Vivid with Kids: The Essential Guide
Vivid Sydney starts on Friday 26th May and runs to 17th June. It’s absolutely huge, the biggest festival in Australia, indeed.
With more venues, and running over four weekends… there’s masses to see and do.
In fact – too much! Where to start? How to end?
And how can we manage when we take kids with us?
Now, I have to admit that I’ve had some not-so-great experiences of Vivid with my younger children. I was going to call this post ‘Surviving Vivid With Kids’ then told myself to get a grip and be positive.
Having lived and learned from my rooky mistakes, I’m hoping this post will help other parents avoid them. I enlisted the support of my lovely Facebook page followers and have lots of advice from them too.
First of all… let’s look at the problems.
PS One of the ways that works well for some families is to do a Vivid Harbour Cruise. These can be pricy but check out the great deals current on Scoopon here.
Vivid Sydney – What Can Go Wrong
For me, it’s being stuck in crowds and feeling hemmed in and, at worst, in danger of being crushed. That’s just scary.
Paula: Honestly the area around Circular Quay is a nightmare every year but particularly in the last week.
Belinda: Don’t drive at all. A couple of years ago we stayed in the city overnight, but my sister’s family drove and they got stuck in traffic trying to leave. Took them 3 hours to get home
Emma: I went last year with a 6yr old and a 3yr old. The best advice I can give is – don’t go early in the early days and take food with you or eat before you go. It was like New Years Eve without the booze. It was totally CRAZY!! We couldn’t get our stroller out of the train station.
Make sure you eat dinner before you go because the only cafes open are at Circular Quay and you won’t even get in the door. That or you pay premium at Martin Place at a five star restaurant in the Post Office building. The only budget options open at night time were Mc Donalds and Hungry Jacks and the lines were out the door.
There were people sitting in the gutters eating as there was no seating in the street. There was garbage everywhere and it was like we were having a food shortage and the only place open was Macca’s!!!! It was quite distressing for the kids.
Best Times To Visit Vivid Lights
Go early in the week
Especially if you need to take a stroller or a wheelchair, Monday Tuesday and Wednesday are your best friends. Avoid Friday and Saturday like the plague.
Go early in the day
The sun sets before 5pm in Sydney at the moment. Most of the Vivid lights come on at 6pm however at Taronga Zoo and in Chatswood they start at 5.30pm.
So pack up the kids and get onto public transport in the afternoon and be there for the moment the lights pop on. Avoid the queues!
I’m thinking of going into the city on the bus one night after school pickup. Quick change in the car, in on the bus, something to eat and then a wander to see the shows.
Mind you, one reader says NOT to do this in the parents advice section below…
Grab an umbrella and go in the rain
The twins and I once hopped on a ferry and went to see the Vivid lights on an evening of pelting rain.
I was really worried that the umbrellas would be a liability but in fact we were fine as there were few brave souls out. But the lights looked amazing, reflected in the wet pavements, all glistening and glorious.
Go and go again
There are so many different installations and venues that it’s madness to try to pack too much in. Better to go a couple of times. The transport costs might add up but the lights are free, after all.
Little and often is my motto… for Vivid… for chocolate and … for other things too.
Vivid Sydney 2015, Mirador, The University of Sydney. 25/5/2015.
Photo Credit – James Horan/Destination NSW
Top Tips For Planning Your Visit
Download the app
Download the Vivid smartphone app or do your research at www.vividsydney.com, where you can download maps to print.
Plan where to eat and drink
There are some great food trucks around but you can’t always rely on being able to buy food. We would have died of starvation waiting in the long queues last year. As ever with kids, take snacks and drinks!
Take Public Transport
Always the best way to do it and there are lots of extra buses, trains and ferries on offer. The Tripview app is your best friend.
Or Walk Over The Bridge To The City
Last year my wee girl and I joined some friends who were dropped off at Milsons Point. We walked over the Bridge which was just magical in itself. Then we walked down to the Rocks.
