📍15 Best Places To See Vivid Sydney: Harbour Light Viewing & Epic Photography.

WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE BEST VIVID SYDNEY VIEWPOINTS AROUND THE HARBOUR ARE?

Vivid Sydney is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most spectacular light art show. Taking place across five, easily accessible inner-city suburbs over three epic weeks in May and June, the event features almost 50 installations, transforming the NSW capital into a magical, night-time wonderland, where it is most beautifully on display around Sydney’s magnificent harbour shoreline.

From the synchronised lights and stunning projections that illuminate iconic, world-class landmarks like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, to the many artworks on showcase at The Rocks, Barangaroo Reserve and Darling Harbour, the city never looks more gorgeous. And thanks to the many pathways that line the waterfront, there is absolutely no shortage of outstanding places to take in all the colourful after-dark scenery. Here are the best spots and the light art installations you can see there from my visit in 2025, so you can make it the perfect excuse to spend the night out in Sydney during winter 2026.

Note: On Fridays and weekends in 2025, the Light Rail network wasn’t operating between 5 pm and 1 am between Town Hall & Circular Quay.

1. Campbells Cove. – Free.
The Rocks.

Tucked away past the far end of the International Cruise Terminal within the historically famous The Rocks suburb of Sydney lies the small but picturesque Campbells Cove, hands down my favourite spot for watching the Vivid Sydney lights. This is because it’s perfectly set amidst all the most iconic light-art action on the city’s breathtaking, world-famous landmarks. On full showcase were the dazzling, multi-coloured lights on the Sydney Harbour Bridge framework, and the delightful animation projections on its southeastern tower front and centre, plus near-perfect perpendicular views of the show on the Sydney Opera House’s renowned sails.

That scenery is picturesque enough, but to sweeten the deal even more, you’ve also got the scenery of several synchronised buildings and skyscrapers changing colours every few seconds at Circular Quay, along with the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel joining them in the cove and the projection on the ASN Co. building there too.

Plus, modern Vivid boats pass by frequently, while historical tall ships are docked in front of the old-world heritage buildings, which is just a very cool juxtaposition between the city’s bygone era and today’s modern world, giving me a quintessential feel for the city and a fascinating place to be for the festival. Plus, it made for excellent dynamic photography.

Adding icing to the cake, it’s only a few minutes walk from the Circular Quay train station and light rail stop, making it easy to reach and includes walking past several other Vivid light displays, food trucks (I loved the vegan Gozleme) and open harbourside walkway, so it’s easy to make for a colourful evening where the festival feels the most alive.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Candy Dreams projection on the Harbour Bridge Pylons.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (colour synchronised buildings, including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and several skyscrapers behind & the nearby ones on the Park Hyatt Sydney).
  • Colour The City projection on the ASN Co. Building.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then a 5-8-minute walk along the foreshore walkway through The Rocks.
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views!: Park Hyatt Sydney.

2. Circular Quay. – Free.
Train Station & Pathway Behind The Ferry Docks.

Circular Quay is, unequivocally, the beating heart and soul of Sydney. For most people visiting the city, it’s the first place where they see the breathtaking world-famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House, making it a beloved location for locals and tourists alike. That’s because it’s where the three main modes of public transport converge: ferries, trains, and light rail, making it even more of a revered spot.

Railway travellers don’t even have to get off the platform to get incredible photo-worthy views of the bridge and a sneak peek of the Opera House from the western side along with their light art installations. Meanwhile, for ferry passengers and tram commuters, it’s just a short walk to the harbourside walkway, where epic views of these icons await between the boats and wharves.

From all these vantage points, I could also see the impressive King Dingo’s projection on the Museum Of Contemporary Art and the synchronised illumination of the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney to the right and the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel at the far end of the Rocks, which is just a great way to kick off the night. Not to mention, Customs House, just behind all three of these public transport stops, has a show too, so there’s plenty of Vivid action to see right from the moment you arrive.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Park Hyatt Sydney & Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.
  • King Dingo projection on the Museum Of Contemporary Art.
  • House Of Romance projection on Customs House.
  • Candy Dreams projection on the Harbour Bridge Pylons.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay.
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views: Four Seasons Hotel.

