Friday 12 June 2026
This week, our Arts students returned from a 4-day trip to Sydney, Australia, where they had the privilege of attending the Vivid Sydney Light Festival.
Day one of the trip saw students visit both the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, where they explored the campuses and gained insights into a vast range of programmes. Later in the evening, they visited the Opera House to view projections and a stage show, with spectacular performances and live music.
On the second day, the group headed to Manly on the ferry where our talented students did their first creative task; digital drawing which referenced some of the beautiful colonial buildings in the area. In the evening, they experienced an inspiring Harbour Cruise from Darling Harbour, where they saw the lights come on throughout the city. They then walked back to Cockle Bay for a laser show, before going through the light show back to The Rocks and spending the rest of the evening exploring the various market stalls in the famous Rocks Market.
Head of Art Mr. Jay Pressnell says; "It was a great day navigating through lots of people. LOTS of people."
The third and final full day of the trip saw the students engaged in the second creative task, with their main focus on the Opera House. They then headed to the Contemporary Gallery of New South Wales to see the immense art collection on display, before transitioning through the city to experience DigiPark — an interactive and immersive digital experience theatre in Westfield Sydney. The evening concluded with dinner on the accomodation rooftop before heading down to the Harbourside for more light projections and night markets.
The last day of the Arts trip to Vivid Sydney took the group to the Contemporary Art Gallery of Sydney right in the heart of Circular Quay, where students had the opportunity to explore some new artworks created by indigenous Aboriginal artists as well as experience work from the Venice Biennale. They also had the opportunity to complete their last creative task based on the architectural styles seen throughout Sydney, before going on a brief tour of the original history of Sydney via the small museum in the Rocks. Students then had their last fix of shopping at Bondi Junction Shopping Mall before ending the day at the Vivid Fire Food Kitchen, where nearly every culinary desire was fulfilled from the myriad of food stalls and live cooking shows.
Mr. Pressnell notes "I would like to say a big thank you to the dedicated staff who facilitated this trip for the 25 arts students, and ensured that their experiences were both creative and culturally rich at this fantastic lights festival."
View the full gallery of photos from the Vivid Sydney arts trip below.
