Vivid Sydney
Sydney's winter festival of light, music, minds and food: how the free Light Walk works, where the paid shows are, and which harbour precinct to sleep in.
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Vivid Sydney in short
Vivid Sydney runs for 23 nights and days, from Friday 28 May to Saturday 19 June 2027, across Sydney Harbour. In 2026 more than 80 percent of the program was free, including the 6.5 km Vivid Light Walk, which started at 6pm each night. Paid shows sit under Vivid LIVE and the talks program. Destination NSW announces the 2027 program, so the details below follow the 2026 pattern.
What happens when
- Fri 28 May
- Vivid Sydney 2027 begins and runs for 23 nights and days.
- Nightly from 6pm
- In 2026 the Light Walk started at 6pm. The Cockle Bay laser show ran hourly from 6pm to 11pm.
- Sun to Wed nights
- In 2026 the Star-Bound drone show ran at Cockle Bay on Sunday to Wednesday nights.
- Daytime
- A day program of art installations, talks and performances was added in 2026.
- Sat 19 Jun
- Final night.
Where Vivid Sydney happens
Where to see the lights
- The main walk
Vivid Light Walk
A free 6.5 km trail of 43 light projections and installations between Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour.
Free, 2026 figures
- Drones and lasers
Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour
The free Laser Lightfall ran nightly and the Star-Bound drone shows ran on Sunday to Wednesday nights in 2026.
2026 pattern
- Live music
Tumbalong Park
Tumbalong Nights, free live music, ran all 23 nights in 2026.
Free
- Food
Vivid Fire Kitchen, Barangaroo Reserve
A free-entry food precinct on the Stargazer Lawn. It sold more than 250,000 dishes and drinks in 2026.
Free entry, pay for food
The Vivid Sydney guide
The festival
Vivid Sydney runs from Friday 28 May to Saturday 19 June 2027, 23 nights and days, according to the NSW Government's events listing. Destination NSW owns, manages and produces it. The NSW listing describes it as an annual festival of Light, Music, Minds and Food and gives its address as Bennelong Point, the Sydney Opera House headland. The 2027 program is announced by Destination NSW. The 2026 edition, which ran 22 May to 13 June, shows the shape of it.
In 2026 the festival ran in the day as well as at night for the first time, with daytime art installations, talks and performances. It staged 217 events and 2,253 sessions at 89 locations. Festival director Brett Sheehy said visitors went to an average of 4.5 locations and spent about three hours per visit, which is a useful guide to how much of the festival one evening covers.
The Light Walk
Vivid Light Walk
The Light Walk is a 6.5 km continuous trail of 43 light projections and installations. In 2026 it ran from Circular Quay and The Rocks through Barangaroo to Darling Harbour, and you can join it at either end. It was free and pram accessible, and it started at 6pm nightly. More than 90 artists from 14 countries made the work, and designs by more than 500 people were projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge and 22 buildings.
Walk it end to end if you have the evening, or take one precinct.
Free and paid
More than 80 percent of the 2026 program was free. That covered the Light Walk, Tumbalong Nights (23 nights of live music at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour), the Vivid Fire Kitchen and a nightly laser show. The Laser Lightfall at Cockle Bay ran hourly from 6pm to 11pm, and the Star-Bound drone show ran on Sunday to Wednesday nights, with 22 shows across the festival.
Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour
The Laser Lightfall was a free, nightly outdoor show in 2026.
Paid shows sit mainly under Vivid LIVE, which sold nearly 40,000 tickets in 2026, and the talks program, Vivid Minds. Speakers in 2026 included Chloé Zhao. At Carriageworks, more than 30,000 tickets were booked. The Wonderverse show for children aged 4 to 10 at the Australian National Maritime Museum was ticketed.
The Vivid Fire Kitchen moved in 2026 to the Stargazer Lawn at Barangaroo Reserve. Entry was free; you paid for the food, and it sold more than 250,000 dishes and drinks from 17 vendors.
- Concerts and talks with a fixed seat
- Nearly 40,000 Vivid LIVE tickets sold in 2026, so book early
- Prices are set per show once the 2027 program is out
Where to sleep
The festival sits on three harbour precincts, and the Light Walk links them. Circular Quay and The Rocks is the start, a short distance from Bennelong Point and the Opera House. Barangaroo is the middle, next to the Fire Kitchen. Darling Harbour is the far end, with Cockle Bay and Tumbalong Park.
See Sydney for the wider city.
- Walk to the Light Walk start and the Opera House
- Strong guest score, 8.7/10 from 2,638 reviews
Most visitors from abroad need an authority or visa to enter Australia; the options are in Australia ETA and eVisitor.
Where to stay for Vivid Sydney
Tours and tickets
Partner options we would book ourselves.
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Right now in Sydney
Local time, today's weather and the exchange rate, refreshed through the day.
19
- Feels like
- 18°
- Humidity
- 91%
- Wind
- 16 km/h
- Chance of rain
- 97%
Sydney
07:06 AM
Tuesday, November 3
- Today26°18°97%Tuesday: Thunderstorms. High 26°, Low 18°. Chance of rain 97%.
- Wed22°17°53%Wednesday: Drizzle. High 22°, Low 17°. Chance of rain 53%.
- Thu20°15°22%Thursday: Drizzle. High 20°, Low 15°. Chance of rain 22%.
- Fri22°13°2%Friday: Cloudy. High 22°, Low 13°. Chance of rain 2%.
- Sat25°14°78%Saturday: Rain. High 25°, Low 14°. Chance of rain 78%.
- Sun16°11°51%Sunday: Drizzle. High 16°, Low 11°. Chance of rain 51%.
Updated 05:15 AM local time · Powered by WeatherAPI.com · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com
Vivid Sydney FAQ
When is Vivid Sydney 2027?
From Friday 28 May to Saturday 19 June 2027, 23 nights and days, according to the NSW Government's events listing. Destination NSW owns and produces the festival.
Is Vivid Sydney free?
Mostly. In 2026 more than 80 percent of the program was free, including 100 percent of the Vivid Light Walk, Tumbalong Nights and the Vivid Fire Kitchen. Vivid LIVE concerts and some talks and family shows are ticketed.
How long is the Light Walk?
In 2026 it was 6.5 km, from Circular Quay and The Rocks through Barangaroo to Darling Harbour, with 43 installations. It started at 6pm nightly and was pram accessible.
How long do visitors spend there?
In 2026 the festival director said visitors went to an average of 4.5 locations and spent about three hours per visit.
What are the Vivid strands?
Light, Music, Minds and Food. Vivid Minds is the talks program; in 2026 it included filmmaker Chloé Zhao. Vivid Food includes dinners and the Fire Kitchen.