Open every night of Vivid Sydney from 6-11pm and free-to-enter, Vivid Fire Kitchen is aflame with something new to see, experience and eat every night. Inspired...

Vivid Fire Kitchen

Location:

27 Hickson Rd
2000 NSW
Australia

Venue:
Stargazer Lawn
Price:
Free
Text reading "Sunday 31 May" over a purple gradient.
Text reading "Sunday 31 May" over a purple gradient.

Featuring

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Tim Ross

Tim Ross is a celebrated comedian and a passionate advocate for architecture and design promoting its value in multiple forums as an author, comic, podcaster, ABC TV host, and more. 

Among other awards, he is recipient of the National Trust Heritage Award for Advocacy regarding Australia’s legacy of modernist architecture.

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Julie Goodwin

In 2009, Julie Goodwin became a household name overnight when she was crowned Australia’s first ever MasterChef winner. Thrust into the limelight, Australia’s favourite mum became the Julie Goodwin brand; TV shows, best-selling books, radio, appearances, columns and endorsements were all to follow.

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Ahana Dutt

Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Ahana Dutt is the chef leading Kolkata Social, a restaurant in Newtown that takes on Bengali cuisine through Dutt’s own family recipes. 

Kolkata Social is part of Plate It Forward, a series of social enterprise restaurants in Sydney. Previously, she was the head chef of Raja, and the senior sous chef of Firedoor.

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Sharon Salloum

Sharon Salloum shared the true flavours of Syria through her cooking, whether at Ashbury café 3 Tomatoes or her former restaurant Almond Bar in Darlinghurst. 

Salloum is also a TV personality, appearing on The Cook Up, Sydney Weekender and more, the author of Australia’s first Syrian cookbook (Almond Bar) and works with asylum seekers and refugees to create pathways into hospitality.

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Janina Allende

Janina Allende is the head chef at Osteria Mucca, a Newtown restaurant championing regional Italian dishes and playing tribute to the shopfront’s former life as a butcher shop. 

Moving to Sydney from Berlin in the 2010s, she was part of the opening team of Alberto’s Lounge, going on to be head chef at Valentina and Pellegrino 2000.

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Emre Bilgin (Maybe Sammy's)

Emre Bilgin is a bartender at Maybe Sammy, one of the world’s most celebrated cocktail bars.

Originally from Turkey, Bilgin has quickly made his mark on Sydney’s cocktail scene with his energetic style and passion for flavour-driven drinks. Since joining the team, he’s been part of the bar’s high-performance environment, where precision meets theatre.

His cocktail Maestro’s Pearl earned him a place among Australia’s top 25 bartenders in the Espolòn Afterlife competition, showcasing both creativity and technical skill. 

Behind the bar, Bilgin blends fun, hospitality, and serious craft—perfectly reflecting the spirit of Maybe Sammy, where every drink is both an experience and a performance.

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Stefano Catino (Maybe Sammy's)

Stefano Catino is the visionary behind the Maybe Group and Dean & Nancy on 22, the hospitality collective responsible for Maybe Sammy — consistently ranked among The World's 50 Best Bars and recognised as one of the leading cocktail destinations in the Australasian region. 

With a career defined by creativity, precision, and a relentless focus on guest experience, Cantino has built a reputation for delivering venues that balance world-class hospitality with strong operational foundations.

Event Details

Open every night of Vivid Sydney from 6-11pm and free-to-enter, Vivid Fire Kitchen is aflame with something new to see, experience and eat every night. 

Inspired by the Aussie backyard barbecue, Vivid Fire Kitchen features three main stages. Catch interactive cooking demonstrations at the Vivid Fire Pit; enjoy talks, workshops and more at Food For Thought with authors, celebrity cooks, social media favourites and industry innovators; and come together to eat, drink and listen to live music at the Marquee.

Be sure to check each day’s line-up of MCs, pit masters, musicians, DJs, guests, themed events and specials – and learn more about tonight’s line-up underneath the schedule.

