Top tips for enjoying Sydney’s Vivid Festival
Running from 25 May to 16 June 2018, Sydney’s Vivid festival is a spectacle of light, music, and ideas. Over the last ten years, the number of visitors has consistently risen making it now one of the most popular events on Sydney’s calendar. Last year 7.1 million people attended with scores of international visitors arriving on Vivid packages, so planning your visit before you arrive is a good idea if you want to see as much as you can. While the festival is best known for its spectacular light show, it is worth checking out some of the talks, films, and performances that are also on the program.
Main Vivid lighting areas
It’s hard to go past the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge with their breathtaking installations but take some time to explore the other areas. Besides having smaller crowds, these areas have been just as outstanding in earlier years. My favourite is usually Customs House; if the crowds are bad you can get a great view from Circular Quay station platform.
The key installation areas are
- The Opera House and Harbour Bridge
- The Royal Botanic Gardens
- Customs House and Macquarie Place
- The MCA and Cadman’s Cottage
- The Rocks
- Barangaroo
- Martin Place
- Chatswood
- Taronga Zoo
- Sydney Airport – 1 installation will grace the multi-storey car park at T1
My tips for enjoying Vivid 2018
- Try to go on one of the first few days. The last weekend is pure hell.
- If you have to go on the weekend, go later in the night and choose Saturday or Sunday over Friday.
- If you can eat dinner and hit the lights at about 9 pm when most of the families have headed home. The lights stay on until 11 pm this year.
- Don’t forget the areas outside the harbour – as the crowds grew so did the locations, and there are now several areas outside the Quay to explore.
- Don’t try to see too much in one night – you have three weeks, so a few visits are entirely feasible for locals. If time is limited check the festival website for highlights and pick a few areas.
- If you hate crowds consider a cruise – from a 75-minute jaunt around the harbour from Beyond the Wharf or Fantasea to 3hr dinner and dancing cruise with Captain Cook.
- Do not bring your car to the harbour zone of Vivid. But if you do check out Gateway at Circular Quay who have some great prices for parking during the festival
Getting the best photos at Vivid Sydney?
- Go on Sunday – Monday and be prepared to stay all night
- Get up above the lights if you can – Cahill Walk, The Observation Deck at the Overseas Passenger’s terminal, are good choices. I have heard they may close this area to the public for security concerns, but I see lots of photos taken from this spot, so perhaps ask when you arrive. The footpath on the Harbour Bridge offers great vantage points
- If you are a keen photographer or someone who wants to learn more look out for some of the photos walks – they usually have the best locations sorted and will give you useful tips. I did one with Canon a few years ago that was excellent.
- Take a tripod and a manual camera
- Share your photos using the official hashtag #vividsydney
- There are some great technical tips here
If you are planning on visiting Sydney for the Vivid Festival and want to book accommodation, it’s good to get in early if you can. A lot of the budget hotels are booked out by large tour groups. Hotels with a view of the Harbour are a good option if you want to view the lights from above.
Have you been to Vivid Sydney? What’s your best tip?
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