Vivid Sydney 2026 Kicks Off With 200 Events Across 23 Nights

Sydney’s harbour and CBD have been transformed into an open-air canvas of light, sound and colour as Vivid Sydney returns for its 16th year.

The festival, which runs to Saturday 13 June, features more than 200 events spanning four pillars – Light, Minds, Music and Food – with more than 80 per cent of programming free to attend.

In a departure from previous years, the festival has dropped the requirement for artists and creators to work within a single unifying theme. Festival Director, Brett Sheehy, AO described the shift as a return to basics.

“This year marks the start of an exciting evolution of Vivid Sydney. We’ve expanded the program across all pillars and have opened up the brief for artists and removed the creative limitations of needing to centre around one key theme,” Sheehy explained.

“We’ve gone back to the core of what Vivid Sydney is all about which is tapping into creativity, and through this, there’s this incredible platform to showcase leading Australian talent as well as a chance to bring legendary international talent to the Sydney landscape too.”

A condensed light walk and returning drone show

The Light program features a condensed 6.5km walk taking in 43 installations, projections and large-scale public artworks.

UK artist, Chris Levine, is presenting the festival’s tallest artwork, Molecule of Light, while French artist Yann Nguema’s Opera Mundi takes over the Sydney Opera House sails for the annual Lighting of the Sails.

The drone show returns to Vivid Sydney this year in the form of Star Bound, sponsored by IREN, with 22 performances set to play out over Cockle Bay. Laser Lightfall will also deliver free laser light shows over Darling Harbour each night.

The festival’s Connected City initiative has been rebranded as Your Connected City, displaying lighting combinations submitted by more than 400 applicants from across Australia and internationally on 24 landmark buildings and locations.

First Nations-inspired artworks also feature prominently, including Brian Robinson’s Mythical Mashup projection on the Australian National Maritime Museum rooftop, an on-water LED installation called Floating Realm and Darrell Sibosado’s Manawan.

Minds program expands into daytime

Vivid Minds, formerly known as Ideas, has expanded this year with daytime programming and the addition of live performances alongside its established lineup of panel discussions and conversations.

The Creative Trailblazers series brings filmmaker Chloe Zhao, director Sean Baker, Apple Music host Zane Lowe, writer Roxane Gay and art critic Jerry Saltz to Sydney for exclusive talks about their creative processes.

A new Midweek Minds series introduces sessions built around themes that define contemporary creativity.

On the Sydney Opera House forecourt, a free nightly performance called Cristal Palace will run over the June long weekend, featuring aerial performers and musicians performing around a large-scale chandelier installation.

Patch Theatre’s interactive light experience Wonderverse will also run family-friendly sessions across the duration of the festival.

Music lineup spans local and international acts

The Music program draws on a mix of Australian and international talent across multiple venues.

Tumbalong Nights will host free performances spotlighting diaspora communities and First Nations artists, with acts including Matt Corby, Mallrat, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Gut Health, Seun Kuti & Egypt80, SHAUN and The Congos.

Oxford Art Factory will showcase UK R&B artist RUBII and NYC-based Chanel Beads. Metro Theatre hosts Xaviersobasesd and Clara La San, while City Recital Hall will feature Soft Centre, UK rapper and poet Kae Tempest and Daniel Avery.

Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House includes Mitski, Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson & Yasiin Bey and DJ and composer Jeff Mills.

Carriageworks will stage performances by Lil’ Kim, Awesome Black Block Party, Sydney’s Alison Wonderland and Grammy Award-winner Ella Mai.

Food program grows in its fourth year

Vivid Food is in its fourth year and has grown in scope.

Yotam Ottolenghi headlines the Regional Dinner Series with both a dinner and lunch event built around NSW produce. The series also pairs regional culinary talent with Sydney restaurants, including The Tweed with Ben Devlin and Lennox Hastie, Southern Highlands with Stephen Santucci and Scott McComas-Williams, and Riverina with Luke Piccolo and Giovanni Pilu.

Vivid Fire Kitchen has relocated to Stargazer Lawn in Barangaroo Reserve, featuring two focal points – the Fire Pit and the Food for Thought Stage, presented by Dine Out with Uber Eats – with more than 60 culinary figures across the program.

In a festival first, The International will host a food and wine party called Cult & Classic, featuring more than 30 winemakers and importers from across NSW alongside DJ sets.

Other food events include An Evening at Parliament House, the immersive Dream Feast experience, Aster’s The Golden Age dinner overlooking the harbour and A Taste of HQ: Street Eats Edition, which takes over Surry Hills with a free alfresco festival of live music, pop-up bars and street food.

Government backs expanded program

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper, pointed to the festival as a drawcard for both locals and visitors.

“The Minns Labor Government is proud to deliver a bold new creative direction in 2026 – an immersive, accessible program spanning 23 nights, with more than 80 per cent of events free to attend,” Kamper stated.

“From the iconic Light Walk and the festival’s biggest-ever drone show to world-class music, food and cultural conversations, this year’s program gives locals and visitors more reasons than ever to experience Sydney in completely new ways.”

Sheehy added that the festival would encourage visitors to explore beyond the traditional Light Walk route.

“Visitors can expect a more immersive and interactive experience that will encourage them to explore new locations, unexpected installations and spend more time enjoying the festival – both after dark and during the day,” he outlined.

Partners return alongside new sponsors

Kia and Samsung Electronics Australia return as Major Partners for 2026. Kia, in its fifth consecutive year, will display Kia Refraction in Bligh & Barney Reserve, while Samsung will present an interactive sculptural installation called Sky Portal Studio in First Fleet Park for its fifth year as a partner.

IREN joins as a Major Partner, sponsoring the Star-Bound drone show.

Lilly Australia comes on board as an Official Partner, presenting a Vivid Minds panel titled A New Horizon of Health to mark its 150th anniversary. Uber also joins as an Official Partner with pickup and dropoff zones across the footprint.

The festival’s Charity Partner for 2026 is Foodbank NSW & ACT, which will host an interactive installation called Foodbank Truck Packer at Tumbalong Park.

Supporting Partners include City of Sydney, Dexus, Event Engineering, Kennards Hire, Mandylights, Port Authority of NSW, Technical Direction Company, The P.A. People and Transdev.

Program partners include Carriageworks, Museum of Contemporary Art and Sydney Opera House, with location partners including Australian Maritime Museum, City Recital Hall, Cockle Bay Wharf, Placemaking NSW and State Library of New South Wales.

Full program details and tickets are available at vividsydney.com.

Last Updated on May 23, 2026 by Nick Ross