Schedule: Sunday 31 May 

Vivid Fire Kitchen Host: Tim Ross
Comedian Tim Ross lights up the Fire Kitchen with his dry humour, love of food and deep appreciation for Australia's backyard culture.            

Time Vivid Fire Pit Food For Thought Stage Marquee Stage
6.00pm Fire Pit ignites    
6.10pm Fire Pit Sessions: 
Ahana Dutt | Kolkata Social
   
6.30pm   The Family Table with Julie Goodwin
MasterChef Australia's first winner
Live Music
7.20pm Fire Pit Sessions: 
Janina Allende
   
7:30pm     Live Music
8.00pm   The Family Table with Julie Goodwin
MasterChef Australia's first winner
 
8:30pm     Live Music
8.50pm Fire Pit Sessions: 
Sharon Salloum | 3 Tomatoes
   
9.30pm   Sunday Shake-up with Emre Bilgin
Lead bartender of Maybe Sammy (World’s 50 Best Bars)
Live Music
10.40pm Fire Pit closes    
11.00pm Flames Out Flames Out Flames Out

All Night:

Sunday Sessions | Main Bar: 
Join the globally awarded Maybe Sammy crew for an exclusive cocktail menu curated by co-founder Stefano Catino featuring Jasmine Negronis, Lychee Martinis and Eucalyptus Gimlets.

Vivid Light installations | Vivid Fire Kitchen & surrounds:
Explore the Kitchen under the glowing canopy of River of Fire. Be mesmerised by Flea Circus, Mycelium Network and Peekaboo Parliament, an interactive game of Red Light, Green Light. And it's hard to miss Molecule of Light, a celestial and cerebral 23-metre-tall laser installation by revered UK artist Chris Levine.

 

< Back to Vivid Fire Kitchen 2026 daily schedules

Vendors

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Agape Organic Fire Bowls

Founded in 2012, Agape Organic's foodtrucks serve up delicious, inventive organic street food wherever they appear. 

For Vivid Fire Kitchen, owner and chef Simon Lawson has curated a special barbecue menu cooked in front of customers, using organic, biodynamic, sustainable & natural ingredients as well as native Australian produce. One highlight? Blowtorch-melted cheese on nacho bowls. 

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Antico Pizza Sandwiches

Serving authentic Italian in Narellan, Antico Woodfire Pizza is also a favourite at events across NSW through their foodtrucks. Antico Pizza Sandwiches is a new endeavour, making traditional deli-style sandwiches using folded pizza dough, cooked in the oven and filled with the likes of cold cuts, burrata and hot honey.

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Bianco Italian Market

Bianco Group is a modern Italian hospitality brand redefining how premium food is experienced at scale. Rooted in generational recipes and driven by precision, they deliver high-impact food concepts across retail, wholesale, and Australia’s most recognised events, combining quality, theatre, and operational excellence to create unforgettable experiences.

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Bon Brulee

Bon Brûlée is all about doing one thing really well - crème brûlée, but bigger and better. Their extra-large brûlées have a perfect balance of smooth custard and a thick, crunchy caramel top in every bite.

The best part of a crème brûlée is cracking through the top, so each one is flame-torched to order. Expect a bit of theatre, a bit of fire, and that fresh caramelised finish you can hear and smell before you even take a bite.

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Brazilian Flame

Brazilian Flame barbecue combines traditional Brazilian barbecue cooking with  Brazilian barbecue excellent cuts to deliver big on flavour and theatricality, with its ribs, porchetta and rotisserie machines working their magic in front of the crowd.

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Burn City Smokers

Based in Melbourne, Burn City Smokers treats barbecue as an artform, offering smoked wood-smoked meats via catering, premium delivery and pop-ups. Combining ancient techniques with modern flavour and style, Burn City Smokers is a favourite of Vivid Fire Kitchen.

 

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Firepop

Hailed as the Good Food Guide 2025 New Restaurant of the Year, Firepop brings a masterclass in charcoal grilling to the festival. 

