Vivid Sydney is set to enthral audiences once again with the largest program of light, music and ideas in its six year history, NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner announced today. The 18 day festival, named Australia’s Event of the Year in 2013, is on from 23 May to 9 June 2014.

“Every year Vivid Sydney brings something new, bigger and brighter to wow the hundreds of thousands of people who come to see the event. Vivid Sydney 2014 promises to be nothing short of amazing, with creative industries events, eclectic music performances and spectacular light displays that will transform Sydney’s harbour foreshore and surrounds,” Mr Stoner said.

VIVID LIGHT
“This year for the first time, the harbour will join in like never before, with Harbour Lights – ferries and vessels decked out in LED lights, their colours computer-controlled by satellite navigation as they pass through the world’s most beautiful harbour. The new CBD precinct Martin Place will dazzle audiences with giant light installations, and new Vivid programming at Carriageworks, the Seymour Centre, Sydney University and The Basement will take the event and its music content, into more locations than ever before,” said Mr Stoner.

“Of course, Lighting the Sails of the Sydney Opera House is one of the festival’s most anticipated highlights, which I am pleased to announce will be designed by the award-winning creative agency 59 Productions, renowned for their work on the London Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremony and the West- end show War Horse. The Sails are set for a stunning arrangement of 3D-mapped projections.

“The sandstone facades of Customs House and the MCA will once again be bathed in light through collaborations with local and international artists, and new light installations are set to utterly absorb every visitor, including for the first time, five works commissioned by Destination NSW.

“And after the huge success of last year, the Sydney Harbour Bridge will once again be lit by visitors with a stunning colour palette, making this a very special coat hanger indeed.

“Darling Harbour will be transformed by a spectacular water show with fountains, water jets and lasers as Aquatique, the French pioneers of dancing fountains, return again to Vivid – this year with a water show twice the size of last year, spanning two-thirds of the Bay.

“The foreshore running from East Circular Quay right around to Campbell’s Cove and Walsh Bay will become both a playground and a gallery, with over 50 new light installations, in a program full of both interactive installations and stunning works of art, curated by Vivid Light Festival Director Anthony Bastic,” Mr Stoner said.

VIVID MUSIC
With music events a favourite in the Vivid Sydney line up, Vivid Music is expanding in 2014 with an exciting line up of performances and talent as well as expanding into new venues, with new and bigger programs and more content to be announced in the coming weeks.

“The core of Vivid Music, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House curated by Fergus Linehan, will see another fantastic line-up including Pixies, Giorgio Moroder, and Timeline, a special collaboration between the Australian Chamber Orchestra, led by Richard Tognetti and electro-pop duo The Presets – in which they present the history of music in two hours,’ Mr Stoner said.

“Expanding into Redfern, a new event has been created for Vivid Sydney this year – Modulations at Carriageworks (6-8 June). Modulations, curated by the extraordinary Steve Pavlovic, brings together the best talent across music, light installations, design and food. It will be headlined by multi-award winning electronic pop legends Pet Shop Boys – their performance a rare opportunity to experience a spectacular multi-media production in an intimate and immersive environment, and their only Australian performances of their 2013/14 Electric World tour.”

VIVID IDEAS
Vivid Ideas features 15 signature events with 12 keynote talks from globally recognised designer and artist Candy Chang; media strategist and expert in unconventional marketing Ryan Holiday; Sara Critchfield, editorial director of Upworthy – the fastest growing media company of all time; global leader of the 4D printing movement Skylar Tibbits; and director Joshy D of REBEL8, one of the world’s most credible youth brands.

“With a strong role to play in showcasing our creative industries to the world, the Vivid Ideas program has also expanded. The Vivid Ideas Exchange on Level 6 of the MCA is once again at the heart of the program, this year featuring creative ideas, public talks, industry seminars, conferences, workshops and debates, structured around eight ‘content clusters’, spanning digital media and design to architecture, animation, fashion to filmmaking, and beyond,” said Mr Stoner.

Vivid Ideas is again collaborating with Mumbrella, SPARC, Good Design Festival, Semi-Permanent and Sydney Film Festival, and new events Modulations and Remix at Carriageworks. There are also programs with external partners including Sydney Living Museums, University of Sydney, Carriageworks, Seymour Centre and Powerhouse Museum.

“Over 18 days Vivid Sydney will this year offer everyone a unique and very special experience of Sydney in winter, showcasing the many creative talents not only from NSW but from around Australia and across the world,” Mr Stoner said.

Sandra Chipchase, the CEO of Destination NSW, said the event generates extraordinary interest which transforms the city not only for visitors, but for its hundreds of small businesses.

“Last year’s festival attendance was unprecedented, and it is testament to the popularity of Vivid Sydney and the significant marketing, promotion and travel packaging activity delivered by Destination NSW for this ‘only in Sydney’ event. In 2013 more than 11,000 visitors came from overseas travelling on Vivid travel packages. Aside from giving visitors a spectacular experience, Vivid Sydney is also fantastic news for the retail stores, restaurants and cafes that have fallen in love with the festival for the huge crowds it brings and the happy, joyful atmosphere created.”

Vivid Sydney Creative Director, Ignatius Jones, said, “Vivid Sydney continues to grow exponentially. Every year we are overwhelmed by the excitement that Vivid Sydney generates, and this year is really building on what’s come before. New precincts, new installations, new music, new ideas and new business all play a leading role in creating Vivid Sydney, and really give our city and everyone involved in Vivid a huge chance to shine. The spotlight is firmly placed on Sydney as the Creative Industry hub of Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region.”

Some of the Highlights for Vivid Sydney 2014

* Lighting the Sails by 59 Productions: see the Sails like never before with unforgettable 3D mapped projections

* Play Me by Danny Rose: turning the façade of this great building into a sequence of giant fantasy musical instruments

* Light projects where art meets light by Jess Johnson and Spinifex

* A collaboration like no other where interactive light meets incredible 3D projections by The Digital Shamans and MCA artist Ross Manning

* Boats lit up, floating on the Harbour in a symphony of colour and the largest coat hanger in the world transformed into a beautiful palate of colours

* Water jets, lasers, 3D projections on water screens – Aquatique transforms the Bay into a symphony of water, all set to music

* Pixies rock it out in their only Australian performances

* Pet Shop Boys Electronic music artists extraordinaire play three intimate gigs in this fantastic inner west venue

* Hear from one of the world’s most credible youth brands and the business brain and global art icon behind it – Joshy D and Mike Giant from Rebel8

The full Vivid Sydney 2014 program is available at http://vividsydney.com

Vivid Sydney is a signature event in the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar, and welcomes back Vivid Sydney partner Intel, with major supporters for 2014, Canon, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, City of Sydney, Sydney Opera House, NSW Trade and Investment and North Sydney Council.

“Every year Vivid Sydney brings something new, bigger and brighter to wow the hundreds of thousands of people who come to see the event. Vivid Sydney 2014 promises to be nothing short of amazing, with creative industries events, eclectic music performances and spectacular light displays that will transform Sydney’s harbour foreshore and surrounds,” Mr Stoner said.

“In 2013, over 800,000 people came to Vivid Sydney, which is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the Government’s Tourism and Major Events agency. The event contributed over $20million in new money to the NSW economy, and shone a spotlight on the State’s creative industries, establishing new connections and opportunities across the many areas of business that Vivid Sydney spans. 2014 is set to be even more successful.”