Record attendance at Vivid Sydney 2017

Vivid Sydney 2017 has set a new record with 2.33 million people attending this year’s festival and contributing over $143 million to the state’s economy.

23 August 2017

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said despite seven nights of heavy rain the record crowd numbers to Vivid Sydney 2017 proved yet again this is an event not to be missed.

“Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas has once again lured visitors from near and far, driving our State’s economy and cementing Sydney as the creative services hub of the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Marshall said.

Mr Marshall said the festivals value didn’t stop in Sydney, with rural and regional NSW also benefiting from the record numbers.

“We’ve also seen a record 38,000 visitors travel beyond the fringes of Sydney, staying more than 94,000 nights and injecting over $16 million into rural and regional local economies,” Mr Marshall said.

“Sydney is not only the gateway to Australia, it is the gateway to rural and regional NSW, and I am thrilled that the whole state is reaping the benefits of the NSW Government’s significant investment in tourism and major events.”

Vivid Sydney 2017 fast facts

  • 135,841 Vivid Sydney travel packages sold (up 53.7 per cent) - comprising a staggering 65,491 international travel packages (48.3 per cent increase on 2016) and 70,350 domestic packages (up 59.1 per cent)
  • 23,009 visitors from China on Vivid Sydney travel packages (up 29 per cent on 2016)
  • 6,738 travel packages sold in India (up 431 per cent on 2016)
  • More than 5,500 travel packages sold in the USA and Singapore and 5,062 in Japan
  • 168 interstate and international media visited Vivid Sydney 2017
  • 475,970 Vivid Sydney Facebook fans
  • 57.5 million reached via Vivid Sydney social media channels
  • 109 interactive light installations and projections created by 185 artists from 22 countries (up 21 per cent on 2016)
  • Guinness World Record title for the Largest Interactive Lighting Display was awarded to Dreamscape.

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