13 Apr 2026

Vivid Fire Kitchen 2026 unveils new waterfront setting, expanded program and all‑star culinary line‑up

Click here for VNR package including interviews, artwork renders and b-roll footage. Full program and tickets available at www.vividsydney.com  

At its new waterfront home in Barangaroo Reserve, Vivid Fire Kitchen takes shape as one of the centrepieces of Vivid Sydney 2026, unveiling an expanded program that brings together more than 60 culinary voices and marks the arrival of two new focal points, The Vivid Fire Pit and the Food for Thought stage. 

Running every night of Vivid Sydney from 22 May to 13 June, 6:00pm – 11:00pm, and free to enter, Vivid Fire Kitchen is a vibrant, casual dining hub inspired by the great Aussie backyard.  

Across open-fire cooking demonstrations, intimate talks, tastings and live music, the program champions community, connection and authentic flavours drawn from diverse cultures and cuisines. 

Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO says, “Vivid Fire Kitchen has been reimagined for 2026 as a place you can return to again and again and have a different experience each night.  

Moving to Barangaroo Reserve and expanding the program has allowed us to bring together more voices, more ideas and more ways for audiences to engage with food - from open‑fire cooking and talks to tastings, music and light.  

With rotating chefs, themed nights and new stages, no two evenings are the same, and that sense of discovery is at the heart of what Vivid Sydney is about.” 

New for 2026, The Vivid Fire Pit forms the heart of Vivid Fire Kitchen. Designed as an open, immersive culinary hub, it showcases four distinct fire‑cooking methods where Australia’s most acclaimed chefs will appear in rotating sessions across the festival, ensuring new flavours and perspectives night after night. 

Visitors are invited to move freely around The Vivid Fire Pit, watching chefs work up close as they prepare one‑off dishes created exclusively for Vivid Fire Kitchen, available to purchase on the night. 

The Vivid Fire Pit line-up features culinary heavyweights and rising stars including Mark Best, Annita Potter, Ben Devlin, Mindy Woods, David Moyle, Ahana Dutt, Jean‑Paul El Tom, Sharon Salloum, Janina Allende, Sander Nooij, Stephen Santucci, Alastair McLeod, Racha Abou Alchamat, Remy Davis, Mark La Brooy, Bente Grysbaek, Jason Roberts, Nicola Coccia, Monty Koludrovic, Max Sovechles and more. 

Mark Best, executive chef of Infinity by Mark Best and featured Vivid Fire Pit chef on Saturday 30 May, says, “The Fire Pit is an opportunity to explore why cooking over flame is so special - it's elemental, expressive and deeply connected to place. Fire strips cooking back to its essentials and opens space for instinct, memory and collaboration.  

Creating something unique for Vivid Fire Kitchen allows me to respond to the energy of the festival and the landscape that surrounds it, telling a story through flavour, heat and timing. To do that alongside so many chefs in the program, each bringing their own voice, culture and perspective, is what makes this experience truly compelling.” 

Also new to the program, the Food for Thought stage extends the Vivid Fire Kitchen beyond the fire, hosting talks, demonstrations and conversations with some of Australia’s most influential food voices. Spanning culture, creativity, sustainability and the future of food, the stage brings together chefs, authors, restaurateurs, celebrity cooks and digital storytellers. 

The stage program unfolds across a series of themed nights, giving Vivid Fire Kitchen a weekly rhythm. No Taste Like Home, held on Mondays and Tuesdays, celebrates NSW wine and produce, regions and culinary talent, while Gwianga – taking its name from the Dharug word for fire – is a First Nations culinary showcase each Wednesday, presented with the National Indigenous Culinary Institute, will spotlight Indigenous ingredients, knowledge and cooking methods. Over the June long weekend, a Dessert Takeover brings a sweeter focus to the program, featuring Adriano Zumbo, Emelia Jackson and Gelato Messina’s Donato Toce alongside exclusive dessert offerings created for the Vivid Fire Kitchen. 

