Vivid Fire Kitchen brings 60 chefs to Barangaroo waterfront

More than 60 of Australia’s leading chefs will rotate through a new interactive cooking arena at Barangaroo Reserve as Vivid Fire Kitchen moves to the waterfront for 23 consecutive nights from May 22–June 13.

The festival has relocated from The Goods Line to Barangaroo Reserve, adding a brand-new Fire Pit where acclaimed chefs including Mark Best, Annita Potter, Ben Devlin, Mindy Woods, Jean-Paul El Tom and Sharon Salloum will cook over open flame. Each chef creates exclusive one-off dishes available only on their designated night.

Entry remains free from 6pm to 11pm nightly. The expansion includes three stages featuring cooking demonstrations, talks, tastings and live music alongside the 17 food vendors.

Mark Best, executive chef at Infinity by Mark Best, described the Fire Pit as an opportunity to explore elemental cooking. “Fire strips cooking back to its essentials and opens space for instinct, memory and collaboration,” Best said.

The 2026 format introduces Food for Thought, a dedicated talks stage featuring Luke Mangan, Julie Goodwin, Adriano Zumbo and Emelia Jackson. Themed nights cover NSW produce and First Nations food culture across the 23-night run.

Wednesdays showcase Indigenous cooking through Gwianga, named after the Dharug word for fire. The National Indigenous Culinary Institute leads these sessions, spotlighting Indigenous ingredients and traditional cooking methods.

Laura Sharrad, chef and Food for Thought guest during the dessert takeover weekend, praised the creative opportunity. “There’s something so powerful about cooking over open flame. It brings people together, sparks creativity and celebrates the raw beauty of great ingredients,” Sharrad said.

The June long weekend features a full dessert takeover with Zumbo, Jackson and Donato Toce serving limited-edition sweets. Smoky Sue’s brings their exclusive Mexican-inspired activation with their iconic smoker Big Red, serving 12-hour smoked brisket paired with Birria Gold consommé.

The Fire Pit showcases four distinct fire-cooking methods with rotating chefs creating theatrical dishes designed for both flavour and visual drama. Audiences watch professional cooking techniques up close in the open arena format.

Brett Sheehy, Vivid Sydney Festival Director, said the kitchen had been reimagined as a destination for repeat visits. “You can return again and again and have a different experience each night,” Sheehy said.

The waterfront location provides harbour views under Vivid light installations, expanding from previous years’ shorter seasonal runs to 23 consecutive nights of programming. Each night features different chefs and themed experiences that cannot be repeated once the festival closes on June 13.