From Mumbai To Sydney: Our Vivid Sydney Experience

The first time I heard the four syllables—Vivid Sydney—was back in 2014. An Australian exchange student named Steve had joined our class for a semester. As a proud Sydneysider, he spoke about the Vivid Sydney festival with a kind of awe that made us all curious. What was this festival that lit up his voice with excitement?

Fast forward ten years, our old college squad of four was planning our next international trip—our little tradition of going for an international trip every three years. After Spain and Vietnam, it was finally time for Australia. As we mapped out our route, that 10 yr old memory of Steve’s enthusiastic mention of Vivid Sydney came rushing back. It instantly earned a place on our itinerary.

We narrowed our destinations down to three: Cairns, Sydney, and Hobart—two days in each. Our plan was to begin with the Great Barrier Reef, then experience Vivid Sydney, and wrap up with the Dark MOFO festival in Hobart. After Cairns, we flew to Sydney. And this is how our experience unfolded:

Lunch cruises in Sydney

On every ‘things to do in Sydney' list, Sydney lunch cruises topped the list. So we knew that it was an unmissable experience. And needless to say, it was a bucket-list worthy moment. Our first day in Sydney started with this lunch cruise experience. We booked an elegant catamaran which had spacious outer decks for the perfect harbour view.

An average foreigner’s image or idea of Australia is through the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge—we understood why! The on-water views of the Sydney skyline and other popular attractions like Luna Park, Fort Denison etc., was definitely astonishing. The views were accompanied by a delicious buffet meal. After the cruise, we had to wait until 6pm for Vivid Sydney. That’s when an idea erupted:

Finding Steve

If it weren’t for Steve, we wouldn’t be in Sydney. So, we badly wanted to find him, but since 2014 wasn’t much of an Instagram era, we had no contacts, which led us to contacting our college, who denied our request due to privacy and security concerns. But desperate times call for desperate measures—so we called one of our dear professors, who, conveniently, is now the Head of Department. He pulled some strings (being attentive in class paid off) and finally got us an email id and a number. We dialed the number with low expectations—and surprise, someone picked up. Turned out it was Steve’s dad’s number. He initially thought that we were some Indian call centre trying to scam him, nonetheless, we managed to convince him and he finally gave Steve’s contact number.

Hearing Steve’s voice after all those years felt surreal. We arranged to meet near Darling Harbour. And there he was—no longer the 19-year-old we remembered from our college days, but a 29-year-old man, married, and a proud father of a two-year-old. He invited us to his home and we caught up on the ten years we’d missed— reminiscing, laughing, and getting a little emotional along the way. Steve was genuinely touched that we had made the effort to find him. Before we left, he promised to take us to Vivid Sydney—and just like that, we scored a free local guide.

Vivid Sydney Experience

No wonder why Steve bragged about the festival back in 2014—it was worth bragging. It was the festival of lights, music, ideas and food. Nearly 10 kms of Sydney lights up with Vivid Light installations—and these are not some average LED decorations, but brilliant artistic and reflective installations. Steve navigated us through the Light Walk—spanning 8.5kms across the city. He literally acted as a guide and gave local facts about the places. The stunning light views were accompanied by live music concerts, talks, and our favourite—delicious food. Steve found us a nice cafe for dinner and we just talked until the day ended. Steve even offered to take us sightseeing the next day, but we refused since he had to take the day off from his work. Soaking up in the magic of Vivid Sydney, we parted that night. And the day after next, we flew to Hobart—for the Dark MOFO festival.

So maybe Vivid Sydney wasn’t the highlight of our trip after all, maybe it was Steve. The lights and the spectacle were just the backdrop. Vivid Sydney might be a beautiful excuse, or perhaps fate itself, that brought us together. In the end, the journey is never really about the place, it’s about the people who make it unforgettable.
For more details: https://www.australiancruisegr....oup.com.au/sydney/lu