NSW Government cancels Vivid, turns attention to 2022 event

Vivid Sydney will not go ahead in 2021, with the NSW Government cancelling the event due to “ongoing uncertainty”.

The event had been due to take place in August, but was pushed back to September 17 to October 9 last month.

This relied, however, on Sydney coming out of lockdown as originally planned at the end of July.

The NSW Government said at the time that the event would only proveed of it was safe to do so.

Greater Sydney remains in an extended lockdown, currently slated to end on August 28. There is no certainty yet around whether this will be extended further.

In the media release from the Government though, issued on Sunday, the spotlight was firmly on 2022.

Minister for jobs, investment, tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said Vivid Sydney would be a shining light for the community to look forward to next year.

“As we work together to contain the current outbreak and get our community vaccinated, we can all look forward to the return of major events like Vivid Sydney that bring us together in celebration,” he said.

“Vivid Sydney 2022 will shine brighter than ever – our artists and creative industries are so eager to put on a show and we can’t wait to see the Harbour City shining brightly again.”

Planning is already underway for the rescheduled event, which is slated for May 27 to June 18, 2022.

Expressions of interest for light, music and ideas programs will open this week.

Ayres also thanked everyone who had contributed to the planning for the ill-fated Vivid Sydney 2021.

“Of course, it’s incredibly disappointing to cancel for the second year, but the most responsible decision was to cancel early, giving everyone certainty and minimising impacts where possible,” he said.

“The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to get vaccinated so we can get back to enjoying COVID-safe events again soon.”