SYDNEY.- Sydney is awash with breathtaking colour and special effects for the next three weeks, with the lights officially turned on for Vivid Sydney last Friday night (May 24) by Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The largest event of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere transforms the city into a colourful showcase of illumination, sensational sounds and creative thinking from 24 May to 15 June 2019.

Ms Berejiklian said Vivid Sydney is a key attraction in the NSW events calendar, boosting visitor numbers to Sydney and the State.

“Vivid Sydney is an incredibly important event drawing millions of visitors to the city in May and June each year, many of whom have gone on to explore regional NSW as well,” Ms Berejiklian.

Australia’s largest event brings Sydney to life, as well as to light, by encouraging locals and visitors to enjoy Sydney’s wonderful food, exciting attractions and excellent shopping during winter.

Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the benefits of Vivid Sydney were significant for the local economy and jobs.

“Vivid Sydney is more than just a captivating light, music and ideas festival. Last year Vivid Sydney, with 2.25 million attendees across the 23 days, we saw a record 185,887 travel packages sold to domestic and international visitors which was a 37 per cent increase on 2017,” Mr Ayres said.

All eyes turned to the world-famous Sydney Opera House at 6pm last Friday night (AEST) marking the start of the festival for the Lighting of the Sails, created by LA-based artist Andrew Thomas Huang and featuring a hypnotic tribute to Australia’s native plants Huang’s projection will be among more than 50 light installations and projections created by over 100 artists and collaborators from 17 countries. These will be seen across eight Sydney precincts including Barangaroo, Chatswood, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Luna Park, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Taronga Zoo.