21/05/2026
Vivid starts this Friday, and I know hospitality owners in Circular Quay and The Rocks don’t look forward to it.
Before the lockdowns VIVID was a huge boost for businesses in the area, it did exactly what it was supposed to do, bring a buzz to the areas that would otherwise be dead in the quiet, colder periods and help keep the doors open for hospitality venues that spend an eye watering amount in rent.
They would welcome diners wanting a quick stop before continuing to enjoy the installations and it really was a time where the city felt like it was giving back to businesses in Sydney’s iconic precinct.
Fast forward to today and the attention to helping businesses in the area is at an all time low.
I’ve sat in meetings with the people responsible, year after year we tell them how underrepresented businesses feel and every year we get the same brush off response.
This year I’ve given up completely trying to reason with them, I know many businesses in the precinct feel the same.
The local business program they rave about is just them slapping a few vivid stickers on windows and maybe a big clunky screen that advertises their stakeholders.
And the food trucks genuinely take away so much from hospitality venues in those two weeks, PLUS a huge chunk of that goes straight to the city of Sydneys pockets, who are ALSO the landlords of the venues in the precinct collecting rent.
So it’s time for a little accountability, if you also want change, comment, share, save this reel and if you’re a business in CQ and The Rocks that’s also had enough, send me a DM and leave a comment.
i’ll be following up with this only if i have the people’s backing.
