Vivid Sydney, the 15th running of the festival, will start on May 23 and run until June 14 – inspired by the theme “dream”.

Want to experience it yourself? Here’s everything you need to know about Vivid Sydney 2025.

What date is Vivid Sydney 2025?

Vivid Sydney will start on May 23 and run until June 14.

Where is Vivid Sydney 2025 and what’s on?

Vivid Sydney is scattered across multiple locations in Sydney.

The light installations can be found starting at The Goods Line around Haymarket and Ultimo, Darling Harbour, CBD, Barangaroo, Circular Quay and The Rocks.

For the first time since 2018, Vivid Sydney will also have installations in Martin Place.

A number of Vivid Music events will be taking place including in the Sydney Opera house and at the Carriageworks – and free music events will feature during “Tumbalong nights”.

Neon Dreams and Vivid Fire Kitchen are the highlights of Vivid Food, along with other food events.

A number of “idea events” are also taking place with a range of free and paid talks and shows.

What is the theme for Vivid Sydney 2025?

The theme for this year is “dream”.

“Everything starts with a dream, a wish, an idea,” festival director Gill Minervini said.

”In 2025, Vivid Sydney invites you to dream big. To go to the outer reaches of your mind, to think differently, without boundaries or preconceptions and to immerse yourself in new experiences and ideas.”

How to get to Vivid Sydney 2025

Public transport services will run to and from the city with extra services for convenient travel.

Commuters will still need to tap on and off at Opal gates as public transport will not be free.

The public is advised to arrive early before the lights at 6pm to avoid congestion caused by road closures and limited parking.

Road closures and accessibility

During the festival, there will be some major road closures and parking restrictions.

Road closures will be in effect in parts of The Rocks, Dawes Point, Millers Point, Sydney, Haymarket and Ultimo.

Roads will be closed from 5pm and will reopen by 1am each night.

Additionally, closures will take place on Fridays and weekends.

Is Vivid Sydney 2025 free?

The festival offers a range of free and paid experiences.

Almost all of the light installations are free, like the Starscape Tunnel by The Goods Line or the Sound Walk in the City Recital Hall.

Most music events will be paid, however there will be free shows during the Tumbalong Nights at Darling Harbour.

Similarly, there will be a variety of paid food experiences across the festival.

For those looking for a more premium option, Vivid Sydney also offers a range of paid experiences like dinner cruises, bar tours and night paddle kayaking.

What is replacing the Vivid drone show?

Despite last year’s impressive show of more than 1000 drones over six shows, this year will not feature a drone show.

Advice from NSW Police and Transport for NSW determined that the “Vivid Sydney drone shows cannot be staged safely as per last year’s format”.

Instead, this year is set to feature a more “innovative program”, organisers said.

How crowded does Vivid Sydney get?

Last year, roughly 2.42 million people attended Vivid Sydney across its time.

Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and the Monday public holiday usually attract the largest crowds.

So be prepared for crowds, plan ahead and stay safe.