Vivid Sydney 2025 line-up includes Nigella Lawson, Sigur Rós and Vincent Namatjira

Vivid Sydney will return this June, marking its 15th year. This year's event is packed with diverse content, including stellar performances from celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós.

This year's Lights On event will continue to be free to the public, with a series of stunning projections and installations presented throughout the city. Numerous outstanding Australian artists will participate, including works by the late Australian artist and queer rights advocate David McDiarmid.

"Kiss of Light," named after one of McDiarmid's most enduring works, will showcase animated versions of his brightly colored paintings and designs on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. McDiarmid passed away in 1995 at the age of 42 from AIDS-related illnesses. He served as the artistic director of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (1988-90), and in 2014, the National Gallery of Victoria held his first major retrospective exhibition.

Fashion designer duo Romance Was Born will take over the facade of Customs House, while Vincent Namatjira will illuminate the Museum of Contemporary Art with his work "King Dingo," which shares the same name as the artist's 2024 exhibition in Sydney. Namatjira is a Western Aranda artist, and in 2024, reports that Gina Rinehart requested the removal of Namatjira's portrait of her from the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra garnered widespread attention. The portrait appeared in the artist's work "Australia in Colour," which also includes other prominent figures such as Cathy Freeman and Scott Morrison.

Musically, Sigur Rós will headline the Vivid Live lineup at the Sydney Opera House, performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as part of their national tour supported by local orchestras. British singer Anohni and her band The Johnsons will also return to the Opera House for an exclusive Australian performance of their latest critically acclaimed album, "My Back was a Bridge for You to Cross." Their last time headlining Vivid Live was in 2016.

In addition, there will be performances by German electronic band Tangerine Dream, Australian house music producer Mall Grab, Papua New Guinean musician Ngaiire and surf rock band Skegss, Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali rapper Miss Kaninna, as well as 10th anniversary parties for rapper Briggs' label Bad Apples and DJ Nina Las Vegas' label NLV Records.

On the culinary front, Nigella Lawson will headline the food lineup, hosting three dinner events in the Sydney Metro pedestrian tunnel in Martin Place. The final part of Vivid Sydney is the Ideas program, which has been held since 2012. D.W. Pine, creative director of Time magazine, will attend and ask the question: "Where do ideas come from?" Professor Matthew Walker will tell us why we need sleep. In addition, there will be an immersive Stranger Things experience at Luna Park.

These events also include the Firetalk series at Barangaroo, which focuses on Indigenous storytelling, and a new work by physical theatre company Legs on the Wall called "Endling." You may remember Legs on the Wall's performance at the 2022 Sydney Festival, where a dancer performed for three days on a melting block of ice 20 meters above Sydney Harbour.

Vivid Sydney will be held from May 23 to June 14.