Vivid 2022: The ultimate guide to exploring Sydney's iconic light festival

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Vivid Sydney has finally made its highly anticipated return! Sydney’s iconic landmarks are vibrantly lit up over three weeks as the city shows off not only its architectural beauty, but also its best music, art and food.

From someone who had never actually had the privilege of visiting Vivid before, I was both overwhelmed and surprised at just how much there is to see during the festival. With that in mind, I set out one particularly chilly night last week to suss out where all the most Instagrammable moments were.

Central Station and The Goods Line:

Once part of a busy freight rail system, this historic urban walkway used to transport wool, meat and wheat throughout Sydney. Fast forward to 2022, the newly revitalised walkway takes you from Central station right into the heart of the CBD, making it the perfect place to start your light walk journey. Here you’ll find 7 amazing light installations as well as events at both the University of Technology and the Powerhouse Museum.

A must stop is at “Convergence”, which is the largest scale laser installation in Vivid Sydney history. Turning the unused Goods Line tunnel into a spectacular convergence of lights, lasers and smoke.

Darling Harbour, Darling Quarter and Darling Square Light walk:

One of my personal favourite spots in the city, this little pocket of Sydney is littered with delicious things to try, see and do as you make your way through the spectacular light installations.

If you’re looking for a spot where you can ‘do it all’ - this might be it! Perfect for families, there are lots of interactive pieces of art that tackle all of your senses head on. From “Sydney Infinity” that uses hundreds of multi-textured jets and nozzles to fan water into shifting shapes and expressive fountains, to “Windspinners” that elevate commonplace garden ornaments into large-scale kinetic sculptures that become optical illusions. Here you’ll find hours of endless wandering and entertainment everyone can enjoy.

If you’ve been on your feet for a little while, you might want to pop into House of Bombay Bar, an exciting Bombay Sapphire pop-up bar with a very creative cocktail offering. With $10 ‘happy hour’ cocktails available from 5-6pm every night, this could be the perfect starting point (or rest stop) along your Vivid journey.

Barangaroo:

Just a 5 minute walk from Wynyard station, Barangaroo is home to the “Wulugul Walk” which is part of an amazing 11km journey that winds its way around Sydney Harbour from Woolloomooloo.

Our favourite had to be the eye-catching “Corpi Celesti” which beautifully demonstrated inflatable planets of our solar system, defining each planet with innovative techniques such as video mapping and digital projection for an out-of-this-world immersive experience.

If you get hungry during your travels, Barangaroo is perfect for foodies who want to experience Vivid via their stomachs. The team at Lotus Dining have curated specialised menu items just for the occasion, including a delicious Singapore crab bao dumpling and “Starry night” cocktail that is well worth a visit!

Lights are on at Vivid Sydney from 6pm-11pm nightly right up until the 18th June.

Yahoo Lifestyle was a guest of Destination NSW

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