Following 23 nights of spectacular sights, flavours and experiences, Vivid Sydney has once again switches off its lights, closing out another stellar festival period as the world’s largest comprehensive arts festival.

Over three weeks from 22 May until 13 June, Vivid Sydney 2026 took a revitalised and refreshed approach to its programming, including a bumper year of Food — the event’s biggest yet.

Vivid Food featured more than 240 food and beverage leaders across the festival, showcasing a diverse mix of culinary expertise and creative voices.

In its new location at Barangaroo Reserve, the Vivid Fire Kitchen took on its role of the unofficial festival hub.

More than 64 culinary talent were stationed within the precinct, centred around the Fire Pit and Flamemasters, complete with free demonstrations on the Food for Thought stage.

More than 250,000 dishes and drinks were purchased from 17 vendors at the Vivid Fire Kitchen, including 46,000 desserts and 18,500 unique chef dishes from the Fire Pit.

Yotam Ottolenghi lead the program’s Regional Dinner Series with A Shared Table event, heroing the best of NSW’s produce. 

Six  additional events in this series paired top regional NSW chefs with popular Sydney restaurants to develop produce-forward menus.

NSW food and wine producers also came together in a never-before dining experience, The Long Table Dinner at The Strand Arcade: NSW Icons of Land & Sea, which featured Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Sydney Royal medal-winning produce.

Events at Shell House included Wet, Cold + Delicious Tuna Dinner  and Oysters in the House.

Visitors enjoyed more than 8000 freshly shucked oysters from 14 NSW farmers as part of the sold-out Oysters in the House event, accompanied by 400 litres of Hunter Valley Semillon from eight producers.

Additionally, Cult & Classic at The International was Vivid Sydney’s inaugural wine-focused event.

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said: "Vivid Sydney once again transformed winter in our city, drawing visitors from across Australia and around the world to experience Sydney at its most spectacular.

"More than just a light festival, Vivid Sydney creates unforgettable experiences that celebrate our city’s vibrant culture and innovative creative industries.

“More than 80 per cent of the program was free, over 500 Australians had their own lighting designs projected onto the Harbour Bridge, and the Vivid Fire Kitchen at Barangaroo became the beating heart of the festival.

"Vivid Sydney is a powerful driver of our visitor economy and a celebration of everything that makes this city great. I cannot wait to do it all again in 2027."

Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO said: “This year’s Vivid Sydney has been an extraordinary success, exceeding our expectations not only terms of sell out shows across the program, but also in the level of enthusiasm, connection and delight we’ve seen  across the city.

“Especially thrilling has been the response to our 2026 initiatives — the inclusion of spectacular aerial performances, of sculpture and visual arts elements, of the relocated and hugely expanded Fire Kitchen, of our blockbuster laser and pyrotechnic shows, and of the growth in scale of all four pillars — light, music, minds and food.”

Motti and Smith Events Director Blake Smith said: “We turned up the heat this year in partnership with Vivid Sydney, co-producing Vivid Fire Kitchen in its new home at Barangaroo Reserve and the response was phenomenal.

“The Vivid Fire Pit became the heart of the precinct, bringing together 27 chefs each creating a signature dish, alongside guest chefs on the Food for Thought stage and a curated line-up of culinary vendors and bars, all delivered across 23 nights.

“Crowds came out in force to experience the free cooking demonstrations, live music and the energy of the Vivid Light Walk woven throughout the space. Food was undeniably the hero, with cooking over fire drawing crowds in and giving them every reason to return night after night."