If you’ve ever heard talk of secret tunnels and winding labyrinths from World War II that lie forgotten beneath Sydney city, you’re not alone. Well, it turns out, the rumours are true. And the best bit? We can see them with our own eyes – illuminated by a wild light show, laser beams and electronic music. Yes. This is real life. After a successful debut last year, Dark Spectrum has taken this historical subterranean network again as part of Vivid Sydney 2024. (Check out our ultimate guide to Vivid 2024 over here.)
Running until Saturday, June 15, this wild and immersive light show will take visitors through 1km of the tunnel system, where they will be taken through eight underground rooms that will each be decked out in a vibrant variety of lights, robots, animations and laser shows that have to be seen to be believed.
Curated by Mandylights, Sony Music, Vivid Sydney and Culture Creative, this experience will let you wander through secret passageways lit with pulsing lights, and run your fingers through an interactive LED light show that promises to be "an immersive playground of light and sound". Each of the eight rooms will have a different theme and corresponding colour reflecting a different aspect of the human experience, and you’ll get to sink into a series of light pieces that roll in time with synchronised electronic music beats.
How do you get to Dark Spectrum?
The entrance to the secret Dark Spectrum tunnels below Wynyard is hidden in plain sight in one of Sydney’s busiest train station thoroughfares. If you’ve ever grabbed something from the Wynyard Coles, you may not have ever paid too much attention to the emergency access door that’s situated right next to it. Unbeknownst to most of us, this non-descript door has long been the entrance to a series of secret tunnels that lie beneath Wynyard Station. For the last century, these tunnels were the abandoned relics of a city engineer’s grand plans to build a train line between Mosman and the Northern Beaches, but (as it is with many things), this plan fell to the wayside, and into decades of obscurity.
Want to know more about what Dark Spectrum is like? We went along to find out.
How much is Dark Spectrum?
Dark Spectrum is ticketed, and will set you back $35 for general admission, while kids can come in from $24, and families from $98. It will be running on timed entry from noon to 9.15pm every day until June 15, 2024. It's worth noting that Dark Spectrum is a one-way, high-volume audio-visual experience with limited exits. You can book yourself in right here.
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