When is Vivid Sydney 2025 and what to expect

Vivid Sydney is back for the 15th year and it’s not one to miss. Whether you’re a newcomer or explored Vivid Sydney many times, you’ll find this makes for an incredible few evenings out with friends, partner and family. Explore Vivid Sydney and its thought-provoking, eye-catching and culture-rich line-up comes alive with Light, Music, Ideas and Food.

Lighting up five vibrant zones, Vivid Sydney spans across Circular Quay & The Rocks, Barangaroo, Martin Place & CBD, Darling Harbour , The Goods Line & Inner City. Each area offers something unique, from dazzling installations to immersive experiences.

Our tip: Don't try to see it all in one night! This year, each precinct is filled with even more things to see, eat and watch. So be sure to spread the magic over multiple evenings to fully enjoy each area without the rush.

Get ready to take notes because we’ve made planning your trips easier with a list of must-sees for each precinct.

Home to Sydney’s most iconic landmarks, you can expect to see the icons lit up once again.

Head to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Customs House to witness some incredible light projections. Each projection celebrates colour artistry with meaningful storytelling behind each building’s exhibition. This year, the theme is Vivid Sydney Dream. Don't worry foodies, you haven’t been forgotten – you can find intimate fine dining experiences offered by Vivid Food including Dance of Dreams with Danielle Alvarez at the Yallamundi Rooms at Sydney Opera House and Dream Mist at Botanic House.

Best way to explore?

We recommend strolling from the South East pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge across to the Sydney Opera House or hop on a Vivid Sydney cruise to take it in for a front row panoramic view of the vibrant city.

A cultural and buzzing corporate hub, Barangaroo is where storytelling and interactive technology will merge. What can you expect to see and hear? We’re glad you asked.

There’ll be plenty interactive light exhibitions with 9 activations that will put you in awe. There’s ‘SomniUs’, that shimmers into waves of light and sound as you walk, as well as ‘Bon(d)fire’ which calls you to share your stories into a microphone to shape an ever-evolving bonfire flicker display. And on Wednesdays from 6:30pm, come by ‘Firetalk’, a free viewing which honours how First Nations cultures share stories by the fire.. And these are just the highlights.

Best way to explore?

Grab dinner and drinks in Barangaroo – there's an incredible range of cuisines to suit the flavour you’re craving. Walk along the foreshore to catch these activations, you’ll be sure to be captivated by the stories and interaction.

Darling Harbour is a favourite amongst families and it’s bigger this year with a spectacle of sound, light, and interactivity.

Free LIVE music is back in Tumbalong ParkBoogie along to performances from your favourite local and internation artists. For those with little ones, each Saturday is Vivid Kids takes over Tumbalong park from 5pm, so expect to sing, dance and play along to free family-friendly shows.

After catching the performances, stroll around Darling Harbour to see some stunning spectacles. Sit on the ‘Cloud Swing’, which bursts into colour the moment it moves responding to your momentum. Or play in the ‘Kickit Team Tennis’, with a collaborative and colourful game of pure fun with the opposing team at Darling Quarter Village Green. There’s plenty more to spot as you walk – so carve out a night to experience the lively Darling Harbour.

Best way to explore?

Grab a bite in Chinatown or Darling Square, before roaming the sights of Darling Harbour. Be sure to check the performance schedule ahead of in order to plan your visit around seeing your favourite artists. Or head on a Vivid Sydney cruise to see the highlights.

Sydney’s creative underground comes more alive at The Goods Line, where hidden spaces and urban landscapes become centre stage for creativity, fire and light. Experience mesmerising installations, gather around glowing fire sculptures, and explore experimental performances.

Vivid Fire Kitchen is returning in 2025 with a theme of Fire & Spice, giving you a taste of the best BBQ across cultures and delectable feeds from the fire. After grabbing a bite, be sure to catch glimpses of the installations surrounding including ‘Eye of the Beholder’, looking down on you from the Frank Gehry windows. Or walk into the tunnel of glowing galaxy stars, which make a spectacle for the eye and for the social feed.

Best way to explore?

Come with a hungry belly so you can enjoy bites from the stalls. as you walk around seeing the installations along The Goods Line, making it the perfect way to wind down the night.

For the first time since 2018, Vivid Sydney lights up Martin Place and CBD once again, igniting the bustling city with some incredible light activations. There will be ‘Flowers’ Power’ offering an enormous and surreal garden of light, surrounded by 9 large shimmering flowers and the ‘Chasing Dreams Tunnel’, which is a walk that’ll dynamically respond to your movements through the passage. Just to name a few of them.

Best way to explore?

After exploring Darling Harbour or cruising about, be sure to walk down to Martin Place & CBD to admire the light installations, performances and dining experiences.