The official boating exclusion zone map for Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2024 has revealed an extra pyrotechnic pontoon set will appear west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the 1st time ever while the Smoking Ceremony will have a slightly different route this year.
The boating exclusion zone map was released between mid-September & early October.
The extra western pyrotechnic pontoon set will not be precisely in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge but more in front of the Bridge’s southern half. It will be in front of Blues Point, north-west of Dawes Point & south-west of Luna Park.
Sydney NYE2023 – ‘Life‘ Midnight Fireworks on the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s eastern side with the set of 4 pontoons in front. Photograph: Morris McLennan/City Of Sydney
It is unknown whether the western pontoon set will appear during Calling Country but it’s guaranteed to appear during the Midnight Fireworks. Its size is also unknown. Usually during the Midnight Fireworks, the eastern set consists of 4 pontoons spread out but all we can be sure is that the upcoming Midnight Fireworks will feature a minimum 1 pontoon in the west in addition to the eastern set. However, it is possible the eastern set will be reduced in size to allow for the creation of the western set. The size of the eastern set cannot be confirmed as yet. However, it can be confidently said at least 2 pontoons will remain on the eastern side.
Nevertheless, the next Midnight Fireworks looks set to be the most spectacular pyrotechnic display viewed from the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge since the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000.
The boating exclusion zone map also reveals the Smoking Ceremony, held from 7:30pm on board the Indigenous vessels, Tribal Warrior, Mari Nawi & Wirawi, will begin at Barangaroo’s ferry wharves before heading north past it’s Reserve, east past the Walsh Bay wharves, around Dawes Point before completing a lap of Circular Quay before heading to its centre, arriving & finishing there at around 8:30pm.
Smoking Ceremony conducted onboard Tribal Warrior during the Welcome To Country of Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder Photograph: City Of Sydney
This is a slightly different route than last edition. Previously, it began at Towns Place Wharf at the western end of Walsh Bay (this wharf is closed for maintenance this year) & it also went out to near Fort Denison before turning around to re-enter Circular Quay.
Sydney NYE2024 begins at 7:30pm on 31 December 2024.
The past, present & future are going to be well represented at this year’s Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race with the oldest yacht ever to have entered going to participate in the race for the 1st time, a yacht being skippered by a member of the same family for 3 generations for the 1st time & record female participation in The Great Race South.
With 5 yachts pulling out since entries closed including the Japanese double-handed entry, reducing the double-handed race to 22 yachts, as well as the iconic James Bond-themed Moneypenny yacht which finished 5th on line honours last edition, a fleet of 107 yachts are now currently going to take the start on the 26th of December, with, unusually, nearly than half the fleet 40 feet (12.19 metres) and under in length.
The furthest to travel to Sydney this year is Cocody, a French yacht with a predominantly French crew including several who race in The Lonely One (La Solitaire). Sailing all the way from France, for their debut at the Sydney-Hobart, Cocody‘s owner, Richard Fromentin, says one of their major objectives is this race with the aim of winning their division.
They may be the furthest to travel in space but the furthest to travel in time is the yacht, Katwinchar. It was built in 1904 – 120 years ago & is the oldest yacht to enter the race ever. Michael Spies will co-skipper her, having entered The Great Race South 45 times already, including the 1999 edition, where he co-skippered Nokia to line honours victory & the 2003 edition, where he co-skippered First National to International Measurement System-handicap victory.
In another sort of time travel, Love & War, a 51-year-old classic Sparkman & Stephens timber yacht which is 1 of 3 & the 2nd of those 3 to have won the Tattersall Cup 3 times, will be skippered by Phillip Kurts for the 1st time, having participated in 7 Sydney-Hobart‘s already – all on Love & War – his 1st race being in 2009 when he was 18. His Dad and the yacht’s owner, Simon Kurts, is unable to participate in 2024, having previously been skipper. Before his Dad became skipper, his grandfather, Peter, designed Love & War with offshore racing in mind & Peter and Simon represented Australia at the United Kingdom’s Admiral’s Cup in 1975. Thus, this sudden handover in skippering at the 2024 edition has now given the Kurts family the honour of being the 1st family to sail the race in 3 generations & on the same yacht as skippers.
