Want all the Vivid Sydney magic without the huge crowds? This is your guide to bars, restaurants & hotels serving Vivid-themed drinks, views & vibes
Vivid Sydney is once again set to transform the Harbour City into a pulsing metropolis of light, music, ideas and food when it rolls into town from May 22 to June 13. It is one of my favourite times of year in my home town and with more than 75 per cent of it free, it is accessible and easy to dip in and out of Vivid without spending a cent.
The love I have for Vivid is shared by millions of others – about 2.53 million others in 2025. And that’s part of the problem with Vivid for me. The crowds. I love Vivid but I can’t cope with crowds sometimes. I still carry the scars, just emotional ones, from taking my young children to Vivid in 2013, a year that turned out to be a turning point in the history of the popular Sydney event. For context, in 2012, the festival attracted about 500,000 people. In 2013, that jumped by about 60 per cent to 800,000 and during the final weekend, which coincided with the June long weekend, it was bedlam around Circular Quay as choke points filled with pedestrians and public transport was overwhelmed by the unexpected surge in numbers.
Those numbers seem quaint now compared to the record set in 2023 when a record-breaking 3.28 million people attended the 23-day run. When I look at the lineup for 2026 – and the return of the drones – I suspect we could be in for another record-breaker.
Fortunately, organisers learn from each year, improve on crowd control, funnel people around the 6.5km Light Walk with an army of good-spirited volunteers and get people in and out of the city generally without incident.
I’m sure I’ll end up among the masses at Vivid Fire Kitchen and the various light installations, particularly the Lighting of the Sails, on a night or two. But my favourite Vivid experiences usually happen when I’m not trying to do Vivid – or Accidental Vivid as I like to call it.
So here’s my top tips to be part of the action and enjoy Vivid Sydney 2026 – away from the madding crowd.
Best bars with Vivid-inspired cocktails
Sydney’s iconic buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art aren’t the only things to light up during Vivid. Many of Sydney’s best bars are mixing it up with their mixologists creating special cocktails for the occasion, giving new meaning to getting lit.
At Zephyr Sky Bar, perched on Level 12 above the Hyatt Regency, you can get a front row seat to Mother Nature’s Vivid – it faces west for one of the best sunset views in Sydney – and if you time your visit right, you can see the Drone Show at 7.30pm and 9.30pm each night from May 24 to June 10. Really get yourself in the mood by sipping on one of their unique glow-in-the-dark cocktails which look like Vivid in a glass to me.
There’s the Electric Orchard Ketel One (pomme verte, bergamot, tom yum, citrus), Pink Smoke Verde (Don Julio Blanco, mezcal, rhubarb, lime), Cloud Garden Spritz Cloud Garden Spritz (Tanqueray, Green Chartreuse, kiwi, citrus and lemonade). Downstairs at Jackalberry Bar and Lobby Bar, there’s another two to choose from – Blushing Lights (Ketel One, Aperol, pomegranate, hibiscus, lime and prosecco) and Melon Lumiere (Tanqueray, melon liqueur, orange juice).
Miss out on the crowds but none of the action at Blu Bar on 36, above the Shangri-La Sydney, where you can enjoy uninterrupted views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. During the festival they’ll be serving up two signature cocktails, Lucent Tide (crafted with Archie Rose White Cane, passionfruit, lime, milk, and riboflavin) and VIVID No. 4.
Como Italian has whipped up the Vivid Sydney limited edition Rossi Vivo ($26), a deep red drink that’s not only visually striking but delivers a vivid sensory experience, balancing rich berry sweetness with bright tropical and citrus notes, expertly blended with Belvedere Vodka and Chambord.
Top restaurants for bites with lights
Lotus Barangaroo is embracing the colour and energy of Vivid with a limited-edition menu available throughout the festival and if their vibrant Vivid Dumplings, filled with crab, prawn, bamboo shoot, leek and celery, don’t light you up, then nothing will! They’ll also be serving Electric Blue cocktail ($26), a bright blend of Hoju Soju, Blue Curaçao, lemon, Luxardo cherry liqueur and passionfruit.
