More footage has emerged of ‘absolutely crazy crowds’ at Sydney’s Vivid festival showing attendees barely able to move beside the harbour.
Earlier this week video captured thousands of visitors flooding Circular Quay train station as they attempted to get home from the music and light show.
That video was believed to have been taken at the weekend when crowds are expected to be at their highest, but the latest TikTok footage was apparently shot on Wednesday night.
TikTok users said the huge numbers harbourside on Wednesday were due to the Written in the Stars drone show, which ran from 9.10pm to 9.20pm.
‘Crowds are always the worst at the end of the done show,’ one commenter wrote. ‘I’d recommend finding a place to sit and just waiting for it to calm down for like an hour.’
More footage has emerged of ‘absolutely crazy crowds’ at Sydney’s Vivid festival showing attendees barely able to move beside the harbour
Another wrote: ‘Sooooo wild, I went on Tuesday night and it was super chill. Went Wednesday and was stuck in this chaos.’
A third suggested: ‘Wednesday would be crowded cos of the drones, avoid those days it’ll be better.’
Trains on the T2 and T3 lines to the city were not stopping at Circular Quay from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on Wednesday, with organisers recommending attendees use Wynyard Station instead.
There are two more drone show scheduled from 9.10pm to 9.20pm on Monday, June 7, and Wednesday, June 14, when the same arrangements will be in place.
A Vivid Sydney spokesperson said the festival had attracted record numbers, already topping 1.5 million, which might be due to several new attractions.
‘The drone show, Written in the Stars, is also incredibly popular and we are expecting large crowds for the final two scheduled installments,’ the spokesperson said.
The crowds at Vivid have been described as a ‘nightmare’ after footage of thousands of attendees trying to go home went viral on TikTok
‘Measures are in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the drone shows safely, and from many vantage points around Sydney Harbour.’
Vivid crowds were described as a ‘nightmare’ when TikTok footage taken at Circular Quay train station went viral.
In one video, commuters were seen slowly shuffling through the ticket gates, leading some viewers to compare it to crowded cities such as New Delhi or Tokyo.
Many viewers said Vivid was not worth the trip because of the overcrowding issue, with one Sydneysider saying it was a ‘big reason why I hate going’.
‘I would rather be anywhere else but there,’ another said.
‘I’ll pass, everyone just wants their new TikTok video and Instagram photo,’ one person said on TikTok.
Another commented: ‘The last time… the crowds were so bad. I will never go again.’
Vivid is a highlight of Sydney’s event calendar, and those keen to get in on the action have long been warned of huge crowds throughout the city while it is on.
Sydneysiders commented on TikTok with tips of their own, urging others to walk to either Wynyard or St James stations to avoid the masses
‘Generally, Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights and the Monday public holiday night [June 12] attract the largest crowds,’ the Vivid website states.
The festival has handed out some tips on how to avoid the crowds for those still keen to look at the lights.
‘Those with young families and strollers should also consider coming to Vivid Sydney on weeknights when visitor numbers are expected to be lower than the weekends, and earlier in the night,’ organisers said.
Visitors travelling by train should consider arriving and departing from Wynyard, Martin Place or Town Hall stations and travelling on foot along George Street.
Vivid recommends checking transportnsw.info/vivid-sydney to plan a visit.
Statement from Vivid organisers
Vivid is a highlight of Sydney’s event calendar, and those keen to get in on the action have long been warned of huge crowds throughout the city while it is on
‘Vivid Sydney 2023 is proving more popular than ever so far with attendees turning out in record-breaking numbers.’
‘Attendance to date has topped 1.5 million, which is ahead of the same point in 2022 which may in part be a result of strong interest in new aspects of the program including Vivid Fire Kitchen and Vivid House at The Cutaway (Barangaroo), new Vivid Music events, as well as the new Vivid Light events Dark Spectrum at Wynyard Tunnels and Lightscape at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
‘The drone show, Written in the Stars, is also incredibly popular and we are expecting large crowds for the final two scheduled installments on Monday 12 and Wednesday 14 June.
‘Measures are in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the drone shows safely, and from many vantage points around Sydney Harbour.
‘Destination NSW (owner, manager and producer of Vivid Sydney) works closely with NSW Police and Transport for NSW to constantly review and adjust crowd management and transport plans throughout the festival.
‘A coordinated multi-agency operation is in place each night of the festival, to ensure live monitoring of crowd ingress and egress, and the implementation of strategies to manage crowd movement.’
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