Vivid Returns to Sydney in 2025

Get ready to experience the magic of Vivid Sydney 2025!

Sydney's biggest and longest festival is set to make 2025 sparkle even brighter, so you'll want to mark your calendars for the big 'Lights On' moment on Friday 23 May.

The annual festival celebrates creativity, innovation, and technology, and promises to dazzle and delight audiences until Saturday 14 June.

Vivid Sydney 2025

Vivid Sydney 2025 is set to illuminate the city from 23 May to 14 June, transforming Sydney into a dazzling dreamscape of light, music, ideas, and food. This year, the festival spans five vibrant precincts, each offering unique experiences that align with the theme 'Dream'. Here's a guide to what you can explore in each area.

Circular Quay and The Rocks

 

• See the Sydney Opera House sails glow with Kiss of Light by David McDiarmid, while King Dingo by Vincent Namatjira reimagines the MCA façade.

• Customs House transforms into a vibrant fashion fantasy with House of Romance by Romance Was Born.

• The Rocks becomes a glowing playground with light installations, markets, live music and a dreamy Night Picnic at Dawes Point Park.

• Celebrate First Nations culture with First Light, live performances and Luke Nguyen’s Dream Mist dining experience at Botanic House.

• Catch world-class acts at Vivid LIVE at the Opera House, and taste bold global flavours from rising chefs at Foodlab.

Barangaroo

Barangaroo is where storytelling, light and technology come together in thought-provoking ways during Vivid Sydney 2025. Here's what to check out:

• Experience An Act of Being, a powerful fusion of dance and digital art by Bangarra Dance Theatre and Reconciliation Australia.

• Wander through Somnius, a glowing dreamscape made up of thousands of shimmering lights.

• Gather around the Bon(d)fire and listen as stories spark connection and culture.

• Discover Law and Life: Transgender Stories, amplifying voices and lived experiences.

• Explore the future in Endling, an imaginative and moving installation.

• Settle in by the fire for Firetalk, curated by Jazz Money and presented with Sydney Writers’ Festival—an intimate First Nations storytelling experience.

And when you're ready to refuel:

• Barangaroo is home to over 90 world-class restaurants, so you can turn your night of wonder into a foodie adventure too!

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour is glowing with interactive light-filled fun during Vivid Sydney! Highlights include:

• Samsung’s Space to Dream is a dazzling light show projected over water.

• Bounce and balance on giant seesaws that light up and blink back at you at Curiosity.

• Swing beneath glowing clouds in the Cloud Swing, a seriously dreamy installation.

• Wander through a mesmerising maze of light and colour at The Elysian Collection.

• Get ready for lights, camera, action and free family-friendly shows as part of Vivid Kids at Tumbalong Nights.

The Goods Line & Inner City

 

• Wander through Starscape, a 40-metre tunnel of glowing stars that transforms Hay Street into a galaxy. With over 700 lights and bursts of colour, this immersive installation is a magical nod to childhood wonder, perfect for kids and starry-eyed dreamers alike.
   
• A donut-like structure that looms before you, Qasar is illuminated by a hypnotic swirl of light continuously cycling inward on one side and outward on the other. Mesmerising!

Martin Place & CBD

 

• Nine enormous, mirrored and cartoon-like flowers sprout mid-way up the buildings of Martin Place for Flowers Power.
   
• Step into the Chasing Dreams Tunnel and journey through a canopy of programmable fairy lights. Inspired by the vibrant work of Bundjalung artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft, this immersive light tunnel surrounds you in a dreamlike fusion of art, culture and celestial wonder.

With over 75% of the program free to attend, Vivid Sydney 2025 offers an array of experiences across its precincts, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a festival where dreams come to life Visit Vivid Sydney for more information.

When:     Friday 23 May to Saturday 14 June 2025
Where:    Various locations across Sydney
Cost:       FREE with some ticketed events

More Adventures With Kids

Where to Play Laser Tag in Sydney
The Most Exciting Musicals in Sydney in 2025
Go Karting in Sydney

Have you signed up to our newsletter? Join ellaslist to get the best family and kid-friendly events, venues, classes and things to do NEAR YOU!