Martin Place and CBD
For the first time since 2018, Vivid Sydney lights up Martin Place and CBD, transforming the city’s heart into a hub of Light, Music, Ideas and Food. Experience the centre of Sydney in a whole new light with dining experiences in unexpected places, large-scale works transforming buildings and world-class food, performances and talks.
Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Getting there
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Walk | 5 mins from Wynyard, 10 mins from Circular Quay |
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Train | Martin Place and Wynyard Stations |
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Light Rail | Wynyard |
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Bus | Wynyard Station and Elizabeth St |
Returning to the festival for the first time since 2018, Martin Place is a hub of innovation and sensory experiences. The Lucid Dream Collective by Moment Factory merges AI with light, transforming your face into surreal and evolving projection, while the Chasing Dreams Tunnel showcases the bold work of Bundjalung artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft. Planet City: Live envisions a hyper-dense urban future, and Where Do Ideas Come From? Creativity Inside TIME’s Cover offers an intimate look at the creative mind behind the magazine’s most iconic visuals.
City Recital Hall hosts world-class performances from Warren Ellis and Tangerine Dream, while food lovers can savour Nigella Lawson’s exclusive Vivid Sydney Dinners or explore First Nations cuisine at the Native Food Experience at NSW Parliament House.
Light Events
The Lucid Dream Collective
Where do our dreams go when we sleep? Imagine a hazy, fantastical pool where all our dreams collect—a mosaic of light, textures, and faces representing...
BioDream
Loss is both an ending and a beginning—a moment for reflection, renewal and transformation.Welcome to BioDream, a psychedelic dreamscape that explores...
Flowers' Power
Nine enormous, mirrored and cartoon-like flowers sprout mid-way up the buildings of Martin Place. Vibrant reflections transform this urban business district...
Chasing Dreams Tunnel by Chas Clarkson
Travel through space and time as you step into Chasing Dreams Tunnel, an immersive passageway of programmable TWINKLY-powered fairy lights. This celestial...
Music Events
Sounds of Afrobeats: After Dark ft DJ Obi + DJ Ayane + DJ Tshegu
Sounds of Afrobeats: After Dark brings the electrifying energy of Afroclub to the Metro stage for Vivid Sydney, featuring three heavy-hitters from the...
10 Years of NLV Records feat. Ninajirachi
An all-out, late-night venue takeover celebrating a decade of boundary-pushing club sounds.Founded by Australian dance music icon Nina Las Vegas, NLV Records...
Divide and Dissolve | Metro AiR x Vivid Sydney
A force like no other, Divide & Dissolve create instrumental soundscapes designed to tackle colonialism, white supremacy and the patriarchy.Helmed...
Pete & Bas
With special guests NERVE and FisheyeFMThis one’s for the heads, the grandkids and everyone in between.Forget bingo nights and lawn bowls—Pete &...
Sound Walk
One night. One laneway, transformed. A free light and sound experience for all.Designed by Australian illumination specialists Mandylights, Sound Walk...
Tangerine Dream
They changed the course of electronic music. They scored cult classics (Thief, Risky Business, Legend). They pushed the boundaries of ambient, psychedelic...
Soccer Mommy
Under the moniker Soccer Mommy, Sophia Allison has carved out a space all her own in the indie rock scene—somewhere between the fuzzy guitars of the...
An Evening with Warren Ellis
Hosted by Zan Rowe.Warren Ellis is an Australian music icon—Dirty Three founder, longtime Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds collaborator, film composer (The...
My Sis: Celebrating Bad Apples Music ft Barkaa + Ladi6
Welcome to My Sis, a celebration of 10 years of First Nations excellence in music.Founded by rapper Briggs, Bad Apples Music has spent a decade shaping...
Sidney Phillips | Metro AiR x Vivid Sydney
Brisbane’s Sidney Phillips blends hyperpop and lad rap with a distinct Aussie twist. Sidney brings sharp wit, bold storytelling, and genre-blurring beats...
Ideas Events
The Australian Dream? with Tim Ross
From the ‘burbs to the bush to the inner city, Australians have long been fixated on the dream of home ownership. As housing affordability, mortgage...
Why We Sleep, featuring Professor Matthew Walker
Good sleep is as essential to our health as diet and exercise—yet it remains as mysterious to us as our dreams. In this insightful discussion, brought...
State Library Unplugged
For centuries, libraries have been sanctuaries of reflection—places where people retreat into stories, knowledge and quiet focus. In a world of constant...
Haus of Horror presents Edward Scissorhands
It’s all chills and family-friendly thrills for this special screening of Tim Burton’s 1990 masterpiece Edward Scissorhands. Presented by Australia’s...
Where Do Ideas Come From? Creativity Inside TIME's Cover
For over a century, TIME magazine has captured the defining moments of our era, distilling the zeitgeist into striking, thought-provoking covers. A mother...
Environmental Film Festival
Dive into powerful stories of climate action, conservation and our inseparable connection to nature at the Australian Museum’s inaugural Environmental...
The Talbot Oration
How can bold climate action shape a brighter future for Australia? Join us for the Australian Museum’s 2025 Talbot Oration, featuring keynote speaker...
Planet City: Live
In a world of escalating climate crises, bold dreams aren’t optional—they’re essential. What if, instead of unchecked expansion and environmental...
The Australian Dream?
From the ‘burbs to the bush to the inner city, Australians have long been obsessed with the dream of home ownership. In The Australian Dream? design...
Art After Hours: Dreams
What do you dream about? In this special Art After Hours series for Vivid Sydney, we will explore how to access the subconscious, look at how the seeds...
Food Events
Dreaming Skies: A Culinary Journey with Dwayne Bannon Harrison
Soar high above the glow of Vivid Sydney and immerse yourself in flavours that have been on this continent for millennia with this First Nations fine dining...
Tyrrell's: A Journey Through History
Step into the past, look to the future and raise a glass at Tyrrell’s: A Journey Through History, an unforgettable dining experience at NSW Parliament...
Eleven Barrack x Claude Bosi | Vivid Chef Series
For two extraordinary nights the Vivid Chef Series presents a world-class collaboration as acclaimed French chef Claude Bosi joins forces with Brent Savage...
Native Food Experience
Enter one of Sydney’s most iconic buildings and embark on a powerful culinary journey that celebrates over 60,000 years of First Nations culture at The...
Vivid Sydney Dinners
For three very special nights, global food icon Nigella Lawson invites you to an extraordinary, exclusive dining experience beneath the city, in the stunning...