Originally a cult-favourite market stall, this Newtown standout has redefined the "pop" (skewer) by blending premium Australian produce—like Fullblood MBS9+ Wagyu—with bold, experimental flavours. Whether it’s their signature lamb with sesame cumin dukkah or their innovative "accordion" steaks, Firepop offers a high-impact, artisan dining experience that is as exciting as it is delicious.

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Gelato Messina

Born in Darlinghurst in 2002, Gelato Messina has grown into Australia’s most-loved gelateria, with 35 (soon 36) locally owned stores —and counting— along with sites in Hong Kong and Singapore.For Vivid Fire Kitchen, Gelato Messino is creating three delicious bespoke desserts designed to keep people coming back day after day.

One of them is the Smore's Sundae : think milk choc gelato with choc brownie cheesecake on graham cracker crumbs, topped with dark choc fudge and a perfectly toasted vanilla marshmallow. Sounds pretty amazing, right?

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Hoy Pinoy

Hoy Pinoy, meaning "Hey Filipino!", is a Filipino barbecue sensation dedicated to bringing authentic Ihaw-ihaw (grilled meats) to the masses. Inspired by the vibrant street food scene of the Philippines, Hoy Pinoy uses traditional recipes and cooking techniques to create skewers bursting with smoky, savory flavor.

 

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KOI Dessert Bar

KOI Dessert Bar is a world-renowned destination for indulging in fine artistic dessert & cuisine. Locatied in Sydney and Melbourne and sought-out globally, KOI brings together the expertise of exceptional in-house chefs to architect unforgettable experiences unlike anything else.

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Mr Spanish Churro

Mr Spanish Churro continues a family legacy started by more than 50 years ago in a small churreia in Valenica, Spain. Crafted fresh on-site, the award-winning pop-up combines authenticity with innovation with their signature and viral churro cones — a refined twist on a timeless classic, with modern flavours such as Oreo, cheesecake and crème brûlée.

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Olympic Meats

Bringing the soul of a Greek taverna to Sydney's Inner West, Olympic Meats is a celebration of "slow" food and family tradition. Chef Timothy Cassimatis honours his heritage by making everything from scratch—from the two-day sourdough pita bread to his grandmother’s authentic spanakopita recipe. 

Known for their succulent chicken gyros and charcoal-grilled Politiko kebabs, Olympic Meats delivers honest, heart-felt Mediterranean flavours that have made them a local institution.

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The Coffee Mill

The Coffee Mill is a premium mobile coffee and crepe experience, delivering high-quality café-style service at events across Melbourne and beyond. 

Combining speed, consistency, and presentation, the Mill serves up rich espresso-based and barista-made coffees and specialty teas alongside warm, made-to-order sweet crepes with a variety of classic and indulgent toppings.

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THICC S'mores Bar

THICC Cookies is a Sydney-based cookie brand known for loaded, New York-style cookies made fresh and served warm. Their THICC treats are rich, nostalgic and a little bit excessive — in the best way.

For Vivid Fire Kitchen, they're launching the THICC S’mores Bar. Think S’mores cookies, S’mores hot chocolate, and a warm S’mores cookie pie — all built around that classic combo of chocolate, marshmallow and biscuit. The theatre comes from the live toasting — gooey marshmallow, melted chocolate, and that fresh-off-the-heat finish that people can see, smell, and crave instantly.

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Toastie Smith Darling Square

Toastie Smith's fully loaded toasties are an explosion of tastes, guided by a two-year culinary expedition across the globe in search of the perfect toasty. Combining global flavours and traditions, their menu delights across four Sydney locations. 

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Yummy Yummy Knafeh

Highlighting Palestinian culture, heritage and hospitality, Yummy Yummy Knafeh serves up theatrical, fun and sweet Palestinian knafeh, a delicious dessert made with molten Australian-made Akkawi cheese, ghee, golden kataifi and syrup and topped with pistachios. A favourite of Lakemba Nights during Ramadan's markets, Yummy Yummy Knafeh's dessert pairs perfectly with a cup of authentic Middle Eastern coffee, brewed on hot sand.