Vivid Sydney

Opal

You can use an Opal card for all modes of public transport in Sydney and surrounding regions, including metro, trains, buses, ferries and light rail.

Remember to top up your Opal card before you travel to avoid waiting in line at top-up machines. You can top up your card online or at an Opal retailer.

More ways to pay

If you have a contactless-enabled American Express, Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card, or a linked device, you can use it to pay for your travel by tapping on and tapping off at Opal card readers. Available on all public transport, contactless payments are another way to pay on the Opal network. Adult Opal fare pricing applies and you will receive Opal benefits, including daily and weekly fare caps.

Vivid Sydney event precincts

Vivid Sydney returns for its 15th year for 23 consecutive nights from Friday 23 May to Saturday 14 June and will be lighting up 5 key zones across the city including: 

1. Circular Quay & The Rocks  
2. Barangaroo  
3. Darling Harbour (including Cockle Bay and Tumbalong Park)  
4. Martin Place and CBD  
5. The Goods Line and Inner City (including Vivid Fire Kitchen) 

Vivid Sydney Light Walk and Transport map coming soon.

All Vivid Sydney zones are easily accessible by frequent trains, metro, buses, ferries and light rail services stopping at nearby transport hubs including Circular Quay, Town Hall, Wynyard, Martin Place and Central. 

On the water

There will be a number of commercial charter vessels which will be lit up in support of Vivid Sydney adding an extra dimension to the light walk and harbour foreshore. The majority of charter vessels will be operating from the King St wharf area with some operating from Circular Quay charter wharves on select nights, where people can board a vessel to see the Vivid Sydney lights from the water and see other vessels lit up on the waterways. For more information about charter ferries visit, Vivid Sydney on the water.

Sydney Metro services are high-frequency, driverless trains running between Sydney’s north-west and south-west via the city.  

The M1 Line operates turn up-and-go Metro services in both directions between Tallawong, Chatswood and Sydenham. Metro services start running from early morning, every 4 to 10 minutes, until late at night.   

Getting to Vivid Sydney light precincts:

• For access to Martin Place, Circular Quay and The Rocks alight the metro at Martin Place 

  • Take the ‘Martin Place’ access to reach the MLC Centre and light installations in Martin Place, then continue on foot towards the harbour. 

• For access Barangaroo Reserve, alight the Metro at Barangaroo and continue on-foot along the waterfront. 

• For access to The Goods Line and Darling Harbour, alight the Metro at Central Station. 

For Metro service disruption information, check trackwork and travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Sydney Trains services run regularly to the city on all lines from early morning until late, and additional services will run on weekends during Vivid Sydney to help you get there and home again. Late night NSW TrainLink intercity services will also have increased capacity to help you get you home.

Getting to Vivid Sydney Light precincts

All Vivid Sydney precincts in the city are within short walking distance of major CBD train stations.

• Circular Quay: trains run regularly to Circular Quay on weeknights. On Saturday nights and Sunday of the long weekend (8 June), trains will not drop off passengers at Circular Quay Station from 6pm to 11pm due to large crowds in the precinct – use Wynyard, Martin Place or St James stations instead on these nights and continue on foot to the harbour.
• Wynyard: from Wynyard station it’s an easy walk to Barangaroo and King St Wharf via the underground Wynyard Walk tunnel. For access to Circular Quay and The Rocks, take the George St exit and continue along George St towards Circular Quay.
• Central: from Central take the Grand Concourse exit (1) or exit (7) towards Railway Square through the Devonshire St Tunnel and walk up the Goods Line towards Darling Harbour.
• Town Hall: From Town Hall take the George St Town Hall exit (4) or Cathedral exit (5) and continue down Druitt St or Bathurst St for access to Darling Harbour.

Trackwork

Trackwork is taking place during Vivid Sydney and may affect how you travel to and from the event - plan ahead using the Trip Planner.

Check back closer to the event for the latest trackwork information.

Trackwork is carried out on an ongoing basis to maintain the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the Sydney Trains network. For the latest information, check trackwork and travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Regular Route Buses

Plenty of buses run to and from the city each night, making stops within short walking distance of Vivid Sydney precincts. Plan your bus trip ahead of time using the Trip Planner.

On some weeknights and all weekends during Vivid Sydney, additional services will run on selected popular bus routes to the city from mid-afternoon with additional return services leaving the city from around 8pm, depending on the route. 

For bus service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Bus Diversions

Buses to and from the city will be diverting and using different stops while event road closures are in place on Fridays and weekends. On Mondays to Thursdays during Vivid Sydney, buses will run as normal. Check signs at bus stops for alternative stop locations and use the Trip Planner before you travel.

More information on bus changes will be available closer to the event.

For bus service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Harbour Ferries

If you're planning to catch a ferry, expect delays and long queues at wharves as services are very popular during Vivid and will start to reach capacity from the early afternoon, particularly on weekends.

Ferries to and from Circular Quay, Pyrmont and Barangaroo will be very busy so make sure to plan ahead, have a few transport options in mind and look for signs directing you to your nearest alternative transport option. 

Due to the high demand, customers will be required to exit the ferry once they reach their destination. You will not be able to stay on the ferry and take the return trip. This is to make sure that everyone gets the chance to access ferry services. Please note, there are no free ferry services during Vivid Sydney.

For ferry service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner. 

Other Maritime arrangements

Restrictions will be in place on recreational and commercial vessels in the Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2025. Visit Transport for NSW Waterways website closer to the event date for details on private wharf closures, access restrictions and viewing areas.

For more information about charter ferries and recreational vessels visit, Vivid Sydney on the water.

L1 Dulwich Hill Line

L1 Dulwich Hill Line light rail services run between Central Station (Grand Concourse) and Dulwich Hill via Darling Harbour and the Inner West. Services run regularly from 5am to 1am daily. Plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

The best stops for access to Darling Harbour Vivid Sydney precincts are Exhibition Centre, Convention and Pyrmont Bay. Keep in mind that services between Central and Pyrmont Bay will be very busy with large crowds expected on weekends so consider alternative transport options.

For access to Vivid Sydney precinct around Circular Quay, change at Central for L2 and L3 light rail services leaving from Chalmers St. 

L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford Lines

L2 Randwick light rail services run between Circular Quay and Randwick via Central Station (Chalmers Street) and L3 Kingsford light rail services run between Circular Quay and Juniors Kingsford via Central Station (Chalmers Street). Services run regularly from 5am to 1am daily, plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

On Monday to Thursdays catch light rail services to Circular Quay.

On Fridays from 6pm and weekends from 5pm services will not run to Circular Quay, catch the light rail to Town Hall and continue on foot to Circular Quay, or to Darling Harbour via Druitt St.

Service changes:

• On Fridays from 6pm and on weekends from 5pm (Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holiday Monday 9 Jun) services will not run between Town Hall and Circular Quay for pedestrian safety. Catch the light rail to Wynyard and continue on foot to Circular Quay instead.

Light rail services run on a frequency basis, always check the information boards at stops to check the status of the last services on the day.

L4 Westmead and Carlingford Line

L4 Westmead and Carlingford Line light rail services run between Carlingford and Westmead via Parramatta CBD. Services run regularly from 5am to 1am daily. Plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Connect with trains to the city from Parramatta or Westmead stations to get within walking distance of Vivid Sydney precincts. 

Passengers are reminded that trams can’t stop quickly or easily – so please stop, listen and look around for trams and use designated pedestrian crossings.

For maps and service frequencies see Light rail service information. For light rail service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Driving

Driving into the city for Vivid Sydney is not recommended due to heavy traffic and limited parking. Attendees are urged to leave the car at home and catch public transport with plenty of services running and all Vivid Sydney precincts are within short walking distance of major transport hubs. 

If you're planning to drive to Vivid Sydney precincts plan ahead and allow extra travel time as road closures and parking restrictions will be in effect around Circular Quay, The Rocks, Dawes Point, Haymarket and Darling Harbour each night. If you drive and arrive early for parking keep in mind that once roads are closed you won't be able to exit driveways, car parks or private properties onto closed roads so plan ahead.

Traffic is expected it to be very heavy in the city over the June long weekend, so if you're planning your visit to Vivid Sydney please catch public transport and avoid the traffic delays. Alternatively arrive early ahead of lights on to avoid the congestion as car parks will reach capacity through the evenings.

Visit livetraffic.com for real-time updates on traffic conditions and road closures during Vivid Sydney. 

Road closures

Significant road closures and extensive parking restrictions will be in effect on most major roads in The Rocks, Circular Quay and the Sydney CBD throughout the 23-day festival from Friday 23 May to Saturday 14 June.

More info on road closures coming soon.

Managed access to some hotels and businesses around The Rocks and Circular Quay while roads are closed will be maintained by traffic controllers on-site throughout Vivid Sydney when safe to do so.

For detailed information on the road closures, clearways and real-time updates on traffic conditions visit Live Traffic NSW or download a real-time traffic app.

Taxis

Demand for taxis will be high and queues will be long so please be patient and considerate of others. To avoid the queues, consider catching a train or bus service out of the Sydney CBD before looking for a taxi. 

More information on taxi ranks during Vivid Sydney will be available closer to the event.

For more details on secure taxi ranks and operating hours see Secure taxi ranks.

For details of taxi networks servicing the Sydney area, visit Transport Operators.

Rideshare

If you're organising a rideshare, choose a pick up and drop off location outside of the immediate vicinity of Circular Quay to avoid delays while roads are closed. 

Car parks

Parking in the city will be very limited during Vivid Sydney, particularly on the Friday nights and weekends as large crowds are expected to visit. As well with road closures in place each night access to some car parks will be restricted.

Plan ahead and familiarise yourself with the road closures before you travel. If you arrive early and roads close in the evening you will not be able to exit car parks until roads reopen at midnight (and 1am on Saturdays). 

Special event clearways

Street parking in the city will be very limited with special event clearway parking restrictions in effect each night during Vivid Sydney, particularly on Friday nights and weekends.

Special event clearways parking restrictions will be in effect from 3pm until midnight daily on most major roads in The Rocks, Circular Quay and the Sydney CBD. Clearways will also be in effect on some local roads around King St Wharf and Haymarket at Central Station.

These clearways are strict no parking zones even for local residents and TfNSW Mobility Scheme Parking Permit holders.

Check signs carefully before parking on the day, and the night before as clearways come into effect from early morning on Sunday. Vehicles left in clearways will be towed and a fee applies. If your vehicle is towed it will be moved to the nearest available parking space, you can search your vehicle registration at the Find My Car website to find its new location, or alternatively call 132 701 to speak to an operator.

For real-time updates on traffic conditions visit Live Traffic NSW or download a real-time traffic app.

Volunteers working at Vivid Sydney 2025 are entitled to free travel on public transport for the duration of the event by showing their 'Volunteers Free Travel Pass' to transport staff when boarding services.

Travel is covered on the following transport services from Thursday 22 May through until 4am on Sunday 15 June 2024:

• Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity services (non-booked services bounded by Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone and Dungog stations).
• Sydney Metro services
• Sydney metropolitan bus services and NightRide bus services
• Sydney Ferries
• Sydney and Parramatta Light Rail

Note: an additional station access fee applies for travel to or from Domestic and International Airport stations. Your volunteer pass does not include the access fee, so if you're travelling from these stations you'll need to pay the train station access fee.

Event

There are a number of managed accessible viewing areas across the Vivid Sydney precincts. Visit the Vivid Sydney website for accessibility and inclusion information for the event.

Transport

Accessible trips are shown in the Trip Planner with the wheelchair icon. You can select "accessible services only" in the Options to ensure you only see accessible services. Only trip plans with accessible train platforms, ferry wharves and buses will be presented. See accessible travel or download a transport app (select the "Accessibility" filter).