A Long Weekend Guide to Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney is back with an itinerary that’s bigger than ever in 2024.

Vivid Sydney has become an international sensation. While light installations from renowned local and international artists still create the centrepiece, this is now an all-encompassing winter festival, offering talks, events, live music, special food offerings and more.

Vivid Sydney guide 2023 — Narrow down the best of Vivid with this guide. (Image: DNSW)

To help you wade through the seemingly endless options, we’ve created the perfect three-day itinerary to help you get front-row access to the best of the festival, while avoiding the worst of the crowds.

Friday

6pm Head to Park Hyatt Sydney’s hatted restaurant, The Dining Room by James Viles . From 24 May until 15 June, the restaurant will transform its menu to one that pays homage to the essence of Vivid Sydney, while maintaining the imaginative, seasonal, sustainable cuisine the restaurant is renowned for.

The Dining room main meals — The Dining Room by James Viles has been hatted for its innovative dishes.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer unimpeded views of the Opera House as it lights up – this year, the iconic sails will be transformed by Julia Gutman and her take on Roman poet Ovid’s myth of Narcissus, Lighting of the Sails: Echo .

Vivid sydney guide, The Dining Room special menu — Enjoy Vivid Sydney while eating.

8pm After dinner and drinks, catch a short taxi ride over to the waterside pathways of Darling Harbour where you can watch free live music performances from DJs spinning dance mixes, to the rocky pop tunes of singer-songwriter Mallrat to the iconic Christine Anu. Check the full Tumbalong Nights lineup here .

Tumbalong Nights at Vivid Sydney — Enjoy free contemporary music over 12 nights.

After the show, take a leisurely stroll through the Darling Harbour section of Vivid’s Light Walk, which stretches a total of 8.5 kilometres from The Sydney Opera House to Central Station. Be sure to stop at Nest – an installation following the mesmerising mating dance of brolgas – as well as The Poem Booth – a machine hailing from The Netherlands where computers and humans interact to create AI poetry.

Vivid Sydney 2024 — This computer has a romantic side.

8pm Park yourself on a plush stool at The Bar to keep enjoying your Vivid Sydney lights while also choosing between an award-winning wine list or a locally-inspired cocktail.

Saturday

10.30am Begin your adventure at Cadman’s Cottage in The Rocks where you will meet Margaret Campbell for a Dreamtime Southern X Illi-Langi The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour . No matter how often you’ve visited Sydney, you haven’t experienced it like this before. Margaret, who will ask you to call her Aunty, shares a wealth of knowledge about the land you stand on and local Indigenous practices from long before colonisation.

Margret Campbell from Dreamtime Southern X — Join Aunty Margaret on a tour around The Rocks. (Image: DNSW)

2pm Get out and about, The Art Gallery of New South Wales in The Domain awaits. While the architecture is an artwork in itself, don’t miss a trip into The Tank – an underground room turned into an art exhibition. Or discover the latest exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art nestled along the waterfront of The Rocks.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Northern Building — Explore the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new building. (Image: Zan Wembley)

6pm Time to venture outside, joining the other Vivid Sydney revellers as they make their way around the years’ best installations within easy walking distance of Park Hyatt Sydney.

Customs House in Circular Quay will be lit up with the signature illustrations of Gumscape with Road and Creatures by Australian artist Reg Mombassa. Wander into First Fleet Park in The Rocks to celebrate human connection with the installation, Embrace .

A little further along, in Walsh Bay, discover the mindboggling mirror maze Shifting Perspectives and become part of the art in a new way.

Sunday

11.00am All good things must end, and it’s time to check out of your hotel and say goodbye to Vivid Sydney for 2024. But not before one last feast.

12.30pm Jump in an Uber and head to The Fire Kitchen at The Cutaway, which has returned this year after making its very successful debut in 2023. This food truck haven offers some of Sydney’s best cuisine – from the vegan offerings of Alibi to tender meat offerings fresh from the barbecue. Speaking of barbecues, stop and watch live cooking demonstrations by some of the country’s best grillers.

Aussies might think they know what Port Stephens is all about – but it’s time to take another look.

You might’ve driven through this NSW coast town. Maybe even stopped for fish and chips or a quick dip. But spend a long weekend in the new Port Stephens , and you’ll seriously regret not doing it sooner. We’re talking treks across beaches, reef dives and up-close time with rescued koalas.

All in all? It only takes a day before you see Port Stephens in a whole new light, and not much longer until it’s locked in as your favourite family destination.

1. Stockton Sand Dunes

Port Stephens incredible Stockton Sand Dunes are the largest moving sand mass in the Southern Hemisphere. They shift like an endless magic trick across the Worimi Conservation Lands , a 4200-hectare coastal co-managed by the Traditional Owners.

