The 8 best things to see and do at Vivid Sydney 2025, according to locals
Thankfully, we've got people on the ground doing the hard yards for you, so you can get out and explore the very best bits of Vivid Sydney 2025.
These are the best things to see and do at Vivid Sydney 2025
1. Neon Dreams, Darling Harbour
"What do you get when you combine plant-based queen Shannon Martinez, a rollerskating rink and a 1950's diner? You get Neon Dreams, a brand-new addition to this year's Vivid line-up. Found under the Pier Street underpass in Darling Harbour, Neon Dreams is a retro pop-up serving up (vegan) American diner favourites – think juicy burgers, creamy mac and cheese and jelly donuts. And we weren't kidding about rollerskating – you can lace up and skate around the roller rink (pros and newbies are welcome). The venue is fully accessible for wheelchairs and mobility aids, too." Avril Treasure, Food and Drink Editor
2. Bloom, The Rocks
"I spent an evening exploring The Rocks – it's worth giving yourself a few hours to explore this corner of the city because there are so many cute bars and old pubs to stop at. My favourite installation was Bloom – it's at the Argyle Cut and it's a tunnel that gets lit up and displays visuals of nature blossoming. It's very vibrant and the sounds are so calming, it was by far my fave installation in The Rocks." Rebecca Hegedus, Video Editor
3. Night Picnic Under the Bridge
"One of the most contestable points each year Vivid rolls around is where the best perch is to watch Sydney light up. This year, my money's on Night Picnic Under the Bridge. Dawes Point Park in The Rocks has transformed into a gorgeous setup under the Sydney Harbour Bridge so you get epic vistas of Sydney Opera House while being right next to The Rocks Markets. Best part is the blankets and cushions are already there. Cosy on up." Caitlyn Todoroski, Branded Content Writer
4. Lighting of the Sails, Sydney Opera House
"It might be cliché, but I can't go past Lighting of the Sails at the Sydney Opera House. I've been to Vivid every year since it started back in 2009, and still couldn't help but squeal when the sails exploded into a riot of colour at 6pm. This year's animation, Kiss of Light, honours the late Australian visionary, David McDiarmid, and celebrates diversity and creativity in every shade of the rainbow. Standing under those glowing sails to take it all in – with the Harbour Bridge shining behind – has to be one of my favourite memories of the year so far."
5. Cygnus, Barangaroo
"There's a lot going on at Barangaroo for Vivid this this year. A multi-sensory display of light, sound, and fog has transformed Nawi Garden into a surreal, otherworldly realm. A gorgeous, glowing full moon sits in front of a swing. And a huge canopy of lights – formed by six kilometres of LED light rods – suspended above the Stargazer Lawn has become a mesmerising artwork that responds to your movements. But I'm a simple girl, and I don't think there's anything prettier than the way light dances on water. Cygnus is a simple light display formed by 12 life-like, luminous animatronic swans that glide in an enchanting dance across the mirrored water of Nawi Cove. I could watch them weave over the water for hours, and the soundtrack makes the whole experience even more mesmeric."
Winnie Stubbs, Lifestyle Writer
6. Vivid Sydney Skywalk, Sydney Tower
"I've done Vivid on foot more times than I can count, but seeing the lights from 268 metres above the city? That's a whole new kind of magic. I did the Vivid Sydney Skywalk at Sydney Tower Eye just as the lights flicked on across the city. You're out on this open-air platform, harnessed in and looking out over the skyline, when everything below starts to glow. The Harbour, the Bridge, all the little pockets of installations – it's like the city's dressed up for the night. It's calm, a bit surreal, and just a really lovely way to take it all in."
Kate Breytenbach, Account Manager
7. House of Romance: Dream Collide, Customs House
"The façade of Customs House has been the canvas for some of Vivid's most spectacular projections over the years, including a heartfelt tribute to Ken Done (2022), a mesmerising dive beneath the Harbour (2019) and a love letter to Australia's flora and fauna (2015). The 2025 iteration, House of Romance: Dream Collide, is one of its best yet. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sydney fashion label Romance Was Born, the installation is a kaleidoscope of colour, couture and creative joy, portraying their most iconic looks from the past two decades. One of my favourite parts was the high-energy soundtrack by Heckler Sound that made it all the more magical."
8. Fire Kitchen, The Goods Line
"I know Vivid is all about the lights – and I'm a fan of them too! – but for me, it's really about the delicious eats. You'll find plenty at the flame-fuelled Vivid Fire Kitchen, which is back again along The Goods Line in Ultimo (just a few minutes' walk from Central). My picks? The aromatic butter chicken jaffle with melted cheese, and the crème brûlée churro cone, which is as brilliant and as ridiculous as it sounds."
These are the best places to eat during Vivid.
Here's what's on for Vivid Music.
And here are all of your Vivid FAQs, answered.
