FREE Sydney Light Walk 2026
A free GPS audio companion for Sydney's annual May light festival. 32 individual installations, ~6.5 km from the Opera House to Tumbalong Park. Designed for walkers and cyclists.
▶ Open the Free Audio Walk
Opens in your phone's browser. No app, no signup, no payment.
⚠ Independent product — not affiliated with Destination NSW or the Vivid Sydney® festival.
Read full disclaimer ↓
32 installationsOne marker per artwork
30 m triggerAudio plays at each stop
100% freeNo app. No signup.
Walk or cycle~2-3 h walking, ~90 min cycling
How It Works
- Open the Free Audio Walk (button above). Allow GPS access in your browser.
- Walk to Circular Quay. The first installation is on the Opera House sails.
- Listen as you walk. Each of the 32 installations triggers automatically when you arrive within 30 metres.
- Take stops in any order. The system tracks what you've heard and skips played stops.
- Walk south along the harbour. The route follows the waterfront from the Opera House down to Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour.
The 32 Installations
Each installation has its own GPS marker on the map. Walk close to any of them and the audio for that artwork plays automatically. Grouped here by precinct for reference.
Sydney Opera House & Forecourt
- 1.
Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi — Yann Nguema (FR), Opera House sails
- 2.
Manawan — Darrell Sibosado, Forecourt
- 3.
THERE NOW HERE — Wade & Leta, Forecourt
Circular Quay & Customs House
- 4.
Optik — Interactive gyroscopic sculptures, Circular Quay
- 5.
REFLECT — Interactive water + light, Circular Quay
- 6.
The Fringe of Infinity — Javier Riera (ES), Customs House façade
First Fleet Park & Campbells Cove
- 7.
As Water Falls — George St Alcove
- 8.
Sky Portal Studio — First Fleet Park (Samsung)
- 9.
Dear You — Campbells Cove
- 10.
Koro Loko — Campbell's Stores
The Rocks
- 11.
TIME:WARPED — Argyle Cut sandstone tunnel
- 12.
Circles of Rhythm — ASN Clock Tower (Hickson Rd)
- 13.
Deep Time — Garrison Church
Barangaroo Reserve (Walumil / Stargazer / Sea Wall)
- 14.
Molecule of Light — Chris Levine (UK), Walumil Lawns — 23 m tallest
- 15.
Peekaboo Parliament — Walumil Lawns (kids)
- 16.
Mycelium Network — Walumil Lawns
- 17.
Flea Circus — Sea Wall Lawn
- 18.
River of Fire — Stargazer Lawn (above Fire Kitchen)
- 19.
Point of (No) Return — Pier Pavilion, 6 m cylinder
Wulugul Walk & Nawi Cove
- 20.
OBSTACLE — Barangaroo boardwalk, 45 m monolith
- 21.
Sunrise — Interactive sky, Barangaroo boardwalk
- 22.
Constellations — Nawi Cove, 3D projection over water
King St Wharf & Cockle Bay
- 23.
Lumiverse Transporter — Darling Harbour Reflection Pools, 16 LED columns
- 24.
Laser Lightfall — Cockle Bay nightly
- 25.
Musical Mind — Cockle Bay Wharf, interactive sound
Maritime Museum & Tumbalong Park
- 26.
Mythical Mashup — Brian Robinson, Australian National Maritime Museum
- 27.
Piano Walk — IMAX Forecourt (Tumbalong Boulevard)
- 28.
Voxelevated — Tumbalong Park, AI-themed archway
- 29.
Afterimage — Sofles, Tumbalong Park (projection-mapped mural)
- 30.
Foodbank Truck Packer — Tumbalong Park (interactive)
- 31.
Continuum — Chinese Garden of Friendship forecourt, 25 mirrored columns
- 32.
The Daydream Machine — Pier Street Underpass (AI)
Programming is subject to change — confirm latest details at vividsydney.com.
Common Questions
Is this the official festival audio guide?
No. This is an independent audio companion written by Andrew Sorokin, a licensed Sydney guide. Not affiliated with Destination NSW or any festival sponsors. We focus on the history of the streets and harbours you walk through — installation names and artist names are mentioned descriptively to help you identify what you're seeing.
Do I need to download an app?
No. Everything runs in your phone's browser. Open the page, press Start, allow GPS, and walk. No app store, no signup, no install.
Does it work without internet?
You need internet to load the page initially. Once loaded, audio streams from our server as you arrive at each stop. Sydney CBD has excellent 4G/5G coverage. If worried about data, connect to a cafe Wi-Fi briefly between stops.
What if I miss a stop?
The system skips it automatically. You can also browse the full list of stops and tap any one of them to play that audio whenever you want.
How long does the walk take?
Around 90 minutes if you walk steadily without stopping for photos. Realistically, allow 2 to 2.5 hours during festival evenings — you will want to stop for installations. The walk is 6.5 km of mostly flat waterfront promenade.
Is the walk family friendly?
Yes. The route is stroller-friendly along most of its length. Tumbalong Park area has interactive installations and Tumbalong Kids concerts on Saturday afternoons.
Can I use this guide outside festival dates?
Absolutely — the historical commentary works year-round. Just remember the route is designed for evening festival viewing, so during the day you'll be hearing about places that don't have lights on them yet.
Enjoyed this walk?
If you'd like the same kind of stories for the rest of Sydney, our full Sydney AI GPS Tour Guide covers 140+ city attractions — works in cars, on bikes, while walking. The audio plays automatically as you travel. From A$35 for one-day access.
See the Full Sydney Audio Guide →
⚠ Important — Official Disclaimer
This audio walk is an independent product, written and produced by Andrew Sorokin, a licensed Sydney tour guide working in this city since 2006. It is NOT affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or in any way connected to Destination NSW, the New South Wales Government, the Vivid Sydney® festival, or any of its sponsors. "Vivid Sydney" is a registered trademark of Destination NSW. Names of festival installations, artworks and artists are referenced descriptively, under nominative fair use, purely to help walkers identify what they are seeing. All audio commentary is original creative work focusing on the history, architecture and Aboriginal heritage of the streets, buildings and harbour the lights are projected onto. Programming, times and locations can change — for official festival information, ticketing and updates please refer to the festival's own website at vividsydney.com.