This Sydney New Year’s Eve, for the 1st time, the world’s most famous bridge will be lit up with tweets from Sydneysiders and visitors about how the harbour city will inspire them in 2015.
In the lead up to the world-renowned Midnight Fireworks display, audiences gathered around Sydney Harbour – along with those watching at home – will be encouraged to use the hashtag #SydNYE to tweet New Year messages that tie into this year’s theme, Inspire.
The tweets will appear live on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night, and will be broadcast around Australia and the world in coverage of the 1st major city to ring in the New Year.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney was known as the ‘New Year’s Eve Capital Of The World’ for good reason, and this year’s event would not disappoint.
“Each year, more than 1.6 million people gather around the Harbour foreshore, and millions more around Australia watch at home, as Sydney rings in the New Year with the most spectacular fireworks display in the world,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This year, for the 1st time in Sydney New Year’s Eve history, our audience will become part of the celebration as their New Year tweets are displayed on the Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night.”
‘Tweet the Bridge’ is just 1 exciting new element of this year’s $7.2 million Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations.
During the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays, 7 tonnes of fireworks – including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects – will be launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and barges on Sydney Harbour.
A 3rd mini-fireworks display, known as the ‘Inspire Moment’, will also feature at 10.40pm to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.
As in previous years, the crowning glory will be the top-secret Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect. This will form the centrepiece of the fireworks displays, featuring 13 kilometres of LED rope light and reaching 12 storeys high.
“With an exciting Pre-Show Entertainment program, 3 fireworks displays and the dazzling Bridge Effect, this Sydney New Year’s Eve promises to be a truly unforgettable evening,” the Lord Mayor said.
NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Troy Grant, said more than a billion people worldwide watch as Sydney Harbour shines behind the backdrop of one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.
“I can’t think of a better way to start each year, than Sydney and NSW in the global spotlight with hundreds of images beamed around the world of our magnificent Harbour,” Mr Grant said.
“Major events such as the world-famous Sydney New Year’s Eve are why Sydney is regarded as Australia’s global city, and help drive visitation and contribute to the NSW Government’s goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”
The Creative Ambassador for this year’s event is Australian screen legend and storyteller Jack Thompson.
Mr Thompson has been working with the City of Sydney and Sydney New Year’s Eve creative agency Imagination Australia on plans for the event since early this year, including writing his own poem describing how Sydney inspires him – ‘I Am Sydney’.
“It is such an honour to be able to represent my home town – one of the world’s truly great cities – as the Creative Ambassador of 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve,” Mr Thompson said.
“Sydney is filled with stories that inspire, from the ancient engravings of the Gadigal people in the sandstone of the headlands to the unique architecture of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.”
“As we prepare to celebrate the year that’s passed and look to the future at what lies ahead, I encourage Sydneysiders and visitors alike to join with us and share their own inspirational stories of Sydney.”
This year’s official Sydney New Year’s Eve charity partner is Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB). The non-profit organisation works with communities worldwide to provide clean water and sanitation, energy, basic infrastructure, waste systems, communication technologies and engineering education.
CEO of EWB, Lizzie Brown, said: “EWB is very proud to be the charity partner for the Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations for a 2nd consecutive year.”
“This is a unique opportunity for our organisation to celebrate the inspiring contribution that the Australian engineering sector makes towards creating lasting social change in Australia and around the world.”
People coming into the city on New Year’s Eve will have access to a range of tools to help them plan a safe and enjoyable night, including the official 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve website, which features an interactive vantage point map and live transport and road closure information, and the Sydney NYE Telstra app.
A new printed event guide will also be available for audiences to pick up from Sydney Airport, major transport hubs throughout the city, hotels, tourism information kiosks and the City’s libraries and community centres.
The City is committed to making Sydney New Year’s Eve an inclusive event for the many Sydneysiders and visitors with a disability. A live audio description will be broadcast on 2RPH, and designated accessible viewing areas and accessible route maps will be available online.
Those who would rather stay at home on New Year’s Eve can tune into ABC TV’s broadcast, listen to 104.1 2DayFM’s live fireworks soundtracks, or live stream the Sydney NYE Telstra Show on YouTube.
And for the 2nd year in a row, the City has teamed up with the Royal Australian Mint to develop a souvenir coin celebrating the Inspire theme with colourful images of fireworks.
2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve acknowledges the support of Leadership Partner – Telstra, Charity Partner – Engineers Without Borders Australia, & NSW Government agencies and landholders including the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Sydney Opera House Trust.
For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com
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