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Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
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Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Telegraph
How the era of the ‘angry young men' sowed the seeds for the Swinging Sixties
The 1960s, that much-loved decade, revived with gusto during the Britpop era, still surrounds us with its images and iconography, from Bond to Sgt Pepper – but where does this distinctly English narrative come from? When did it start? Look a bit deeper, and in the decade between the end of the Korean War and The Beatles releasing Please Please Me, something stirred in the provinces. Drama, fiction and cinema started to produce a body of work that was distinctly at odds with what had passed as appropriate entertainment in the 1940s. During a time when people knew their place – and were often trapped as a result – the era of the 'angry young men' took shape. Full of 'outsider' characters and regional settings, and dubbed 'kitchen sink' by critics in recognition of its determinedly down-to-earth style, this is what gave birth to today's cultural landscape. 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Rationing has either just ceased or is still in force, and National Service remains a rite of passage for young men. How far we are from this world is apparent when viewing the images of Salford and Wakefield captured for posterity by Walter Lassally and Denys Coop in A Taste of Honey and This Sporting Life respectively. Crisp and perfect, almost every frame could be an LP cover or book jacket. Given today's London-centric arts scene, it's interesting to note the importance of Liverpool in launching the kitchen sink as a phenomenon, with two juvenile delinquency dramas, Violent Playground and These Dangerous Years, both shot there. Reminding us that current concerns about toxic masculinity are nothing new, both were outliers for the musical explosion that erupted in the city just six years later, and showed audiences a world very different from the BBC-style, Received Pronunciation dramas that still proliferated. Nor was this solely a 'northern' thing. London – Soho in particular – came into its own with distinctly realistic depictions. Prior to the mid-50s, film-makers rarely strayed beyond Mayfair and W1, and, if they did, usually shot on sets. Now there was an abundance of bedsit dramas, lots of crime and, by the standards of the time, sex (the Lady Chatterley trial helped fell those boundaries). Sowing the seeds for kitchen sink cinema The medium for showing these dramas varied. Despite being limited to only two channels, each broadcasting about six hours a day, television sowed the seeds for much of what followed. The feature-film-length TV play was a key element in the evening inventory, with ITV leading the way. At its peak, over 200 original scripts per annum were being commissioned, providing young actors and directors with critical early career exposure. TV today – including subscription platforms – could only dream of this. As for the theatre, director Joan Littlewood broke down stylistic norms and tackled themes rarely seen on stage before. Brendan Behan, John Arden, Lionel Bart, Shelagh Delaney and Arnold Wesker all benefited from her support. Much influenced by Bertolt Brecht and happy to stage big political ensemble pieces, her output at the Theatre Workshop, Stratford (formed in 1953), was youth-orientated and anticipated the satire boom that followed. There were hits, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be, deprecating the replacement of community with consumerism, intriguing misses (Ned Kelly, with Harry H Corbett comes to mind) and one undeniable classic, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969). Most people encountered the kitchen sink in the cinema, though. The Odeon, Gaumont, Granada and ABC chains remained uniquely accessible and popular; and yet, the conservatism of traditional producers – for a while – made getting Osborne, Sillitoe et al on the screen difficult. The Rank Organisation, anxious to maintain their role as custodians of family entertainment, declined to back Look Back in Anger. One explanation for this resistance came from the kitchen sink portraying 'difficult topics' previously considered to be of limited interest to paying audiences. One of these was politics. No Love for Johnnie, written by Wilfred Fienburgh MP, a predecessor of Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North, showed a world of cynical career advancement, no-confidence votes, late-night drinking and extra-marital affairs. The genre ended on a high. Back in Liverpool, A Hard Day's Night was written by Alun Owen, and directed by Richard Lester, an accomplice of The Goons. Filmed in black and white, with kitchen-sink actors Wilfrid Brambell and Norman Rossington in supporting roles (and Kenneth Haigh, uncredited), it repeated one of the main plot features – the cast goes down to London by train – while also beginning the swinging Sixties. Indeed, A Hard Day's Night feels like the archetypal 1960s film, marking the dawn of a new permissiveness – but in its breaking down of barriers, in its celebration of four working-class lads, the seeds of its success were sown in the previous decade. Top five kitchen-sink heroes The writers remain in print and many of the actors are still recognised names. But look deeper, and there are some no-longer-quite-so-well-regarded figures whose work repays study. 1. Mary Ure Glaswegian actress Mary Ure made a huge impression as Jimmy Porter's fragile, abused wife Alison in Look Back in Anger (1959), playing the part – definitively – on both stage and screen. A spell with the Royal Shakespeare Company followed, as did an Academy Award nomination for her role as Clara Dawes in Sons and Lovers (1960), but her career – like those of many women – remained defined by her marriages, in her case to John Osborne and Robert Shaw. Like Harvey she died in early middle-age, more than half a century ago. 2. Laurence Harvey A true outsider – Jewish, Lithuanian, brought up in South Africa – Laurence Harvey projected an undemonstrative, detached acting style whilst being simultaneously debonair and anti-heroic. It was an approach that fitted the times, and brought him Academy Award and Bafta nominations for his turn as proto-Thatcherite Joe Lampton in Room at the Top (1959). He also directed, including the black jazz musical Simply Heavenly (1958) and a film The Ceremony (1963), which, much influenced by Orson Welles, suggests a talent that might have been more widely used. 3. Tom Bell Leading man Tom Bell owed much to TV plays, appearing in 33 when that genre reigned supreme on the small screen. From Liverpool, Bell was famous for 'upsetting the establishment' something that lost him much work. With a background in provincial rep and a spell at the Theatre Workshop his best role during this period was in The L-Shaped Room (1962). 4. Kenneth Haigh Similarly, Kenneth Haigh, from Mexborough, never quite achieved star status despite creating the part of Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, partnering Roberts in Maggie May and playing Joe Lampton in Man at the Top (1970-1972) on TV. During a long career, which saw him appear in 21 TV plays, he played Napoleon in Eagle in a Cage (replacing Albert Finney) and co-starred with Joan Collins in The Bitch. 5. Rachel Roberts Rachel Roberts lasted only a little longer, and like Ure was famous as much for her husband, Rex Harrison, as for her acting. This included Bafta-winning performances in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and This Sporting Life. Lionel Bart built the stage musical Maggie May (1964) around her, but despite a third Bafta for John Schlesinger's Yanks (1979), alcoholism took its toll a year later.
