A brilliant price to see a brilliant festival.
We can officially say Vivid Sydney kicks off next month. And that you can experience it yourself for cheap thanks to this Virgin sale that’s boasting flights to Sydney from $52 during the colourful festival.
Interestingly, there are some slightly cheaper fares going for $49, but these aren’t available during Vivid. (Which we sure find odd considering it’s a Vivid Sydney sale!)
| Where | When | With | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | May and June, 2024 | Virgin Australia | From $52 |
Where can I travel with this Virgin sale?
Being a Vivid Sydney sale, this sale is focused on flights to Sydney. But, if you’re already in the harbour city, you can also take advantage of flights from it to more than a dozen cities across the country.
We noticed there’s also a few cheeky fares to Newcastle in here. While it is about two hours from Sydney, it’s not quite Sydney. So, we wouldn’t recommend flying to Newcastle with the intent of travelling for Vivid.
Here’s a full list of where you can go:
| From | To | Price on other dates | Price during Vivid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina Byron | Sydney | $49 | $52 |
| Sydney | Ballina Byron | $49 | $52 |
| Sunshine Coast | Sydney | $69 | $85 |
| Sydney | Sunshine Coast | $69 | $85 |
| Gold Coast | Sydney | $79 | $79 |
| Sydney | Gold Coast | $79 | $79 |
| Hobart | Sydney | $85 | $89 |
| Launceston | Sydney | $85 | $89 |
| Sydney | Hobart | $85 | $89 |
| Sydney | Launceston | $85 | $89 |
| Brisbane | Newcastle | $89 | $99 |
| Melbourne | Newcastle | $89 | $89 |
| Newcastle | Brisbane | $89 | $99 |
| Newcastle | Melbourne | $89 | $89 |
| Brisbane | Sydney | $109 | $109 |
| Melbourne | Sydney | $109 | $109 |
| Sydney | Brisbane | $109 | $109 |
| Sydney | Melbourne | $109 | $109 |
| Hamilton Island | Sydney | $119 | $119 |
| Sydney | Hamilton Island | $119 | $119 |
| Adelaide | Sydney | $129 | $139 |
| Cairns | Sydney | $129 | $139 |
| Sydney | Adelaide | $129 | $139 |
| Sydney | Cairns | $129 | $139 |
| Canberra | Sydney | $159 | $169 |
| Sydney | Canberra | $159 | $169 |
| Perth | Sydney | $229 | $239 |
| Sydney | Perth | $229 | $239 |
When are these cheap flights available?
The Vivid-friendly travel window is from mid-April to late June. But, you can also travel other times of the year… for slightly less too!
There’s availability on most routes for travel from July to October, with the exception of the school holiday periods.
And when is Vivid Sydney?
For the 2024 festival, the lights get turned on for the first time on Friday, 24 May and turn off Sunday, 15 June. If you want to take advantage of this sale during the festival, that’s when you’ll need to fly.
What’s included in the price?
Virgin sales are for the “Lite” fare class. That means you’ll get the guarantee of a seat on the plane, a carry-on bag up to 7kg, a coffee or tea during the flight and access to the in-flight entertainment system.
If you want to check a bag, eat a full meal on the flight or choose a seat, you can pay extra for that.
Can I get any frequent flyer points?
Yes! All Virgin tickets qualify for Velocity Frequent Flyer points. As it’s an earnings-per-dollar system, you’ll just earn fewer points on sale fares compared to full-price tickets.
Overall, how good is this sale?
It’s good for a Virgin Australia fare, but it’s not the cheapest available in the market. If you’re a loyal frequent flyer though, they may be worth paying the extra $15-$20.
We tested out booking a few fares using Kayak during Vivid and found Jetstar prices to be just a bit less than these. For example:
- Ballina to Sydney… $43 with Jetstar (Advertised at $52 with Virgin)
- Gold Coast to Sydney… $61 with Jetstar (Advertised at $79 with Virgin)
- Launceston to Sydney… $73 with Jetstar (Advertised at $89 with Virgin)
How to book these flights
Go to Virgin Australia’s website before the sale ends on 8 April to book, or compare these fares to other airlines below.