A new, expanded beverage program adds another layer to the experience in 2026. Mondays begin with Battle of the Somms, where leading sommeliers go head‑to‑head through interactive tastings. On Thursdays, New South Wales winemakers host talks and tastings that continue at the main bar on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday Sessions close out the week with Maybe Sammy co‑founder Stefano Catino and his award‑winning team, presenting an exclusive cocktail menu created especially for the Vivid Fire Kitchen. 

Laura Sharrad, chef and featured guest on the Food for Thought stage during the Dessert Takeover, says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of the Vivid Sydney line‑up this year and to cook at the incredible Vivid Fire Kitchen. There’s something so powerful about cooking over open flame - it brings people together, sparks creativity and celebrates the raw beauty of great ingredients.  

To be sharing that experience in the heart of Sydney during such an iconic festival is truly special. I can’t wait to serve up something delicious and be part of the energy, flavour and fire that make Vivid such an unforgettable event.” 

Featured Food for Thought panel hosts and guest chefs include Luke Mangan OAM, Nathan Lovett, Mike Bennie, Gary Walsh, Julie Goodwin, Adriano Zumbo, George Calombaris, Emelia Jackson, Laura Sharrad, Karima Hazim, Arrnott Olssen, Jasmin Weston, Declan Cleary, alongside special guest appearances from New South Wales beverage leaders including Stefano Catino from Maybe Sammy and wine makers. 

Guiding audiences through the nightly program is a charismatic line up of MCs, including Costa Georgiadis, Tim Ross, Jennifer Wong, Simon Marnie, Anthony Huckstep, Myffy Rigby and Luke Carroll, bringing the warmth and easy camaraderie of a backyard gathering, alongside deep industry knowledge. 

Visitors can expect a curated line‑up of culinary vendors shaping the precinct, from Filipino barbecue specialists Hoy Pinoy and wood‑fired masters Burn City Smokers to Italian‑inspired concepts from Bianco Group and Antico Pizza Sandwiches. The offering also includes cult favourites such as Gelato Messina, KOI Dessert Bar and Bon Brûlée, famed for its flame‑torched crème brûlées prepared to order. 

With live music from musicians and DJs setting the tone each night, Vivid Fire Kitchen is framed by some of Vivid Sydney’s most recognisable light installations, placing food and flame within a broader landscape of art and illumination.  

River of Fire flows overhead, while nearby works include Molecule of Light, Peekaboo Parliament and Mycelium Network invite visitors to move through Barangaroo Reserve at an unhurried pace, drawing together sound, light, place and shared experience. 

Vivid Fire Kitchen is produced by Vivid Sydney in partnership with Motti + Smith. 

-ENDS-  

Media Assets for Vivid Sydney 2026, including interviews with festival spokespeople, animated light renders, high-res imagery, and broadcast-quality footage of last year’s highlights, are available to download at www.vividsydney.com/news-room. 

Media Contact: Vivid.media@dnsw.com.au   

About Vivid Sydney 

Vivid Sydney, one of the world’s leading multi-artform festivals, transforms Sydney into a vibrant hub of creativity, innovation and community connection. In 2026, the festival will bring the city to life, both night and day for the first time, inspiring global audiences and driving cultural exchange. From 22 May to 13 June, the festival’s pillars of Light, Music, Minds and Food will create shared experiences, attract domestic and international visitors, and support the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy’s target of a $91 billion visitor economy by 2035. Proudly owned and managed by Destination NSW, Vivid Sydney showcases NSW’s cultural vibrancy and positions it as a global leader in artistic innovation. 

About Destination NSW 

Destination NSW is the champion and voice for the visitor economy within the NSW Government. Spearheading a whole-of-government approach to visitor economy growth, Destination NSW influences and shapes the visitor economy through strategic research, policy and thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and consultation, commercial partnerships and investment in visitor experiences, business support, marketing and events. Destination NSW is also the major investor in Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for the purpose of securing more international and domestic conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions. 

About Motti + Smith 

Hospitality and creative duo Motti + Smith specialise in innovative catering and bespoke hospitality solutions. As co-producers of Fire Kitchen, they bring a wealth of experience in delivering high-quality, large-scale culinary activations. Blending seamless event operations with bold creative vision, Motti + Smith Events partner with leading industry leaders to create immersive, world-class food and beverage experiences.