Venues throughout Sydney are looking to capitalise on the upcoming Vivid festival offering exclusive food, drinks, cocktails and music for people to enjoy the spectacle which begins on Friday 22 May.
The annual light festival, which started in 2009, is growing in popularity and this year a plethora of venues in Sydney will be hosting events throughout the duration of the festival.
In 2014 it was estimated that over 1.4 million people attended the three-week festival, making it logical for venues around Sydney to try and capitalise on the large crowds who will be exploring the city.
The Cruise Bar, located in the Overseas Passenger Terminal has a prime location to enjoy the sights of Vivid. Currently undergoing major renovations due to be completed in July, The Cruise Bar aims to capitalise on the event by setting up a Tanqueray Botanical Lounge pop-up bar.
Similar to The Cruise Bar, The Rocks' renowned rooftop bar, The Glenmore has spectacular views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour offering guests the chance to enjoy its Vivid illuminated cocktail jugs exclusive to the festival.
Positioned on the other side of Circular Quay, The Opera Bar boasts great views of the harbour and it has decided to transform its café at night into "an arcade games room, offering guests the opportunity to step back in time with a selection of action packed, old school arcade games such as pacman, space invaders and street fighter."
The Opera Bar's Meat & Cheese Room will be transformed into a picnic garden offering projected images of the outside weather conditions. These two initiatives aim to give guests a "unique experience whilst enjoying the festival".
Darling Harbour hosted over 250,000 guests during Vivid in 2014 and Cockle Bay Wharf's key location will host a large portion of the crowd with general manager Anthony Ridge stating: "Vivid Sydney represents one of the precinct's busiest periods on the calendar and we are delighted to offer visitors to the festival one of the best seats in the house."
Several establishments will be offering unique cocktails to help guests enjoy the festival. "The colours and flavours of each bespoke cocktail that Cockle Bay Wharf venues will bring to the festival this year will really add an experiential taste element to the sounds and visuals Vivid Sydney is renowned for," Ridge added.
The participating restaurants and bars include ADRIA Bar Restaurant, I'M ANGUS Steak House, Nicks Seafood Restaurant, Pontoon Bar, Baia the Italian, Blackbird Cafe, Tokio Hotel and Café Del Mar Sydney.
Craft Breweries are also set to make the most of the festivities operating pop-up bars throughout Sydney's streets, such as The Rocks Brewing Co. located in Martin Place offering its most prized beers such as the Hangman Pale Ale and the Convict Lager to passing festival goers.
The Vivid festival runs from Friday 22 May to Monday 8 June with participating venues located throughout Sydney, full details can be found on the Vivid Sydney website.