New home for Vivid Sydney's culinary showpiece

 The Vivid Sydney festival is about more than art and colour.

Food lovers are also catered for at Vivid Fire Kitchen, now in a new waterfront home in Barangaroo Reserve.

The culinary showpiece is being positioned as one of the centrepieces of Vivid Sydney 2026 with over 60 culinary voices and two new focal points, The Vivid Fire Pit and the Food for Thought stage.

Running every night of Vivid Sydney from May 22 to June 13 from 6-11pm, the free entry Vivid Fire Kitchen is being promoted as "a vibrant, casual dining hub inspired by the great Aussie backyard".

Highlights will include open-fire cooking demonstrations, talks, tastings and live music.

Vivid Sydney festival director Brett Sheehy promises: “Vivid Fire Kitchen has been reimagined for 2026 as a place you can return to again and again and have a different experience each night.

"Moving to Barangaroo Reserve and expanding the program has allowed us to bring together more voices, more ideas and more ways for audiences to engage with food - from open‑fire cooking and talks to tastings, music and light.

"With rotating chefs, themed nights and new stages, no two evenings are the same, and that sense of discovery is at the heart of what Vivid Sydney is about.”

The Vivid Fire Pit line-up features culinary heavyweights and rising stars including Mark Best, David Moyle, and Mark La Brooy.

Mark Best, executive chef of Infinity by Mark Best and featured Vivid Fire Pit chef on Saturday, May 30, says: “The Fire Pit is an opportunity to explore why cooking over flame is so special - it's elemental, expressive and deeply connected to place. Fire strips cooking back to its essentials and opens space for instinct, memory and collaboration."

The Food for Thought stage will focus on culture, creativity, sustainability and the future of food, brining together chefs, authors, restaurateurs, celebrity cooks and digital storytellers.

Featured Food for Thought panel hosts and guest chefs include Luke Mangan, Mike Bennie, Gary Walsh, Julie Goodwin, Adriano Zumbo and Emelia Jackson.

See https://www.vividsydney.com/vivid-fire-kitchen

Vivid shines a light on Sydney's beauty

The lights and action of Vivid Festival provide a major boost to visitation to Sydney over the cooler months.

Running from Friday, May 22, to Saturday, June 13, the 23‑day program brings together creativity to Australia's largest city across Vivid Light, Vivid Music, Vivid Minds and Vivid Food.

More than 80% of the festival remains free, including the entire Vivid Light Walk, an unbroken 6.5‑kilometre journey featuring over 43 installations and projections created by local and international artists.

The Vivid Light Walk stretches along Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour, with additional venues in and around the CBD hosting Vivid Music, Vivid Food and Vivid Minds events. 

This year, Vivid Sydney will feature collaborations for a series of events with Biennale Sydney, as well as cultural institutions, venues and arts companies such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Australian National Maritime Museum, City Recital Hall, The Mint, Carriageworks, State Library of NSW, Sydney Opera House and more.

New South Wales Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said Vivid Sydney will be bigger and better than ever before. Well he would, wouldn't he? 

“No other city in the world can host Vivid, because no other city in the world has what Sydney has to offer," said the offensively cocky sounding Kamper. 

"Vivid Sydney 2026 will redefine how we experience our city, delivering a bigger and bolder event program that will come to life both day and night."

Festival director Brett Sheehy says: “For 2026 we are expanding our program into new artforms including aerial performance, daytime public art, theatre and dance. 

"These join our vast Vivid Minds, Light, Music and Food offerings to now make your Vivid Sydney one of the great comprehensive arts festivals of the world."

Stay tuned for a special announcement of a Vivid Sydney first, an outdoor performance on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt over the June long weekend.

At the heart of the new Regional Dinner Series is A Shared Table with Yotam Ottolenghi, where the world‑renowned chef will bring together ingredients and flavours from across the state. 

Tickets for Vivid Sydney are on sale now. For more information and for a full list of events, go to vividsydney.com 

Inside the mind of Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart, one of the world's great self promoters, has been unveiled as a special guest for Sydney's Vivid festival.

Stewart was an influencer before the term even existed, and the American will join Vivid Sydney for an exclusive, one-off "In Conversation" event.

She will reflect on her career, the evolution of her personal brand and the changing face of food, design and home life.

She will also share "candid insights" into her most memorable moments in popular culture - although possibly not her stint in jail for insider trading - and what it really takes to stay relevant for over four decades.

“I have made some wonderful memories traveling to Australia over the years, so I am thrilled to return for Vivid Sydney," she said in a media release.

"The conversation will be fun and honest, covering many aspects of my life and career. I’m always looking for inspiration when I travel so I’m excited to see what Sydney has to offer.”

In Conversation with Martha Stewart will take place at International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney on Wednesday, May 28.

The first self-made female billionaire, Martha Stewart is an Emmy Award-winning television host, and best-selling writer of 101 books.

From her first book, Entertaining, published in 1982, Martha Stewart has remained a household name around the world. No easy feat.

Vivid Sydney festival director Gill Minervini says: “Vivid Sydney is unrivalled in its ability to offer exclusive, unmissable, and one-of-a-kind events to visitors.

"It’s incredibly exciting to welcome one of the most revered and fascinating minds to Sydney. We could not think of a better figure that encapsulates this year’s theme of Dream more than Martha Stewart.”

Image: Destination NSW 

Vivid: Celebrating humanity at a time of peak inhumanity

Vivid Sydney, the southern hemisphere's largest multi-artform festival, has unveiled its program for 2024.

