Vivid Sydney 2026: A Culinary Journey Through the City
Vivid Sydney is more than just a celebration of light and art. It has become a must-attend event for food lovers, with its culinary pillar, Vivid Food, offering an array of unique experiences that highlight the city’s vibrant gastronomic scene. In 2026, the festival will run from 22 May to 13 June, featuring a mix of free and ticketed events such as one-off dinners by renowned chefs, collaborative menus, tasting events, and immersive dining experiences.
Vivid Fire Kitchen: A New Home at Barangaroo Reserve
One of the most anticipated parts of Vivid Sydney is the Vivid Fire Kitchen. Previously held at The Goods Line, this year it will move to the waterfront Barangaroo Reserve. This new location will host over 60 leading culinary voices across 23 nights. Visitors can enjoy open-fire cooking demonstrations, intimate talks, tastings, and pop-up stalls from popular fire-cooked eateries.
Live music and DJs will provide the soundtrack to every evening, while the iconic Vivid installations like River of Fire, Molecule of Light, and Mycelium Network will illuminate the festival with their signature glow.
The Fire Pit: A Unique Experience
The Fire Pit is a new addition to Vivid Fire Kitchen, offering guests an up-close look at top chefs cooking over fire and coals. With four distinct fire cooking methods, visitors can explore the art of flame-based cooking and purchase special menu items from participating chefs. Names like Mark Best, Ben Devlin from Pipit, David Moyle, Mindy Woods, and Jean-Paul El Tom of Baba’s Place and Corner 75 are set to take part.
Mark Best, one of the participating chefs, said, “The Fire Pit is an opportunity to explore why cooking over flame is so special — it’s elemental, expressive and deeply connected to place. Creating something unique for Vivid Fire Kitchen allows me to respond to the energy of the festival and the landscape that surrounds it, telling a story through flavour, heat and timing.”
Food For Thought: Conversations on Culture and Sustainability
In addition to the culinary experiences, influential Australian voices in food will gather nightly for talks covering culture, creativity, sustainability, and the future of food. Chefs, authors, restaurateurs, celebrity cooks, and digital storytellers including Mike Bennie, Adriano Zumbo, Julie Goodwin, Costa Georgiadis, Karima Hazim, Anthony Huckstep, and Tim Ross will discuss themes like NSW produce, First Nations knowledge, and dedicated drinks panels.
Food Stalls: A Taste of Local Flavours
Local restaurants will also be present, offering a variety of dishes that showcase the best of Sydney’s food scene. Firepop, Olympic Meats, and KOI Dessert Bar will be among the vendors, alongside past favourites like Hoy Pinoy, Mr Spanish Churros, Burn City Smokers, and Gelato Messina.
At a Glance: Vivid Fire Kitchen
- When: 22 May–13 June, 6pm–11pm daily
- Where: Barangaroo Reserve
- Cost: Free entry, demonstrations, talks and entertainment
For more information, visit the Vivid website.
Editor’s Picks: More 2026 Vivid Food Highlights
A Shared Table With Yotam Ottolenghi
Fan favourite Yotam Ottolenghi will return to Sydney for Vivid to host a series of long table lunches and dinners celebrating New South Wales produce. Ottolenghi said, “I’m coming back at such a dynamic moment in the city’s cultural calendar. More than anything, it’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding produce and beverages of New South Wales and to share the kind of food that I love and that also tells the story of the region’s creativity and generosity.”
Only a few tickets remain for the Saturday 30 May lunch, priced at $340pp.
Regional Dinner Series
This series celebrates all stretches of New South Wales, with top chefs from regional restaurants collaborating with leading Sydney chefs and venues. Events include:
- Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods of Byron Bay’s Karkalla joining Danielle Alvarez at Culture in Motion (22 and 23 May, $275pp)
- Troy Rhoades-Brown from the Hunter Valley’s Muse Restaurant joining Nik Hill at Porcine (3 June, $140pp)
- Ben Devlin sharing his Tweed favourites at Firedoor (25 and 26 May, $295pp)
Wet, Cold + Delicious, The Tuna Dinner
Following a glass of Ruinart in Shell House’s Clocktower Bar, join fishmonger Narito Ishii for a traditional maguro shoten (tuna cutting) experience assisted by sushi chef Toshihiko Oe of Sushi Oe. Seafood expert John Susman will host the event, which includes a five-course dinner downstairs in the Dining Room featuring bluefin tuna, matched with wines. The event is on 3 June, priced at $295pp.
Salt & Pepper Squiz
Comedian Jennifer Wong will debut her new show, inspired by her book Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia’s Regional Chinese Restaurants. Combining stand-up and food stories, she’ll explore Australia’s food culture in her pun-laden style, while Mary’s serves a perfectly paired menu of Chinese-Australian bar snacks. The show premieres on 11 June, priced at $69.
Aster: The Golden Age
For one of the best viewpoints in Sydney, Aster Bar at the InterContinental Sydney is serving a Hollywood glamour-themed tasting menu. Starting with Champagne and canapes, the experience includes a main course with a paired cocktail or New South Wales wine, followed by a cocktail and a visit from the caviar trolley. The Golden Age special menu is available every night of Vivid, priced at $199pp.
For more details on the entire Vivid Food lineup for 2026, visit the Vivid Sydney website.
