6 reasons to be in Darling Harbour during Vivid Sydney
Spark your sense of wonder and see Sydney transform into a playground of light, while basing yourself at the centre of the action!
Vivid Sydney is returning in 2024, with a huge program of exciting experiences, from dazzling light installations and 3D projection artworks, to eclectic music events and thought-provoking ideas talks and workshops from 24 May to 15 June.
The popular annual festival is set to see one of its busiest years yet, so best to plan your Vivid Sydney experience ahead of time and immerse yourself in style with a Sydney city stay experience! Here’s just a handful of reasons to book yourself a room in Darling Harbour during the festival.
1. Stay at the event epicentre
Don’t do Vivid Sydney by halves. Get the very best from your experience by basing yourself at the centre of the action. One of the key locations of this year’s Vivid Sydney, Darling Harbour will be packed with show-stopping installations and projections. Find wondrous innovations like Omnivisu, illuminating marvels at Neolithic and admire the bright colours at Neuron. Be sure to check out the incredible light show spectacular and brilliant laser projections of Hika Rakuyo, along with the sights at Tumbalong Park buzzing with live music and various children’s entertainment. Take a look at what’s taking place in the precinct here.
2. Choose from 150+ dine and drink experiences
From waterfront dining and balcony bars to some of Sydney’s best hole-in-the-wall eateries, Darling Harbour has it all. There are more than 150 different drinking and dining venues to choose from in the precinct, many with water views so you can enjoy the sights and sounds of Vivid Sydney with a wine in hand over a delicious meal. How very civilised!
3. Avoid the commute & crowds
There’s no denying it, Vivid Sydney gets busy. Like 2.4 million people throughout the festival busy. So by basing yourself in Darling Harbour, you can get in early and skip the battle with city-bound traffic, busy incoming public transport and a fight for parking. Likewise, when you’ve had your fill of light for the night, you can make a dash out of the crowds and zip straight to your hotel on foot within minutes.
4. Jump straight onto the harbour
Some festival highlights are best seen from the water, and in Darling Harbour, there’s a plethora of ways to get out onto the harbour. Private pontoons and wharfs give access to chartered boat experiences and floating luxury crafts, while Darling Harbour and Pyrmont have multiple public ferry wharves providing quick access to all key locations of the festival across the city.
5. Explore it all on foot
If you want to tackle multiple Vivid Sydney locations in one night, it’s totally doable starting from Darling Harbour and Pyrmont. You can easily reach and meander adjoining Barangaroo, The Rocks and Circular Quay precincts. Then the final festival hotspot of Luna Park is a quick hop across the harbour on a ferry, then back across to one of the wharves at Darling Harbour and Pyrmont.
6. See the lights without leaving your room
Find yourself a hotel room which looks out to the harbour and city, and you won’t even need to leave those four walls in order to see the sights of Vivid Sydney! Better yet, hunt down a room which offers views from a private balcony complete with table and chairs. You could even do it all in your PJs!
For more information about this year’s Vivid Sydney, head to www.vividsydney.com.
Get a room
Our picks of the best rooms to stay in at Aiden Darling Harbour during Vivid Sydney would have to be The City Seeker – some have excellent city views – and for something extra special The Balcony with your own private open-air balcony looking out onto Darling Harbour.
Or you can keep it short and sweet with our Couples Package which includes overnight accommodation, two glasses of sparkling, 4 pieces of Koko Black Chocolates, a Rituals gift box and breakfast for two in our Wayfarers Bar & Cafe.