Vivid Sydney Pulls Record Numbers

Stuart Ayres, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events in New South Wales (NSW), announced that 1.7 million attended the May 27 to June 18 event. This was a 19 percent increase from last year’s record 1.45 million, which should also impact on the A$44 million ($32.6 million) generated toward the NSW economy.

There was a considerable rise of attendees from the United States. “Vivid Sydney is now firmly established as one of the world’s most renowned festivals,” Ayres said. “This is reflected in the record sales of Vivid Sydney travel packages, with more than 36,500 domestic and international travel packages sold. In fact, over 26,000 international travel packages were sold with more than 11,000 packages sold to China alone.”

Key increases in travel packages were a 64 percent rise from the United States, 57 percent from Singapore and 39 percent from Korea. The festival was a boon to Sydney’s hospitality trade, with NSW government figures indicating that 72 percent of attendees purchased at least one café or restaurant meal during the visit. More than 90,000 attended Vivid Music events, at which 70 bands and 232 DJs performed at 237 items.

International star power included Bjork, Wayne Shorter and Yellowjackets. The 150 events marking Vivid Ideas drew 70,000 to hear 500 speakers. More than 80 light installations and projections created by 225 artists from 21 different countries