‘Surprise Shapes’ & New Pastel And Neon Colours To Feature In Midnight Fireworks With 3-Part Soundtrack

Fireworks with ‘surprise shapes’ have been announced to feature in this year’s Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2023 fireworks displays as the Midnight Fireworks is revealed to be synchronised to a 3-part soundtrack.

There will also be pyrotechnic effects with new pastel & neon colours.

Sydney NYE2023 will be the Foti family’s 27th Sydney NYE & such is Sydney NYE2023 Fireworks Director, Fortunato Foti’s, passion about his work, he said he is undaunted by the challenge of creating something exciting & new each year:

We started working on Sydney New Year’s Eve back in 1997 & we quickly learnt what works best for a show of this size and scale.

We’ve reached a point where each year we walk away thinking ‘that was the best show we’ve ever done’ & really, that just spurs us on to do even better the following year.

This year, the displays will feature bright white, peach, lime, silver, gold, violet, yellow, burnt orange, pink & blue fireworks as well as the crowd favourite colour-changing fireworks & some other surprises.

Fortunato Foti, Sydney NYE2023 Fireworks Director

Planning since October 2022 and setting up since 19 December, the fireworks displays require a crew of 60 and 18 shipping containers of equipment & will use 8.5 tonnes of pyrotechnics fired with up to 25,000 igniters using 18,000 cues including from 184 different positions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which has 7,000 cues alone. The 6 barges, a kilometre apart, along the Harbour & the 4 pontoons in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House will use 9,000 cues.

There will be more than 80,000 pyrotechnic effects, 36,000 shooting ground-based effects & 13,000 aerial shells. The Sydney Opera House will use more fireworks than ever before during the Midnight Fireworks. In total, there are 58,000 individual firing shots, fired from 15 computers that require more than 25 kilometres of wires & cables.

Up to 10 tugs will be required to move the barges & pontoons into place throughout the day & night so the highest fireworks can reach their height of 380 metres into the sky.

Fortunato Foti is a 7th generation pyrotechnician whose family has been making fireworks since 1793. Among the very experienced staff of Foti International Fireworks in helping create this year’s fireworks are 15 Foti family members including Fortunato, his 3 children as well as his nieces, nephews, brothers & cousins.

Fortunato also said music is a critical component in the creation of fireworks displays of this scale:

We design the show to flow with the mood of the music, in essence aiming to make the fireworks appear like they’re dancing to the music.

We’ve meticulously planned the 9pm & Midnight Fireworks to perfectly synchronise with each show’s specially created soundtrack.

Fortunato Foti, Sydney NYE2023 Fireworks Director

The Midnight Fireworks will be synchronised to a bespoke soundtrack created by THE SWEATS that ranges from driving beats & contemporary electronica, through to elegant & lush choral moments.

It took roughly 2 months to compose, record and produce the Midnight Fireworks soundtrack.

We’ve been working with Foti International to create another spectacular show this year using pyrotechnic effects that will amaze & delight crowds.

While everyone is enjoying the festive season, the crew behind NYE is busy loading barges, buildings & the Harbour Bridge with thousands of fireworks and pyrotechnics.

They are working tirelessly for a night to remember with their incredible & innovative fireworks displays.

Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor