The organizers of Vivid Sydney hope that a small change will put an end to the problematic agglomeration observed in previous years, as the popular festival of lights returns for the first time since 2019.
Key points:
- Vivid Sydney returns after two years and lasts 23 days
- Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres has urged people to try to come during the week
- The Vivid program includes a variety of concerts and conference events
Tonight, the 23-day festival of light, music and ideas kicks off after its two-year hiatus from COVID-19 and the NSW government expects millions of people to return to the still-troubled CBD.
In 2019, Vivid broke all international attendance and visitation records, with 2.4 million guests enjoying the extensive winter festival that injected about $ 170 million into the state’s economy.
However, its popularity has also been its downfall and overcrowding has become synonymous with Vivid.
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At worst, crowd bottlenecks have raised public safety concerns and, at best, discouraged people from returning.
While attendance numbers are expected to be lower than in previous years at COVID-19, Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres has urged people to try to come in the middle of the week to avoid busy weekends.
“The weekends are going to be huge, the long weekend is going to be massive,” he said.
“I think we still see very big numbers, so it ‘s very important that people plan their trip … come on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday if you want slightly smaller crowds.
“I’m confident that Sydney residents and people across the country really want to go out and see Vivid.”
In 2018, then-opposition tourism spokeswoman Penny Sharpe criticized the management of the festival’s crowds and said too many people felt unsafe on the harbor side, especially those with children.
Crowds increased at the outdoor festival in 2018. (AAP: Anna Kucera)
“It’s an incredible event for Sydney … but public safety issues come up more often,” she said. Sharpe.
“If people feel insecure, this is the last thing you want at such an important festival.”
Ms Sharpe said the solution could be to spread the event up and down the harbor.
And this year, that’s exactly what Vivid has done.
The famous light walk, which is the mainstay of the festival, will be the longest ever, this year, stretching 8 miles from Sydney Opera House to Central Station.
The redesign aims to give visitors “more space than ever” to explore light installations and keep traffic flowing smoothly.
Festival organizers have also stressed that less is more and that attendees should not try to see it all in one night.
The festival expects fewer crowds this year after it was postponed due to COVID-19. (Provided by: Destination NSW)
“Choose two or three places to explore, at a leisurely pace, and come back for the rest another night or nights.”
However, significant tension is still expected in Harbor City’s public transportation system, which in previous years has had to skip stops in the city due to congestion.
NSW’s chief transport officer, Howard Collins, said this year that he expected public transport queues to be similar to the fare-free period during the last Easter break.
“We encourage everyone to plan their Vivid Sydney experience for several nights because there is [is] a lot of light fixtures and projections to see all over the city, and you won’t be able to see it all in one night, ”Collins said.
Roads around The Rocks and Circular Quay will close every night from 5pm, with more extensive closures in Sydney’s CBD and around Darling Harbor on Friday nights and weekends.
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In addition to the light walk, the Vivid program includes a variety of concerts, conference events, and the largest drone show in the southern hemisphere.
An NSW police spokesman urged visitors to plan ahead
“A lot of planning has been done behind the scenes to make sure everyone stays safe, whether they are watching the screens or just visiting Sydney’s CBD and the surrounding event venues,” the spokesman said. .
“Due to the large congestion planned in Sydney’s CBD, people should plan ahead and consider their own safety and the safety of those around them.
“Barriers will be established in areas where large crowds are expected, to provide safe viewing spaces and allow pedestrians to move.”
Posted 3 hours 3 hours ago Thu, May 26, 2022 at 7:31 pm, updated 6 m ago 6 minutes ago Thu, May 26, 2022 at 11:05 PM