Your Vivid Sydney guide to the perfect long weekend

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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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.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

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.

Vivid Sydney 2024
Reg Mombassa’s unique style is easily recognisable.

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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.

Vivid Sydney 2024
Taste flavours from around the world. (Image: Shaun Clark)

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.

Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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This surprising regional town is making its mark on the culinary world

(Image: Visit Griffith)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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    With more than 60 nationalities calling it home and a century of Italian influence shaping its paddocks and plates, Griffith is a regional Australian town with serious culinary cred.

    It might feel surprising to learn that Griffith is one of Australia’s leading food destinations. In-the-know Italians have understood this for generations, drawn to the Riverina region’s fertile soils that reminded them of the terrain they’d left behind more than a century ago. These days, Griffith supplies much of the nation’s pantry: 95 per cent of Australia’s prunes come from the region, it’s the country’s largest citrus-growing area, and it’s a leading producer of almonds and walnuts. Even the pickles in every McDonald’s burger nationwide are produced in Griffith. This is not just a farming town; the Griffith food scene is leading the way.

    Here, culinary confidence is rooted in migration. Italian families began arriving from 1913, with a second wave settling after the Second World War. Today, Griffith has the highest proportion of Italian ancestry of any Local Government Area in Australia. Add to that more than 60 nationalities represented across the community and you have a town where food is driven not by trends, but by tradition. Griffith’s motto, ‘Taste our culture’, isn’t marketing spin; it’s the reality.

    Where the vines tell a story

    A hand pouring wine into a glass, with a table filled with food.
    Uncover the stories behind every glass. (Image: Destination NSW)

    The Riverina has long been dubbed the food bowl of Australia, but it’s also a wine region that remains largely under the radar. What sets Griffith apart is that every one of its wineries is family-owned, many spanning generations.

    Calabria Family Wines is one of the region’s standard-bearers. The Calabria story began in 1945 when Francesco Calabria planted his first vines; today, the family continues to shape the region’s identity while also stewarding the historic McWilliam’s Wines brand. McWilliam’s was the first winery to plant vines in the area, and its barrel-shaped cellar door – complete with a soaring stained-glass window – remains one of the most distinctive in regional NSW.

    Yarran Wines, run by the Brewer family, showcases estate-grown fruit across Mediterranean varietals that thrive in the warm climate. Expect bold reds and textured whites that reflect both heritage and innovation.

    Set inside the old ambulance station, Harvest HQ is owned and operated by the Riverina Winemakers Association and pours a rotating selection of local wines under one roof. It also features spirits from The Aisling Distillery, reinforcing the region’s collaborative approach to craft.

    At the table

    A flat lay of a steak.
    Dine where tradition meets a bold new generation. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    If the vineyards tell one story, the dining rooms tell another. Griffith’s restaurants are where tradition and next-gen confidence meet.

    Zecca Handmade Italian occupies the former Rural Bank building, an imposing Art Deco landmark from the late 1930s. ‘Zecca’ means money print, and the name is a nod to the Zecca di Venezia in Venice. Here, find the Riverina’s only producer of dried artisan pasta and traditional Italian recipes. Importantly, the growers and producers supplying the kitchen are listed on the menu as a transparent expression of the region’s farm-to-table ethos.

    Established in 1977 and still run by the Vico family, La Scala puts authentic Italian cuisine on centre stage. Expect handmade pasta, traditional wood-fired pizzas, slow-cooked sauces and dishes that follow recipes guarded like family heirlooms. For something more contemporary, Bull & Bell in Gem Hotel is a shrine to the Euro-style steakhouse that works closely with local farmers and artisans to showcase Riverina produce.

    And then there are the institutions. Bertoldo’s Pasticceria, now in its third generation, draws locals daily for cannoli, biscotti, crostoli and house-made gelato, alongside classic sausage rolls and potato pies. La Piccola Grosseria feels like stepping into an Italian alimentari, its shelves lined with continental goods that wouldn’t feel out of place in Puglia.

    Meanwhile, Limone celebrates local and seasonal produce across breakfast and lunch menus, enriched by the produce and stories of Piccolo Family Farm. Find pastries and sourdough baked daily, and pop into the onsite retail pantry for products from regional producers – including the Piccolo family’s own wine range, Caro Piccolo.

    From the source

    A plated Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod dish.
    Taste world-renowned Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, straight from its source. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    Behind every menu is a producer. Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod is perhaps Griffith’s most high-profile export; the brand’s Murray cod and Aquna Gold Murray Cod Caviar have achieved global recognition. In October 2024, Aquna presented its products to King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the NSW Premier’s Community BBQ in Parramatta. Impressed by the producer’s sustainable farming practices, the King requested the cod be sent to Buckingham Palace – not bad for a fish farm in regional NSW.

    Mandolé Orchard champions almonds grown on a family-run farm, transforming them into almond milk and value-added products. At Morella Grove, olives are pressed into premium olive oil and pantry staples that speak to Griffith’s Mediterranean heart. These producers are not peripheral; they are central to the town’s culinary ecosystem. Learn about local sustainable farming practices during a farm tour.

    Mark your calendar

    A woman walking past a food mural, something you can spot during A Taste of Italy Griffith.
    Plan your visit around A Taste of Italy Griffith. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    For a town that helps stock Australia’s supermarkets, Griffith has remained curiously absent from the national dining conversation. That’s beginning to change. If you’ve been searching for a regional food destination with substance, heritage and a clear sense of identity, you’ll find it here in the Riverina, right under your nose.

    Time your visit to the Riverina region to coincide with A Taste of Italy Griffith, held every August. This week-long celebration of Italian heritage and culture offers a wide range of Italian-inspired events and experiences to enjoy. Expect long-table lunches, wine tasting experiences, cooking classes and a Makers in the Piazza market. The headline event is a ticketed long lunch – Festa delle Salsicce (Salami Festival) – where winners of the best salami are announced.

    Start planning your foodie getaway at visitgriffith.com.au.