Phillip Kurts on board Love & War at Berth 38 in the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia (CYCA) ‘A’ Marina. Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
The honour is a notable award on what will be the 50th anniversary of Love & War‘s 1st Tattersall Cup’s victory in 1974, the other 2 victories being in 1978 & 2006. The 1st 2 victories skippered by Peter while the most recent victory was co-skippered by Simon. In 2021, they won their division, though finishing 3rd for the Tattersall Cup. Known for excelling in tough conditions, Love & War has put the 2024 race weather forecast well in its skipper’s mind already:
We’re absolutely capable of [winning the race]. The tougher the race is, the better we’ll go.
Phillip Kurts, ‘Love & War‘ skipper
In response is Sebastian Bohm with his TP52, Smuggler, who is also trying to win the Tattersall Cup:
We don’t mind when it gets windy. We’ve got quite a good crew that can handle it well. That sets us apart from the other boats.
Sebastian Bohm, ‘Smuggler’ owner & skipper
Sebastian Bohm onboard Smuggler in Berth 54 of the CYCA ‘A’ Marina Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
He is trying to improve on his & Smuggler‘s 11th placing in the Tattersall Cup last year after solid results on other yachts of the same name. If the trend continues, he should improve on last year.
Then there is Peter Bremner on his Farr 277, Unicoin. It launched in late 1992 as an IMS Farr 40 One-Off called Assassin, which co-won the Tattersall Cup with Bremner aboard that same year (as winners came from two separate rating rules that edition). Assassin last raced from Sydney to Hobart in 1995, finishing 5th that year, following an 11th place in 1994.
Peter Bremner at the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race Media Launch Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
Nowadays, the Tattersall Cup goes to the winner of the International Rating Certificate handicap category so, when he bought the yacht & renamed it to the sponsored name, Unicoin, in February this year, Bremner told its new Sailing Master for The Great Race South, Andrew Buckland, who also was aboard in 1992, “We’re not getting any younger so let’s do it now”. Buckland has since been fully converting it to that standard, including a new deck and layout, new carbon fibre mast & a dark grey paint job. With a month to go until the race start, Bremner is hoping she will be as good as in 1992:
We’re confident that we’ve put together a program that can be competitive given the right conditions.
Peter Bremner, ‘Unicoin’ owner & skipper
With modernisation to Unicoin, a bright future for Sebastain Bohm and Smuggler & a new generation skippering Love & War, they weren’t the only things moving into the future at the upcoming Sydney-Hobart. Female participation has risen again for the 2024 edition with 6 more yacht skippers & owners, adding to the 10 last edition. 1 of those female sailors is Wendy Tuck, who will co-skipper Gizmo with Meg Niblett as 1 of 3 all-female double-handed teams. Last year, Tuck sailed aboard Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth, which finished 22nd for the Tattersall Cup & is also returning to race in 2024.
(Left to right) Wendy Tuck & Meg Niblett on board Gizmo in the CYCA ‘Pond’ Photograph: Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
It’s a lovely boat. It feels solid. It feels comfortable in the breeze. This boat feels like it’s going to get to Hobart & it’s going to get to Hobart fast.
Wendy Tuck, ‘Gizmo’ co-skipper
Heading further into the future, lastly, it has been confirmed Wild Thing 100, owned by Grant Wharington, will race in the 2025 edition, which is the event’s 80th anniversary. For preparation, in February next year, Wild Thing 100 will have an updated full-size rig installed. For the upcoming 2024 edition, the 100-foot (30.48 metre) yacht is still carrying its mast from when it was 80 feet (24.38 metres) long.
