Sydney has been transformed tonight into a colourful canvas of light with the launch of the fourth annual Vivid Sydney festival – the largest celebration of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere, from 25 May – 11 June 2012.

Over 60 light installations—20 more than the previous year—were illuminated to mark the start of the festival including the amazing lighting of the iconic Sydney Opera House sails created by award-winning German design team URBANSCREEN.

Thousands lined the edge of Sydney Harbour to watch the first showing of ‘Lighting the Sails’ and explored a playground of interactive and low-energy light art displays by a global field of artists from countries including France, Poland, Hong Kong, Scotland, USA, Brazil, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

Lighting across the spectacular Sydney foreshore CBD skyline was also significantly enhanced this year in recognition of the original inhabitants of the Sydney basin, with 3D digital mapping projections across iconic buildings expressing visual impressions of the six seasons of the Indigenous calendar.

Around 500,000 Sydneysiders and visitors are expected to attend the festival, which also includes performances from local and international musicians at Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House and the new Vivid Ideas Exchange at the MCA featuring public talks and debates from leading global creative thinkers.

Vivid Sydney will stage over 100 creative industry events in 2012 – more than double the number of 2011.