There’s so much more to Vivid Sydney than just lights.
Vivid Ideas and Vivid Music programmes provide a huge range of talks, shows, conversation starters and artists that will get you thinking.
The all-new Vivid Sydney Supper Club opens on Friday and Saturday nights during the festival. Diva host Trevor Ashley has curated a program filled to the brim with jazz, cabaret, burlesque and comedy acts.
Date: Fridays and Saturdays during Vivid Sydney, 10pm-1am
Location: Mary’s Underground, 29 Reiby Place
Cost: from $54
Cakes Da Killa
A leader amongst a new wave of queer hip-hop artists, Cakes Da Killa exploded out of New York. He brings his mix of ’90s grit and high energy club beats to Sydney – still with one foot in New York’s Ballroom culture and another in hardcore rap.
Date: June 17, 8pm-11pm
Location: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Price: from $60
The Gospel According to Marcia
Marcia Hines AM bares her soul in this premiere gospel experience, joined by a 12-member choir and band in an intimate live concert. She celebrates the joys and heartache that define faith and culture in black American churches.
Date: June 9-11, 8pm-9:10pm
Location: St Stephen’s Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street
Cost: from $80
Gordi
Canowindra-born Sophie Payten, known on stage as Gordi, mixes lush electronics with moody acoustics. The ARIA nominee toured extensively with Bon Iver, Sam Smith, Missy Higgins and others.
Date: June 3-4, 7:30pm-8:30pm
Location: Sydney Opera House
Cost: from $49
Are You Pulling My Leg?
Join some of Australia’s most hilarious comedians living with a disability or who are chronically ill. Bec Charlwood headlines this unique event, which features Robyn Reynolds, John Robles, Jamal Abdul and Lily Starr; and is hosted by award-winning comedian Madeleine Stewart.
Date: June 16, 6:30pm-8pm
Location: UTS, The Balcony Room, Tower Building
Cost: from $30
Audible Live: Stories Made to be Heard
Held over three Wednesdays in June as part of Vivid Ideas Exchange, Audible hosts a series of live events with some of its most innovative storytellers. MasterChef Australia winner Adam Liaw, TV personality Melissa Doyle and filmmaker Laura Nagy tell their stories.
Date: June 1, 8 and 15, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: UTS, The Balcony Room, Tower Building
Cost: from $10
Baxter Dury
Two decades and many albums since his last Australian tour, Brit Baxter Dury returns to our shores with Vivid Live being just one of three shows in the country. He brings his new-wave, indie-rock tunes for a night at the Metro.
Date: June 4, 8pm-11pm
Location: Metro Theatre
Cost: from $71.90
Spiritualized
Spiritualized brings its space-rock act into the Big Top at Luna Park for an evening of neo-psychedelia. The nine-piece British band’s latest album Everything Was Beautiful dropped in April, so expect new tunes blended in with the group’s older hits.
Date: June 16, 8pm-11pm
Location: The Big Top at Luna Park
Cost: from $89
Vivid Kids at Tumbalong Park
Jump into the Vivid Sydney kids’ zone with a fresh stage show each week during the festival. Award-winning children’s groups and playschool host performances include The Vegetable Plot, Teeny Tiny Stevies and Diver City.
Date: Saturdays during Vivid Sydney, 5pm-6pm
Location: Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour
Cost: free
Vivid Music at Central Station
After seeing the lights illuminated on the building’s exterior, head inside Central Station to catch live music right on the Grand Concourse. Brass bands, bluegrass troupes and others will provide the soundtrack to your Saturday evening.
Date: Saturdays during Vivid Sydney, 7pm-10pm
Location: Central Station Grand Concourse
Cost: free
Gretchen Carlson and Lisa Wilkinson on Speaking Out
Bestselling author and women’s rights activist Gretchen Carlson joins TV personality Lisa Wilkinson for a discussion on the power imbalances women face each day. After going public with her experience, Ms Carlson’s story was turned into the 2019 film Bombshell.
Date: May 29, 1pm-2:30pm
Location: Sydney Town Hall
Cost: from $40
Troye Sivan on Beauty, Art and Fluidity
Style icon and ARIA Award-winner Troye Sivan has an intimate chat with Australian entrepreneur and author Lillian Ahenkan (also known as Flex Mami) about beauty, fluidity and queer politics. The two will share their thoughts on what inspires them.
Date: May 29, 5pm-6:30pm
Location: Sydney Town Hall
Cost: from $40
The Future of Drugs
Join professors, therapists and journalists who discuss the legalisation of illicit drugs, and their use in the medical field. From uses like overcoming addiction to treating neurological disorders, nothing is off the table – not even big pharma.
Date: June 3, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Location: UTS, The Great Hall, Tower Building
Cost: from $25
Big Brother is Watching
Facial recognition, drones, artificial intelligence, QR codes… what’s next? At Vivid Ideas Exchange, experts discuss the ethics of where technology is going. Robot rights, self-driving cars and becoming a surveillance state are just some of the questions being answered.
Date: June 5, 11am-12:15pm
Location: UTS, The Great Hall, Tower Building
Cost: free
Vivid Sydney will be held from May 27 to June 18, 2022. Book your tickets at vividsydney.com