Leader Live
a day ago
- Leader Live
Denbigh and Flint Show 2025 - All you need to know
The annual event, at the Green, Denbigh, will once more bring the best of North Wales farming and agriculture together on Thursday, August 21. There will be superbly presented animals and livestock, shopping and the exhibition pavilion, equestrian events, craft exhibitors, food hall, produce exhibitions, machinery and vehicle stands and more. Having only ever been disrupted by world wars, disease or - most recently - Covid, the show attracts more than 18,000 people each year. There will be Light Horse judging, show jumping, horticulture, heavy horses and pig judging. In 2023 - sheep shearing (Image: Rick Matthews) A family friendly dog show will run as well as livestock championships, a shearing spectacle and a vintage tractor and a vintage cars parade. Attendees can look forward to the The Bolddog FMX display team, SMJ Falconry Display and the Flint and Denbigh Hound Parade. The Bolddog FMX display team travel the UK and Europe performing at County shows, Carnivals and motor sports events. The show attracts thousands of people from across North Wales (Image: Rick Matthews) The team is managed by one of Europe's top freestyle motocross riders, Dan Whitby, the first person to flip a four-stroke motorcycle in Europe. Competitive sections - all you need to know Organisers have made a statement in relation to Bluetongue. They said: "We regret that recent developments regarding the Bluetongue virus in the UK have led the Welsh and English Governments to announce changes in disease policy starting from the July 1, with the whole of England included in the Bluetongue Restricted Zone (RZ). "Following careful consideration and expert advice on the disease risk, we have made the difficult decision to restrict entry of livestock from exhibitors based within a BTV Restriction Zone (RZ) to the Denbigh & Flint Show this year. We believe this is the most responsible course of action to protect the health, wellbeing, and economic stability of the Welsh livestock sector. "This situation continues to evolve rapidly, and we encourage all members and exhibitors to stay informed of the latest updates. We will continue to monitor developments closely and provide timely announcements as necessary." This statement also applies to sheep. Starting at 12pm. Located between the main ring and show jumping. This year's charity is Skylor's Animal Rescue. Visit here for the list of Pedigree Classes and Novelty Classes. Due to current Welsh Government restrictions, organisers say they are unable to host poultry at this year's show. A statement on the Denbigh & Flint show website said: "However, if the regulations change prior to the event, we will make every reasonable effort to include poultry in the show. Should this happen, an additional schedule will be released. "Thank you for your understanding." Full scheduled available here. Farm produce will be judged outside the front of the marquee Details of the Light Horse Classes, Pig section, and show jumping are all available at There has been a change of light horse judges for the show. In a statement, organisers said: "Due to unavoidable circumstances, we have had to make changes to the Light Horse judging panel for this year's show. "Please note the following updated judges: "Working Hunter Horse including HOYS qualifier will now be judged by Ms Vicky Smith and Mr Leon King. "HOYS Coloured Horse and Pony will now be judged by Ms Vicky Smith and Mr Derek Walker. "Welsh In-Hand C'S will now be judged by Ms K Bodily. "Irish Draught will now be judged by Miss S E Ramsden. "Young Handler/Arabs/Anglo & Part Breds will now be judged by Mr M Johnson. "We thank you for your understanding and continued support, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Denbigh & Flint Show 2025." Organisers are on the lookout for some helping hands to assist stewards in setting up the Livestock section at the show. Volunteers needed on: Monday, August 18 or Tuesday, August 19. Helpers will be given free entry to the show on Thursday, August 21. Gates open to the public at 8.30am. Price in brackets only available until 11.59pm, August 20 2025. Adult: (£20) £25. Child - 6-16yrs: (£5) £7. Family - Two adults, two children - Children aged between six and 16: (£45) £57.
