10 reasons why Vivid Sydney 2022 will be unlike any before it

What do you get if you combine 50 light installations from 114 lights artists working with 62 light collaborators from five countries? An 8km procession of projections, music, sculpture and tech all the way from the Sydney Opera House to Central Station, that’s what. This dazzling collection will tell a variety of stories inspired by the “soul of the city.” Think of it as the most visually sumptuous love letter to Sydney ever expressed. There will be multiple entry points to the walk including Central Station, The Goods Line, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay and Barangaroo, so you can break it down into more manageable distances over several nights.

Undoubtedly one of Vivid Sydney’s most highly anticipated artworks, the projections that transform the scalloped sails of the Sydney Opera House into a vibrant work of luminous art are always the defining focal point of the festival. Created in 2021 for a debut last year, Sydney-based creative technologists Curiious will present the breathtaking digital iteration of the stunning Martumili collective painting Yarrkalpa – Hunting Ground, Parnngurr Area 2013 that can now finally be unveiled to the public. This multi-coloured visually striking painting was originally created by Martu Artists from the Pilbara region and will be set to a soundtrack by Electric Fields and Martu Artists.

Our Connected City will light up the entire city skyline along Circular Quay and the Cahill Expressway as well as the Opera House and both sides of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More than 150 carefully choreographed searchlights will turn this vast swathe of the city into a kaleidoscope of shifting colours and patterns stretching from Bennelong Point all the way across the water to Milsons Point.

Sydney Infinity by Oracle Liquid is an epic water sculpture in a scale never seen before in Australia. Featuring sky-high jets that can reach up to 80 metres and dynamic lighting set to a soundtrack from DJ Pee Wee Ferris, this breathtaker will be blowing up your Insta feeds all winter long. The piece throws an incredible nine tonnes of water into the air in one second with its 48 compressed-air water cannons.

An installation on the waters around the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct will be granting Sydneysiders and visitors superpowers during Vivid Sydney. Ephemeral Oceanic, created by Sydney-based artist Atelier Sisu, will allow visitors to walk out on a specially constructed floating boardwalk. More than 200 giant bubbles, hovering eight-metres above this floating walkway, will pulse with hypnotic, otherworldly patterns that will teleport you to a strange new reality, if only for a few minutes.

The first-ever Vivid Sydney Dinner will be a celebration of all things Sydney through great food and wine, with an ample side serving of music, light and thought-provoking conversation. Hosted by Justine Clarke at Merivale’s Ivy Ballroom, the space will be transformed into an effervescent feast for the senses on Saturday, June 4. It'll feature odes to the Harbour City from renowned artist Ken Done and journalist/author Julia Baird and a roll call of top Sydney talent, while the audience indulges in an NSW-inspired feast created by chefs Dan Hong and Mike Eggert.

Vivid Sydney is taking full advantage of our international borders re-opening, securing some stellar speakers as part of the Vivid Ideas global storytellers series. Headlining the program will be American broadcast journalist, author and television personality Gretchen Carlson, sharing her story, which inspired the blockbuster movie Bombshell, alongside The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson. Global superstar, musician, multi award-winning artist and actor Troye Sivan will be discussing new models of masculinity, non-conformity, and being young and queer, as well as his many creative collaborations, with host Lillian Ahenkan aka Flex Mami. 

Reinvigorating Sydney’s live music industry as it continues to reel from the effects of the lockdowns, Vivid Music’s program will be shaking up preconceptions of the traditional performance by hosting more than 150 gigs at surprising venues across Sydney to offer one-of-a-kind experiences. You can catch live music at Central Station’s Grand Central Concourse ranging from bluegrass legends the Morrisons to the ear-catching Vivid Sydney Brass Band. See emerging act Mi-Kaisha in Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Nights free program, or the dulcet tones of Gordi at Sydney Opera House. The Calyx at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is hosting cutting-edge electronica and new classical crossover music. See performances by queer icons at the Bearded Tit; Handsome and 3HARPS at the Cell Block on the ground of the National Art School; and Heaps Gay Qweens’ Ball at Luna Park.

A new addition to the festival will be bringing all kinds of live performance into the mix of Vivid Music. Mary’s Underground will be the venue for the inaugural Vivid Sydney Supper Club, every Friday and Saturday throughout the festival. This variety revue-style performances will feature musical theatre acts, cabaret, dance, drag, comedy, surprise guests, acoustic pop-ups, jazz, DJs – and that’s just for starters. Curated by beloved actor, cabaret performer, drag artist and Liza Minnelli doppelganger, Trevor Ashley, the gig series will be headlined by talents such as Mahalia Barnes, Emma Pask, Bob Downe and Tim Freedman.

One of the standout highlights from the 2021 Live program was the much anticipated new show by Zambian-born singer, poet and visual artist Sampa the Great. An Afro Future was set to be a trailblazing, fully staged iteration of her four-time ARIA award-winning debut album The Return at the Sydney Opera House. Well, if you were as gutted as we were by missing out on the chance to see it last year, turn that frown upside down, because this landmark show will still be the jewel in the crown of 2022’s SOH line-up, and we are here for it.