1st July 2010 need to confirm via an American Bureau Of Shipping (ABS) Certificate or letter from the designer and builder that the proposed design and current build is to the ABS Guide For Building & Classing Offshore Yachts. Boats with an age or series date after the 1st of July 2010 need a World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations Plan Approval Certificate.

If a boat has an Offshore Racing Congress International (ORCi) Stability Index of 115 degrees minimum, the ORCi Certificate has to apply to any modifications made in the past 5 years & needs to be signed by the owner confirming all measurements are correct.

Other

Also, the Hobart Village Bar will return in 2025 with it being run by Dark Lab with suppliers, Devil’s Corner & Brown Brothers Family Winemakers. Each afternoon there will be a Happy Hour for competitors.

The Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race 2025 – its 80th anniversary – begins at 1pm AEDT on the 26th of December, Boxing Day.

All Tickets For ‘State Of Origin’ 2025 Now On Sale

Tickets are now on sale for all State Of Origin 2025 matches in both the men’s & women’s editions.

They went on sale at 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time today (6th of February), though the announcement wasn’t made until 1pm.

This follows tickets going on sale for Game 2 of this year’s men’s edition, being held in Perth, Western Australia, going on sale in November last year. Only limited tickets remain for that match.

Game 1 of this rugby league aeries, held under State Of Origin selection rules (i.e. the state you 1st played rugby league in), between Australian states Queensland & New South Wales, will be held at Lang Park in Brisbane, Queensland on Thursday the 1st of May for the women’s edition & Wednesday the 28th of May for the men’s edition.

Game 1 of Women’s State of Origin 2025 is being supported by the Queensland Government via Tourism & Events Queensland & Brisbane City Council via the Brisbane Economic & Development Agency.

Game 2 of the women’s edition will be held at Sydney Football Stadium on Thursday the 15th of May. Game 3 of the men’s edition will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Wednesday the 9th of July while for the women’s edition, it will be held at Hunter International Sports Centre, Newcastle on Thursday the 29th of May.

Tickets for the men’s edition, which start from AUD$49 for adults, AUD$39 for juniors (4-15) & AUD$139 for families, can be bought here. Tickets for the women’s edition start from AUD$19 for adults and AUD$39 for families & can be bought here.

Hospitality experiences for Game 3 of the men’s edition are still available & can be bought here having also been on sale since November last year, which is also when they also went on sale for all matches of Women’s State Of Origin & those are still all available and can be bought here.

State Of Origin 2025 begins at Lang Park, Brisbane, on Wednesday the 28th of May at 8:05pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Women’s State Of Origin 2025 begins at the same location at 7:45pm AEST on Thursday the 1st of May.

‘1st Responder Expo’ To Replace ‘Great Aussie BBQ’ In ‘Harbourfest’

A 1st Responder Expo is to replace the Great Aussie Barbeque (BBQ) as part of Australia Day In Sydney‘s Harbourfest.

After a lengthy absence, the return of The Great Aussie BBQ saw the multicultural diversity of Sydney come together at a sausage sizzle that let you taste test their interpretation of a sausage sanga (sandwich for international readers) among the others as well as the classical version (plus with onions).

Great Aussie BBQ
Photograph: Australia Day In Sydney

Lambda Sydney presented a Greek gyros-style version while Mr & Mrs Pho crafted an authentic Vietnamese version & the team from Turbans 4 Australia offered a Tandoori-inspired vegan version. The snags (sausages) were provided by Our Cow & each purchase resulted in a 100% donation to Rural Aid that helped NSW’s farmers. It was held from 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) whilst stocks lasted.

In the end, its return only lasted for that 1 edition last year. It is being replaced this year by a 1st Responders Expo to be held at Hickson Road Reserve, the location of last year’s Great Aussie BBQ, underneath the south-eastern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The timing is a bit different to its predecessor with the Expo beginning at 12pm AEDT & lasting 4 hours.

The event name, timing & location are the only confirmed details of the Expo based on an Accessibility & Inclusion Sensory Map but a few other details can be gathered based on earlier Australia Day In Sydney announcements.

