FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT VIVID SYDNEY 2015

Every year Vivid Sydney gives us reason to venture out into the wintery night and explore our city painted in a new light. In the festival’s seventh year there are more precincts to discover, a bigger line-up for Vivid Music and Vivid Live, and big-name speakers for Vivid Ideas... Vivid Light will extend to Chatswood, Chippendale, the University of Sydney and Pyrmont for the first time. Discover projections from Reko Rennie and Beastman that will light up the old brewery next to Central Park. Visitors will be able to shoot digital fireworks into the skies at Pyrmont Bay Park.

As part of Vivid Light, The Star will be inviting visitors to project their faces onto the side of the building as they belt out karaoke songs to all in earshot. In addition to the new zones, there will be light projections, pop-up bars and installations in Martin Place, around the Rocks, Darling Harbour and, for the first time, on the Museum of Sydney. Look out for a three-metre light-up doll, a game of Duck Duck Goose for little ones and new projections from Danny Rose on the MCA and ‘Enchanted Sydney’ projected onto Customs House. Vivid Music (not to be confused with Vivid Live) is bigger and better than ever. DJ Stephen Ferris has curated a program that will spread across some of Sydney’s best music venues for the first time. Goodgod Small Club will host Curator Ben Marshall has pulled together a line-up that boasts local luminaries Daniel Johns, the Preatures and the Drones, as well as a big blow-out for Future Classic’s tenth birthday ( see p17). Plus, they’re pulling in Morrissey, Sufjan Stevens and TV on the Radio for mega concerts under the sails. Curator Jess Scully knows the movers and shakers that’ll get us excited. Highlights of the talks program include Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner ( see p19); Tyler Brûlé, creator of Monocle magazine ( p19); and Stefan Sagmeister – author of Things I Have Learnt in My Life So Far. Vivid Ideas talks take place at Sydney Town Hall, Sydney Theatre and the MCA. Look out for a craft party from Etsy ( p33) and a three-day event at Carriageworks called Game On ( p23). Emma Joyce