Tag: Lighting Of The Sails

Vivid Sydney 2015: Biggest Ever Program Announced

Expansion into city suburbs Chatswood and Central Park

Over 60 Lighting Installations and Projections

Expanded Music Program and Australian exclusives including The Hoodoo Gurus and Daniel Johns

Award-winning, Australian-first global speakers at Vivid Ideas

Vivid Sydney is set to shine even more brightly in 2015 when the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas delivers its biggest program yet. For 18 nights, from 22 May – 8 June, Vivid Sydney will again transform the city and harbour.The 2015 program includes expansion into new city precincts Chatswood and Central Park, its biggest ever music program including Australian exclusives such as The Hoodoo Gurus at the Powerhouse Museum and Daniel Johns’ international solo debut at the Sydney Opera House, and heavy-hitting speakers at Vivid Ideas.

Vivid Sydney, now in its seventh year, is owned and managed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said: “Vivid Sydney is an incredible public event that has seen amazing growth, attracting a record 1.43 million attendees in 2014. It’s the largest festival of its kind in the world, and with our biggest program yet, there’s even more to love about Vivid Sydney this year.

“While the heart of Vivid Light is still beating strongly in and around Circular Quay, Vivid Sydney is spreading even further into the city suburbs, with Central Park and Chatswood joining the program this year,” Ms Chipchase said.

“Favourite locations Circular Quay, Walsh Bay, Martin Place, and Darling Harbour are back with over 60 light installations and projections with even more opportunity for visitors to get hands on, more water theatre shows – this time with lasers and fire – and new and expanded programming at Pyrmont & The Star and the University of Sydney. The sandstone canvases of Customs House and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) will also return with spectacular new 3D projections.

“With all eyes on the Sydney Opera House, Lighting Of The Sails will once again take its place as the centrepiece of the amazing light spectacular during Vivid Sydney, with Universal Everything promising awe-inspiring projections that will reimagine the architecture as a living mural, with a diverse series of vibrant, hand-drawn sequences.

“Vivid Music will introduce its most expansive program yet, featuring more shows and venues and an impressive line-up of local and international talent,” she said.

The Hoodoo Gurus will perform an exclusive one-off show at the Powerhouse Museum and a new line up of cutting edge, innovative performances will be held across the city at new venues Goodgod Small Club, Oxford Art Factory and Freda’s, with the Seymour Centre, The Basement, The Argyle and Barrio Cellar part of the line-up again in 2015.

Part of the Vivid Music program, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House features a 10-night run of exclusive Sydney-only performances and for the first time will also include two large scale outdoor events, internal light projections and an event for kids and families. Features include four exclusive performances from Morrissey, Daniel Johns in his international solo debut, Sufjan Stevens in his only Australian performances and FCX – 10 Years of Future Classics featuring Flume and Flight Facilities. With a line-up of heavy-hitting speakers, Vivid Ideas introduces The Game Changers, a new talk series this year headlined by three global influencers: multi Emmy-winning writer Matthew Weiner, series creator and executive producer of Mad Men and former executive producer and writer on The Sopranos; Grammy-winning designer Stefan Sagmeister, whose clients include the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and the Guggenheim Museum; and entrepreneur and publisher Tyler Brûlé, founder of the world-famous magazines Wallpaper and Monocle.

“With such an amazing festival planned, Destination NSW will continue to work with the travel industry to encourage visitation to Sydney from across Australia and the globe for this incredible event. We aim to build on the results from last year when more than 20,000 international visitors travelled to Sydney on dedicated Vivid Sydney travel packages,” Ms Chipchase said.

“Vivid Sydney will also work with event partners, land owners and a new accessibility specialist to build on the positive initiatives undertaken last year.

“A new sustainability partnership with The Banksia Foundation will also further develop Vivid Sydney’s sustainability agenda which includes recycling assets, environmental waste management practises and improved energy efficiency,” she said.

Vivid Sydney welcomes the return of Intel, a world-leader in computing technology, as event partner for the fifth consecutive year. 2015 Supporters include Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, City of Sydney, Sydney Opera house, The Star, Canon, Indeed, 32 Hundred Lighting, Oracle and TDC.

Some of the highlights of Vivid Sydney 2015 program:

