BREAKING: Vivid Sydney 2021 Has Been Cancelled

Vivid Sydney 2021 has been cancelled. 

The news has been announced in a statement this afternoon saying, "The NSW Government has made the difficult decision to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 – but the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas will shine brightly again in May-June 2022."

"Given the ongoing uncertainty, the decision has been made to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 to minimise the impact on event attendees, partners, artists, sponsors and suppliers," read the statement. 

The much-loved event is now scheduled to return from 27 May to 18 June 2022, following the cancellation of the already postponed 17 September to 9 October event. 

“As we work together to contain the current outbreak and get our community vaccinated, we can all look forward to the return of major events like Vivid Sydney that bring us together in celebration,” said Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres of the cancellation.

“Vivid Sydney 2022 will shine brighter than ever – our artists and creative industries are so eager to put on a show and we can’t wait to see the Harbour City shining brightly again.

“We thank everyone who has contributed to the planning for Vivid Sydney 2021. Of course, it’s incredibly disappointing to cancel for the second year but the most responsible decision was to cancel early, giving everyone certainty and minimising impacts where possible.

“The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to get vaccinated so we can get back to enjoying COVID-safe events again soon.”

Vivid Sydney, and its concurrent Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House, were originally due to run from 6 to 28 August but was postponed last month and was scheduled to run from 17 September.

Artists scheduled to perform at this year's Vivid Sydney and Vivid LIVE events included Sampa The Great, Ngaiire, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Amyl & The Sniffers, Flight Facilities, Mia Rodriguez, Hiatus Kaiyote, Genesis Owusu, Cashmere Cat, Milan Ring and more.

The cancellation is another blow to Australia's decimated live music scene. The Green Room With Tiana Speter podcast has taken a look at the issues facing the Australian music industry a year and a half into the battle with COVID-19, speaking with industry leaders, politicians and artists about the devastating impact. Listen here.