The lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails at 6:00 pm on Friday will herald the start of Vivid Sydney 2013, the annual festival of light, music and ideas.

Owned and managed by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, Vivid Sydney is the city’s biggest winter festival, with free and ticketed events including the event’s longest light walk, running for 18 days (until 10 June) across Circular Quay, The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour, North Sydney and the Inner West. For the first time, there will be a free mobile app to help visitors plan their trip, as well as the free Vivid Sydney Harbour Shuttle, operating between Kirribilli, Walsh Bay and Darling Harbour from 6pm-midnight every night.

Highlights of this year’s festival include:
Vivid Aquatique and Darling Harbour ““Vivid Aquatique is a dazzling water theatre show with fountains, pyramids and projections amazing audiences on the hour, every hour, spectacularly choreographed to music. The Australian National Maritime Museum, Pyrmont Bridge and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia Headquarters will also feature light displays.
Colour the Bridge ““ Visitors are invited to light the Sydney Harbour Bridge from an interactive touchscreen at Luna Park in a collaboration between Intel Australia and 32 Hundred Lighting, and the bustling night markets at Bradfield Park every Friday and Saturday evening will ensure that North Sydney has plenty on offer.
Lighting the Sails ““ The world famous lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails have this year been designed by Australian creative innovators The Spinifex Group, who will transport audiences through a playfully projected journey celebrating Vivid Sydney in an immersive new way.
Vivid Light ““ More than 60 interactive and immersive light sculptures and installations across Circular Quay, The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour and North Sydney. City skyscrapers will light up along with 3D mapped projections on Customs House, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and Cadman’s Cottage.
Vivid Ideas ““ With over 120 creative industry and public events exploring fashion, design, theatre, film, photography, publishing, gaming, animation, music, technology, lighting, architecture, education and even gastronomy, Vivid Ideas will connect Australia’s creative thinkers with global leaders and industry talents.
The Vivid Ideas Exchange – Back again at the Museum of Contemporary Art, it features talks by renowned comedic visual artist and cult icon David Shrigley (UK) and Lucky Peach editor Chris Ying (USA), as well as two signature programs, 10 Commandments of Creative Practice and The Making Of”¦
Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House ““ Featuring over 25 events, this year’s line-up includes the world premiere of Australian outfit, Empire of the Sun’s much-anticipated second album Ice On The Dune, and several Sydney exclusive performances by international and local artists including German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk and r’n’b soul legend Bobby Womack.
Vivid Music takes the baton from Vivid LIVE for the final week of Vivid Sydney, with Terminal Projekt at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Illuminati at the Argyle in The Rocks, Vivid at Seymour’s two-day program of arts-based experimental and improvised music at The Seymour Centre, and a program of sound art performances at ISEA2013 at Carriageworks.
Event collaborations with Australian International Design Festival, The Digital Playground by IDEA Australia, International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) 2013, Semi-Permanent, Sydney Writers’ Festival, Reportage Photography Festival, SPARC International Lighting Event, Sydney Film Festival, X|Media|Lab, Mumbrella360, AMPlify, Head On Photography Festival and CeBIT Australia

The full Vivid Sydney program is available at http://vividsydney.com