3. Cahill Bridge Walk Lookout.

As if Circular Quay couldn’t get much better for watching Vivid Sydney’s harbour lights, it has one more epic place up its sleeve. And it’s one that not that many people know about it.

Upon the main road above the Circular Quay train station is a proper lookout: the Cahill Bridge Walk Lookout. To get there is super easy. You simply walk east along the harbourside pathway, then take the lift up to the road level, before strolling back in the direction you came to the official viewpoint, where there is plenty of bench seating so you can appreciate the breathtaking scenery even longer.

This spot is great because you get the same magnificent views overlooking the harbour and its illuminated iconic landmarks, only it is more elevated, clearing the ferry wharf terminals, and has far less foot traffic strolling past.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Park Hyatt Sydney & Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.
  • King Dingo projection on the Museum Of Contemporary Art.
  • Candy Dreams projection on the Harbour Bridge Pylons.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then catch the lift on the eastern side of Circular Quay to the expressway, then a few minutes walk along there.
• Top Nearby Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel.

4. Western Promenade.

Lining the harbour along the eastern side of the heritage suburb of The Rocks, Circular Quay’s western promenade is another excellent spot to watch the Vivid Sydney Harbour action once you walk past the ferry wharves, particularly if you want to hone in on watching the show displayed in the Opera House, as this location has uninterrupted views of the iconic perfect rooftop canvas, aside from the boats passing by.

It’s particularly great next to the International Cruise Terminal as most people walk on the other side of it to see the other lighting installations on showcase here and fill their the food trucks that are lining the streets here, so it’s an easy place to find a place to sit, stop, eat away from the main crowd or set up your tripod to capture everything happening across the harbour, while still being amongst all the action. Plus, it was one of the best places to see the buildings in and around Circular Quay illuminated as part of the Our Connected City collection of lights.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay Train Station & several skyscrapers behind, Park Hyatt Sydney & Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.
  • King Dingo projection on the Museum Of Contemporary Art.
• Other Featured Light Art:
  • Kia Portal.
  • Stem. – Interactive projection on Cadman’s Cottage.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then a short walk.
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views: Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.

5. Bennelong Point. (Sydney Opera House.)

Another incredible place to soak in the atmosphere is the iconic walkway between Circular Quay and Bennelong Point, where the breathtaking Sydney Opera House lies. The southern half was great for looking across the wharves to watch King Dingo playing on the Museum Of Contemporary Art building, while past the buildings on this side of the harbour were excellent angular views of the breathtaking Sydney Opera House, where the Lighting Of The Sails show is projected onto the world-famous landmark, making it one of Vivid Sydney’s most unmissable displays.

It’s also one of the best spots to see the Sweet Dreams projection on the Pylon Lookout and enjoy the Sydney Harbour Bridge all lit up and changing colours in synchronicity with several other buildings part of the Our Connected City installation, including the Park Hyatt Hotel below it and all of the ones transforming Circular Quay into a colourful wonderland, plus Admiralty House at Kirribilli Point. These can all be seen along the entire walk, except the last one, which is visible from the northernmost end.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Candy Dreams projection on the Harbour Bridge Pylons.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay Train Station & several skyscrapers behind, Park Hyatt Sydney, and Admiralty House.
  • King Dingo projection on the Museum Of Contemporary Art.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then a ten-minute walk (650m).
• Top Nearby Accommodation: Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.

6. The Harbour Bridge.

The unequivocal GOAT of landmarks in Sydney is the breathtaking Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of the city’s hallmark attractions, known globally for its magnificent beauty and iconic stature. People come from all over the world to lay their eyes upon the grandeur of this architectural marvel and scale its summit with Sydney Bridge Climb, which has the most spectacular panoramic views of this world-class destination at dawn, day, twilight and night.

And that doesn’t just stop when Vivid’s on. In fact, it takes the experience to a whole ‘nother level, allowing participants to experience the city in a way few get to see, all with colourful synchronized lights illuminating the CBD, shows projected on the equally famous Sydney Opera Houses’ sails, all while the bridge itself is cycling through all the colours of the rainbow, which just makes Sydney’s most memorable experience even more unforgettably so.

