The 23-day festival, voted Australia’s Best Tourism Event, is set to run from 27 May to 18 June. The spectacular event features more than 80 light installations, 1,500 hours of programmed music events and 170 creative events. This is your chance to see Sydney in a whole new light.

Vivid Light

Installations and projections across more than eight precincts will create the sparkling jewels in the Vivid Sydney crown, including the spectacular Vivid Light Walk, from Songlines at Sydney Opera House to the Rocks and Walsh Bay.

1. Sydney Opera House – Songlines

The world-renowned projections on the Sydney Opera House will soar to new heights in 2016 when, for the first time, the sails will celebrate the astonishingly rich and beautiful world of Australian Indigenous art and culture. Songlines speaks directly to the spirituality and culture of Australia’s First Peoples, depicting the interconnected sharing systems and trade routes that still weave through time and distance, earth and sky. The projection features the work of six artists of different clans, national estates and territories whose artwork illustrates the extraordinary connections between Indigenous astronomy and the natural world – the celestial and terrestrial songlines.

2. Taronga Zoo lights up for the first time

Celebrating its centenary year with hundreds of spectacular lanterns including 10 larger-than-life multimedia sculptures of 10 critical species, from the Asian elephant to the colourful Corroboree frog. These sculptures are among the largest and most technologically advanced lanterns ever featured in Vivid Sydney

3. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

For our favourite garden’s 200th birthday celebrations they will give the Australian public the gift of a glittering journey through the Garden of Light and its grand centerpiece, the 60-metre long Cathedral of Light.

4. Sound Bubble

The playful Sound Bubble is an incredible huge, transparent inflatable cube that is equipped with sensors and an artificial brain. It can sense when visitors are approaching and reacts in a seemingly intelligent way by sending out particles of light and sound effects. Even when no one is watching, it will create a little show for itself.

5. Laser-dragon water-theatre

This huge multimedia water show created by Oracle-Liquid is one of the largest and most exciting installations of Vivid 2016. Lasers and fountains will reach between 15m and a stunning 25m high, with the world first of projected water-screens that are mounted on a 13m robotic arm. The show runs every half an hour from 6pm until 11pm in Sydney Harbour.

Vivid Music

Vivid is featuring 195 music events and more than 70 international and local artists will provide 1300 hours of music. Music lovers will be buzzing with performances across the biggest spread of 28 iconic music venues ever, from the city to new inner west locations including Newtown and Chippendale.

6. BJÖRK DIGITAL

Carriageworks and Vivid Sydney invite you to explore the Bjork Digital Exhibition- the premiere of Bjork’s new virtual reality project, which she collaborated on with some of the finest filmmakers and programmers in the world. If you like her music video, this is most certainly a must see. The event showcases a number of talented DJs and special guests and we are even treated to a set from Bjork herself.

Find out more here.

7. Boy George to perform exclusive DJ set

International pop-icon Boy George will perform an exclusive DJ set on the rooftop terrace of Darling Harbour’s Café Del Mar on 12 June. The performance will have a overlooking Darling Harbour is ideal for watching the Harbour installations whilst watching and dancing with Boy George.

8. Sound Gardens

It is no secret that The Conservatorium Of Music is a hub for incredibly talented artists and ground-breaking music. This ‘castle’ of music will be featuring a collection of installations and hosting numerous innovative composers and musicians. Look forward to The Con lighting up for an afternoon and evening of daring original performances and installations washed down with food and drink. Enjoy the improvised and eclectic artistry of Thymolpthalein as well as the astounding video artist Sean Bacon. We can’t wait!

Find out more here.

Vivid Ideas

Join some of the world’s brightest creative minds as they come together to connect, collaborate and inspire. Highlights include three huge weekends curated around themes of design, family fun, film and music.

9. Game-Changers talks

The inspiring and thought provoking talks allow four global icons of creativity to share their insights and experiences in shaping the creative landscape during the Game-Changers Talk Series. Featuring legendary filmmaker Spike Jonze; House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, Orange is the New Black writer and creator Jenji Kohan, and Australian global fashion influencer Margaret Zhang. This series provides rare, behind-the-scenes insights into the creative workings of these cutting-edge cultural icons at the height of their industries.

Find out more here:

10. Make Nice

The first of its kind in Australia, Make Nice is an event for, by and about creative women, with an exclusive line-up of international and home-grown industry luminaries in an intimate un-conference format. Make Nice is about sharing knowledge between pioneering creative women during round-table discussions, and forming genuine relationships with other attendees during programmed social events.

2-4 June | Cake Wines Cellar Door & aMBUSH Gallery

Find out more here.

11. Good Design Festival

Celebrating cutting-edge design and innovation, the festival showcases the very best of design in Australia. For the first time ever, contenders for the prestigious Good Design Awards will be on display to the general public. See the latest innovations in product design, architectural design, digital design, communication design, service design and breakthroughs in social innovation and business design.

27-29 May | Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney

Find out more here.

The Carousel thanks Vivid Sydney for this article.