Opera House in the Vivid Lights - Viewed from a Sydney harbour cruise What began as a smart light festival for energy efficiency in Sydney has turned into one of the most instagrammed events in the world today. Winter in Sydney was so bleak that it was said that you could streak naked through Circular Quay and there wouldn’t be a soul out there to gawk! But Vivid Sydney, a tourism NSW initiative , completely changed the face of May and June in Sydney. Forget streaking naked, today, you’d be battling crowds just to get hundred feet ahead. As summer faded into winter in 2009, the inaugural Vivid Lights Festival was launched in the hope of attracting creative minds to come up with greener ways to maximize energy efficiency and to bump up winter visitor numbers. It was originally meant to incorporate four festivals in one – a harbourside light festival, a music festival, a creative talk-fest and a fire & water show that recreated the explosion of a convict ship.