Vivid Sydney and other light shows around the World

Vivid Sydney and other light shows around the world. Vivid Sydney will yet again provide the city with roughly three weeks of incredible light displays, live music performances, and notable guest speakers when it kicks off on 23rd May.

So let’s look at what you can expect out of this year’s program of events, as well as other popular light shows around the world you may wish to check out this year.

But remember, don't let travel disruptions and mishaps cast a shadow over your light show holiday by considering travel insurance.

Vivid Sydney 2025

Vivid Sydney 2025 will light up the city from 23rd May to 14th June, bringing back Australia’s biggest festival of light, music, ideas and food. Celebrating its 15th year, this unmissable Sydney event will feature stunning light installations, large-scale projections, and interactive artworks across iconic landmarks like the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour.

This year’s Vivid LIVE music program includes exclusive performances by Anohni & The Johnsons and Sigur Rós, along with sets by Australian acts such as Mall Grab (Jordon Alexander) and Vincent Namatjira.

While Taronga Zoo’s popular Wild Lights experience will not run in 2025, the festival will still offer plenty of family-friendly activities and free light shows. Colourful LED displays on boats in Sydney Harbour will create a dazzling spectacle each night, making Vivid Sydney 2025 a must-see winter event for locals and tourists alike.

Berlin Festival of Lights, Germany

Experience one of Europe’s largest light shows with the annual Festival of Lights held in Berlin.

The festival takes place every October, running for 10 days and attracting around 2 million visitors. The city’s landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate, Victory Column, and Berlin Cathedral will be lit up with artistic projections and colourful 3D video shows.

Visitors can witness the roughly 100 lighted art installations by way of boat tours, horse carriage rides, buses and limousines, or fun lighted bike taxis.

Fête des Lumières, France

The Fête des Lumières, held in Lyon, dates back to the mid-1800s when a statue of the Virgin Mary was placed on Fourvière Hill.

The statue’s inauguration celebration was scheduled to take place on 12/8, but was cancelled due to bad weather. When the stormy weather miraculously cleared during the night, residents took it upon themselves to celebrate by placing candles in their windows, thereby lighting up the city.

The residents of Lyon wanted to honour Mary for sparing their city during a 17th-century plague after they prayed to her. Residents continue to place candles outside their windows to this day, but modern light installations now accompany them as well.

Millions of candles are sold for the event, and the money collected is donated to various charities. See dozens of light installations scattered around the city, centred around places like the Basilica of Fourvière and the Place des Terreaux.

This year’s Fête des Lumières runs from 12/5-8, with the largest celebrations taking place on the final night.

Luma Southern Light Project, New Zealand

Our next door neighbour, New Zealand, puts on a stunning light show of their own every year when Queenstown on the South Island hosts the Luma Southern Light Project.

The light show takes place annually on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in the beautiful botanical gardens that sit along the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

For four nights, the gardens and alpine forests that surround them are lit up with fairy lights, contemporary lighted art sculptures, and light projections that use the trees as a giant natural screen. The illuminations begin each night just after the sun sets and run until around 10 PM.

In addition to the magical garden lights, you can enjoy live music and outdoor screenings of movies. The event is rather young, this year being just the fifth anniversary. Look for it to kick off 05/31-06/3.

Kobe Luminarie, Japan

The light show that takes place annually in Kobe, about 30 kilometres west of Osaka, originally began in 1995 when the city was hit with a destructive and deadly earthquake known as the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Over 200,000 hand-painted lights are put up on buildings that run from Motomachi Station to Higashi Yuenchi Park, acting as a tribute to the thousands of lives that were lost in the earthquake.

The festival was also a way to encourage tourism back to the city. The lights were donated by the Italian government, hence why the festival takes on the name Luminarie, which in Italian translates as an illumination that uses small bulbs.

The streets around the light displays are made pedestrian-only during the nighttime lighting hours, allowing residents and visitors to safely view the displays.

Expect large crowds and plenty of outdoor food stalls serving up local cuisine. The light show takes place for about two weeks every December.

i Light Marina Bay, Singapore

You may have missed 2019’s i Light Marina Bay, but Singapore allows visitors to catch several different light shows daily throughout the year.

The i Light Festival usually takes place around February or March each year and features energy-saving lighting that promotes sustainable living. Numerous light installations are set up around Marina Bay for the event.

The rest of the year, you can catch the nightly Spectra event along Marina Bay, a 15-minute light display consisting of colourful projections, illuminated fountain jets, lasers, and orchestral music. The short show usually takes place a few times during the night, starting around 8 PM.

On Sentosa, you can catch a similar light show called Wings of Time, which is charged, or you can enjoy the free popular event called Garden Rhapsody held around the futuristic-looking Supertree Grove in the Gardens by the Bay.