Vivid Sydney: What’s On Around Central Station?
With so much on at Vivid Sydney, it can be worth slicing it and dicing it so you can see and do more over multiple nights.
Here’s a snapshot of the Ideas, Music and Lights in and around Central Station from Festival Director Gill Minervini and the Festival Curators.
Vivid Ideas Exchange in UTS’ Great Hall is your destination for brain bending talks, forward thinking panels and all manner of mind stimulation. Mark out your calendar with Northern Voices: Asian Short Film Festival (2 June), The Future of Drugs with Professor Iain McGregor, Dr Sam Banister and journo-author Jenny Valentish, Tech Central innovation hub (9 June), Mavericks of Stage and Screen with Sarah Lambert, Leah Purcell, and other top talents (10 June), Sydney in Space with The Space Research Network (16 June), For the Love of Waste with inventor extraordinaire Dr Veena Sahajwalla (18 June) and a host of other keynotes, discussions, and industry conferences.
Nearby, the Powerhouse Museum gives free rein to creative expression with Fashion’s Beautiful Freak in the Machine (2 June), Ballroom & the West Ball (9 June), and Queer Sydney (16 June) for the FREE series of Powerhouse Late X Vivid Ideas evenings.
Further south, Carriageworks’ line up erupts with local and international talent from raucous Estonian rapper Tomm¥ €a$h (3 June) to our own Mystics featuring Jono Ma, Jonti and Babekühl (5 June) and from Japanese girls-rock outfit Chai (10 June) to America’s queer icon Perfume Genius (11 June) to name a few.
On your way to and from, you’ll discover light artistry that ranges from playful to thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. Be dazzled by Marilyn Minter’s sardonic Smash! that shatters illusions of glamour, enter another dimension with Convergence, muse on our Indigenous past and shared future in Shard, play scene-spotting amongst A Mirrored City, be entranced by Tomorrow’s Blossoming, appreciate architecture in a different light with Frankly, My Dear illuminating the windows of Frank Gehry’s UTS Business School in jewel-bright hues, and see yourself in Vivid Reflections beamed on Central Station’s Clock Tower.
If you’re exploring Vivid Sydney on Saturday nights, shimmy through to the Grand Concourse for Vivid Music at Central Station where a diverse series of FREE contemporary live music acts amp up the festival buzz on your way to or from all the lights and events. Catch Bluegrass darlings The Morrisons (4 June), Balkan brouhaha Lolo Lovina (11 June) and the joyous Cope St Band (18 June).
See you in the mix! Remember to share all your #vividsydney reflections and connections on our socials.
For more fabulous Vivid Sydney festival tips and itineraries, visit our blog.
Northern Voices: Asian Short Film Festival
This highly popular micro-film festival returns to Vivid Sydney with a curated collection of some of the newest and most thought-provoking animated and...
The Future of Drugs
Psychoactive drugs for better health? Fact or furphy? Are you curious about the explosion of interest in psychedelics? How do you navigate the latest...
Tech Central – Home of Social and Innovation Mavericks
The emerging innovation district Tech Central will 'create the biggest technology hub of its kind in Australia, expand Sydney CBD’s commercial core to...
Mavericks of Stage & Screen
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) presents MAVERICKS OF STAGE & SCREEN, a truly unique Vivid Sydney event showcasing...
Sydney in Space
It’s been over 40 years since the Apollo mission landed a man on the moon. As dramatised in the iconic Australian film The Dish, the Parkes Observatory...
For the Love of Waste - Dumbo Feather in Conversation with Veena Sahajwalla
Join us for an intimate conversation event about the potential of waste with inventor Professor Veena Sahajwalla. Chatting with Dumbo Feather’s...
Beautiful Freak in the Machine: Powerhouse Late x Vivid Ideas
See the Powerhouse transformed into a 3D magazine, telling stories of fashion, freedom and self-expression. In a night for style fans and pop culture geeks...
Ballroom & the West Ball: Powerhouse Late x Vivid Ideas
From Harlem, New York to Sydney, via Western Sydney, artists Jamaica Moana and Father Xander Silky bring the essence of ballroom to the Powerhouse Museum...
Queer Sydney: Powerhouse Late x Vivid Ideas
Join our celebration of Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ history and explore the lineage from the original Mardi Gras 78ers to now, before ending the night with a little...
Tomm¥ €a$h
Off the back of a massive world tour, Estonian rapper and visual artist Tommy Cash performs his raucous and provocative live show at Carriageworks as part...
Mystics: Jono Ma, Jonti & Babekühl
After a year of Covid delays, renowned music makers Jono Ma and Jonti perform at Carriageworks for a chilled-out evening of experimental, audio-visual...
Chai
Japanese, all-female, rock band Chai burst into Sydney with their exuberant and joyful live set. Redefining the definition of cuteness, Mana, Kana, Yuna...
Perfume Genius
A queer icon of American indie music, Perfume Genius brings his national tour and spectacular live band to Carriageworks. Dubbed "one of alternative music’s...
Smash
Daring… Beguiling… Unrelenting… Our gaze is captivated by a dancer’s feet. Tightly strapped in bejewelled stilettos, they stomp and splash in puddles...
Convergence
Please note queues may be closed to patrons from 10:45pm to manage the final viewing of the evening. Tunnels are portals to other worlds. We venture...
SHARD
Language connects us. This vital form of communication allows us to share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with others. It has the power to inspire, to...
A Mirrored City
Discover a city within the city, where shimmering surfaces beckon. Weave your way through a series of building-like forms covered in dichroic film. As...
Tomorrow's Blossoming
Like a meadow in bloom, this mass installation of light flowers is comprised of beautifully intricate blossoms designed with the input of hundreds of Sydney...
Frankly, My Dear...
See Frank Gehry’s design for the UTS School of Business in a whole new light. Brave architecture enriches great cities and, here, designer Sinclair Park...
Vivid Reflections
Come on a magical, experiential journey through the culture and icons of our beloved city. Set in the western forecourt of Central Station, this interactive...
Vivid Music at Central Station | FREE
This year, Vivid Sydney presents a FREE series of diverse, contemporary live music on the Grand Concourse of Central Station. These exciting acts amp up...
The Vivid Sydney Brass Band | Vivid Music at Central Station
Drawing inspiration from Treme and the roving New Orleans brass band tradition, the Vivid Sydney Brass Band are our very own bespoke eight-piece brass...
The Morrisons | Vivid Music at Central Station
Join Sydney's bluegrass darlings as they tell Australian stories steeped in the sound of folk and old-time music. This seven-piece band of peerless pickers...
Lolo Lovina | Vivid Music at Central Station
Join Lolo Lovina ('Red Beer) for an intoxicating brew of Balkan mayhem! Fronted by Hungarian Romani-Gypsy singer Sarah Bedak, this music fusion reflects...
Cope St Parade | Vivid Music at Central Station
Sydney born and bred, The Cope Street Parade does love songs like no others can. Now in its 12th year, the Parade is considered one of Australia’s most...
