Samsung returns to Vivid Sydney with Sky Portal Studio activation

Samsung Electronics Australia is returning as a major partner of Vivid Sydney, launching an interactive Sky Portal Studio activation at First Fleet Park in The Rocks.

The activation opens tonight as Vivid Sydney returns for its 16th year, running from 22 May to 13 June across Light, Music, Minds and Food.

Millions of visitors are expected to move through the city over the next three weeks, giving Sydney’s restaurants, bars, hotels and local businesses a major winter boost while supporting the NSW visitor economy.

Samsung’s Sky Portal Studio is built around three interactive portals designed to showcase the camera and editing features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Visitors will be able to capture movement, portraits and creative content inside the installation before editing their images in a final Creative Studio.

The first portal, Defy Gravity, lets visitors capture stabilised, gravity-defying content against a customisable LED background. The Unleash Your Creativity portal uses Photo Assist to alter images, including changing outfits or locations and adding, removing or resizing objects. The Infinite Possibilities portal allows users to take hands-free photos using Galaxy’s Palm Selfie feature.

“Samsung is an important partner of Vivid Sydney, and we value their ongoing commitment to innovation and evolving how audiences engage with the festival. What excites me most about Sky Portal Studio is how it invites festivalgoers to move from spectators into creators - capturing and expressing their own unique perspective of the world around them,” said Brett Sheehy AO, Vivid Sydney festival director.

The activation also extends into a city-wide content project. Until 10 June, Sydneysiders and visitors can enter to be part of a collaborative film capturing 24 hours in Sydney through the eyes of its people.

Content must be shot on a Galaxy device, with visitors to the Sky Portal Studio encouraged to submit their work. Each entry gives participants the chance to win one of three Samsung gift packs valued at more than $3,200, including a 32-inch The Frame Art TV, Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Buds4.

“We’re excited to be back at Vivid Sydney. It’s the intersection of art and technology where Samsung truly comes alive, and this year’s activation exemplifies that. The Sky Portal Studio is an unmissable installation that invites every visitor to view the world differently, and to capture their vision through the lens of Galaxy S26 Ultra,” said Eric Chou, vice president of mobile eXperience at Samsung Australia.

Vivid Sydney is owned and managed by Destination NSW and remains one of the state’s major winter tourism events. This year, the festival will bring the city to life by day and night for the first time, while supporting the NSW Government’s Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 target of growing the visitor economy to $91 billion by 2035.