With this year’s Vivid program taking over venues across the city with events spanning film screenings and free gigs to flame-powered street kitchens, it can be hard to know where to start. And while this year’s 8.5-kilometre Light Walk will help you take in most of the festival’s highlights for free, if you’ve got a little cash to spend on a genuinely immersive, reality-altering experience, we’d suggest heading underground.
RECOMMENDED: Check out our handy guide to everything you need to know about Vivid, here.
After launching last year as a new element of the Vivid program, Dark Spectrum (the immersive light experience housed in a one-kilometre stretch of abandoned train tunnels below the city) is back, with a throbbing techno soundtrack and eight rooms of expertly curated lights that will transport you to another realm.
What is Dark Spectrum?
Dark Spectrum is an immersive audio-visual experience housed in a series of abandoned railway tunnels beneath Wynyard Station in Sydney’s CBD. You’ll enter the experience through a series of steps within Wynyard Station, and will make your way along a self-guided journey through eight huge tunnel-like rooms. Each rorom is home to a unique, hyper-immersive light display and soundscape. You’ll dodge laser beams and push through luminous noodles suspended from the ceiling. You’ll meander beneath a cloud of what seem like floating lanterns, and dance through a joyfully futuristic tunnel at the very end of the journey. It’s the kind of experience that’s best enjoyed in pairs – so if you’re looking for a way to start a date in Sydney this sparkly season, look no further.
Where is Dark Spectrum?
Dark Spectrum is housed within one kilometre of abandoned railway tunnels under Wynyard Station in Sydney's CBD. When you've booked your ticket, they'll let you know where to meet – but basically, you head down some stairs at Wynyard, and you’ll emerge in The Rocks around an hour later. Because you'll be underground as you head through the experience, during the journey you’ll have absolutely no concept of where you are (you'll hardly know what planet you're on).
What’s different about Dark Spectrum at Vivid 2024?
Though the concept itself – spending an evening exploring state-of-the-art light installations in abandoned tunnels beneath the city – is fascinating enough, it’s the audio experience that makes this year’s Dark Spectrum such a uniquely magical experience. The pulsating techno soundtrack – curated by Sony Music Australia – perfectly complements the visual journey, taking hold of your body in a way that only electronic music can. The soundscape traverses through intense beats and well-known, elating dance anthems, taking you on a joyous, utterly transporting journey beneath the city. It will make you want to get out there and seize everything that Sydney has to offer – which is a lot, considering this year’s spectacular Vivid program.
What time does Dark Spectrum open?
Dark Spectrum opens at midday each day and runs at 15-minute booking intervals until 9.15pm every day until Saturday, June 15.
Can kids go to Dark Spectrum?
Children aged 5 and up can go to Dark Spectrum.
How much are Dark Spectrum Sydney tickets?
General admission will set you back $35 per person. If you’re bringing the whole family, it’s worth booking a family pass, which will set you back $98 for four. If you're keen to bring the whole group chat/ office/ neighbourhood, groups of 21 or more are eligible for a discount of 10 per cent.
How do I get Dark Spectrum Sydney tickets?
You can learn more about Dark Spectrum Sydney and book tickets over here.
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