Vivid Sydney 2022Credit: Destination NSW
Gretchen Carlson, 'On Speaking Out' at Sydney Town Hall, a part of Vivid Ideas Global Storytellers series, during Vivid Sydney 2022.
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NOCTURNE
"This will be the sleeper hit of the festival – it offers something completely different and unexpected, hard to describe and that’s part of its charm. Part theatre, part audio tour and part your own imagination, this quirky gem simply needs to be experienced to be understood.
Created specifically for Vivid Sydney by Melbourne artists one step at a time like this, NOCTURNE is a journey through the back alleys and parks of The Rocks. I did a trial run recently and found the experience really absorbing, moving and surprisingly meditative – it’s a chance to connect with our city, land, water and sky in a very quiet, reflective way. Incorporating First Nations knowledge and bringing the night alive with rich and evocative sounds and stories, it’ll transform how you look at your surrounds. It’s an experience unlike any other."
JEANETTE WINTERSON | LIFE AND MARS: THE FUTURE OF HUMAN
"Jeanette Winterson has an extraordinary mind and a razor-sharp wit - she turns words into gold. As an author, she’s covered so much ground – from her seminal debut Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit to her wry memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal and her latest essay collection 12 Bytes about history, AI and the role it will play in humanity’s future.
I’m excited about her keynote as I have heard her a few times before and she is such a compelling speaker. And then to hear her in conversation with Richard Fidler – they have a lovely rapport – will be a treat."
MIKE WHITE & JENNIFER COOLIDGE IN COVERSATION
"What more needs to be said? This duo will be hilarious together, and I can’t wait to hear them chat with Benjamin Law about the craft of storytelling, their long-term friendship, behind the scenes antics on The White Lotus, plus I’m sure Ben and Mike will compare stories as Survivor contestants, too."
Jennifer Coolidge and Creator of The White Lotus Mike White Credit: Jen Coolidge: Credit Amy Sussman WireImage via Getty Images Mike White: Credit Jason Yokobosky
Jen Coolidge: Credit Amy Sussman WireImage via Getty ImagesMike White: Credit Jason Yokobosky
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Jennifer Coolidge and Creator of The White Lotus Mike White Credit: Jen Coolidge: Credit Amy Sussman WireImage via Getty Images Mike White: Credit Jason Yokobosky
Jen Coolidge: Credit Amy Sussman WireImage via Getty ImagesMike White: Credit Jason Yokobosky
PERV: THE KINK IN ALL OF US
"This is going to be enlightening, educational and, most importantly, downright fun. Jesse Bering is an award-winning science writer and author from the US specialising in psychology and human behaviour, covering taboos around sex, religion and mental health with warmth, humour and a light touch.
He'll chat with Jenny Valentish, author of fascinating books like Woman Of Substances: A Journey Of Addiction and Treatment, about what makes people drawn to certain sexual acts that repulse others, and unpack the connection between sex and shame. Don't worry – yes, there will be time for Jesse to answer your burning questions."
SKIN DEEP
"How often do you have a chance to hear from a leading plastic surgeon about the new frontiers of beauty and cosmetic surgery? I'm really excited to have Professor Anand Deva on hand with a set of academics and beauty experts, talking about where we’re heading next, good or bad, and how class and race are intertwined with beauty norms."
BLOODY TABOOS
"For this panel, we’ve assembled a fierce and fantastic line-up of four women who are tackling taboos around mental health, menopause, depression and more. Between playwright Eloise Snape, menopause facilitator Maree Lipschitz, author and broadcaster Yumi Stynes and journalist Elfy Scott, this should be a fascinating sledgehammer to secrecy and painful social conventions."
Vivid Sydney 2019 Credit: Destination NSW
Game Changer Series: Spike Lee on Films, Politics and Race. Sydney Town Hall on 1 June 2019.
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Vivid Sydney 2019 Credit: Destination NSW
Game Changer Series: Spike Lee on Films, Politics and Race. Sydney Town Hall on 1 June 2019.
MONOGAMY: THE NATURAL WAY TO LOVE?
"What better way to close out this year's Vivid Ideas Exchange than with a spirited debate about the best way to love – traditional monogamy, or something else? Hosted by journalist and comedian Ange Lavoipierre, in partnership with ABC’s pop culture podcast Schmeitgeist, six of Australia’s sharpest and funniest minds will fight it out once and for all. I can’t wait to see how this turns out."
COMING TO OUR SENSES
"We've beefed up our immersive experiences this year. Coming to Our Senses is a series of two multi-sensory mindfulness workshops – one in the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and the other at UTS’s Frank Gehry building. Playful, refreshing and accessible, they'll encourage you to slow down and re-connect with nature.
(And while we're on the topic, What Can We Learn From Nature is a free talk at the Australian Museum tackling the same quandary from different perspectives, featuring bird photographer Leila Jeffries, mindfulness expert David Gandelman and renowned biologist Tim Lowe.)"
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Future Fashion event at the Powerhouse Museuem, as part of Vivid Ideas. Vivid Sydney 2022.
#ilovesydney #feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Future Fashion event at the Powerhouse Museuem, as part of Vivid Ideas. Vivid Sydney 2022.
POWERHOUSE LATE X VIVID IDEAS
"Powerhouse Late are a great series of free Thursday night events, and these three with Vivid Sydney are no exception. Each have their own curators – chef Alex Herbert, designer-artist Liane Rossler and artist Yuki Kihara – and celebrate food, design and Pacific culture with talks, music, food and more.”
PLUS, TORY’S MUSIC, FOOD AND LIGHT PICKS
"In terms of Music, there’s so much! The Archie Roach AC tribute will be glorious and moving; Max Richter is always a must, and by Sunday 11 June I will be ready to dance at Esa's Afro Synth Band with Kamazu and Mim Suleiman at Tumbalong Park. It'll be fun, funky and – even better – it's free. As is Cornelius, who is coming in from Japan to close out Vivid Sydney in style."
"For Food, Carriageworks’ Night Market is always great and the special Vivid Sydney edition will be no exception thanks to curator Matt Stone. And I'm really looking forward to Vivid House at The Cutaway – the footage I’ve seen looks beautiful."
More Inspirational Stories
The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.