It is pretty expensive, though, and you can’t take your camera either, which especially sucks if you’re photographically inclined to capture everything like I am, so a great alternative is to walk along the pedestrian walkway at road level. The bridge is pretty fenced off, but there is a decent gap, allowing you to poke your camera through and capture some of it.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Circular Quay Train Station & several skyscrapers behind, Park Hyatt Sydney, and Admiralty House.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then a ten-minute walk (700m).
• Top Nearby Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel.

7. Pylon Lookout. – $.

If you are a super keen photographer deadset on capturing the largest light art show in the southern hemisphere from Sydney’s most epic architectural landmark, there’s another even better alternative to the roadside walkway: the southeastern pylon.

While it can’t compete with the magnificent beauty the top of the Coathanger offers, it is still one of the city’s most breathtaking places to see the city I’ve come across, with bonus points being given to it because you can take your camera and tripod up and have uninterrupted views from which to capture the city’s breathtaking beauty to your heart’s content, so it’s a win-win.

This lookout is also an excellent location to photograph the magic of Sydney Vivid. However, for the event, it’s not for walk-ins. It’s only possible to access this place with the exclusive night tour available across the three-week showcase, and there are only very limited spots, so pre-planning is definitely required for this one. Plus, it’s quite expensive, so that’s another thing to be aware of.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including Circular Quay Train Station & several skyscrapers behind, Park Hyatt Sydney, Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour and Admiralty House.
• Best Way To Get There: Train or light rail to Circular Quay, then a 20-minute walk (1.1km) along the bridge’s pedestrian walkway. Or train to Milson Point train stating, then a 15-minute walk (1.1km) on the bridge.
• Top Nearby Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel.

8. City Lookout From Milsons Point.

If you don’t mind being further away from the action, one of the best, more low-key places to enjoy the Vivid Sydney is from the lookouts and foreshore reserves on the northern banks of the harbour, just east of the Harbour Bridge.

From Mary Booth Lookout Reserve, Brighton Street Lookout, Copes Lookout, and Kirribilli Lookout, you’ll be able to get some of the best peaceful front-row seats to the animation show on the north Pylon Tower and enjoy the bridge lighting up in sync with the buildings and skyscrapers around Circular Quay across the water, while the always gorgeous Opera House rounds out the scenery with the roof being the canvas screen for the Lighting Of The Sails show.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay Train Station & several skyscrapers behind, Park Hyatt Sydney, Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour and Admiralty House.
• Best Way To Get There (City Point Lookout.): Train to Milsons Point, then walk 10min (750m) or ferry to Milsons Point Wharf, then a 300m walk. along the foreshore.

9. Pyrmont Bridge.

It’s hard to go past Pyrmont Bridge when it comes to watching Vivid Sydney at Darling Harbour because, despite the amount of foot traffic that was walking along the foreshore footpaths, this overpass was significantly quieter!

It was much less chaotic up there, making it significantly easier to navigate and find a nice spot to watch the show on Samsung Space To Dream art towers at the bottom of the bay and appreciate the setting and the scenery around it, not just the display. It was also a fantastic location to watch the Tunku & Ngaagi projection on the Australian National Maritime Museum roof from the other side, which is the only Vivid-related thing up this far.

You can also go there for a quick view of the harbour if you have time before setting off on your dedicated Vivid Sydney cruise, if it departs from King St Wharf.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Samsung’s Space To Dream, Tunku & Ngaagi projection.
• Best Way To Get There: Ferry to Pyrmont Bay Wharf, then a 10min walk (500m).
  • Light rail to QVB, then a 10 min walk. (650m.)
• Top Nearby Accommodation: Aiden By Best Western Darling Harbour.

