Step into our world of extraordinary art, entertainment, dining and one-of-a-kind experiences as Vivid Sydney shines a light on the city from 23 May to 14 June 2025.
Be sure to explore the full program and start planning your adventure now with our insider guide of where to eat, stay and play during Vivid Sydney.
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drinks at Aster Bar at the InterContinental Sydney during Vivid Sydney
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drinks at Aster Bar at the InterContinental Sydney during Vivid Sydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Sydney goes to sea, with our ferries and boats lighting up in unison with the city’s skyscrapers and the Sydney Harbour Bridge as they sail across our harbour.
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Sydney goes to sea, with our ferries and boats lighting up in unison with the city’s skyscrapers and the Sydney Harbour Bridge as they sail across our harbour.
Feed Your Soul
Sydney’s dining and bar scene is as vibrant as the festival’s lights. Get inspired with these local favourites near (or inside) each Vivid Sydney location.
Barangaroo
For top-notch sustainable seafood, look no further than Golden Century at The Crown. Here, enjoy signature classics including peking duck and salt and pepper squid. Barangaroo House offers three levels of great vibes, with ground-level House Bar offering chilled waterside bar vibes, Level 1’s Japanese-inspired restaurant and vinyl bar Rekodo spinning great tastes and tunes and Smoke Bar being the perfect rooftop spot for a cocktail and share plate.
Carriageworks
Head over to the nearby South Eveleigh, a recently revitalised dining precinct in converted railway sheds. Grab a quick bite at North Sandwich & Burger; sit down for a hearty bowl of Pho from Eat Fuh or savour some Thai at Pepper Seeds. Nearby is also recently opened The Grounds Coffee Factory. Also be sure to grab a drink at Mountain Culture’s newest brewery which recently won the annual GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer award with its Status Quo Pale Ale. Meanwhile, BrewDog comes complete with a taproom, bar and epic beer garden serving more than 20 craft beers on tap.
Central Station and The Goods Line
The Rover is a sophisticated cocktail bar with an upmarket British tavern feel and a focus on oysters, whisky, and organic and biodynamic wine. For something a little different, Butter offers a quirky combo of fried chicken, Champagne and hip-hop. Vivid Fire Kitchen is turning the heat up this year with live demonstrations showcasing the theme ‘Fire & Spice’: a bold new twist that celebrates the world’s most vibrant, spice-driven cuisines with flame-seared favourites.
Inspired by the Australian coastline, 1 Chef’s Hat-awarded Longshore serves ingredients from sea and land in a unique way. Spice Alley offers a comprehensive selection of six hawker-style Asian street-food eateries under a canopy of yellow lanterns, tucked away in a charming, paved alleyway in Chippendale.
Circular Quay
Gateway Sydney is a good place to start, a vibrant precinct with more than 30 casual eateries covering all types of cuisine. Hinchcliff House offers a range of unique venues including Lana, Grana, Martinez, underground bar Apollonia, and pasta and deli BAR MAMMONI. Mary’s Underground offers lobster and steak frites into the late night, perfect for a post Light Walk feast. And once the site of warehouse parties, Hickson House is now a lively craft spirit distillery, and offers tours. For dinner under the Sydney Opera House sails, it’s hard to imagine a more iconic spot than Opera Bar – and where better to watch the Vivid Sydney lights over the Harbour?
The Rocks
Step back in time for a G&T inside Frank Mac’s, with 1840s sandstone walls and charming table service. New restaurant Canvas Restaurant, based at the Museum of Contemporary Art, is the perfect spot to take in Vivid. Take your kids to Pancakes on The Rocks for an Americana take on the classic pancake, open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. For something special, Bay Nine is an omakase Japanese restaurant, with a daily changing menu of 11 courses served by an acclaimed chef. Recently renovated The Cut Bar & Grill combines heritage with modern elegance, providing an unforgettable steakhouse experience.
