Vivid Sydney: World's Most Incredible Light Festival Turns 10
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A decade ago, venturing into the central business district of Sydney on a chilly winter night was virtually unheard of.
Sydneysiders love to nest, you see, and a drop in temperature is the only excuse needed to stay at home and hibernate.
This, coupled with dwindling tourist numbers over the colder months, made the city feel like a ghost town after dark. Something needed to be done to reinvigorate the streets -- and the winter economy.
In 2009, Destination NSW launched an event that was essentially four festivals in one. But there was little apparent synergy between the various components, and to potential visitors it was disjointed.
"Back then it was trying to be so many things for so many people," says Ignatius Jones, Vivid's creative director of eight years. "It was confusing people. My brief was to give Vivid a purpose and identity, and that happened remarkably quickly."
Since taking creative control, Jones has helped streamline Vivid into the country's coolest winter fest -- and the largest event of its kind in the world.
Last year more than 2.33 million people descended on Sydney to see it set aglow, injecting some A$143 million (US$108 million) into the economy.
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