Return of Vivid Sydney generates $119 million for local economy

Vivid Sydney made an emphatic return this year - breaking attendance records and boosting the local economy by $119 million.

The festival saw its largest opening weekend ever with 440,000 visitors coming to Sydney, with a record 2.58 million people attending Vivid, some 7.3% above 2019 event attendance.

The festival provided a significant boost for the accommodation sector which saw a total of 567,249 hotel nights, while 20,434 visitors travelled to regional NSW and stayed overnight, generating $12.2 million in tourism related expenditure.

The festival featured 50 Vivid Light installations, 100 Vivid Music performances held across 25 Sydney venues and 67 Vivid Ideas events, with 106 sessions at 25 venues.

Announcing the successful return of the event, NSW Minister for Tourism, Ben Franklin stated “we have seen unprecedented attendance for Vivid Sydney 2022, which is wonderful to see and a clear sign Sydney is back bigger and better than ever.

“The stats speak for themselves and reflect the significant contribution the festival makes to the city’s economy with local hotels, bars, restaurants, tourism operators and small businesses all reaping the benefits.

“Almost 30% of attendees came from outside Sydney, with a significant portion of visitors then travelling into regional NSW, generating $12.2 million to regional economies.”

Vivid Sydney 2022 also won 14 medals at the 2022 International Festival & Events Association Pinnacle Awards.

Image credit Destination NSW.