[category]
[title]
Vivid Sydney, Australia’s largest festival of lights, returns from May 22 to June 13 for its 16th year. The 2026 program is set to be ‘bigger and bolder’ than ever, featuring 23 days packed with installations, events and sparkly experiences spanning Vivid Light, Vivid Music, Vivid Minds and Vivid Food. For the first time ever, Vivid Sydney will also take place during the day – with a series of events, installations, talks and performances – before the city transforms into a technicolour spectacle of lights as the sun sets.
There’s lots to like about this year’s fest, including that the drone shows are back after being cancelled last year due to safety concerns (fair). Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour will host 22 dazzling shows across 11 nights – the highest number of drone shows in the festival’s history – named Star-Bound.
The Vivid Light Walk will also return to being a free, unbroken 6.5km journey of wonder and awe, transforming Circular Quay and The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour with 43 light installations and large-scale projections, as well as laser and digital art. In fact, more than 80 per cent of the festival is free.
Don’t miss the two showstoppers: Molecule of Light, the festival’s tallest installation at 23 metres, and Obstacle, one of the longest-ever works stretching 45 metres along the harbour. Plus, French artist Yann Nguema will light up the Sydney Opera House sails with a major new work, Opera Mundi, inspired by nature’s transformations and the elemental forces behind Jørn Utzon’s iconic design.
One of my personal favourite pillars, Vivid Food, is on track to be more delicious and inspiring than ever. Vivid Fire Kitchen – a series of market stalls selling tasty, fire-charged eats – will move to a new home on the Stargazer Lawn at Barangaroo Reserve. A new edition to this year’s program includes the Regional Dinner Series – which sees some of NSW’s most talented chefs team up with Sydney’s best restaurants and talent. There are seven pairings and 13 events, but some I’m particularly looking forward to include Hunter Valley with Frank Fawkner (from EXP) and Alessandro Pavoni at A’Mare on May 24; Tweed Coast with Ben Devlin (from Pipit) and Lennox Hastie at Firedoor on May 25 and 26; and Southern Highlands with Stephen Santucci from Moonacres Kitchen and Scott McComas-Williams at Palazzo Salato on June 1 and 2. Plus, celebrated chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi will host A Shared Table with Yotam Ottolenghi on May 29 and 30 – with the venue yet to be announced.
Vivid Minds will celebrate creativity, showcasing some of the world’s finest filmmakers, writers, architects, photographers, designers and technologists to share insights into their worlds. Headline voices include Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jerry Saltz and bestselling author Roxanne Gay, plus others.
Plus, Vivid Music is back with a banging line-up of local and international artists, with gigs held at the Sydney Opera House, Carriageworks, Oxford Art Factory, City Recital Hall, Tumbalong Park and more. Read all about it here.
Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO said: “For 2026 we are expanding our program into new artforms including aerial performance, daytime public art, theatre and dance. These join our vast Vivid Light, Music, Minds and Food offerings to now make your Vivid Sydney one of the great comprehensive arts festivals of the world.
“This year we invite you to go beyond your previous expectations of Vivid Sydney into a bold new festival world designed to surprise, delight, challenge, entertain, and fill you with joy.
“Whether you encounter Vivid Sydney as a happy observer, an eager participant, or someone keen to engage with one of our dozens of interactive opportunities, we can promise you a festival of a lifetime.”
Find out more and get your tickets here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news and things to do, straight to your inbox.