This morning the NSW Government and Destination NSW, with Vivid Sydney’s Creative Director and Curators, announced the Vivid Sydney 2016 line-up. This year’s program is the longest yet, illuminating Sydney and hosting vibrant music performances and big ideas talks for 23 nights from Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June.

Destination NSW chief executive officer and executive producer Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase said, “This year Vivid Sydney is back with an incredible program where art, creativity and innovation meet, and are celebrated by local and international visitors.”

“Vivid Sydney delivers the world’s leading light artists in Vivid Light, cutting-edge musicians in Vivid Music, and creative innovators in Vivid Ideas. In 2015 the festival attracted a record 1.7 million attendees, and this year visitors to Vivid Sydney will have longer to experience the wonder of Vivid Sydney, and enjoy our biggest year yet.”

In a Vivid Sydney first, the sails of the world-heritage listed Sydney Opera House will celebrate the rich and diverse work of Australia’s Indigenous artists through the projection, Songlines. This exceptional work of art is directed by Sydney Opera House Head of Indigenous Programming, Rhoda Roberts of the Bundjalung Nation of NSW, and brings together six Indigenous artists whose work illustrates the extraordinary connections between Indigenous astronomy and the natural world – the celestial and terrestrial Songlines that weave through time and distance, earth and sky.

Vivid Sydney’s brilliant light also returns to Chatswood, Central Park, Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum, Martin Place and new precinct The Galeries, which becomes the festival’s first indoor precinct. Treasured attractions, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Taronga Zoo, will light up during Vivid Sydney in celebration of the monumental birthdays both celebrate in 2016.

At Garden of Light, visitors will take a glittering journey through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney  as part of its 200^th birthday celebrations. Grand installations will dazzle and delight including the impressive 60-metre long Cathedral of Light, made from hundreds of thousands of white LEDs which radiate gentle but brilliant light from all angles.

Taronga Zoo will be illuminated by larger-than-life multimedia sculptures of ten critical species ranging from the magnificent Asian elephant to the vividly coloured Corroboree frog, encouraging visitors to Be the Light for the Wild in Taronga Zoo’s centenary year and beyond.

Vivid Music will pulse through the city with new sounds and venues with highlights including the world premiere of Björk Digital, a new virtual reality project from the international avant-garde artist and the inaugural Curve Ball – a large scale live music and art event from Fuzzy Music, both held at Carriageworks.

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House will unleash a series of incredible acts including synth-pop legends New Order, indie folk band Bon Iver, jazz artist Esperenza Spalding and the Australian premiere of Anohni’s astonishing multimedia show.

The Sydney Conservatorium of Musicwill present The Sound Gardens: Vivid New Music performed by talented students with guest artists Natasha Anderson, Anthony Pateras and Clayton Thomas. Aussie hip-hop will be celebrated at Come Together @ Luna Park and One Day Sundaysat The Factory in Marrickville. ARIA Hall of Fame inductees and 80s trailblazers the Models will join fellow chart-toppers the Machinations and a stripped down version of Dave Mason’s The Reels to present The Models, Machinations & The Reels for one night only at the Enmore Theatre.

Vivid Music venues joining the line-up in 2016 include Newtown Social Club, brand new venue Cake Wines Cellar Door and returning favourites including Oxford Art Factory, Freda’s and The Basement.

At Vivid Ideas, the Game Changers Talk Series will be headlined by storytellers shaping the creative landscape including acclaimed director and producer Spike Jonze, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, the creative force behind Orange is the New Black Jenji Kohan, and one of Australia’s most influential new creatives, Margaret Zhang.

Across the city, creative conferences will dive into the business of innovation and imagination with highlights including The Sunrise which delves into Australia’s start-up culture, an exploration of how technology and digital media can shape exciting, liveable cities at the Media Architecture Biennale 2016 and Conscious Change Makers, a dynamic summit exploring the idea that ‘good business’ is good for everyone.