Artists pull out of Vivid Sydney over partnership with boycott target Airbnb

Vivid Sydney’s partnership with Airbnb has been cited as the reason for a series of artists pulling out of this year’s event, in what they say is an act of pro-Palestinian solidarity.

Late last week, Gadigal Land/Sydney-based DJ and producer Rydeen shared to their Instagram followers that they, BAYANG (tha Bushranger) and Sevy were pulling out of their upcoming Vivid Sydney show.

In this statement, Rydeen shared that:

“Letting every(one) on this silly little app know that myself, Bayang and Sevy have pulled out of our upcoming Vivid Sydney show due to their association / partnership with Airbnb. Airbnb is currently listed on the BDS guide as a pressure target due to their ongoing lists on stolen Palestinian land and support of the isra*li state. We encourage Vivid Sydney (to) drop Airbnb as a partner and all artists and performers (to) act accordingly.”

Vivid Sydney, set to start on May 24 of this year and currently in its 17th year, has a series of major partners and international brands involved in this year’s edition. They include Kia, Samsung and Estee Lauder among others.

In working with Airbnb, Vivid’s website says that Airbnb is “returning as Vivid Sydney’s Community Partner in 2025 and supporting the Vivid Sydney Volunteers Program. We look forward to continuing our work with governments and organisations across NSW and Australia to ensure that hosting and the economic activity it creates helps to make local communities stronger.”

Airbnb is listed by BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) as a target of ‘economic boycott’. BDS is, in its own words, “a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality… Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.”

In a statement shared in 2018, Airbnb claimed that it “does not support the BDS movement, any boycott of Israel, or any boycott of Israeli companies.” After announcing in this same statement that it would remove listings for 200 rental properties in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, the following year it reversed this decision following a number of lawsuits but claimed it would “take no profits from this activity in the region.”

Read: Boiler Room releases statement addressing its Israel-linked ownership following growing boycott

In a comment to Mixmag ANZ, a spokesperson for Vivid Sydney said:

“Vivid Sydney values the diversity of perspectives in our community and respects that individuals and groups will have different views. However, we remain committed to working with partners that contribute to the long-term success of Vivid Sydney. Vivid Sydney remains focused on its role as a global celebration of creativity, culture, and innovation—bringing together artists, businesses, and audiences to showcase the best of Sydney.”

So too, a spokesperson for the NSW Government which manages and owns Vivid through Destination NSW said:

“We understand the depth of feeling in the community about events in the Middle East. The NSW Government is focused on maintaining community harmony here in our state. However, we do not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that is aimed at targeting businesses based on their race and religion. NSW is a strong, welcoming and connected society in which different views, faiths, backgrounds and cultures are respected and we will do everything we can to protect that.”

In contrast, one of Vivid Sydney’s other partners, the City of Sydney Council, recently passed a “historic” BDS motion following an investigation into human rights abuses. This motion confirmed that the council “does not and will not fund or invest in companies complicit in Israeli settlements.”

Mixmag ANZ reached out to the City of Sydney Council for comment, however, they distanced themselves from commenting directly on the partnership, with a spokesperson sharing that “the motion passed by Council relates to products and services procured by the City of Sydney. Vivid is not produced by the City of Sydney. It is a Destination NSW event and its questions should be directed to them.”

The current climate, where large, multinational brands are becoming increasingly active in grassroots dance music scenes, appears to be contributing to a deeper analysis of who is involved in events like Vivid. Last year, SXSW dropped a series of U.S. Army and weapons manufacturers as sponsors after pro-Palestinian protests.

In January, international broadcaster/promoter Boiler Room was purchased by Superstruct Entertainment, which is in turn owned by KKR, a private equity firm with investments in military technology and others which, like Airbnb, advertise illegal settlements on Palestinian land. The ensuing backlash against Boiler Room's ownership has resulted in boycotts, protests outside its events, artists & partners withdrawing from its lineups, and a Palestinian charity withdrawing from a recently announced piece of fundraising-oriented merchandise.

Several weeks ago, Boiler Room released a statement addressing their Israel-linked ownership, in which they committed fully to adherence to BDS and PACBI guidelines. While these calls to boycott Boiler Room have continued, BDS and PACBI have not endorsed these calls.

With Vivid Sydney still over six weeks away at the time of writing this article, it remains to be seen if other artists, promoters, venues, and others will reach a similar conclusion about Airbnb's involvement in this year's event.

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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.