We came unstuck there as it was SO busy and crowded, we didn’t stay long really before walking back.
That was tiring for Ms9-at-the-time but the views from up there were fabulous.
Top Tips From Other Families
Four Pairs of Itchy Feet: Concentrate on one area. VIVID is massive but is in pockets across the city. Check days that specific events are on. Darling Harbour Family light area is only operating Thursday to Sunday.
If travelling in by car, book a car space early near the areas you want to see so the kids are not walking to much. Every night is busy. Family friendly times are early. I recommend either travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.
We can’t wait to see the new exhibits like the Botanical Gardens, Darling Harbour and even the Zoo looks spectacular. Tickets to VIVID at the Zoo are now on sale.
Yes, we hate crowds. Its a massive night and the kids love it however, its usually a day off school to recoup.
Emma: Go after 9pm after some of the crowds have dispersed. It is much more civilized then. We will make sure we arrive after 9pm this year. Its kind of the opposite thing to do when you have young kids but it will be better for our sanity this year!!
Belinda: If you can use a backpack or pouch for little ones it is much better. Strollers are a nightmare. Don’t leave it till the last weekend, as everyone rushes in that weekend (especially if a couple of weekends have been rainy).
Oh and we have booked a table at a Chinese restaurant for dinner the night we are going this year. There are plenty of places to eat up towards Town Hall/Chinatown. We just eat up there, then head to the light after.
Jane: Perhaps experience the suburbs like Chatswood with a toddler. Its a really late night otherwise and if you are like me, you will be worried the whole time in the city about whether your toddler is going to be trappled. If you have the funds, perhaps buy a ticket to the Zoo. I would imagine numbers will be limited (slightly)
Paula – Sydney Expert: I would suggest taking the glass elevator up to the Cahill expressway and viewing the MCA from there. Great view and usually almost no people. The road is fenced so that helps too.
Also the viewing platform from the Overseas Passenger Terminal (there is a lift by Quay restaurant) is a good spot to watch the Opera House from. You can also go around to Walsh Bay – there were not many people around there and the western side of the bridge looked great reflected into the harbour.
Central Park also did not have the same crowds. Martin Place is busy early with office workers and the zoo might not be too bad due to the entry cost.
Consider taking a ferry around to Darling Harbour – you get to view the Opera House and a nice view back from Milson’s Point. Also it is on for 3 weeks so perhaps don’t try to do too much at once.
Shabnam: I don’t recommend coming early,as 6pm lights turn on. That is the time where all the big herd of crowds come in. I recommend coming next week Mon-Wednesday, these usually are the quieter nights.
The time I recommend is around 8-10pm,because if your are in the city around 5-7pm,there will be far too many people.
Wear very warm clothing as it is extremely cold & windy in the city. The Botanic Gardens, SOH & Circular Quay are good areas to see all the light displays..Martin Place & Darling Harbour should be done on another night, as too much walking might tire the kiddies.
Cristin: We really enjoyed Chatswood for families last year. Of course, nowhere near the amount of installations, but the crowds were so manageable down Victoria Avenue.
Then we grabbed some dinner from one of the street vendors and made a picnic of it on The Concourse lawn where they had a moving display on the big screen.
Vivid Sydney: Where To Go With Kids
The organisers of Vivid put out a list each year of the best areas for kids by age. Here is this year’s list:
0 – 6 Years: Bubs to Pre-schoolers
Vivid Sydney’s youngest visitors can watch light and colour dance and animations come to life. They will enjoy interactive installations featuring giant friendly flowers, favourite animals and a fantastical fairytale world, where colours, sounds and forms change, simply by moving, touching or walking past something. Highlights include:
Dipping Birds (The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney) – Just like the ‘drinking bird’ novelty toy perched on a glass, these brightly coloured, spindly legged, two metre tall birds bob up and down seeking a drink of water too, changing colour as they quench their thirst.
The Sunflowers (The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney) – Kids will be delighted by this joyous creation. Charming, giant sustainable sunflowers welcome you with a bow as you walk by at night, using solar energy they harnessed during the day.
