RECORD-BREAKING VIVID SYDNEY TO EXTEND IN 2016

Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, will run for an additional five nights in 2016.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said the extraordinary growth of Vivid Sydney is undeniable. 

“In just seven years, Vivid Sydney has established itself as the largest festival of its kind in Australia, attracting a record 1.7 million people in 2015,” Mr Ayres said.

“The festival has been instrumental in reinforcing Sydney as the creative industries’ hub in the Asia-Pacific region and transforming a traditionally quiet visitor period into one of the year’s busiest, delivering a record $63.2 million in visitor expenditure to NSW last year.”

More than 112,000 international and domestic overnight travellers specifically visited NSW to enjoy Vivid Sydney in 2015, an increase of 25 per cent on 2014.

“Expanding the festival to 23 nights is a significant opportunity for our State’s creative, live performance and hospitality businesses as well as the travel industry to extend the positive benefits Vivid Sydney brings to the visitor economy,” Mr Ayres added.

“Sydney is the events capital of Australia and Vivid Sydney is its star, and one that will shine even brighter in 2016.”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said expanding the festival in 2016 will give visitors more time to experience the spectacular light, music and ideas that illuminate the Harbour City each winter.

“Visitors from across the globe travel to Vivid Sydney. Last year more than 26,000 international visitors came here on Vivid Sydney travel packages and were able to see our iconic buildings bathed in vibrant colour, attend fantastic music events, hear world renowned speakers and see the city transformed into an outdoor gallery on a huge scale,” Ms Chipchase said.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Vivid Sydney will be held from Friday, 27 May to Saturday, 18 June.