Darling Harbour and Darling Quarter
Fratelli Fresh offers fresh and fast family-friendly pizza and pasta – what's not to love? If you are after a date-night option, Atelier by Sofitel - a Two Chef Hatted restaurant - is an elegant space with an expansive wine list and beautiful local seafood. Fancy a late-night drink? Head to Lumière on Thirty Five, the Sofitel’s late night bar option (open 8pm-1am). Darling Square is a buzzing precinct for Asian deliciousness: dumplings, noodles, bubble tea and dessert.
Sydney CBD
Offering four venues in one, Shell House is all about Art Deco decadence, a luxe place to celebrate your Vivid Sydney night out – finish your evening with a drink at their rooftop bar. South-East Asian flavours come to party at MuMu in the always-pumping Ivy precinct. The International precinct overlooking Sydney’s Martin Place offers three distinctly international levels, including The Wine Bar (ground floor), The Grill (level 1), and The Panorama Bar (top floor).
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a drink at Opera Bar in Circular Quay.
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a drink at Opera Bar in Circular Quay.
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Sydney Supper Club at Mary's Underground, Circular Quay for Vivid Music during Vivid Sydney 2023
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Sydney Supper Club at Mary's Underground, Circular Quay for Vivid Music during Vivid Sydney 2023
Vivid Dreams: Where To Stay
A comfortable place to put up your feet after a night exploring is essential during Vivid Sydney, and the city has a room for everyone. Here are a few ideas:
Luxe
Located in the heart of the CBD, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has reopened its doors after a stunning refurbishment to offer five-star luxury in the city, while Kimpton Margot Sydney fuses Art Deco ambience with modern luxe, with a glamorous rooftop bar and pool. Crown Sydney is a prime spot to access Vivid Sydney locations Barangaroo and Darling Harbour, and for twinkling harbour panoramas and full views of the Vivid Sydney lights, waterfront Park Hyatt or Shangri-La at The Rocks can’t be beat. Check out Capella Sydney: a heritage listed icon and one of Sydney’s newest and highly anticipated luxury 5-star hotels.
Family-friendly
There’s plenty of accommodation options that have what you need if travelling with little ones. The Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour makes the perfect base to explore Vivid Sydney along the waterfront, as well as being conveniently located to many family-friendly food options. Rydges Sydney Central is sleek, modern and right near Central Station. Head across the bridge and settle in for a slumber party with the animals at Taronga Zoo – their wildlife safari tents look out on the illuminated Sydney Harbour.
Designer Digs
After you’ve sparked your creativity exploring the festival, rest your inspired head at one of Sydney’s many designer-driven boutique hotels, right next to the beginning of the Light Walk at Central Station: Ace Hotel Sydney brings the Palm Springs brand’s artistic flair to the harbour city; Paramount House Hotel offers 29 unique rooms; or take a dip in The Old Clare Hotel’s luxurious rooftop pool. If waterfront is what you seek, check into one of Hotel Palisade’s eight guestrooms (some featuring Bridge views) or get even closer to the icon at Pier One Sydney.
Airbnb
For the second year running, Airbnb is teaming up with Vivid Sydney as the 2025 Festival’s community partner. Airbnb offers a wide selection of city stays, from harbour-side, sophisticated apartments to cosy suburban rooftops. Visitors can make the most out of the festival by staying in convenient locations and enjoying the best views.
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney event captured from a suite in Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney event captured from a suite in Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
Vivid Sydney And Beyond
On The Harbour
Watch the morning sun illuminate the skyline on a Sydney Harbour Sunrise kayak safari with Sydney Harbour Kyaks.
Slow things down with a pedal past secret coves and over the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge with Sydney Harbour Bike Tours, or rise up for a bird’s-eye view of beautiful Sydney on a flight with Sydney Seaplanes. For more insight into Sydney’s colonial past and a taste of local beers in some of The Rocks historic pubs, head off on one of Dave’s Pub Tours. The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour, by Dreamtime Southern X, will show you another side of Sydney’s history – of the Gadigal people, and how their culture originated from the land.
As the sun sets, be mesmerised by Vivid Sydney’s lights reflecting across the water with a 60-minute evening cruise of the harbour with Fantasea or see brilliance from above as you scale to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in time to watch Vivid Sydney burst into life at 6pm. On the ground, learn how to capture the beautiful Vivid Sydney lights with a Vivid Photography Walking Tour with Picture Me Sydney.
