It’s good news for Sydney after it was announcement that Vivid Sydney (Light, Music & Ideas Festival) will be returning in 2021. This will be the 12th year the award-winning light show will run, with it being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jan Mackenzie is the Head of Operations at Cafe Sydney – a rooftop restaurant on the edge of Circular Quay. She describes Vivid as being a “dynamic” time of year for their business, and is looking forward to its return in 2021.
“Vivid has totally enhanced our business at that time of year,” Ms Mackenzie says. “Prior to Vivid we saw our revenue drop in winter, but since it’s started that curve has flattened.”
In 2019, 2.4 million people attended Vivid Sydney, generating $172 million in tourism expenditure.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said Vivid Sydney was an important cultural, social and economic beacon for NSW.
“Major events will play a critical role in stimulating the visitor economy and NSW’s broader COVID-19 recovery strategy,” Minister Ayres said. “We’re cautiously optimistic that with a slight delay to regular scheduling, Vivid Sydney will be able to proceed as the bright, dynamic event we all know and love in August next year.”
Minister Ayres attributes the “outstanding economic benefit” Vivid brings to the generation of jobs and the “flow on effect of positive publicity.”
This year, many businesses around the Circular Quay foreshore were closed due to the pandemic. Ms Mackenzie says that she’s looking forward to the “great injection” Vivid gives to the small businesses in the area.
“The return of Vivid is great news for us,” Ms Mackenzie says. “It’s a real highlight for everybody.”
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