Vivid Sydney Is Back For 2026 With A Huge Program
Image: Lighting of the sails. Courtesy Vivid.
Vivid Sydney returns from Friday 22 May to Saturday 13 June 2026, lighting up our harbour with all the gorgeous installations, live music events, talks and other miscellanea we’ve come to expect from the festival. And this year we’ll even have an amazing food experience, including an Ottolenghi led dinner series.
For the first time, the festival will extend its reach into the daytime, offering installations, performances, talks, and food experiences
More than 80 percent of the Vivid Sydney program is free to attend, including the entire 6.5-kilometre Vivid Light Walk, which winds it’s way through the harbour facing side of the city each night from 6 pm, and features more than 43 works by local and international artists.
Locations include:
- Sydney Opera House
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Circular Quay
- The Rocks
- Barangaroo
- Darling Harbour
- Tumbalong Park
- Cockle Bay
Vivid has grown into one of the world’s largest light festivals since launching in 2009. Over 23 winter nights, Sydney’s waterfront precincts transform into a trail of illuminated artworks, performances and cultural events. In 2023, the festival drew a record 3.48 million people, and it’s expected to pull similar crowds again in 2026.
This year’s highlights include Molecule of Light, a 23-metre-tall laser and sound installation, and Obstacle, a 45-metre LED corridor.
Keynote conversations will feature Academy Award-winning filmmakers Sean Baker and Chloé Zhao, music commentator Zane Lowe, and Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz.
One of the big events is a regional dinner series called ‘A Shared Table with Yotam Ottolenghi.’ The celebrity chef will bring together ingredients and flavours from across NSW, saying, “It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding produce and beverages of New South Wales and to share the kind of food that I love and that also tells the story of the region’s creativity and generosity.”
Vivid LIVE is the yearly centrepiece of the Opera House’s contemporary music program, with the 2026 line-up spanning global icons, local trailblazers and emerging voices, with international icons including Mitski, Mogwai, Jeff Mills, and UK RnB sensation Ella Mai.
Vivid runs from Friday 22 May to Saturday 13 June 2026. You can browse the full program and buy tickets here.
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