World's largest light and ideas festival gets bigger across

SYDNEY, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest light, music and ideas festival has become even bigger, expanding across the iconic and picturesque Sydney Harbour for a 23-night extravaganza commencing late-May.

The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be doused in works from four Aboriginal artists in a "breathtaking statement to the world", while the works will be expanded to include the city's botanical gardens and an animal lantern display at Taronga Zoo across the harbour for the Vivid Festival starting May 27.

"We know our city is the envy of the world during Vivid Sydney," New South Wales state tourism minister Stuart Ayres said in a statement on Thursday.

"There is no city with a greater combination of natural beauty and ingenuity. It's a quality visitors find in Sydney throughout the year but one that truly shines during Vivid."

Darling Harbour will play host to a laser-dragon water-theater experience while a Love-O-Meter will be installed along the harbour foreshore walk from Circular Quay to the southern edge of The Rocks.

Icelandic singer Bjork, in a world premier, will showcase her new virtual reality project Bjork Digital while U.S. folk sensation Bon Iver, jazz artist Esperenza Spalding and Australian artists will get the party grooving through Vivid Music.

Meanwhile the creative innovators will get their juices flowing through conversations with acclaimed Hollywood director and producer Spike Jonze, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon and Jenji Kohan, the force behind acclaimed series Orange is the New Black.