Tear over them in a 4WD. Rev through valleys soft as melting ice cream on a quad. Carve down 30-metre slopes on a sandboard. However you choose to cross them, you’re guaranteed a seriously wild ride.

Four rugged 4WDs kick up trails of golden dust as they charge across the sweeping desert landscape. — Chase thrills across shifting sands. (Image: Destination NSW)

2. Scale Tomaree Head Summit Walk

A short climb through bushland opens up to the coastal drama of Tomaree Head . Spot Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches. See the Fingal Island lighthouse and offshore rookeries where Australia’s rarest seabird, the Gould’s petrel, nests.

History buffs can’t miss the WWII gun emplacements. And if you’re hiking between May and November, bring binoculars. Travelling whales might just be breaching below.

Friends enjoying a scenic walk along the Tomaree Head Summit Walk in Tomaree National Park, Port Stephens. — Climb Tomaree Head for jaw-dropping coastal views. (Image: Destination NSW)

3. Watch out for whales

You’ve seen the spouts of migrating humpbacks and southern right whales from shore. Set sail from Nelson Bay to see them up close. Cruise straight into the action, with tail-slaps, barrel rolls and all.

And they’ve got competition from the local show-offs. Port Stephens bottlenose dolphins leap and play. Some tours even spot pudgy fur seals, spending lazy days soaking up the sun on Cabbage Tree Island.

A whale’s tail on the sea’s surface. — Watch for ocean tails. (Image: Destination NSW)

4. Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary

Pop into the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary to learn about the rescued koalas who climb, nap, snack and heal in this natural patch of bushland. Wander the immersive Sanctuary Story Walk to discover more about their habits, then head to the SKYwalk – a treetop platform constructed for spotting these eucalyptus-loving locals. Peek into the hospital’s viewing window, where sick or injured koalas may be resting in their recovery enclosures.

Not enough time around these adorable marsupials? Stay overnight in silk-lined glamping tents.

Koala sleeping in a tree at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, One Mile — See koalas in their natural habitat. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Diving Port Stephens

Port Stephens has some of NSW’s best dive spots. At Fly Point, float through sponge gardens and coral castles thick with nudibranchs (AKA sea slugs). Halifax Park has blue gropers and crimson-banded wrasse, while Shoal Bay’s seagrass meadows hide pipefish, cuttlefish and octopus.

Accessible only by boat, Broughton Island is home to a vast array of marine (and bird) life. Snorkel with blue devilfish and stingrays at sites like The Looking Glass and North Rock. More experienced divers can head out with one of the many PADI-certified operators.

At nearby Cabbage Tree Island, expect to see shaggy-faced wobbegongs cruising along.

A couple suited up and ready to dive into adventure. — Suit up and dive into Port Stephens’ vibrant marine life. (Image: Destination NSW)

6. Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters

Not quite ready to dive in? Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters is the perfect way to spot local marine life without getting too deep. But there’s no obnoxious glass tank tapping here. Instead, this interactive aquarium allows guests to wade into natural-style lagoons that mimic the real thing.

Gently pat Port Jackson and bamboo sharks, hand-feed rays, and feel their sandpapery skin with your fingertips. It is all under expert guidance. If you want to go deeper, pop on a wetsuit and swim alongside tawny nurse sharks, white-tipped reef sharks and zebra sharks in the lagoon.

Family enjoying an animal feeding experience at Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, Anna Bay. — Meet the ocean’s friendliest faces at Irukandji. (Image: Destination NSW)

7. Fish the estuaries

Fishing fanatics will fall for Port Stephens hook, line and sinker. Here, one of the largest estuary systems in the whole state sees tidal rivers and mangrove ecosystems. Waterfronts are thick with oysters, and residential fish that might include anything from bream, whiting and flathead, to blue swimmer crabs, kingfish and longtail tuna.

If you prefer to choose your own adventure and fish offshore, you can hire a boat from one of the marinas and set your own course.

three men fishing on a boat in port stephens — Join a tour or chart your own fishing trip. (Image: Destination NSW)

8. Taste new Port Stephens flavours

With plenty of activity to fill your days, refuelling on delectable cuisine becomes equally important. And Port Stephens answers the call.

Pop into Holbert’s Oyster Farm for fresh-farmed Port Stephens rock oysters and Pacific oysters, Australian king and tiger prawns, as well as a variety of tasty sauces to try them with.

Take a group to Atmos for an authentic Greek experience over large shared dishes and Greek-inspired cocktails. Or feast on sea-to-plate, modern Australian dishes at the pet-friendly Restaurant 2317.

A plate of fresh oysters. — Slurp your way through the region’s best oysters. (Image: Destination NSW)

Start planning your Port Stephens getaway at portstephens.org.au .

Your Vivid Sydney guide to the perfect long weekend