Vivid shines bright for special guests

Chelsea blue, Paint the Town, Sydney Australia. 2/6/2015Photo Credit - James Horan /Destination NSW

By Hannah Edensor

The boys from Chelsea had our pretty city bathed in blue last night in honour of their match against our own Sydney FC football team.

Held last night at ANZ Stadium, the match came after an hour long blue party across the city, which took over the usually multi-coloured Vivid light shows.

The city’s iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, skyscrapers and various Vivid Sydney installations at Dawes Point were switched to the legendary team’s colours ahead of the hotly anticipated sporting event.

From 6pm for one hour, the interactive mass skyscraper illumination, Paint the Town, saw the city skyline painted blue while the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was switched to blue and white.

Chelsea FC’s blockbuster Sydney clash was expected to pull more than 80,000 spectators, and NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said it was a great show of hospitality for Chelsea FC.

“Chelsea is appearing exclusively in Sydney, with the event secured by the NSW Government through Destination NSW. With almost 20% of tickets sold to interstate and overseas fans, it promises to provide a boost to the local visitor economy,” he said.

Destination NSW’s ceo Sandra Chipchase said it was exciting to see a team of such high calibre visiting Sydney.

“No one puts on a better light show than Sydney during Vivid so this is a fitting tribute to one of the world’s best football teams,” she said.

Chelsea blue on The Arc Light installation during Vivid Sydney 2015. Photo Credit – James Horan / Destination NSW

The visit is set to provide an $8 million boost to the NSW economy, with visitors from across Australia and the world travelling to Sydney to catch this exclusive match.

“Chelsea FC is one of the world’s biggest football clubs and to have them here in Sydney off the back of their English Premier League win is a real honour. We wish them the best in tonight’s match but know Sydney FC will give them a run for their money,” Chipchase said.

While in Sydney, the club’s legendary manager, Jose Mourinho has had the opportunity to meet a local koala and kangaroo joey as well as enjoy a cruise on Sydney Harbour.

The players have also enjoyed visits to Taronga Zoo, dined at local restaurants and checked out Vivid Sydney.

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