VIVID SYDNEY SHINES IN 2017

A brilliant array of colour, music and creativity will shine upon Sydney for the next 23 nights as the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas Vivid Sydney, officially opens for 2017.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the festival is a boost for the State’s visitor economy and is expecting another bumper year following a record-breaking 2.31 million attendees in 2016.

“The lights are on at Vivid Sydney for another year and NSW is ready to welcome even more visitors who’ll fill our city hotels, visit our major attractions and eat at our restaurants, bringing great economic benefit to the State,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“We’re hoping to surpass last year’s massive $110 million injection into our State’s visitor economy and going on indications from hotels and major attraction bookings, we’re on track.”

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said visitors are coming to NSW, not only to experience Vivid Sydney in all its shining glory, but to venture further afield into rural and regional NSW.

“Visitors to Vivid Sydney are coming for the lights and staying for the sights of this great State. In fact, visitors who travelled on to rural and regional NSW after experiencing Vivid Sydney last year, delivered an additional 65,000 room nights into the regions and $11.5 million in visitor expenditure,” Mr Marshall said.

Highlights of this year’s Vivid Light program include Audio Creatures, featuring imaginary sea creatures lurking deep in the harbour to shimmering plant life, projected on the city’s ultimate canvas, the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Barangaroo (South) lights up as a new precinct alongside returning favourites Chatswood, Darling Harbour, Martin Place, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Taronga Zoo.

More than 400 Vivid Music events will be held across the city alongside 280 Vivid Ideas events including the Game-Changers Talk Series with American contemporary artists Shephard Fairey, BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti and Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone.