SYDNEY, May 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5th annual Vivid Sydney (24 May - 10 June) was officially opened tonight with Sydney's iconic Opera House illuminated in a stunning 3D-mapped visual feast of colour, movement, and world-class lighting artistry by Australian creative innovators The Spinifex Group.

To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61771-vivid-sydney-festival-2013
(Video will be LIVE from 1amSydney time (May 25).)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130524/MM19229 )

The largest light, music and ideas festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Vivid Sydney features lighting installations around the Sydney harbour foreshore, live music performances, and over 120 creative industry events.Vivid Sydney is expected to attract over 550,000 people in 2013.

This year, Vivid Light has tripled in size, with one-third of lighting installations from international artists including from the USA, Germany, Italy, Greece, Malaysia, Korea, Poland, Brazil and New Zealand.

In aworld first, Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge will come alive with an interactive lighting installation on the Bridge's western face, controlled by the public from an interactive touch screen, through a collaboration with Intel and with Sydney's 32 Hundred Lighting.

In another world first, Vivid Sydney now extends to the popular Darling Harbour, with spectacular water fountains, water screen projection performances and dazzling light and water shows, by France's legendary Aquatique Show International.

Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House, part of Vivid Sydney's music program, opened with performances by r'n'b soul legend Bobby Womack, as well as electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, who opened the first of a four-night presentation of their acclaimed retrospective series that also sold out at MoMA in New York and TATE Modern in London.

Vivid Ideas, recognised as one of the world's top ten ideas festivals in the world by the UK's Guardian newspaper, brings leading international creatives and thought leaders to Sydney in over 120 creative industry business events.

Highlights include Australian-exclusive talks and events featuring visual artist and cult icon David Shrigley (UK), streetwear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes (USA), digital artist and storyteller Jonathan Harris (USA), IDEO's Chief Creative Officer Paul Bennett (USA) and revolutionary product designer Jane Chen (USA/India).

Vivid Sydney is managed by Destination NSW as part of the NSW Government's new tourism and events strategy.

Stills, video and time-lapse are available and will be regularly updated at: http://www.vividsydney.com/media-centre/

The Vivid Sydney program is available at http://vividsydney.com/

Media Contact:

Sarah Hawthorne, Avviso PR
+61 410 633 390
sarahh@avviso.com.au

SOURCE  Destination NSW