Vivid Festival 2015: Best places to eat and drink

With each year, Sydney's Vivid Festival is proving to be more than just a feast for the eyes. The festival's usual fare of ideas, music and light displays has firmly embraced food - and this year includes offerings from heavy-hitting chefs, pop-up restaurants, markets and inventive special menus. Here's a selection of food events happening at this year's festival, which runs until June 8th.

Carriageworks
​The Redfern venue is home to the Italo Dining and Disco Club, a pop-up of Italian culture, performance and food. Bondi favourites Icebergs and Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta, Potts Point's Fratelli Paradiso and Paddington's 10williamst have signed on for the mini-festival, from May 31 to June 7, which starts at 5pm each night with free entry. Performer Grace Jones and jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders provide the tunes.

Central Park
The revitalised precinct includes a pop-up version of the Newtown Hotel that overlooks projections of animated street art by indigenous artist Reko Rennie, a silent disco, and night markets including food stalls from crowd favourites The Winery, Mexican merchants Guzman y Gomez, Gelatissimo, burgers from Fogo Brazilia Churrasco and Ribs & Burgers.

Circular Quay
The cafe at the Museum of Contemporary Art is open to 9pm each night to serve sweets such as banoffee pie, pavlova and a "glow in the dark" cocktail.

Food trucks
Sydney's food truck fleet is on a rotating shift at Hickson Road Reserve, under the south side of the Harbour Bridge, for the duration of the festival. This year 18 trucks are circling the city, including Eat Art Truck (and their hot smoked pulled pork), Agape Organic (spelt pizzas and tapas), New York Pastrami Deli (corned beef, hot dogs, potato salad), Mama Linh's (banh mi), Tsuru (steamed buns, satay skewers, rice balls) and Let's Do Yum Cha. Their exact location can be found through the Sydney Food Trucks app (available for Apple and Android).

Fort Denison
The harbour island is open to the public for dinner as part of its Dinner DeLIGHTS package, serving two courses for $110 per person, including a water taxi and tour. Think confit pork belly with a chilli lime glaze and grass fed beef with potato gratin and green beans.

Martin Place
The thoroughfare is a hub of pop-ups and street food, with Porteno bringing roast pork sandwiches, barbecue savoy slaw and special sauce, Thievery their signature Lebanese street food, and Tsuru some Asian street fare such as the pork belly bun and the Balinese lemongrass chicken roll. For dessert, award-winning gelatiers Cow and the Moon will bring their world-renowned almond affogato and a selection of single-origin espresso.

North Sydney
Aqua Dining at Milsons Point offer a five-course degustation for $125 per person, including king crab, flathead, beetroot gnocchi and lamb cutlet, with optional matched wines and a Vivid-inspired cocktail menu. Chatswood is hosting a rooftop bar by ​4 Pines and night markets At The Concourse featuring a sandpit for kids. Chatswood Chase hosts a pop-up DJ to accompany offerings at the centre's food court.

Opera House
A bar dubbed the Deep Purple Pool Hall has popped up in the concert hall northern foyer from 6pm until late, with live DJs, free pool and a "craft-focused" menu. Opera Bar is fitted out with retro arcade games and invites visitors to dine in with a picnic in the meat and cheese room, while the Opera Kitchen has a menu of special cocktails.

The Rocks
The Argyle is hosting a "fractured fantasy" theme through the festival, focusing on a tribute to electro pioneers Daft Punk, Alice in Wonderland, and Star Wars with DJs, roving characters, and Vivid-inspired cocktails. The Push Bar and Waterfront are offering special menus, and the Rocks night markets is open for four hours from 6.30pm.

The Star
Pop-up festival dessert bar Vivid Treats, just up the escalator from the Star's light rail, is serving cotton candy, popcorn, coffee, hot chocolate and crepes alongside a chocolate fondue fountain. A rooftop bar, Vivid Lounge at Sky Terrace, will be open from 6pm to late every night serving specials from the Star's restaurants including Momofuku Seiobo, BLACK by ezard, Balla, Soyko and Fat Noodle.

University of Sydney
The University's front lawns is hosting night markets from May 25 to 31, offering food including shredded beef nachos, pulled pork burgers and eight-hour-stewed beef pie floaters. Fremantle brewers Little Creatures is serving craft beer, cider and mulled wine while light installation Vivid Light to the Future illuminates art works and the campus quadrangle.

What food events are you excited about? Let us know in the comments.