At approximately 11:38am AEDT, the 4 ferries participating in Harbourfest‘s Ferrython will do a pre-race lap of Circular Quay. The 4 ferries are the May Gibbs, Catherine Hamlin, Bungaree & Pemulwuy, each decorated themed to its name.

Ferrython on the previous course
Photograph: Australia Day In Sydney

Onboard the ferries will be representatives of 4 emergency agencies, with 1 emergency agency per ferry to give the race more competition. The emergency agencies are:

  • New South Wales (NSW) Police (Pemulwuy)
  • Fire and Rescue NSW (Bungaree),
  • Ambulance NSW (Catherine Hamlin) &
  • the NSW State Emergency Service (May Gibbs).

It is likely these 4 emergency agencies will be represented at the Expo, the location of which is right beside the start line of the Ferrython: the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The actual race begins at 12:09pm AEDT, with the ferries heading out to Fort Denison in an anticlockwise direction before returning. They then repeat this path except instead of finishing at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, they will finish in-between 2 tugboats, the Engage Renegade & Engage Rascal, off the Sydney Opera House.

Ferrython Map
Image: Australia Day In Sydney

The Ferrython should conclude at around 12:22pm. The winning ferry will then do a lap of honour around Circular Quay, which should finish at approximately 12:29pm.

Engage Rascal
Photograph: Engage Marine
Engage Renegade
Photograph: Engage Marine

Other Harbourfest Entertainment

Harbourfest Logo
Image: Australia Day In Sydney

The Ferrython & 1st Responders Expo are a part of Harbourfest, which actually begins at 10:30am AEDT with the Mega Kidz Zone in the Arrivals Hall of the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Held in 45-minute sessions, the last session is held at 3pm. This is mainly an arcade with wheelchair basketball & a silent disco.

The main entertainment, the Salute, begins at 11:40am & concludes at 1:30pm. It begins with a smoking ceremony onboard the Wirwai. This vessel will enter Circular Quay at around 11:48am. At 11:56am, the Australian Army will then fire a 21-gun salute from Bradfield Park. At 12pm, the National Anthem will ring out in English & Eora across Circular Quay as jet-skiiers, each in alternate, holding the Australian National & Aboriginal Flags, circle it. The Anthem will conclude with the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes doing a 13-minute display overhead. The Salute then concludes with a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter flying a giant Australian National Flag underneath from the Northern Beaches at 12:30pm, up Sydney Harbour to west of the Sydney Opera House at 1:30pm.

Other Harbourfest entertainment includes:

  • Maritime Mayhem (12:05pm-12:25pm), a tugboat/jet-ski/flyboard show in Circular Quay.
  • the Parade (12:39pm-2pm), a decorated boat parade from Kirribilli, around past the eastern edge of Goat Island then the Opera House & Mrs Macquarie’s Point before finishing at Athol Bay.
  • the Tall Ships Race (1pm from Bradley’s Head to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, finishing at around 1:30pm) featuring the James Craig & Soren Larsen.
  • the Working Vessel Display from 2pm at Campbell’s Cove & the Overseas Passenger Terminal featuring cleaning vessels, the Soren Larsen & the 2 tugboats that acted as the Ferrython finish line.

Australia Day In Sydney‘s Harbourfest is held on the 26th of January between 10:30am & 4pm AEDT. The 1st Responders Expo is held between 12pm & 4pm while the Ferrython is held from 12:09pm, finishing at around 12:22pm.

James P. Simon To Design ‘Dawn Reflection’ In 2025, Artwork Named ‘River Life’

Australia Day In Sydney has revealed James P. Simon has designed this year’s Dawn Reflection projection in consultation with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council with a work titled River Life.

Born in Wellington, near Dubbo NSW, he belongs to the Wiradjuri – Biripi people & has painted all his life. He grew up around Newtown and Redfern in Sydney, where he has seen many changes over the last 50 years.

Although he completed a 6-month art course, James is largely self-taught continuing to develop his own distinctive style, which mainly involves oils. In 1987, he was awarded a grant from the Aboriginal Arts Council.

His work, which extensively features commissions, is found in many collections, which has been included in lots of exhibitions & publications. His favourite artists are Picasso, Tom Roberts, Salvador Dali & Albert Namatjira.

At the end of this article is a statement from James P. Simon about River Life.

