It's been billed as bigger than Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations with electro pop superstars Pet Shop Boys to play their only Australian shows at this year's Vivid festival.
Organisers say the sixth edition of the 18-day festival from May 23 and June 9 will for the first time include light installations at Martin Place and boats sailing across Sydney Harbour decked out in LED lights.
Vivid Sydney creative director Ignatius Jones said the event has grown exponentially since 165,000 attended the first festival in 2009.
Last year, more than 800,000 people flocked to Sydney Harbour and Circular Quay to see the Opera House sails light up and watch French fountain specialists Aquatique's free shows.
"Some people say Vivid is like 18 New Year's Eves in a row, but without the alcohol," Jones said at the event's launch on Tuesday.
But he said Vivid was actually better than New Year celebrations because the best vantage points were not reserved for the wealthy.
"Vivid Sydney is a moving, walking festival, and a very democratic one. Everyone, rich or poor, gets the same chance to see everything."
The festival of light, music and ideas is funded by the NSW government's tourism body Destination NSW with more than 70 per cent of its programming free.
Highlights include the Pet Shop Boys, synth disco pioneer Italy's Giorgio Moroder, Sydney duo The Presets, and Kurt Cobain's favourite rock group the Pixies.
Martin Place will be the site of Simon Brockwell's eMERGEnce, a 3D sculpture that projects people's faces onto a giant head.
Creative company 59 Productions, best known for their work on the opening ceremony at the London Olympics, have designed this year's Lighting the Sails show at the Opera House.
An interactive kaleidoscope wall will be set up at east Circular Quay, while Walsh Bay will host LOL by Luke Hespanhol, a collection of floating, giant latex balls that begin laughing when people approach them.
At The Rocks, Clapiconia is a light and sound installation activated by applause.
The Vivid Ideas line-up features keynote speeches by Upworthy editorial director Sara Critchfield and American Apparel marketing executive Ryan Holiday, author of bestselling book Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator.
