Sydney CBD and Surrounds
Vivid Sydney transforms the CBD and Surrounds with its Music, Minds and Food programming.
Hunter St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Vivid Music can be heard across Sydney's most iconic live music venues, including the Oxford Art Factory, City Recital Hall and Metro Theatre, alongside Tumbalong Nights and Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House. The party pushes into Sydney’s inner west with arts precinct Carriageworks’s programming of global stars such as Lil’ Kim and UK R&B star Ella Mai, plus powerhouse dance acts Alison Wonderland, Porter Robinson and more.
For the first time, Vivid Music heads to White Bay Power Station, in collaboration with the Biennale of Sydney as part of their Art After Dark series.
Vivid Minds’s thought-provoking events and talks centre in Sydney’s CBD. Headlining series Creative Trailblazers span the State Theatre, Sydney Town Hall and City Recital Hall. Midweek Minds takes over the State Library of NSW on 3 and 10 June, while Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 takes place at the UTS Data Centre.
Meanwhile, Vivid Food’s culinary journey covers acclaimed restaurants and bars across Sydney’s CBD & Surrounds. Enjoy a feast for the senses at A Shared Table With Yotam Ottolenghi, as one of the world’s most celebrated chefs celebrates NSW’s world-class produce with an exclusive dinner and lunch at ILUMINA. Other innovative dining events in unlikely spaces include the Long Table Dinner at The Strand Arcade, An Evening at Parliament House and Dream Feast at The Mint.
Surry Hills comes alive too, with dining series Our Shared Future and A Taste of HQ: Street Eats Edition, a free-to-enter street festival of food, art and music.
Light Events
Beyond the Overlay
Shifting shapes and vibrant colours transform the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons in this quietly mesmerising projection inspired by the bright, bold designs...
Music Events
Xaviersobased
New York City's xaviersobased arrives at Sydney's Metro Theatre, just as his "brilliantly chaotic" (NME) debut album Xavier shifts the DIY rapper-producer...
Elsy Wameyo | Art After Dark
With special guest RIAH.A force to be reckoned with, the Nairobi-born, Adelaide-raised rapper Elsy Wameyo brings her arresting blend of modern alt-R&B...
Daniel Avery (Live)
English producer and composer Daniel Avery has spent more than a decade reshaping what dance music can be.Touring his most ambitious album to date, Tremor...
Chanel Beads
Mysterious and alluring, New York's Chanel Beads plays Australia for the first time, bringing his dreamy swirl of spectral electronica, indie-pop and post-punk...
Biennale of Sydney Art After Dark: Last Light
This event has sold out. Join the waitlist.A free party sending off Biennale of Sydney's Art After Dark, with innovative, left-of-centre music spanning...
Purelink | Art After Dark
With special guest Phondupe.Acclaimed Brooklyn ambient techno trio Purelink transform the industrial White Bay Power Station into a world of experimental...
RUBII
This event has sold out. Join the waitlist.One of the UK's breakout alt-R&B stars of the 2020s heads to Vivid Sydney, set to transfix Oxford Art Factory...
Kae Tempest
A vital voice in contemporary music and literature, English rapper and poet Kae Tempest will return to Sydney this June for a special night, joined by...
Soft Centre: Gabber Eleganza, Violent Magic Orchestra
Soft Centre returns to Vivid Sydney on June 5th with a full-scale takeover of the City Recital Hall. A night of Hardcore hyperbole, tracing the ritualised...
Clara La San
Renowned for her richly personalised, effortless style of hook-rich songcraft, British artist Clara La San is one of the most magnetic names shaping the...
Minds Events
Roxane Gay: In Conversation
Join prolific American author and cultural critic Roxane Gay at City Recital Hall for an exclusive conversation with Whadjuk Noongar journalist, author...
Midweek Minds: The Engagement Generation
Can we have your attention? In an age of on-demand streaming, snackable content and 24/7 audience engagement and TikTok remixes, how can publishers and...
Chloé Zhao: In Conversation
Join Academy Award–winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao for her first appearance in Australia, following the global acclaim of Hamnet starring Paul Mescal and...
Midweek Minds: Legally Bonded
How do artists maintain ownership of their work and voice in an era shaped by constant circulation, reinterpretation and reuse? As images move fluidly...
Zane Lowe: In Conversation
Music industry tastemaker and broadcaster Zane Lowe dives deep into the sound of now, in a Vivid Sydney exclusive conversation with triple j Mornings host...
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20
Inspired by tabletop roleplaying games, and informed by First Nations lore and cultural ideology, this immersive, free adventure at the UTS Data Arena...
Creative Machines: Rethinking Design in the Age of AI
Cut through the noise surrounding AI’s impact on creativity with design and innovation expert and Professor Joshua Vermillion, in a provocative keynote...
Designing What Matters: How Creativity Shapes a Life
Exclusive to Vivid Sydney, American designer Debbie Millman unpacks the life-shifting insights into creativity, success and connection she’s unearthed...
Sean Baker: In Conversation
Join Sean Baker, the multi-Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind Best Picture winner Anora for an exclusive conversation with Alexei Toliopoulos at Sydney...
State Library Unplugged
Registrations for this event have now closed, but you're still welcome to come along! Walk-ins are welcome throughout the night, subject to capacity. Please...
Food Events
Regional Dinner Series: The Tweed with Ben Devlin & Lennox Hastie
Named on the revered global 2025 Best Chef List, Ben Devlin is the executive chef and co-owner of Pipit Restaurant in Pottsville on the Tweed. For...
Our Shared Future: Remy Davis
Join chef Remy Davis and OzHarvest for a four-course dinner at Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney, all made using up to 95% beautiful, fresh and rescued NSW produce.Davis...
Our Shared Future: Junda Khoo
This event is sold out. Join the waiting list.Join Ho Jiak chef Junda Khoo and OzHarvest for a four-course dinner at Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney, all made...
Our Shared Future: Khanh Nguyen
This event has sold out. Join the waitlist.Join King Clarence executive chef Khanh Nguyen and OzHarvest for a four-course dinner at Refettorio OzHarvest...
Dream Feast
Fresh from throwing bold culinary-cultural events in Marrakesh, Sicily and Mallorca, New York-based ARLO Communal bring their celebrated multi-sensory...
Regional Dinner Series: Riverina with Luke Piccolo & Giovanni Pilu
Luke Piccolo, chef-owner of the Riverina region’s Limone Dining, brings produce direct from his own Piccolo Family Farm for two collaborative dinners...
Regional Dinner Series: Southern Highlands with Stephen Santucci & Scott McComas-Williams
Armed with the Southern Highlands’ finest produce and organic ingredients, acclaimed Moonacres Kitchen and Jimmy Nardello chef Stephen Santucci teams...
A Taste of HQ: Street Eats Edition
A Taste of HQ: Street Eats Edition takes over Surry Hills's Foster and Hunt streets for a free-to-enter alfresco day-to-night festival of live music, roaming...
A Shared Table With Yotam Ottolenghi
Renowned chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi presents A Shared Table. An exclusive dinner and lunch, it's a rare chance to step into Ottolenghi’s...
Regional Dinner Series: The Tweed with Christine Manfield & Sander Nooij
Culinary trailblazer Christine Manfield joins Sander Nooij, the Dutch-born head chef and co-owner of two-hatted plant-forward restaurant Yellow, celebrating...
