Sydney burst into breathtakingly brilliant colour as the lights were switched on for the 10th anniversary of Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music, and ideas. Having started on 25 May, Australia’s largest event will transform the city into a colourful showcase of illumination, sensational sounds and creative thinking for the next 23 days.
This year the lights will shine bright each night at nine precincts across Sydney including Barangaroo, Chatswood, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Kings Cross, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Taronga Zoo and for the first time, Luna Park.
The ‘Lights On’ moment, marking the start of the festival, saw all eyes turn to the world-famous Sydney Opera House for the Lighting of the Sails, created this year by award-winning Australian artist, Jonathan Zawada, and featuring fantastical digital sculptures of everyday objects and natural specimens that evolve, dissolve, and metamorphose.
The festival is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. In 2017 Vivid Sydney had attracted over 2.33 million attendees and injected over $143 million into NSW’s visitor economy.
New South Wales (NSW) Premier, Gladys Berejiklian said, “It’s always such a great feeling to see the city light up in a spectacular symphony of colour and movement, and we can’t wait to see all the moments that will excite and delight visitors who are coming to enjoy Vivid Sydney’s 10th anniversary celebrations over the next 23 days and nights.”
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said Vivid Sydney was an opportunity to showcase not only Sydney, but the entire State. “Vivid Sydney is more than just a captivating light, music and ideas festival – it drives our economy, attracting hundreds of thousands of overnight visitors to our State,” Marshall added.
The will place a spotlight on Sydney and reinforces its position as the home of light, creativity, cutting-edge music, engaging conversations as well as the exchange of new ideas.
Creative Director for Vivid Sydney, Ignatius Jones said, “Vivid Sydney is all about art meeting technology and throwing in a little magic on top of it all to entertain visitors. This year the creative visions of local and international artists have been brought to life as large-scale and interactive installations and projections that transform iconic buildings, landmarks and landscapes; from the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, to the natural canvases at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Darling Harbour. We invite everyone to join our colourful celebration of creativity and community.”
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