Vivid Sydney to Illuminate Taronga Zoo
- Written by Kate Campbell
For the first time ever, Vivid Sydney 2016 is lighting up Taronga Zoo, with a trail of spectacular installations including giant, luminous animal sculptures.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said Sydney's world-famous Zoo is turning 100 and Vivid Sydney is joining the celebrations, bringing its wondrous light, creativity and innovation to the iconic attraction for a special after-hours event.
“Visitors to Vivid Sydney at Taronga Zoo will be welcomed by a grand projection onto the façade of the heritage-listed main entrance building, which leads into a journey filled with thousands of lanterns including 10 magnificent, larger-than-life animal sculptures, illuminated to shine a light on the 10 critical species Taronga has committed to protecting,” Mr Ayres said.
“The captivating creatures ranging from the vividly coloured Corroboree Frog to the grand Asian Elephant will sparkle and feature interactive lighting, sound effects and moving parts. They will be among the largest and most technologically advanced lanterns featured in the festival, showcasing the innovation Vivid is known for.”
Minister for the Environment Mark Speakman said NSW school students would play an important role in bringing the festival to life at Taronga Zoo.
“As part of the centenary celebrations, NSW primary school students participating in Taronga's education program are invited to construct their own mini-lanterns of the 10 critical species which will feature at Vivid Sydney,” Mr Speakman said.
“The program aims to engage students with the valuable conservation work of Taronga while inspiring creativity and getting students involved in Vivid Sydney at Taronga Zoo, with their lanterns to be displayed at the festival.”
Vivid Sydney is the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas and is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. It attracted a record-breaking 1.7 million attendees in 2015.
Vivid Sydney runs from Friday 27 May to Monday 13 June, 2016.