Originally a Botin 80 called Beau Geste, Grant sailed it in the Sydney-Hobart as Stefan Racing, finishing, for line honours, 4th in 2021 & 6th in 2022. Last year, it was extended to 100 feet & renamed Wild Thing 100, having been delivered straight to Sydney from the Gold Coast with a few finishing touches still to be completed upon arrival before the Sydney-Hobart, which, after just over 2 days and 5 hours of racing under Grant Wharington’s skippering, it finished 6th. Grant himself won Line Honours in 2003 on board Skandia. As with any maxi, Wild Thing 100 is, therefore, one of the favourites to take line honours.
The other 2 favourites, to take line honours are last year’s line honours winner, Christian Beck’s LawConnect, a Juan K 100 Custom maxi yacht & the current line honours race record holder, Master Lock Comanche, the latter having also won line honours 3 other times with different owners & sponsored names. LawConnect also won line honours in 2016 as Perpetual LOYAL, though with a different owner at the time, after which it was bought by Beck & renamed InfoTrack to achieve a 24th place in 2017. It was claimed the yacht was too old & too heavy but LawConnect has confounded her critics, including Beck, by gaining a 4th place in 2018 before a hat-trick of 2nd places from 2019. It was renamed to its current name during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was such a painful lead up to come 2nd 3 times. To win was unbelievable.
Christian Beck, ‘LawConnect’ owner
Beck then finally won last edition, after being behind AndooComanche nearly the whole way, in a nail-biting finish along a fickle-breezed Derwent in the morning of the 28th of December – the 2nd closest ever on record, eventually beating Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds at the finish line. The yacht’s Sailing Master is Tony Mutter, who has held the title since 2021.
(Left to right) Master Lock Comanche co-skippers, Matt Allen and James Mayo & LawConnect owner and skipper, Christian Beck, standing in front of the George Adams Tattersall Cup, a Rolex timepiece & the John H. Illingworth Challenge Cup – Credit: Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia | Andrea Francolini
This year, Master Lock Comanche, will be co-skippered by Matt Allen & James Mayo. Combined, they have won 5 Tattersall Cups with Allen winning 4 of them & Mayo also winning Line Honours in the same edition onboard Sovereign in 1987. Until now, Allen has kept clear of yachts that were favourites for line honours in The Great Race South. Despite Comanche‘s rich history, it is actually the newest of the maxis at a decade old & is nicknamed the Aircraft Carrier because of its wide girth. With 3 different owners or charterers in its lifetime with 6 race entries to date, breaking the race record in its 3rd race, it is a reliable yacht to win on.
It’s such an iconic boat (Comanche). It’s such an iconic race. To give it another run is just a terrific feeling.
Matt Allen, ‘Master Lock Comanche’ Co-Skipper
The 2024 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race will begin at 1pm on Thursday the 26th of December (Boxing Day) from Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Race Village, outside the CYCA, opens on Sunday the 1st of December & closes on the night of Boxing Day. The Classic Yacht Regatta will be held on Sydney Harbour between 1:55pm on Friday the 13th of December to sometime after 3:30pm on Sunday the 15th of December. The Hobart Race Village, at Constitution Dock, opens at 12pm on Friday the 27th of December & closes on the night of the 1st of January 2025. The main race can finish as early as 10:15pm on Friday the 27th of December with the last yacht finishing as last as the 6th of January 2025.
Sydney’s heritage-listed & State Parliament-protected theme park, Luna Park, has been officially listed as a Sydney New Year’s Eve vantage point for the 1st time. It is a paid ticketed 18 years old & above vantage point.
The listing was made on Thursday the 12th of September.
On New Year’s Eve, Luna Park will be hosting Harbour Party, which costed a minimum AUD$199 per ticket in September’s initial ticket release, though the price has since risen to AUD$299 for the final ticket release. The most expensive ticket was AUD$799, however, these are now sold out. Remaining tickets on sale are now AUD$549 or less.
