Vivid Sydney lights on the harbour.
Sydney operators are being invited to start planning for next winter’s Vivid Sydney, with expressions of interest now open for the festival’s 2027 Local Business Program.
The program is aimed at the businesses that turn a major city event into a longer night out: bars, restaurants, retailers and on-water operators. Participants can put forward special offers, menus, events and experiences designed to give visitors another reason to stay in a precinct after the lights come on.
Vivid Sydney is scheduled to run from 28 May to 19 June next year. The government says the program is intended to help local businesses connect with festival audiences while promoting their usual products and services, rather than requiring them to build an entirely new activation.
The most recent program involved more than 550 businesses, according to the government, including operators in The Rocks, Barangaroo, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Quarter, Darling Square, Haymarket and Sydney Place. That represented a 19 per cent increase on the previous year.
For an owner or operator, the useful detail is the lead time. The expressions-of-interest process is open now and the separate opportunity listing gives a 26 March 2027 closing date. It is an early chance to decide whether an existing menu, late-night offer, ticketed event or visitor experience could be part of the citywide program.