For the full program and to plan your Vivid Sydney trip, visit: www.vividsydney.com
TItanique Credit: Titanique
he cult musical sensation that has all of New York scrambling for a ticket to take their seat on the ship of dreams. Setting sail for Australia, Titanique will play a limited season, exclusive to Sydney at The Grand Electric, from September.
null
TItanique Credit: Titanique
he cult musical sensation that has all of New York scrambling for a ticket to take their seat on the ship of dreams. Setting sail for Australia, Titanique will play a limited season, exclusive to Sydney at The Grand Electric, from September.
Hadestown Credit: Opera Australia
Seen by three million, streamed by over 350 million and adored by fans all around the world, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s acclaimed West End and Broadway musical phenomenon Hadestown will make its Australian premiere at Theatre Royal Sydney in February 2025. Presented by Opera Australia and JONES Theatrical Group, Hadestown won eight Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway in 2019, including Best Score and Best Director and is still playing to packed houses five years later.
#feelnewsydney
Hadestown Credit: Opera Australia
Seen by three million, streamed by over 350 million and adored by fans all around the world, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s acclaimed West End and Broadway musical phenomenon Hadestown will make its Australian premiere at Theatre Royal Sydney in February 2025. Presented by Opera Australia and JONES Theatrical Group, Hadestown won eight Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway in 2019, including Best Score and Best Director and is still playing to packed houses five years later.
More Inspirational Stories
The Day Spa by Chuan, at The Langham, SydneyCredit: The Langham
Set underground at The Langham, Sydney, The Day Spa by Chuan boasts a 20m heated pool.
The cooler days have arrived, but that doesn’t mean you need to hang up your swimming cap – for many locals, a winter dip is the perfect way to refresh, reset and feel new. Whether you’re plunging into a brisk ocean pool to enliven every sense, chasing your personal best in a heated Olympic pool, or floating on your back in an exclusive indoor waterhole, here’s everything you need to dive into winter in Sydney – where the water is warming all year round.
Immerse in a luxury stay
As the big chill takes hold, Sydney’s luxury hotels become the ultimate relaxation stations, where heated pools become balmy oases to soak away the everyday. And whether you’re up for endorphin-drenched laps or a laidback float under the stars, you’re spoilt for choice on the Harbour’s banks and beyond.
In Barangaroo at Crown Sydney, the city’s first infinity pool offers 28°C waters, jaw-dropping views over the harbour and private poolside cabanas that make every dip inspiring and indulgent. Just a short stroll away, W Sydney’s 30m rooftop pool is perched high above Darling Harbour on Level 29, offering daybed lounging by day and luminous skyline views by night, while a sleek indoor pool on Level 22 keeps the warmth flowing round the clock. Nearby, the Shangri-La Sydney’s charming 13m heated pool is ideal after a session at their award-winning spa or a fine-dining feast overlooking Circular Quay. In Millers Point, The Langham Sydney’s serene 20m pool is crowned by a star-dappled ceiling, while Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney cocoons its inviting 15m heated pool inside beautiful, reimagined heritage walls.
Prefer your own private Airbnb haven? Cosy up in a luxurious two bedroom apartment on the water’s edge for access to indoor and outdoor pools, as well as steam rooms and spas; or set your sights on the Spa Serenity cottage in Seaforth, where a private pool and hot spa are all yours, 24/7.
Swim laps around winter
Sydney’s landmark Olympic pools have long been at the heart of the community – these are the places that have made history, sparked dreams, and kept the city moving for generations. Perfect your tumble-turn in the hallowed pools of the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, home to some of the world’s greatest sporting moments since the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Carve through four indoor heated pools, unwind in the spa and sauna, or let the kids blow off steam in the Splasher’s Water Playground, where slides, water cannons and a rapid river ride bring the splashy fun.
InUltimo, you can swim in the wake of one of Australia’s most iconic Olympians at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, with three indoor heated pools, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and sleek, modern design just minutes from Darling Harbour.