Not all the restaurants with the best views of Vivid are nestled around the Opera House and Circular Quay. The Fenwick in East Balmain has one of the most spectacular vantage points for enjoying Vivid from a distance. On Vivid opening night on May 22, they’re doing a 5 course Vivid-inspired tasting menu ($125pp) and throughout the festival will be mixing up Vivid-inspired cocktails.
Sails on Lavender Bay is another top spot to eat during Vivid. The North Shore hideaway has postcard views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and is also offering special menus during the festival. On opening night, it’s serving a 5-course, Vivid-inspired tasting menu( $155pp) and for the rest of Vivid is doing a 6-course menu ($185pp), inspired by the lights, colour and energy of the festival. It will also offer a special cocktail menu.
Luna Lu has not only created a signature cocktail for Vivid, it’s dreamed up dumplings for the occasion too. The Galaxy Dumpling ($28 for 4 pieces) is made from lobster, king prawn and chives and naturally coloured with squid ink. Wash it down with an Azure Memories cocktail ($26), made from Herradura Plata, Japanese blueberry fruit sake, and clarified citrus blue curaçao.
Untied at Barangaroo, one of Vivid’s major activation hubs, is the perfect place for a Vivid pit stop throughout the festival. From 4.30pm daily, you can share in a pre- or post-Light Walk fuel-up where for $85pp you get three share plates alongside two festival-inspired cocktails including Getting LIT at Untied, Pink Lemonade, Jam Roly Poly and It Takes Two to Mango.
If you fancy a little 1920s Hollywood glamour, try Aster Bar, the rooftop bar of the Intercontinental Sydney which overlooks Sydney Harbour as it is transformed in a synchronised show of light. They’re serving up a luxury tasting menu inspired by the Roaring ’20s during Vivid Sydney. This three-course experience starts with Champagne and canapes, followed by a main course paired with an Aster signature cocktail (or premium NSW wine), and finishes with a mini cocktail and a table-side caviar trolley ($199 per person).
Room with a view, where Vivid comes to you
There’s no shortage of fantastic stays in the heart of the city where you can literally have Vivid Sydney at your front door. Even better is that there’s plenty of luxurious accommodation that will deliver up a view of the lights or Star-Bound drone show which will bring Vivid right to your room or hotel lounge.
With stunning views of the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Shangri-La Sydney is hard to beat for a luxury stay during Vivid Sydney. As mentioned above, Blu Bar on 36 is adding special cocktails to the mix and for the run of the festival, you can indulge in a sumptuous 5-course Vivid Sydney Dinner at Altitude for $195pp. And if you are lucky enough to score one of their premium rooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows, you won’t leave your bed, let alone the hotel.
If you’re keen to be close to the Darling Harbour Light Walk and Tumbalong Park, where there’s a host of free events every night and plenty of space to accommodate crowds, Hyatt Regency Sydney is perfect, particularly for families. During the festival, the CBD’s hotel is offering a premium “Savour, Sip and Stay for Vivid” package. It includes overnight accommodation, breakfast for two, and Vivid-inspired cocktails at their award-winning Jackalberry bar.
At Park Hyatt Sydney, they’re also bringing the Vivid experience to you, with specially created menus, luminous desserts and Vivid-inspired cocktails, all designed to complement the glowing spectacle unfolding across the harbour.
And in the centre of Darling Harbour, overlooking the Vivid Light Walk and with views of the “Star-Bound” drone show and Laser Lightfall, sits W Hotel. One of the best things about this stay has to be its 30-metre, heated, infinity pool. Guests can have a dip and see the festival’s light projections and illuminations unfold before them while getting a few laps in.
Get your glow on at the Parkroyal Darling Harbour where you can be steps away from the action in the heart of the festival and beat a hasty retreat to if it all gets too much. From $270 per night, their “Stay Where It Glows” offer includes breakfast for up to two adults and a make-your-own-hot-chocolate welcome amenity if the nights get chilly while you explore the illuminated city.
Finally, for those on a budget who can’t afford the luxury roomrates, one of the city’s best-kept secrets is the YHA Sydney Harbour. Located in The Rocks, it offers million-dollar views from its rooftop bar for a fraction of the price.
