A Cabaret Cruise That Dances With Vivid Sydney

This Vivid Sydney season, don’t just follow the crowd – cruise beyond it! The Sydney Showboat offers you front-row seats to this Sydney light festival’s brilliance, wrapped in the glamour of a cabaret night out on the harbour. It’s a one-of-a-kind Vivid experience – the visual splendour of Vivid Lights on the outside and a captivating cabaret that takes centre stage inside.

The Sydney Showboat cabaret dinner cruise mirrors the multicultural, imaginative soul of Vivid Sydney! As the illuminated city glides by, the stage lights up with dance, music and colour—bringing the festival’s 2025 theme of ‘DREAM’ to life in a more exclusive setting. So let’s take a look at how the Showboat Vivid Sydney Cruise, reimagined with rhythm and romance, aligns with the VIVID pillars of Light, Music, Ideas, Food…

Cruise Into Vivid Lights

Aboard the Sydney Showboat, you can see up-close the best Vivid light shows in Sydney. Kiss of Light lighting up the Opera House sails, Sweet Dreams transforming the Harbour Bridge pylons into a radiant candy machine, the glowing installations in Circular Quay and Barangaroo—it’s literally a visual treat.

‘Sydney Showboat II’ is part of the popular ‘Vivid Light on Sydney Harbour’, where boats draped in LED rope-lights glide alongside the colourful skyline. So, why just watch the magic, when you can be part of one, aboard our Showboat cruise.

Cabaret Meets Vivid Music

While Vivid Sydney brings top global musicians and local legends to perform across the city, the Showboat amplifies this musical energy on its own stage. Our signature cabaret show—Voyage of Love—is a cultural mosaic of music and dance, each segment echoing the spirit of a different corner of the world.

The magic of New York Broadway with the jazzy touch of Bye Bye Blackbird, the beats of Indian Bollywood with its exotic Ooh La La, the tropical rhythms of Brazil coming alive with Copacabana, and Sydney's own I Still Call Australia Home, among many others—it’s a total sensory treat. Together, these musical segments transform the Showboat stage into a vibrant celebration of global music and dance cultures, truly embodying the soul of Vivid Music.

A Floating Theatre of Vivid Ideas

Vivid Sydney is not just a celebration of light and music, it is also a festival of ideas—their conception and execution. ‘Vivid Ideas’ ignites the intellect with thought-provoking talks and panel discussions led by influential voices from across the world.

And in its own way, the Showboat embodies this same spirit. This cabaret cruise was first imagined by a 13-yr-old boy, whose vision eventually became a reality in 1987. He created the Showboat experience that was second to none, and it still stands today as a testament to the power of ideas, which keeps pace with changing times.

Cabaret Cruise and Vivid Food

Vivid Sydney has been increasing its footprint in the food scene for the past couple of years with its immersive dining, fire and light based culinary events and many other experimental events. Aboard the Showboat dinner cruise, this takes form in a delectable three-course dinner featuring entrées like smoked salmon ceviche and scallops with moilee sauce, mains like herb-crusted salmon or Mediterranean chicken and desserts like wattleseed dulce de leche cheesecake or roasted pineapple melange with vanilla mousse and rose-infused watermelon. So, imagine enjoying a gourmet meal and gliding past the radiant skyline—a vivid treat for the palate!

Vivid Sydney 2025 is a limited-time celebration and so is our Vivid Cruise package—it sells out fast, so don’t wait! If you want to see Sydney glow from the best vantage points, along with music, food and cabaret, book your Showboat cruise now! When lights meet cabaret, Sydney doesn’t just glow—it dances.

Can’t make it during Vivid Sydney? No worries! Showboat dinner cruises run throughout the year, so you can enjoy the magic of Sydney Harbour at your convenience.