Vivid Sydney is back for 2026, bathing our glorious city in lights, music, and ideas. Usually, we wander through the festival as spectators, snapping a few photos for the grid before heading home. But this year, Samsung is asking Women Love Tech readers to do something a little different: put down the spectator pass, step into the director’s chair, and help create a cinematic masterpiece.
If you have enjoy telling your own visual story, Samsung’s brand-new Sky Portal Studio activation at First Fleet Park in The Rocks is your ultimate launchpad.
Stepping Behind the Lens
We talk a lot at Women Love Tech about the importance of the female gaze in media, film, and photography. How we see the world matters. Samsung’s latest interactive installation is built entirely around capturing that unique perspective.
Powered by the extraordinary camera capabilities of the new flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra, the three-portal immersive studio invites you into a world that is vividly connected. As Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO notes, the space is specifically designed to invite “festivalgoers to move from spectators into creators – capturing and expressing their own unique perspective of the world around them.”
The “24 Hours in Sydney” Collaborative Film Project
Here is where your directorial debut comes in. Until June 10th, Sydneysiders and visitors are invited to be part of a massive collaborative film project. The goal? To capture 24 hours in Sydney through the eyes of its people, turning our everyday moments into a breathtaking, city-scale spectacle.
It is a beautiful reminder that while each of our moments might feel like a small perspective, together, they reveal something so much bigger. Whether it is your morning coffee run, the way the light hits the harbour, or the electric energy of the Vivid lights at night, your viewpoint is cinematic.
How the Sky Portal Studio Preps You for the Shot
If you are worried you lack the technical skills to contribute, Samsung has you covered. The free-to-experience Sky Portal Studio acts as your personal film school, guiding you through interactive zones to capture incredible content:
- Defy Gravity Portal: Perfect your tracking shots without a bulky gimbal. Using the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Horizontal Lock, you can capture ultra-steady, gravity-defying video against colourful LED backdrops.
- Infinite Possibilities Portal: Forget awkward angles. Simply wave your hand to trigger the Palm Selfie feature for flawless, hands-free self-portraits.
- The Creative Studio: Your post-production suite. Stop by the final zone to edit your captured content using intuitive tools to create your ideal masterpiece.
The Ultimate Creator’s Prize Pack
Ready to submit your view of the world? Cinematic or still content shot on a Galaxy device can be submitted to the collaborative project.
Not only will you be contributing to a beautiful piece of digital art, but every entry goes into the draw to win one of three ultimate Samsung gift packs valued at over $3,200. The prize includes everything you need to upgrade your home studio and continue your creative journey:
- A sleek 32” The Frame Art TV
- Your very own Galaxy S26 Ultra
- A pair of Galaxy Buds
Claim Your Creative Power
The intersection of art and technology is exactly where women thrive. It is time to stop just watching the show and start directing it. Grab your friends, head down to First Fleet Park, and show Sydney exactly how you see the world.
Samsung’s Sky Portal Studio is free to experience during Vivid Sydney. Submissions for the collaborative film close June 10. Visit sydneywithgalaxy.com for more information and full T&Cs.
Change Your Outfit With a Tap: How AI is Becoming Your Ultimate Digital Stylist at Vivid Sydney
We all know the drill at Vivid Sydney: you put together an incredible outfit, brave the winter chill, and find the perfect light installation, only to have your photo ruined by a rogue photobomber or lighting that just isn’t working for your look.
But what if you could act as your own digital art director, changing your outfit, location, and the background elements of your photos with just a few taps?
At Women Love Tech, we are fascinated by how Artificial Intelligence is moving out of the realm of science fiction and into our everyday lives—specifically when it comes to personal style and creative expression. This year, Samsung is putting that power directly into your hands at their Sky Portal Studio activation at Vivid Sydney, and it is completely redefining how we curate our digital lives.
Step Into the “Unleash Your Creativity” Portal
Located in First Fleet Park in The Rocks, Samsung’s immersive, three-portal installation is designed to showcase the extraordinary camera and AI capabilities of the new flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra.
While the whole activation is a visual feast, the true magic for fashion and lifestyle lovers happens inside the second room: the Unleash Your Creativity Portal. Here, you are invited to treat a blank canvas like an editorial fashion shoot.
Powered by Samsung’s advanced Photo Assist technology, this portal lets you generate your dream image. It goes far beyond simple filters; this is generative AI working as your personal digital stylist. Have you ever taken a great photo but wished you were wearing a different jacket? Or wanted to transport yourself from a plain studio background to a surreal, vividly lit dreamscape? The AI allows you to instantly reimagine your environment and your look, making the impossible effortlessly achievable.
The Creative Studio: Your Pocket Editing Suite
The experience does not end when the camera flashes. The final stop of the installation is the Creative Studio, a dedicated space where you can sit down and play with the content you have just captured.
Think of this as your post-production suite. Vivid Sydney is notorious for massive crowds, but with AI-powered editing, those crowds no longer matter. In the Creative Studio, you can test out features that allow you to:
- Erase the Extras: Magically remove photobombers or distracting background objects with a single tap.
- Play with Proportion: Resize, move, or completely alter elements within your photo to create the perfect composition for your Instagram grid.
- Refine Your Aesthetic: Tweak the lighting, mood, and visual effects to match your personal style before you even hit “post.”
Demystifying AI for Everyday Creatives
What we love most about this activation is how accessible it makes advanced technology. AI can often feel like an intimidating buzzword, but Samsung’s Sky Portal Studio turns it into a highly intuitive, incredibly fun tool for self-expression. It proves that you don’t need a degree in graphic design to create scroll-stopping, magazine-quality content.
Whether you want to experiment with a bold new digital wardrobe or simply want to clean up your festival selfies, the Sky Portal Studio is the perfect place to play, create, and see exactly what the future of smartphone photography looks like.
Plan Your Visit
Cost: Completely free to experience
Where: First Fleet Park, The Rocks, Sydney
When: Every night during Vivid Sydney 2026