Australia Day In Sydney‘s Dawn Reflection is held at 5:20am Australian Eastern Daylight Time on the 26th of January on the western sails of the Sydney Opera House.

For Aboriginal people, fishing anywhere on Country, whether it is on the ocean beaches or coastal estuaries or inland rivers & lakes, it has always been about more than simply collecting food. We have this connection to water, with spirit, culture, songlines, our dreaming.

Waterways also form tribal boundaries. Waterways are critical to the culture & wellbeing of Aboriginal communities. Water provides food, medicine, tools, kinship, connection, recreation, stories, songlines & healing. It can be deeply spiritual. A chance for people to connect with their ancestors.

Water is seen as a living entity with its own spirit & it is believed that we have a responsibility to protect and care for it. For our peoples, water is not just a commodity but a language, a community & a source of knowledge and law.

Our Country encompasses land, water, sea and sky & the connections between them. Cultural flows are essential for Our People to continue their spiritual relationship with Country.

James P. Simon, ‘Dawn Reflection’ 2025 – ‘River Life’ Artist

‘Australia Day Live!’ Concert Returns To Its’ Usual Finish Time Of 9:30PM

The Australia Day LIVE! concert has returned to its usual finish time of 9:30pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time according to the event’s website.

The main concert is a television event featuring musical performances of Australian songs from Australian artists. Held from the Southern Forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, the concert is coordinated with fireworks from Circular Quay, city buildings & the Sydney Opera House, the latter also featuring projection mapping while the Sydney Harbour Bridge hosts a light show. Aquatic entertainment & sometimes aerial displays feature around Circular Quay as well, which is rounded out by pre-recorded television packages and live interviews that fill in the remainder of the time of the concert. Sometimes extra performances from other Circular Quay foreshore locations are also held.

While free tickets for the seated area are now sold out, you can still sign up to the waitlist. There is also a competition that closes at 5pm today (16th of January). Also, access to the rest of Circular Quay is not ticketed on the evening so you can watch the fireworks & other aquatic entertainment from there with its capacity of 55,000!

The news comes after Australia Day In Sydney held their media launch yesterday revealing SHEPPARD, Paulini, William Barton, Emma Pask, Ben Lee, James Morrison, Dragon, the New South Wales (NSW) Public Schools Choir, Clarissa Spata & Sync Or Swim will star in a “revitalised” concert with a new stage & the introduction of a focus on dance, which Burn The Floor will provide with their reinvention of ballroom dancing.

Other musicians to feature include Junkyard Beats, Véronique Serret, Cameron Leon, Rruwan Maymuru, Djakapurra Munyarryun, Australian Guitar Quartet, Cianna & Olivia, David Pritchard Blunt (musical director) & the Australian Pops Orchestra while other dancers to feature include Sundowners & Burrundi Dance Theatre For Performing Arts.

Australia Day LIVE! 2025 will be held at 7:30pm AEDT on the 26th of January, televised on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television & iView.

Australia Day LIVE! “Revitalised” With New Stage & Dance Focus As Concert Artists Announced For 2025

SHEPPARD, Paulini, William Barton, Emma Pask, Ben Lee, James Morrison, Dragon, the New South Wales (NSW) Public Schools Choir, Burn The Floor, Clarissa Spata & Sync Or Swim will star in a “revitalised” Australia Day LIVE! concert in 2025 on the Southern Forecourt of the Sydney Opera House with a new stage & the introduction of a focus on dance.

Sync Or Swim are a rock band created through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television (ABC TV) series, Headliners, whose members all having a lived experience of disability. Clarissa Spata is a soprano while Burn The Floor are dancers who have reinvented ballroom dancing globally & their performance will mark the introduction of dance as a new focus of the concert, which previously focused solely on music, apart from the Circular Quay activities. This is part of why the concert has been “revitalised”. The other reason is because a new innovative stage design will be introduced.

The NSW Public Schools Choir will perform from the Monumental Steps.

It was also announced the concert will, once again, be hosted by Australia Day In Sydney creative director, John Foreman with Jeremy Fernandez & for the 1st time, ABC Classic Breakfast host, Megan Burslem.