Where What When
Sydney Opera House Design collective Universal Everything will be Lighting the Sails with spectacular projections. Nightly from 6pm
Customs House Enchanted Sydney by Spinifex, a continually evolving and blossoming world with free-flowing images of Sydney’s flora and fauna. Nightly from 6pm
MCA (sandstone original building) Mechanised Colour Assemblage by Danny Rose and Rebecca Baumann transforms the MCA into a series of sound and colour machines. Nightly from 6pm
Sydney Harbour, Circular Quay, The Rocks and Walsh Bay Harbour Lights returns with boats lit up, floating on the Harbour in a symphony of colour, Paint the Town allows visitors to illuminate the city’s skyscrapers, plus more than 60 light installations adorn the harbour foreshore. Nightly from 6pm
Martin Place The daytime centre of the city is illuminated at night with installations including Transcendence, an impressive towering structure featuring mesmerising projection mapping, code-driven light shows and divine fare from Sydney’s hippest purveyors of food and beverage. Nightly from 6pm
Darling Harbour Vivid Laser-Fountain Water Theatre presented by Oracle-Liquid is a choreographed audio visual symphony featuring fountain jets and spirals, colour lighting, rainbow lasers and dancing flames. Nightly from 6pm
Central Park STREETS AHEAD featuring projections from contemporary artists Reko Rennie and Beastman onto the heritage Carlton & United Brewery façade, plus Silent Discos every Friday and Saturday. Nightly from 6pm
University Of Sydney Vivid Path to the Future, a week long program of light, music and ideas with spectacular 3D mapped projections and a light walk. 25-31 May
Pyrmont & The Star Vivid Sydney Game Zone, a buzzing multisensory entertainment precinct with interactive installations at Pyrmont Bay Park and Sky Terrace at The Star. Nightly from 6pm
Chatswood Aquatic Wonderland, a mesmerising water world featuring giant sea creatures and an animated aquarium, culminating in a beautifully-illustrated 3D animation set over the façade of The Concourse. Nightly from 6pm to 11pm
Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House Morrissey, Daniel Johns, Sufjan Stevens and FCX – 10 Years of Future Classic featuring Flume and Flight Facilities. 22 May to 8 June
Vivid Music Hoodoo Gurus at Powerhouse Museum, Modulations at Carriageworks, the Seymour Centre and new venues Oxford Art Factory, Freda’s and Goodgod Small Club. 22 May to 8 June
Vivid Ideas The Game Changers talk series with Matthew Weiner, Stefan Sagmeister and Tyler Brûlé, plus the Vivid Ideas Exchange sessions at the MCA. 22 May to 8 June

For more information on Vivid Sydney, visit www.vividsydney.com.

30 Days Until Vivid Sydney 2014 Lights Up The Dark Winter Nights

The one-month countdown has begun, with only 30 days to go before the Lighting of the Sails marks the opening of Sydney’s spectacular winter festival, Vivid Sydney. Australian Event of the Year in 2013, this year’s Vivid is set to astound audiences once again, with the largest program of light, music and ideas the Harbour City has ever seen.

“In just under a month, the sails of the Opera House will be splashed with colour, and the harbour foreshore and surrounds crisscrossed with breathtaking 3D-mapped projections for this signature event in the NSW Events Calendar,” said Sandra Chipchase, Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer.

“In 2013 hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers from here and overseas flocked to Sydney for the award winning Vivid Sydney, marvelling at our city in lights and snapping up over 51,000 tickets for an impressive program which included concerts, creative product launches, conferences and exhibitions.”

“This year’s Vivid program will be even more impressive, with exciting new light installations, an expanded line up of contemporary and cutting edge music, and world renowned creative industries events celebrating innovation, creativity and community,” she said.

Owned and managed by Destination NSW, Vivid Sydney enthralled more than 800,000 visitors in 2013, generating more than $20 million in new money to the NSW economy. With even more lighting installations in new locations, an expanded musical line-up and 300 speakers at 200 creative events, this year’s Vivid will be by far, the biggest in the festival’s six year history.

VIVID LIGHT

Martin Place will hit the lights for the first time this year, featuring new installations with a number of impressive technical innovations, transforming the bustling thoroughfare into a gallery of light like no other. Darling Harbour will again sparkle brightly with water shows spanning two thirds of Cockle Bay, doubling the size of the 2013 Harbour spectacular. French company, Aquatique’s, water show draws upon water jets, fountains and laser displays to paint a creative canvas of beauty and movement on the water.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be the largest and most spectacular ‘coat-hanger’ on earth, and the water below will sparkle with Harbour Lights, as vessels and ferries light up to join in the fun. Sandstone will shine like never before on the facades of Customs House and the MCA, and more than 50 light installations will enthral along the Vivid Light Walk.

VIVID MUSIC

A favourite feature during Vivid Sydney, music fans will again be spoilt for choice with an expanded Vivid Music line-up in even more venues around the city including the Sydney Opera House (with Vivid Live), Seymour Centre, The Basement, Spice Cellar, Home Night Club, The Argyle, as well as the  brand new event Modulations at Carriageworks (6-9 June), curated by Stephen Pavlovic.

Across it’s venues, Vivid Music including Vivid LIVE will feature performances from a wide range of artists including ACO and The Presets, Anna Calvi, Giorgio Moroder, Halfway Crooks, Hot Chip, James Vincent McMorrow, Laneous & The Family Yah, Ms Lauryn Hill, Ngariie, Penny Penny, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies, The Big Village, The Liars, The Luis and The Wildfires and St. Vincent.

