Each year, the streets and skies of Sydney are lit up with an amazing light show. As part of the Vivid Sydney festival in 2023, residents and visitors will experience the biggest and most culturally relevant program in its event history when it returns from Friday 26 May to Saturday 17 June.
Inspired by the master of all creators, Mother Nature, this year’s theme, “Vivid Sydney, Naturally,” is reflected across all the 300+ activations and events which make up the 23 day and night program this year. The world’s most innovative artists, talented music makers and thought leaders are showcased on the line-up, along with the significant contribution of First Nations peoples and cultures to the creative industries.
And for the first time, Vivid Sydney’s brand-new pillar – Vivid Food – will broaden the creative spotlight from Light, Music and Ideas to include culinary favourites and innovative food events.
Key highlights from the Vivid Sydney 2023 program include the below:
- The vibrant works of Australian artist, John Olsen, will be brought to life on the Sydney Opera House for Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened (2023), a tribute to his illustrious career of more than 60 years.
- British author and “master of her material” Jeanette Winterson features at Vivid Ideas and will reflect on questions of identity, sexuality, religion and more to unpack the idea of nature in LIFE AND MARS: The Future of Human.
- Vivid Music will spotlight First Nations and Australian voices and will celebrate the legacy of the late Archie Roach AC, as well as an incredible free Vivid Music Program at Tumbalong Park on the Vivid Sydney Light Walk featuring Yothu Yindi, cult Japanese artist, Cornelius and many more.
- The Vivid Sydney 2023 drone show Written in the Stars will feature more than 1,000 drones over six shows for what will be the biggest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere to date. Conceptualised by Gill Minervini in collaboration with the Australian Traffic Network, Written in the Stars will be an awe-inspiring journey through the natural world as it explores our solar system, from the Sun to Neptune.
If you’ve been to Vivid before, you’ll know the drill, this is a once-a-year experience that you can share with family or friends. If you’ve never been to Vivid before, be sure to put this in your calendar and if you need to travel, it’ll totally be worth it.
Vivid Sydney 2023 has put together a Hype Reel which we’ve embedded below.
