Vivid Sydney

About

Vivid Sydney 2023, the largest festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the country’s largest celebration of creative industries, achieved unprecedented attendance and delivered $206.1 million in visitor expenditure to the NSW visitor economy.

Australia’s largest festival broke records across its Light, Music, Ideas and Food pillars with an 18 per cent boost in visitor expenditure from its previous peak in 2019 and set a new benchmark with 3.48 million attendees, a 35 per cent increase from 2022.

Vivid Sydney welcomed 350,000 attendees from interstate, up 65 per cent on 2022, and 260,000 international attendees, which was a 391 per cent increase on 2022 and more international visitors than in 2019 prior to the pandemic.

Vivid Sydney 2023 ran across 23 days and nights and used 55 venues and precincts, engaged 49 Australian, 56 international and 38 NSW artists for the Vivid Light Walk, 170 music acts of which 100 were from NSW and hundreds more thought leaders and culinary experts.

Vivid Sydney 2024 preparations are underway, with Australia’s most popular event to return from 24 May to 15 June 2024.

Expressions of interest for creatives to be part of the 2024 program are open. For information visit vividsydney.com

Vivid Sydney 2023 fast facts

• 3.48 million Vivid Sydney 2023 attendees, 900,000 more or a 35 per cent increase on 2022.
• The average daily festival attendance across the 23 nights was 151,300.
• In 2023, Vivid Sydney generated $206.1 million in visitor expenditure, the largest in the event’s history. This boost for the NSW economy has increased by 31 million, or 18 per cent compared to the previous record set in 2019. In 2022 Vivid Sydney injected $119 million into the Visitor economy.
• $63.8 million in domestic visitor packages were sold (up 3 per cent on 2022) and $44.8 million in international travel packages (up 2183% on 2022).
• 325,000 regional visitors (up 29.4 per cent on 2022) and 350,000 interstate visitors (up 65.1 per cent on 2022) came to Sydney for the festival.
• 36,500 Vivid Sydney visitors went to regional NSW and spent an estimated $21.7 million (up 78 per cent on 2022).
• On average, visitors stayed 3.3 nights in NSW for the event.
• The total number of nights stayed in Sydney was 756,135.
• Restaurants, cafes and bars have enjoyed a surge in patronage. In 2022, 701,000 people ate meals across the festival and in 2023 that number was 745,000
• Vivid Fire Kitchen at The Cutaway in Barangaroo a smoke and fire themed food adventure featured a line-up of street food vendors, restaurants and original dining concepts attracting 190,000 people.
• Restaurants across the festival footprint reported 81 per cent of attendees purchasing food and beverages - more diners than any Vivid Sydney festival to date.
• Hotels in the CBD reported increased occupancy during the festival, with occupancy rates up 12 per cent overall compared to last year’s festival, lifting occupancy to 78 per cent across the CBD and 90 per cent on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Seven Written in the Stars Drone Shows – a festival record – the largest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Largest opening weekend on record with 459,000.
• Most attendees over a June long weekend in the festival’s history with 830,000 visitors.
• The longest ever free Vivid Light Walk at 8.5km’s with 57 mesmerising light installations and 3D projections from Circular Quay to Central Station.
• The spectacular Sydney Opera House Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened showcasing the work of esteemed late Australian artist John Olsen AO OBE.
• A sold-out In Conversation event with The White Lotus creator and star Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge at the ICC Sydney attended by 7366.
• More than 1200 attendees for Vivid Music’s A Bend in the River, A Tribute to Archie Roach AC at Sydney Town Hall.
• 3978 wheelchair participants.
• 79,197 families with prams on the Vivid Sydney footprint.
• 25,225 Vivid Sydney broadcast, print and online media clippings – 16 per cent up on 2022.
• Just under 4 million website visits to vividsydney.com – 43 per cent increase from 2022.
• 649 million users reached with content via #vividsydney – 83.9 per cent increase from 2022.
• Social content on Vivid Sydney owned channels reached a total of 85,767,156 million users (5.1 percentage increase on 2022)
• 966,490 video views of Vivid Sydney Live streams to date – 141 per cent up on 2022.
• 18,340 volunteer hours for Vivid Sydney 2023. 701 volunteers.
• This year Vivid Light featured more than 100 artists from 14 countries across 57 installations, including 32 NSW based artists and collaborators.
• This year Vivid Music featured 67 different events across 121 sessions at 14 venues and locations including the Metro Theatre, Civic Underground and Flow Studios.
• This year Vivid Ideas had 38 events across 149 sessions in nine venues, with 218 speakers Vivid Food had 15 events this year, with 282 sessions at 18 venues.
• Light ticketed events sold more than 223,015.
  

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW.