Vivid Sydney is more successful every year and organisers are calling for creatives’ input for the 2026 program. Photo: Destination NSW.
A staple of NSW’s festival and arts scene, Vivid Sydney, is calling on artists for next year’s program, seeking performers and thinkers both domestic and international to shape the 2026 event.
Vivid will return to Sydney’s Circular Quay from 22 May to 13 June, transforming the beautiful harbourscape into a spectacle of lights, ideas, music and food. The festival needs artists to bring that creativity and energy to the fore.
It’s estimated that Vivid Sydney has enticed 25 million visitors and $1.3 billion in visitor expenditure since its inception in 2009. The 2025 festival also brought record-breaking hotel occupancy for May.
“The overwhelming response to Vivid Sydney 2025 sends a clear message that this festival remains a powerful driver of creativity, culture and economic impact,” Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said.
“Vivid Sydney doesn’t just light up our streets – it solidifies Sydney’s standing as a leading global cultural capital and a must-experience destination in the Asia-Pacific.”
Highlights for the 2025 festival included:
- Participating businesses in the Vivid Sydney Local Business Program doubled from 2024
- Four bumper Saturdays attracted crowds of nearly 200,000 each
- Vivid Fire Kitchen drew more than 110,000 visitors
- Almost 25,000 visited the Vivid Ideas program
- More than 830 million views on #vividsydney content worldwide.
Destination NSW, with the NSW Government, is now looking for producers, creators, innovators and creatives to bring next year’s festival to life.
Submissions are open for a broad range of creative disciplines and art forms, such as artists, designers, architects, engineers, chefs, restaurateurs, performers, curators, academic institutions and creative organisations.
Tourism & Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said: “It’s fantastic to see the roaring success of yet another incredibly curated Vivid Sydney.
”This festival not only makes Sydney shine, it’s a tremendous boost for the visitor economy and plays a huge role in showing off the icons and hidden gems alike.”
Expressions of interest (EOIs) are open for all of the pillar programs:
- Ideas, Music, Food and Cross-Art Form EOIs – closing on 26 September
- Vivid Light EOIs – closing on 28 July.
More information about the EOI process can be found on the Vivid Sydney website.
