Vivid Sydney’s Undeniable Contribution To NSW Tourism

Being the cultural behemoth that it is, Vivid Sydney drives substantial revenue to the NSW winter economy, reigniting the city's tourism activity following the summer upswing. Every year we see an unprecedented attendance that topples the previous year’s numbers, which further solidifies the statement that Vivid Sydney is the biggest annual festival in the city.

Let’s take a look at how the annual winter festival has revolutionised the creative and multimedia industries, and its impact on tourism of Sydney and New South Wales.

The stats don’t lie. Vivid Sydney 2022 had the best opening weekend with over 440,000 attendees, and injected over $119 million dollars into the state's economy! Last year, we saw the longest ever lightwalk, and as expected, it’s going to be even longer for the 13th year of the festival!

One of the most significant aspects of the festival is how it creates new jobs in the tourism, hospitality, creative and art industries. Tourist attractions like the Vivid Harbour Cruise, Vivid Sydney Climb, Vivid Sydney Haunted Tour etc, are seasonal, yet generate a massive amount of revenue.

Looking back, the pandemic phase saw a huge scale-down in the overall tourism economy, but the return of Vivid Sydney in 2022 mended these wounds with visitors flocking into the Central Business District from various parts of NSW and other states. The 3-week extravaganza triggered an 80% jump in hotel bookings with the occupancy peaking on weekends. It could have been much higher if it wasn't for hotel cappings.

The NSW government is grateful and proud to have organised such a world-class event, which helped restore the struggling tourism & accommodation sector during the quieter winter months.

The mid-year boon for restaurants, bars and cafes should also be taken into consideration. Over 650,000 attendees dined out during the 2022 edition of the festival, which supposedly ignited the idea for Vivid Food, an opportunity for the top-hatted chefs from far and near to join hands and create festival food events. Vivid Sydney Dinner was a trial for Vivid Food and was welcomed with an incredible demand for tickets, followed by resoundingly positive feedback.

The Vivid Sydney Late initiative took the bar and pub scenes to even further heights with most venues staying stacked even after the lights went off at 11pm. From culture, entertainment, dining and retail, the ‘later’ experiences of the festival grossed in million over the course of three weeks! These are specially created and executed for attendees to have access to late-night drinking and dining options, along with art, to perfectly round off their experience.

Over twelve bars and restaurants in Circular Quay opened up for extended hours, some of them even staying open until 2pm on Thursdays, through weekends.

Vivid Sydney’s popularity is evident on social media and other platforms. The city is usually swarmed by international media, and the images and videos of the event are shared widely on various forums. Over 353 million were reached through the famous #vividsydney, more than 411,000 views across the live streams on facebook and Tik Tok, and over 21,000 in broadcast, print and online media clippings.

This exposure is integral to cementing Sydney as a cultural and creative city, encouraging more and more people to visit and experience what the city offers every year.

Vivid Sydney 2023 will be nothing like we’ve seen and is sure to be more immersive with a greater variety across all the four focus areas – Lights, Music, Ideas and Food. With the addition of food, we expect more attendees this year, so let’s hope the festival does its magic again and surprises us!

For ticketed events and experiences like the Vivid dinner cruise, certain concerts, and workshops, we advise you to book your seats early! The last thing you want is any last-minute disappointments. Until then!