10. Stairs From The Western Distributor Road.

One of the best spots to see what’s happening in Darling Harbour is a sneaky spot. It’s from the stairs that lead up to Sussex Street and the Western Distributor Road, the city’s biggest roadway. It offers a surprisingly fantastic view of the Samsung Space To Dream display and walkway and the buildings behind, making it a great elevated location to set up the camera and cover one of the event’s biggest installations along with the crowd and atmosphere it generates.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
• Best Way To Get There: Light rail to Convention, then an 8-minute walk (500m.) (through Darling Harbour, or 12 min along the Western Distributor Onramp (800m.)
  • Light rail or train to Town Hall, then an 8-minute walk. (550m.)
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views: Aiden By Best Western Darling Harbour.

11. Western Distributor Onramp.

The best location I found to capture the Samsung Space to Dream extravaganza taking place at Darling Harbour’s southernmost end was from the pedestrian walkway along the Western Distributor Onramp.

This is where the aforementioned stairs lead, and it’s an excellent spot because I had the whole place to myself, aside from the occasional person walking past, perfect for when you want to see the show fairly close, but not be a part of its chaotic nature, perfect for escaping the maddening crowd. This also meant having full rein of the place to set up my tripod wherever was suitable and the freedom to easily move to another location to suit the composition I was going for.

What was also great about this location is that it was dynamic, with the towering skyscrapers of the harbour’s eastern side establishing a setting for the featured showcase, while the busy walkways captured the atmosphere, crowds and eventful liveliness.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
• Best Way To Get There: Light rail to Convention, then a 10-minute walk (600m)
  • Light rail or train to Town Hall, then a 10-minute walk. (800m.)
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views: Aiden By Best Western Darling Harbour.

13. Milsons Point.

Another great spot to see the lights changing on the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s western side is from the foreshore along Milsons Point. A bonus is that the Sydney Opera House sits below it, so you can watch the light art shows on two world-class icons looking in one direction.

Milsons Point is also where the renowned Luna Park is, one of this city’s must-visit attractions, especially for family outings and young couples. The best thing about it is that it opens at 10.00 am and closes long after dark, which means that not only can you enjoy thrill rides so close to the heart of Sydney, and see gorgeous views of it in a unique, thrill-seeking way, but you can also continue that into the night and see it with the Vivid action during the magical three weeks that it’s one.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights. (Including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay skyscrapers and Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour.
• Best Way To Get There: Ferry to Milsons Point, or train to Milsons Point.

14. Blues Bay.
Henry Lawson Reserve & Blues Point Reserve.

Another spot that has fantastic scenery for the southern hemisphere’s biggest light art event is Blues Point Reserve. This beautiful spot on the harbour’s northern banks lies almost perfectly perpendicular to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, making it the best spot for those seeing the famous landmark in its changing Vivid colours along its entire length.

Better yet, the Sydney Opera House is positioned in a compositionally favourable location under the iconic coathanger, allowing you to simultaneously enjoy the projection displays on that globally renowned landmark too, making it a great photography spot.

Additionally, the low-traffic location and the grassy uninterrupted harbour views also make it an excellent place to enjoy a scenic, night-time winter picnic all rugged up next to your favourite loved one.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Lighting Of The Sails projection on the Sydney Opera House.
  • Our Connected City Lights on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.)
• Best Way To Get There: Ferry.

15. Observation Hill Lookout.

Halfway between the Rocks and the famous Darling Harbour suburb is the historic Sydney Observatory, Australia’s first building dedicated to looking deeper into space turned science museum. Although it’s not part of the Vivid action and isn’t right next to the harbour, the park that surrounds it is one of Sydney’s most magnificent lookouts.

The key feature of this epic viewpoint is the gorgeous Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the festival’s biggest light installations, making it an excellent place to see its changing colours throughout the night. The grass also makes it an excellent spot to have a magical night-time picnic with all this happening in the distance, so if you want a gorgeous location to have a winter cuddle with your best friend or significant other while the show is happening, this place is pretty hard to beat.

• Visible Light Displays (From 2025):
  • Our Connected City Lights on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• Best Way To Get There: Train to Wynard, then walk.
• Top Nearby Accommodation With Harbour Views: Four Seasons Hotel.

Between Circular Quay, the Rocks, Barangaroo Reserve, Darling Harbour & Milsons Point, there are plenty of exceptional places to watch the Vivid Sydney Harbour Light projections and art installations that illuminate the magnificent harbour foreshore.

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