Vivid Sydney is a unique annual event of light, music and ideas, featuring an outdoor ‘gallery’ of extraordinary lighting sculptures, a cutting-edge contemporary music program, some of the world’s most important creative industry forums and, of course, the spectacular illumination of the Sydney Opera House sails.
Originally conceived as a celebration of smart lighting and energy efficiency, the Vivid festival has grown bigger and more elaborate each year.
In 2017, Vivid will be bigger and better than ever, offering an expanded program of multi-genre music, more stimulating ideas from global thinkers and creators, plus dazzling light art across the city.
Vivid Music has partnered with the City of Sydney to deliver a programme across a multitude of city venues.
The expanded 2017 Vivid Music line-up includes more than 400 Vivid Music events, up from 190 in 2016, across 40 venues
With about 250 events in total – featuring a wealth of talented artists such as Melbourne producer/songwriter and soul singer Nick Murphy (who until this year was known as Chet Faker) will be matched by the rising star, Sampha, while Marling will have some competition in the English folk field via Beth Orton, and all will be in awe of the harmonies of American folk-rock revivalists, Fleet Foxes.
Influential DJ, Richie Hawtin and the music of minimalist composer John Adams, new funk/R&B star Sampha and the ACO, the much lauded folk rock singer Laura Marling and electro pop giants French duo Air – not to mention the generation-leading indie rock group CampCope – headline what appears a genuinely eclectic music component for Vivid in 2017.
Highlights also include an Australian exclusive performance by electronic pop duo Goldfrapp and the return of Curve Ball – a large-scale live music and art event created by Fuzzy Music, both at Carriageworks.
The Sydney pioneers of underground electronica, Severed Heads, will be part of a celebration of Repressed Records’ 15th anniversary alongside Melbourne’s relative newcomers Total Control, while DJ Shadow will be one of the guests at a “block party” curated by the Avalanches, who will perform their debut album in full.
If Bill Callahan’s return with a career-overview show, and one-off show from jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves will deeply please their niche but intense followings, performances of Adams’ The Nixon Tapes – on the same program as pieces by Jonny Greenwood and Bryce Dessner – and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s new film-and-music collaborative work, Mountain, could bridge the gap between art, experimental and classical music.
City Recital Hall breaks from its classical roots with the programme – Metamorphosis – serving up everything from jazz and dance anthems, to multi-sensory masterpieces.
Sydney-based indie rock band Dappled Cities will launch its new album IIII while Grammy award-winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves will take to the stage in a special one-off performance, and Paul Mac will host a Sound Bubble Sound Party.
Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the State Government’s tourism and major events agency.
In 2016 it attracted 2.31 million visitors and delivered more than $110 million in visitor expenditure to the local economy.