VIVID IDEAS

Sydney’s annual celebration of innovation, creativity and community, Vivid Ideas, includes a world renowned program of conferences, workshops, panels, talks, showcases, exhibitions, creative product launches, award presentations and networking functions. Vivid Ideas has quickly become a globally recognised platform for the best and brightest creative minds from Australia and overseas to connect, collaborate and create, and this year’s Vivid Ideas will include 15 signature events and 12 keynote talks showcasing the best creative talent in the market.

Vivid Sydney’s Creative Director, Ignatius Jones says, “Each year the excitement and enthusiasm generated by Vivid Sydney drives us to reach new heights and explore new creative avenues, and developing Vivid Sydney 2014 has been no different. With new precincts, installations, buildings and ideas, this year’s Vivid will be by far the biggest I have been involved in and I cannot wait to see the Harbour City up in lights.”

Fans of Vivid Sydney looking to attend the 18 day festival are encouraged to travel via public transport to avoid congestion on the road.

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

 

‘Vivid LIVE’ program a sound line-up

Vivid LIVE, the centrepiece music program of Vivid Sydney, is set to tune music lovers in everywhere, with the full program line-up revealed yesterday. Contemporary, cutting edge and influential acts will grace the stages of the Sydney Opera House from 23 May to 1 June as part of Vivid Sydney, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas.

This year’s Vivid LIVE line-up features world renowned performers such as indie-rock band Pixies and Ms. Lauryn Hill, as well as Sydney Opera House debutants St. Vincent and Anna Calvi. There are also exciting performances by disco legend Giorgio Moroder in his Australian debut, James Vincent McMorrow, and Sydney’s Goodgod Small Club who is presenting South African Penny Penny, as well as many more.

 

“With the combination of creativity and inspirational artists across light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney is a unique and very special festival that provides opportunities not only for local Australian talent, but global talent to be part of this exciting event,” said Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner.

“Vivid LIVE 2014 is set to wow audiences once again with music genres including indie-rock, hip-hop, electronic, disco, folk, pop and classical. The performances are all special and unique.”

“Of course The Sails of the Sydney Opera House will again captivate the visitors to Vivid Sydney, as they did to over 800,000 people last year, ensuring the festival gives a boost to retail stores, hotels and restaurants over the winter period,” Mr Stoner said.

Last year over 800,000 visitors contributed more than $20 million in new money to the NSW economy during Vivid Sydney 2013, and 40,000 tickets were sold for Vivid LIVE.

The Lighting Of The Sails of the Sydney Opera House, a much loved 3D projection spectacle, is on from 6pm until midnight every night during Vivid Sydney (23 May – 9 June). The sails are this year being designed by award-winning creative agency 59 Productions, whose recent inspiring work has included the Games of the XXXth Olympiad: London 2012 – Opening Ceremony.

Tickets to Vivid LIVE are on sale to the general public on Monday 31 March at 9am at sydneyoperahouse.com/vividLIVE.

The Vivid LIVE 2014 program includes:

The Lighting Of The Sails: 59 PRODUCTIONS

Pixies

Red Bull Music Academy presents ‘The Music of Moroder – The Heritage Orchestra’

Red Bull Music Academy presents ‘Giorgio Moroder In Conversation’

‘Timeline’ – Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring The Presets

Ms. Lauryn Hill

St. Vincent

James Vincent McMorrow

Anna Calvi

Nils Frahm

Kate Miller-Heidke

‘Since I Left You – A Celebration Of The Avalanches’ with Jonti & The Astral Kids

Goodgod Tin Pan Alley

Red Bull Music Academy presents ‘The Giorgio Moroder Studio Party’

Astral People

R.I.P Society 5TH Birthday – 10 Band Revue

Siberian Nights

Future Classic

About Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House

From 23 May – 1 June, Sydney Opera House will welcome some of the most ambitious and innovative local and international artists for Vivid LIVE – a ten-day celebration of music on the nation’s most famous stages – as part of Vivid Sydney, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas.

Vivid LIVE invites the world’s leading artists, creative collectives, promoters and digital animators to raise the roof of Sydney Opera House’s theatres, rehearsal spaces, recording studios and most famously, its iconic sails, which are transformed into a unique canvas each year for Vivid Sydney.

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House, 23 May to 1 June. For more information visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com/vividlive

About Vivid Sydney 2014

Vivid Sydney is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, which for 18 days – from 23 May to 9 June 2014 – transforms the Harbour City with its colourful creative canvas. Now in its sixth year, and owned and managed 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. Vivid Sydney, 23 May to 9 June: For more information visit www.vividsydney.com

A Bigger, Brighter ‘Vivid Sydney’ For 2014

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

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

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

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

VIVID LIGHT

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIVID MUSIC

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

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

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

VIVID IDEAS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some of the highlights for Vivid Sydney 2014:

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

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

‘Vivid Sydney’ Draws Record Crowds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vivid Sydney 2013 Highlights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vivid Sydney’s Illuminating Quick Facts

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

*package sales over the Vivid period generated via JTG