Vivid Sydney 2023Credit: Destination NSW
Views of Harbour Lights installations over Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2023, as seen from Quay West , Sydney.
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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 24 May to 15 June 2024.
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 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drinks at Aster Bar at the InterContinental Sydney during Vivid Sydney 2023
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Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying food and drinks at Aster Bar at the InterContinental Sydney during Vivid Sydney 2023
Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Light on Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2023. 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 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Light on Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2023. 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 Cirrus. Try the delightful dumplings at Lotus Dining, a waterfront modern Chinese eatery and an excellent option for big groups. And if you’re dining with kids, head straight to Zushi, which has an extensive kid’s menu, including a customisable bento box.
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. Also be sure to grab a drink at BrewDog, a craft beer lovers haven 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. For a quick, delicious plate of noodles (or try the famous braised eggplant), Chinese Noodle House in nearby Haymarket is a winner.
Circular Quay
Gateway Sydney is a good place to start, a vibrant precinct with more than 30 casual eateries covering all types of cuisine. Or Hinchcliff House serves upper-crust comfort food inside a heritage wool store. 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. 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.
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 is an elegant space with an expansive wine list and beautiful local seafood. 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.
Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying food and drinks in the House of Naturalia at Barangaroo House during Vivid Sydney 2023.
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Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying food and drinks in the House of Naturalia at Barangaroo House during Vivid Sydney 2023.
Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Vivid Sydney Supper Club at Mary's Underground, Circular Quay for Vivid Music during Vivid Sydney 2023
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Vivid Sydney 2023 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.
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.
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney 2022 event captured from a suite in Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
#feelnewsydney #vividsydney
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney 2022 event captured from a suite in Crown Sydney, Barangaroo.
Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney 2023 event captured from a suite in the Park Hyatt, The Rocks
#vividsydney #feelnewsydney
Vivid Sydney 2023 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of the Vivid Sydney 2023 event captured from a suite in the Park Hyatt, The Rocks
Vivid Sydney And Beyond
Show Stoppers
Catch a world-class musical such as Mamma Mia! at the Sydney Lyric Theatre or Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at Theatre Royal Sydney, or submit yourself to the passions of Italian opera Rigoletto at the Sydney Opera House.
Take in Carla Zampatti’s designs in Zampatti Powerhouse (until June 11), the first retrospective of the revered Australian designer, then soak in the vibrant creativity of Sydney’s leading LGBTIQ+ community with Absolutely Queer, both at Powerhouse Ultimo. Stand face to face with portraits of Australia’s vanguards and unsung heroes at the Archibald Prize 2023 at Art Gallery of NSW, or step into Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s kaleidoscope of colour with Love Your Nature!, featuring 20,000+ plants across one of the largest living green walls in the Southern Hemisphere, before heading to Lightscape.
On The Harbour
Watch the morning sun illuminate the skyline on a Sydney Harbour Sunrise kayak safari with Sydney Harbour Kayaks.
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 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
Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
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Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
Sydney Harbour Bike Tours, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying a ride through Barangaroo on their hired bicycles from Sydney Harbour Bike Tours
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Sydney Harbour Bike Tours, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying a ride through Barangaroo on their hired bicycles from Sydney Harbour Bike Tours
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.