Celebrating its 13th year, Sydney’s annual Vivid festival set a new attendance record as the popular three-week event reached its peak popularity.
Over the course of 23 evenings, over 3.28 million people attended over 300 events, including illuminated visual and art displays, musical performances, and a variety of street cuisine and dining options.
More than 500,000 people attended Written In The Stars, the largest drone display in the Southern Hemisphere and one of seven that illuminated the sky above the harbour city.
The longest ever Vivid Sydney Light Walk spanned 8,500 meters from the Opera House to Central Station, featuring 57 free light art installations and three-dimensional projections by 32 artists from New South Wales.
More than 7,000 people witnessed a sold-out event with The White Lotus creator and actress Jennifer Coolidge. The Opera House awnings were illuminated to display the work of renowned late Australian artist John Olsen.
More consumers than ever before attended restaurants along the harbour and throughout the CBD during this year’s Vivid Sydney festival.
Friday and Saturday evenings saw 90% central business district hotel occupancy.
The combination of Music and Nighttime John Graham, minister of the economy, described the attendance as “extraordinary.”
“That’s an increase comparable to the population of the Gold Coast,” he stated.
“Over the past three weeks, the city has felt alive and electric… we showed the world Sydney at its best.”
Director of the Vivid Sydney Festival Gill Minervini stated that he was still poking himself.
It is difficult to conceptualize the immensity of the increase in voter participation, he said.
Tim Olsen described the incorporation of his father’s work before his death as “uncanny timing” and a chance for Sydney to highlight its artists, musicians, chefs, and thought leaders.
“Unlike anything else in Australia, Vivid Sydney shines a bright spotlight on, highlights, and showcases our creative industries,” he said.