Among the highlights: 40km-long laser beams to be projected from the city's tallest structure, Sydney Tower and 2023 Archibald Prize winner Julia Julia Gutman to transform Sydney Opera House for .Lighting The Sails.

Vivid Fire Kitchen returns in a brand-new space, Budjerah, Mos Def and Air will headline Vivid Music and, bizarrely, there will be an exploration of sex work in Australia's notorious red-light district of Kings Cross.

The run from May 24 to June 15, the festival runs over 23 nights exploring the theme of 'Humanity' through Light, Music, Ideas and Food.

There will be light installations and 3D projections from Circular Quay to The Goods Line; genre-spanning music performances and creative showcases; a Vivid Ideas program and the popular Vivid Food program.

John Graham, Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy (hell of a job title John) said: “Vivid Sydney is an important event every year that Sydneysiders and visitors alike have come to love.

"It's not just a light show, it's a celebration of light, music, ideas and food - a program full of rich cultural experiences that resonate with locals and visitors alike.

“Vivid Sydney brings together important parts of Sydney's culture - Light, Music, Ideas and Food. It celebrates what's great and unique about our city, and our state and creates a uniquely Sydney experience. That's why it's been so popular over so many years.

“This year's festival will have a variety of free and cost-effective events on offer to provide many opportunities for people to come together and celebrate."

In 2023 the vent drew over 3.48 million attendees generating more than $206 million in visitor expenditure.

Vivid Sydney festival director Gill Minervini said this year's festival looks at how creativity fuels our interconnected world.

“Humanity is at the core of everything we do [duh], and this year Vivid Sydney is diving deep into what makes us uniquely human,” Minervini said.

“We have curated a diverse program that explores the human spirit, designed to foster connections, spark imagination and showcase the multitude of ways creativity enriches our lives. Everyone is invited to be part of this global event in the world's most beautiful city to connect, create and celebrate.”

Staged across Sydney, Vivid Sydney festival locations and venues include Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, State Library of New South Wales, Walsh Bay, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, University of Technology Sydney, The Goods Line, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Carriageworks.

Tickets are now on sale. For more info see vividsydney.com.

Shining a light on Sydney's attractions

The festival that changes the face of Sydney, Vivid Sydney, returns to shine many lights on the city from May 26-June 17.

The free Light Walk will this year be an 8.5km adventure with 60 light attractions including Dark Spectrum, a completely new experience opening up Wynyard Station's secret tunnels to the public for the very first time.

The festival's Music, Ideas and inaugural Food programs range from Hollywood duo Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge to an all-star tribute night to Archie Roach plus one-off culinary experiences like the Vivid Sydney Dinner, a multi-sensory feast with a menu from Danielle Alvarez and Ben Greeno.

You can check out the full program to start planning.

And pre-planning is definitely needed with Sydney hotels and eateries promising to be packed during the event.

Vivid Sydney, which started on a much smaller scale in 2009, is an annual festival of light, music and ideas that includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections. performances by local and international musicians, and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates with leading creative thinkers.

The centrepiece is light sculptures, multimedia works and building projections that transform various buildings and landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Image: Destination NSW 

Let there be light: Vivid Sydney returns

Vivid Sydney, one of the most colourful festivals in Australia, returns in 2022 with what is promised as "a fusion of creativity, innovation and technology".

To be staged over 23 nights, the winter festival will feature art displays, 3D light projections and live music performances from May 27 to June 18.

The festival will span the streets, parks, venues, and buildings of Sydney and is set to boast the longest continuous Light Walk, which will stretch continuously for 8km, linking the Sydney Opera House to Central Station with 47 installations and projections.

“After a two-year hiatus I am delighted to launch the 100-day countdown for Vivid Sydney 2022, which will be a fantastic celebration of a return to life,” said NSW state minister for tourism Stuart Ayres.

“The 2022 program will be the biggest and brightest yet, with many festival-firsts, providing even more reasons for Sydneysiders and visitors from around the country - and all over the world - to immerse themselves in our city at its creative best.

“Vivid Sydney makes a vital social and economic contribution during winter. From our creative industries to entertainment and hospitality venues, accommodation and retailers, it supports the entire ecosystem of the NSW visitor economy.”

 


Designed by Sydney artist Elliott Routledge, who is also featured in the 2022 festival program, the Countdown Clocks will be located outside Sydney's Queen Victoria Building at Town Hall and Gateway Plaza, Circular Quay.

A virtual version will also feature on vividsydney.com.

Festival Director Gill Minervini, who will direct her first Vivid Sydney in 2022, said this year's program captures the essence of Sydney's soul, and what makes the city so unique.

“Vivid Sydney tells the compelling story of Sydney's creativity and innovation, shared with a distinctive narrative that resonates around the world," she said

"We are innately drawn to Sydney's urban landscape as a unique canvas, bringing us together to celebrate, reflect and immerse ourselves in this charismatic, surprising and intriguing city.

“This year Vivid Sydney will deliver fresh experiences for festival-goers. We are proud to have such an impressive collection of Sydney's most prolific and world-renowned artists involved in the 2022 program. 

This includes the work of artist Ken Done, delivering the Customs House projection with For Sydney With Love; and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran's multi-limbed avatar Earth Deities, featuring animated fire and electricity.”

Vivid Sydney 2022 will energise the Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Goods Line and Central Station, as well as city structures including such as Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, MCA and Customs House.