Never Ends (The Rocks) – A lone illuminated rocking horse on a platform four metre in diameter, waiting for a rider. Hop on for a ride into the night and everything changes as you create a fairy-tale setting.
Lights for the Wild (Taronga Zoo) – After the permanent zoo residents have retired for the night, the giant light sculptures of endangered animals take centre stage along an illuminated trail of interactive animal lanterns with crowd favourites including the Asian elephant and toothy Sumatran Tiger joined by new additions: Gorillagram, Pelican, Tasmanian Devil, a swarm of tiny buzzing bees and PJ, a 20 metre walk-through Port Jackson shark.
7 – 11 Years: Primary schoolers
Activities that tap into primary school aged children’s natural curiosity and sense of discovery through exploration and play include watching combat action with Australia’s best robots battling it out and making their own interactive creation by giving coding a crack. Youngsters will burn off energy at installations that challenge them to get involved, from jumping over cracks to swinging giant, colour-changing balls.
Don’t Step on the Crack (Alfred Street, Sydney) – You might have childhood memories of not stepping on cracks in the footpath, but never like this. Kids jump over illuminated cracks, cross boundaries and question what really lies beneath the surface.
Cradle (Customs House Square) – The coolest physics lesson ever. Kids can channel their inner Isaac Newton and give five giant illuminated spheres a gentle push so they swing back and forth, changing colour every time they touch.
{Kids/Code/Create} (27 May, 10am – 3pm, Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo) – Presented by Code Club Australia, kids are inspired to create a project using code, light and music. Parents can learn what all the fuss is about, and give it a go too! Tickets can be purchased via www.vividsydney.com/event/ideas/kidscodecreate-1
12+ Years: High schoolers
Pre-teens can interact with installations featuring favourite teen activities, including making music and playing video games. They can also get their hands of some of the coolest technology around at events featuring 3D printing, coding and robotics.
SYDNEYLAND (The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, best viewed from Circular Quay) – Ooh snap! Paired with its very own geotag, teens can pose for a Hollywood-style Sydney selfie and share it with friends and followers via Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
MailboX (The Rocks) – Part video game, part post box: Posting a letter has never been this much fun. By interacting with MailboX’s game inspired design and tapping at different places, teens can help create anything from an emoji to a smiling koala.
Gen XI: Educating the Next Generation (28 May and 4 June, 9am – 4pm, Surry Hills) – Calling all budding change-makers, problem solvers and inventors! Learn to tap your imagination and turn it into tangible prototypes at this interactive one-day Vivid Ideas workshop for 14 to 18 year olds. Tickets can be purchased via www.vividsydney.com/event/ideas/gen-xi-educating-next-generation-innovators
Rhodes: Creative (Rhodes) – Curious kids who enjoy creating cool things with the latest technology will enjoy this program of masterclasses, workshops, activities and talks on 3D printing, robotics, wearable art and tech.
Future City, Smart City (Chatswood) – What teen doesn’t love a funky, retro-futuristic smart city? That’s what they’ll find in Chatswood, where the CBD is reinvented with ingenious, steampunk installations and light sculpture inspired by 19th century steam powered machinery. Follow a flight to an airborne, sustainable community, then return to earth and discover the submerged magic of Steampunk Waterworld and try to solve hidden light messages sent by Crossword.
(Why nothing in western Sydney, I wonder?)
Have a read around all the precincts here to see which would suit you best.
Vivid Ideas
As well as the lights, there’s music and action at Vivid. The Vivid Ideas festival has plenty of events for children.
Full program at www.vividsyndey.com
There’s also Vivid Music… but I can’t go there… there’s already too much on!
Last word: write your phone number on your child’s hand or wrist… just in case.
Right, we’re all set.
What about you, will you take the kids to Vivid?
Might you treat yourself and do an adults-only trip too?
Happy planning – where’s that app?
Please do add your comments and help other families plan trips to Vivid.