Taxi Driver Update - Vivid Sydney 2026

NSW Taxi Council
32 minutes ago
3 min read

Vivid Sydney Light Walk - Circular Quay

The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour

Friday 22 May to Saturday 13 June 2026

Vivid Sydney returns from Friday, 22 May to Saturday, 13 June 2026, celebrating its 16th year as Australia’s largest festival of light, music, ideas and food. Major activations and events will take place across key precincts including Circular Quay and The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Martin Place and surrounding CBD areas, with the Vivid Light Walk expected to attract significant crowds each night.

Drone shows will also return this year and have relocated from Circular Quay to Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. Two drone shows will take place nightly at 7.30pm and 9.30pm from Sunday to Wednesday throughout the festival period (excluding Sunday 7 June during the long weekend), which is expected to significantly increase pedestrian and transport activity around Darling Harbour during these times.

The event is expected to generate increased activity across the Sydney CBD and surrounding entertainment precincts over the 23-night festival period.

Taxi drivers should anticipate high passenger demand, heavy traffic congestion, road closures, changed traffic conditions and increased pedestrian activity in and around event zones, especially during peak evening periods, before and after the drone shows, and following major activations.

Key Venue

Vivid Sydney Light Walk - Circular Quay and The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour

Schedule

Friday 22 May to Saturday 13 June

Lights on 6pmLights off 11pm

Information for Taxi Drivers

Demand for Taxis will be high and queues will be long so please be patient and considerate of others.

Some Taxi ranks within the road closure footprint around Circular Quay and The Rocks will be inaccessible while closures are in place for the event. Keep this in mind as you may need to walk further than usual to reach available Taxi ranks. See listing of available Taxi ranks each night during Vivid Sydney HERE.

For details on secure taxi ranks and operating hours see Secure Taxi Ranks.

Taxi Commissionaires

Taxi Commissionaires will be operating throughout Vivid Sydney 2026 across various days and levels of operation at the following Taxi Ranks:

Macquarie St
Darling Qtr, Harbour Street
Carrington Street

Accessible Pick-Up and Drop-Off Locations

Accessible drop-off and pick-up locations will be available at the following locations which are open daily during Vivid Sydney with some exceptions:

Hickson Road at Wharf 4/5, Walsh Bay
Hickson Road at Pier 1 Hotel, Walsh Bay
George Street at Lower Fort Street, The Rocks
Loftus Street between Reiby Place and Customs House Lane, Circular Quay (road closed on Saturday nights and Sunday 7 Jun, no pick up/drop off space available)
Circular Quay East, corner of Alfred St and Phillip St (available Monday – Thursdays only)
Phillip Street south of Albert Street (closed Monday - Thursdays)
Sydney Opera House - Security gatehouse at the northern end of Macquarie Street
Watermans Quay, Barangaroo
Zollner Circuit east of Darling Drive, Darling Harbour
Railway Colonnade Drive, Central Station

NSW Taxi Council will be operating in the Government Coordination Centre (GCC)

The NSW Taxi Council will be operating in the GCC, also known as the Police Operation Centre throughout Vivid Sydney. We will be communicating with Taxi Networks and Call Centre Operators to ensure that vital information is passed on to drivers throughout the event. We ask for drivers full cooperation and to always follow instructions from your radio rooms as well as personnel on the ground. Thank you.

Road Closures

Road closures and extensive parking restrictions will be in effect on key roads in The Rocks, Circular Quay and the Sydney CBD throughout the 23-day festival from Friday 22 May to Saturday 13 June.

See below for the road closure and clearway maps for each day during Vivid Sydney 2026:

For more information about the event, please visit Vivid Sydney 2026.