Vivid Sydney 2027 dates confirmed from May 28 to June 19
Vivid Sydney 2027 will run from May 28 to June 19 across 23 nights, with Expressions of Interest open for Light, Music, Minds and Food programming.
Destination NSW has locked the dates for Vivid Sydney 2027, confirming the festival will run from Friday 28 May to Saturday 19 June across 23 nights. The program shifts later than in previous years to better align with the June long weekend, giving visitors a longer window for a winter weekend trip and extending the economic impact period for CBD hospitality and accommodation providers.
Expressions of Interest opened within days of the final Vivid Sydney 2026 light show dimming on 13 June. Submissions are being sought across all four programming pillars: Vivid Light, Vivid Music, Vivid Minds and Vivid Food. The EOI process invites artists, designers, architects, engineers, musicians, chefs, producers, event companies, restaurants and educational institutions to submit innovative concepts for inclusion in the 2027 program.
The programming timeline
EOIs for Vivid Light installations and projection art must be submitted by 5pm on Monday 27 July 2026. EOIs for Vivid Music, Vivid Minds and Vivid Food close on Friday 25 September 2026. Destination NSW says it is looking for groundbreaking concepts that engage, provoke thought and inspire wonder, and that the selection process is open to emerging creatives as well as established industry leaders.
Vivid Light transforms the Harbour foreshore and CBD buildings into a free trail of projections and installations. The Vivid Light Walk routes through Circular Quay, Barangaroo, The Rocks and Cockle Bay, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House serving as the principal canvases. Vivid Music spreads across venues in the CBD and inner city, with past lineups spanning electronic, indie, hip-hop and classical programming. Vivid Minds fills the day program with talks, immersive events and workshops from innovators and thought leaders. Vivid Food partners with restaurants and bars across Sydney to create limited-edition menus and events tied to the festival period.
What the date shift means for visitors
The 2027 festival runs from 28 May to 19 June, which is a week later than the 2026 dates of 22 May to 13 June. The shift places the final weekend of the festival directly on the June long weekend, which typically falls on the first Monday of June. That alignment gives visitors a three-day holiday window within the festival period and extends the peak attendance period by several days.
Destination NSW chief executive Karen Jones said the change was designed to better align the festival with the public holiday and to give visitors a more predictable booking window. The festival is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency. Past Vivid Sydney editions have drawn more than three million visitors and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in visitor expenditure across the CBD, inner Sydney and regional NSW.
How to apply
Artists and creative industry professionals can submit EOI applications online through the Vivid Sydney website. Each submission requires a concept description, technical requirements, and budget estimate for the proposed installation or event. Destination NSW assesses submissions against criteria including artistic merit, technical feasibility, audience engagement potential, and alignment with the festival's innovation and technology themes.
The Vivid Sydney program is curated by Destination NSW in consultation with creative directors and industry advisors. Successful applicants are notified in the first quarter of the year preceding the festival, giving lead time for design development, technical planning and fabrication. Installations are typically funded through a combination of government grant support, sponsor investment and the artist's own resources, with Destination NSW providing production support and infrastructure for the Harbour foreshore sites.
Vivid Sydney 2026 took place from 22 May until 13 June 2026. Over 23 nights, the festival transformed the CBD into a showcase of Light, Music, Minds and Food programming. Vivid Sydney 2027 will return from 28 May to 19 June 2027. Expressions of Interest are now open at vividsydney.com.