The Vivid Sydney Festival is back in North Sydney this year complete with roving performers and interactive light installations.

Owned and managed by Destination NSW, Vivid Sydney won Australian Event of the Year in 2013 and enthralled over 800,000 visitors, (including 11,000 international visitors who came on Vivid Sydney travel packages) contributing more than $20 million in new money to the NSW economy.

This year’s Vivid Sydney Festival will allow visitors the opportunity to personally choose and customise the lighting effects on Sydney Harbour Bridge, topped off by spectacular views across the Harbour.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Andrew Stoner encouraged families to make the most of the North Shore’s vantage points. He said both locals and visitors alike will be able to enjoy all the family friendly activities on offer in North Sydney as well as the opportunity to see Vivid from another angle at Milsons Point Foreshore, which boasts the best views back across the Harbour to Sydney Opera House.

Member for North Shore Jillian Skinner said the lighting installations at North Sydney would attract visitors to the area and provide a boost for local cafes, restaurants and bars. A unique installation, Colour the Bridge is a collaboration between Intel and 32 Hundred Lighting, and allows people to choose stunning colours and sequences on Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Key North Sydney Vivid attractions also include Sea of People, a group of silhouetted figures by sculptor John Wright on the Milsons Point Foreshore, and Sea of Lanterns, which will illuminate Bradfield Park South with 70 lanterns under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

North Sydney Mayor, Jilly Gibson encouraged everyone to kick off their Vivid Sydney experience in North Sydney, which she said has been specially planned with families in mind.

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said Colour the Bridge is a truly spectacular experience and certainly a highlight, but there are many other great things to do and see in North Sydney during Vivid, including local light installations and the Incredibly Short Film festival at North Sydney Olympic Pool.

The full Vivid Sydney 2014 program is available at http://vividsydney.com.