Other musicians to feature include Junkyard Beats, Véronique Serret, Cameron Leon, Rruwan Maymuru, Djakapurra Munyarryun, Australian Guitar Quartet, Cianna & Olivia, David Pritchard Blunt (musical director) & the Australian Pops Orchestra while other dancers to feature include Sundowners & Burrundi Dance Theatre For Performing Arts.

Free tickets for Australia Day LIVE! are available here from 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time, today (Wednesday the 15th of January). They are expected to sell out quickly as the capacity is just in the thousands.

If you miss out on a ticket, you can still watch the fireworks, projections, lights, aerial & on-water action from Circular Quay, with its capacity of 55,000.

For those who are unable to make it to Circular Quay, Australia Day LIVE! will be broadcast live on ABC TV & iView from 7:30pm.

Meanwhile, during Harbourfest‘s Ferrython, representatives from NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, Ambulance NSW & the NSW State Emergency Service will this year be onboard the 4 ferries, probably an emergency agency per ferry for extra competition!

Free tickets for Ferrython are available here from 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time, today (Wednesday the 15th of January). They are expected to sell out quickly as the capacity is just in the thousands.

Australia Day In Sydney is held on the 26th of January.

Sydney locals & visitors want to spend Australia Day in a way that’s meaningful to them. This program allows them to do just that. The other great thing about this program is that it’s all free so families dealing with the cost-of-living crisis can have a fun & meaningful day out without blowing the budget.

John Graham, NSW Tourism & Jobs Minister

A deep respect for Aboriginal culture is infused into everything that we undertake as part of our programming for Australia Day In Sydney & we’re committed to continually evolving the program to ensure it is appropriate, respectful and reflects modern Australia.

Yvonne Weldon, Australia Day Council Of NSW Chair

The line-up this year is the best yet featuring iconic Australian band Dragon, Ben Lee, Paulini & SHEPPARD. We look forward to seeing Circular Quay & the Sydney Opera House forecourt come alive with tens of thousands joining together, sharing the cultural landscape, enjoying this unforgettable Australia Day LIVE concert & epic fireworks display.

William Barton, ‘Australia Day LIVE!’ Co-Creative Director

‘Vivid Sydney’ 2025 – ‘Dream’ Local Business Program Applications Now Open!

Since the 2nd of December 2024, applications have been open for Vivid Sydney 2025 – Dream‘s local business program!

There are 3 tiers:

  1. Business showcase
  2. Lights On Sydney Harbour
  3. Light Up My Building

Tier 1 is only open to businesses that operate between 6pm & 11pm & that operate within this area:

Vivid Sydney Local Business Program Tier 1 Area
Image: Vivid Sydney

Lights On Sydney Harbour sees a maximum of 40 cruise businesses (priority given to ones who operate on more Vivid nights), at their own cost, install a shoe-box sized 4th generation (4G) modem powered with a standard Australian mains connection & good 4G reception securely on their vessel. A reputable and qualified lighting supplier is then procured & financed to develop & deliver an external vessel static wash lighting treatment up to 160LBG pixels utilising RGB or RGBW colour mixing, whose design is approved by Vivid Sydney & who then provide the professional installation of a lighting controller box.

Light Up My Building sees businesses illuminating their prominent buildings at their own cost, using free lighting controllers provided by Destination New South Wales.

If successful, Vivid Sydney will, to their audience promote your business, which will receive access to Vivid Sydney Local Business Program assets including a digital toolkit & professionally installed A2 window decals (150 Tier 1 businesses max) & 1 metre diameter height adjustable (max 1.8 metres) transparent round pre-programmed light emitting diode screen (60 Tier 1 businesses max), the power of which is supplied by the business. The decals & screen will be given preference to businesses on or near the Vivid Light Walk with suitable windows & prominent, highly visible screen installation locations respectively.

Businesses can only apply for 1 tier. An information webinar will be held in February with application evaluations being made from March.

Applications can be made here until 5pm AEST on Friday the 11th of April 2025. All applicants will be notified of their application outcome by the next working week. Being successful in an application for a food business does not mean you are part of Vivid Food. Expressions of interest to be part of Vivid Food closed on the 27th of September last year.

Vivid Sydney 2025 – Dream is to be held between Friday the 23rd of May & Saturday the 14th of June.