Closer to Central Station in Surry Hills, locals flock year-round to the historic Prince Alfred Park Pool, a 50m outdoor heated offering surrounded by lush lawns, tennis courts, fitness stations and dog-friendly spaces. And keep your goggles handy: North Sydney Olympic Pool, long considered the world’s most spectacular swimming pool thanks to its dazzling harbourfront setting – beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge and next to Luna Park – is set to reopen this winter after a major revitalisation project.
Wherever you mount the starting blocks, Sydney’s Olympic pools will leave you energised long after you’ve towelled off.
Crown Sydney, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying the luxurious pool at Crown Towers hotel, Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
Crown Sydney, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying the luxurious pool at Crown Towers hotel, Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
Darling Harbour, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
City views featuring King Street Wharf, Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour and the Sydney CBD.
Darling Harbour, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
City views featuring King Street Wharf, Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour and the Sydney CBD.
Take an invigorating cold plunge
Promising a brisk hit of Vitamin Sea to shake up your circulation for head-to-toe revitalisation, Sydney’s ocean pools sing their siren’s song all winter long, tempting the brave to meet the season head-on. Between Cronulla and Palm Beach, more than 35 ocean pools transform the coast into a playground of salt-sprayed invigoration – even when the water’s temperature is a chilly 16-18°C.
Right alongside Bondi Beach’s golden sands, Bondi Baths set the benchmark. Home of winter swimming since 1929, their 50m ocean-fed pool and separate kids’ pool invite you to test your mettle with every frosty lap – all against a backdrop of iconic beach views – then thaw out with a warm drink in Bondi Icebergs afterwards. Or hotfoot it with locals along the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, pausing for a float and soak in the ocean-fed lap pool tucked into the southern headland at Bronte, before continuing on to Coogee. Here, Wylie’s Baths have enticed wintertime swimmers since 1907, with sweeping views across Wedding Cake Island and a historic timber promenade adding to the ambience. A further 7km south, Malabar Ocean Pool offers protected waters, fewer crowds, and the chance to spot fish darting below.
Sydney Harbour’s cool waters set the stage for refreshing dips, too. The Murray Rose Pool in Double Bay is a netted haven with calm waters and a welcoming community vibe. And at Mosman’s Cremorne Point, the glamour of the city skyline and Harbour Bridge views frame every stroke at the 33m Maccallum Pool.
Rug up for an adrenaline rush
Feel the thrill of a cool-season adrenaline hit with a host of quintessentially Sydney activities, both in and on the water. Zip up your winter wetsuit for a snorkel in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve in Manly, where fewer swimmers mean better wildlife encounters, especially in the rocky shallows. Home to more than 150 species of marine life, here you might spot cuttlefish, gropers, Port Jackson sharks, rays, turtles, dolphins and even distant humpback whales. Or, head to Gordons Bay, a hidden cove between Clovelly and Coogee, for a signposted underwater nature trail leading through shimmering schools of fish and swaying seaweed gardens.
For a heart-pumping rush in perfect barrels, don your steamer for a thrilling winter surf session at URBNSURF Sydney. Here you can expect hundreds of perfectly curved waves every hour as well as formal lessons tailored to your experience, a Surf Academy, and a hot lagoon-side leisure pool to warm up between rides – all just 20 minutes from the city centre.
Prefer a more peaceful paddle? Brave the chill for a sunrise kayaking tour on Sydney Harbour with Sydney By Kayak. Paddling out as the city skyline glows to life is an unforgettable way to start your winter morning – complete with coffee on the water and unbeatable Harbour Bridge views.
Wherever you take the plunge this winter, you’ll discover the city’s waters – cold, hot, and everything energising in between – are inspiring, thrilling and truly extraordinary. But that’s Sydney for you.
Sydney Kayak Experience, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy the unique experience of a Sunrise Kayak Tour with Sydney Kayak Experience, Sydney.
Sydney Kayak Experience, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy the unique experience of a Sunrise Kayak Tour with Sydney Kayak Experience, Sydney.
URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy's_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy's_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney