Its 7th year in, VIVID transforms this gorgeous city into the most glorious of visual treats.  Be it the harbour-side play of lasers, lights, and fireworks; or the many precincts through the innercity illuminated with a ridiculous array of projection art, from 6pm each evening the entire city jump-starts to life with much flair and fanfare.

This year, featuring as many as 60 installations, each vivid precinct offers up a unique experience – from beautiful organic light shows, to interactive games, to grandiose projection art.

The Sails of Sydney

The crown jewel of the city – the Opera House – is geometrically mapped-on with a wide array of fun, interactive projection facades and light installations. This incredible spectacle sits squarely within view of the gorgeous Darling Harbour, which explodes into a thrilling exhibition of lasers, jets, flames, music, spirals and fountains, beating as one, and bringing the harbour to life in all it’s glory.

Take it in from Cafe Del Mar, the Opera House or one of the many other prime vantage points, over a bottle of bubbly – just remember to secure a table early!

Then, jump on to your choice of “harbor lights” cruises to get drifted away into the heart of of it all, and immerse yourself into the spectacles of the night. As you sail across precincts the ferries and cruises light up in a different color, ushering you into a new world of wonder.

Below are a great choice of cruises:

http://www.vividsydney.com/precinct/harbour-lights

The Light Walk

From the spectacular fighting fish in Splendens, make your way down your own DJ set by manipulating an array of light-up cubes at BeatDice in First Fleet Park (The Rocks) – super cool.

Central Park – Sydney’s favorite downtown destination, featuring many a global artistic and architectural beauty – gets infused with a symphony of lights and music, accompanying the bustligng markets, interactive entertainment, and more. The coolest part – pop over Friday or Saturday night, and you’re in for a fun, playful silent disco to kick off your weekend!

Ponder up to Martin Place, and you’re in for an entirely different sort of experience. Mouth watering edibles coupled with a unique light show each and every night, an interactive drum circle, the gorgeous motion activated springs, and a light forest come together to provide a sensory treat like no other.

A bit overwhelmed by now? So were we, to be frank. The VIVID team has brought “VIVID-ing” down to a science with a wide range of trails that you can take here, to make life easier for both veterans and first timers alike.

Now, on to the memories. While you’re almost guaranteed to be no short of mesmerized by the festival’s offerings, we do recommend you capture the highlights of your journey – just so you don’t have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming!

But, having tried our hand with night photography with not much experience, we did find it tougher than anticipated. So on our quest to make any non-Sydneysider green with envy through photos of this pop-up magical dreamland, we found this Vivid Photography Workshop.

Comment below, and let us know how your VIVID adventures went, and be sure to send us your best photos.

Until next time, happy VIVID-ing!