After two years of quietness, Sydney is once again set to light up this Friday with the return of the Vivid Sydney festival. With more than 200 events, spanning across more than 13 regions in the city, the event is set to be one of the biggest of its kind, since its inception back in 2009. A range of events are on the cards but in the end the festival is all about the vivid lights that give colour and glow to the night canvas of the city. Here are a few must-see attractions to cross off your festival checklist.
The Lighting of The Sails
If there’s a number one spot on this list, it would go to the cultural epicentre of the city, the Sydney Opera House. Thousands will flock to the harbour to get a glimpse of this mesmerising spectacle, which gets embellished with indigenous art work for this year. The Vivid Sydney Cruise, like every year, will serve as the best vantage point to view the lights, especially if you're not a fan of huge crowds. The Opera House with its depiction of ‘Yarrkalpa – The Hunting Ground’ will be one of the, if not, the showstoppers of the festival and on the cruises, you get front-row access to view them! The sails of the Opera House, the illuminated Harbour Bridge , along with glimpses of The Rocks, Circular Quay, Luna Park and more will be an absolute treat to the eyes. Adding to this, you can enjoy mouth-watering dishes and sparkling drinks onboard the Vivid Harbour Cruise, making it an ideal option for a fun family night out.
Vivid House
In this festival first, get ready for a multi-sensory experience across three installations. This immersive experience will walk you through a series of 3D visual experiences mapped onto the LED walls and blanketed by an all encompassing sound system. The Floating World is a scenic escape that culminates as a collaborative effort of musicians and visual artists. A 15-min loop of sonic paintings that evokes the imaginary interests of the audience! Progressium is yet another sonic and visual immersion where tiny dots appear from the dark and ultimately becomes one with the soundtrack. And finally as a homage to Sydney’s dance party scenes, the Temple of Joy seeks to revive the culture that took a battering during the lockdowns. Experience all three for the complete audio-visual escapade!
Light Walk
Vivid Sydney 2022 has many specialities and surprises in store for us including the longest Light Walk in the festival history. Extending from the Circular Quay and the Opera House to Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour and Central Station, this lit-up walk will stretch for more than 8kms. The Light Walk will undoubtedly be on the star-attractions in 2022, as it lets you enjoy views of some of the top attractions of the festival and acts as a guide for first-time visitors to explore the best of the events. The walk will also feature over 200 LED sculptured birds of varied species that act as a guide throughout.
Sydney Infinity
With the harbour likely to take the centre stage like every year, it is only fitting that some of the biggest attractions of the festival be located here. Oracle Liquid, a well-known visual and special effects company is setting the stage for what will be the biggest liquid and light show ever witnessed in the whole of Australia. Light and Water join forces to create a stunning visual treat– an infinity floating installation featuring water canons, robotic fountains and laser lights– which will be synced to perfect soundtracks from Peewee Ferris. It will be a massive-scale event which can be experienced from different parts of the city.
