Vivid Sydney showcases the talented and vibrant creative arts, tourism and hospitality workforce, demonstrating the wealth of exciting career opportunities available in this sector. Over the course of the event in 2024, hotels in the CBD enjoyed 75 % occupancy with bookings reaching as high as 90 % on weekends.
Vivid Sydney, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest multi-artform festival, is prepping to take place from Friday May 23 to Saturday 14 June 2025, with a program centred around the theme of Vivid Sydney, Dream. Notably, this year’s Vivid Sydney attracted 2.42 million attendees, making it the third largest on record.
While Vivid Sydney 2024 attracted millions of people from across Australia and the globe, it also had a profound impact on the creative minds who helped bring the event to life, including Sydney’s retail, hospitality and accommodation sectors. For the next year, artists, musicians, thought leaders and food creatives are encouraged to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the opportunity to be part of the event and showcase their work to a mass audience across the festival pillars of Light, Music, Ideas and Food.
Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox said: “Since 2009, Vivid Sydney has grown to become Sydney’s vibrant cultural showpiece, driving significant visitation to Sydney and regional NSW and positioning our state as the arts and creative industries capital of the Asia Pacific. “Vivid Sydney is more than a light show, it is Sydney’s living legacy that captures imaginations and shares with visitors and locals alike the very best talent from our creative, entertainment and hospitality industries.
“Vivid Sydney is such an amazing and important festival for our city, and we were thrilled to be on the program. From old to young, we had them all on the dancefloor for Club Broadway at Tumbalong Park. The night was absolutely magical and a great way to celebrate our community.” Service and Creative Skills Australia (the Jobs and Skills Council for Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality) CEO Natalie Turmine said: “Vivid Sydney showcases brilliantly our talented and vibrant creative arts, tourism and hospitality workforce, demonstrating the wealth of exciting career opportunities available in this sector.
“There is so much pride, joy and power that can be found in food, it is a platform to celebrate culture, make meaningful connections and create jobs. Through working with Vivid Food and selling more than 1000 tacos, more than 1500 meals will be donated to community kitchens for people in need.” Tourism & Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said: “Between the lights, the music, the ideas, the food and the incredible vibe…Vivid Sydney has once again delivered a spectacular event for visitors and locals of all ages, with the big winners being local tourism and hospitality operators.”
“The bright lights of Vivid Sydney have showcased first-class hospitality, creativity and our beloved Sydney CBD and Harbour icons to audiences across the globe, demonstrating the value and huge potential of this event and the need to continue investing in world class events.”
Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson said, “Over the course of the event, hotels in the CBD enjoyed 75 per cent occupancy with bookings reaching as high as 90 per cent on weekends. There is no denying major events such as Vivid Sydney, that have the capacity to draw a high level of overnight visitation in the middle of winter, create an incredible boost for the city’s visitor economy.”
“I encourage the brightest talents to join Destination NSW in creating an event that elevates the Harbour City as the Asia Pacific’s leader in world-class cultural experiences,” Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini said. “Vivid Sydney 2025 is pushing the creative boundaries across our theme of “Dream” to deliver another unforgettable global celebration. “Each year Vivid Sydney aims to deliver unparalleled artistic brilliance and we look forward to welcoming the inspirations within our community that will help shape Vivid Sydney 2025 into a show-stopping cultural phenomenon.”
The Vivid Sydney EOI outlines opportunities for artists, designers, creative industry professionals, equipment suppliers, architects, engineers, promoters, restaurants, event companies, chefs, producers and educational institutions to present their ideas, designs, concepts and interest for inclusion in the annual event. Light and Cross Art Form EOIs will close on September 2, 2024 with Ideas, Music and Food closing on September 27, 2024.
Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.