This vantage point, with a capacity of 6,420, has disc jockeys (DJs) with artists including “The Netherlands’ most striking DJ duo”, Mr Belt and Wezol, Brooke Evers, Carolina Gasolina, Casual Connection, Discovery (A Daft Punk Tribute), Helena Ellis & Sydney NYE2022 Midnight Fireworks Soundtrack Artist, Stace Cadet.
Luna Park has always been open on New Year’s Eve since 1995, even when it was closed to the public all year round between 1996 & 2004, so being a vantage point is nothing new. What is new is it being officially listed. Whilst Sydney NYE has been held since 1976, Luna Park has only had a good view of the fireworks since 1990, when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was introduced to the display. The theme park was closed at the time and didn’t reopen until 1995.
Harbour Party is not an official Sydney NYE event though. However, the light show on the Ferris Wheel has been synchronised to the fireworks soundtracks since NYE2018, making that part of the night & park an official part of Sydney NYE.
First opening in 1935, Luna Park is one of 2 amusement parks in the world protected by legislation. The other amusement park is Tivoli Gardens in Denmark. Luna Park has been protected by legislation since 1990 & last reopened for all-year round operations in 2004 and is still operating today.
On Saturday the 14th of December, a barbeque will be held at the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race‘s Sydney Race Village for that weekend’s Classic Yacht Regatta.
Sailors from the Classic Yacht Regatta will be in attendance.
The Classic Yacht Regatta Barbeque will be held at 5:30pm & last 3.5 hours but the actual barbeque will only be operating from 6:30pm for 2 hours. Tickets for the Classic Yacht Regatta Barbeque cost AUD$45 per person (cost of beverages not included and must be purchased separately) & are available here until Monday the 9th of December. Refunds are available up to Saturday the 7th of December though.
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race‘s Classic Yacht Regatta begins at 1:55pm on Friday the 13th of December & concludes on Sunday the 15th of December after the Prizegiving Ceremony, which is held at approximately 3:30pm.
Also, at the Long Lunch on Saturday the 21st of December, past and present Race crews will now be in attendance & the Family Day on Boxing Day (Thursday the 26th of December) will now begin at 12:30pm and include Channel 9’s live broadcast of the main race start from Sydney Harbour. Both events are held at the Sydney Race Village.
The Sydney Race Village is open between the 1st & 26th December inclusive outside the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia (CYCA) on the Club’s hardstand on the shores of Rushcutters Bay on Sydney Harbour. It will be exclusive to ticketholders during ticketed events while it will be completely closed to the general public on Sunday the 22nd of December between 5pm & 10pm, when it is open to only the Race crews & the CYCA members.
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race begins at 1pm on Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge’s western lower arch, hangars & catwalk will be used for fireworks for the 1st time ever this New Year’s Eve (NYE), according to the official & updated Sydney NYE website.
The Sydney NYE website was updated to its 2024 edition on Thursday the 5th of September.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge’s western upper arch has been used in the past to fire pyrotechnics. However, as the fireworks were fired directly above the Bridge, unless you were looking closely, you couldn’t tell whether the fireworks were fired from the western or eastern side of the upper arch. The use of the western upper arch was done only when Syd Howard Fireworks was the main pyrotechnic company for the Bridge.
They tended but not always put the shells that were fired the highest on the western upper arch. Sometimes, it may have been to make more room along the eastern upper arch. This was done from Sydney NYE1990-1998 & technology has changed significantly since then, particularly in computing technology, possibly making space considerations less of worry from the turn of the Millennium thus no longer needing the western upper arch.
The use of the western lower arch, hangars & catwalk for fireworks will, for the 1st time since the early 1990’s, allow spectators on the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to view the Bridge fireworks just like spectators on what is known as the ‘show side’ of the Bridge – the eastern side of the Bridge. The light show will still be only on the eastern side of the Bridge however.
The use of the western most lane on the roadway for fireworks is unlikely as the fireworks would look the same just when fired from the eastern most lane. It is for this reason, though applied to the upper arch, that we don’t think the western upper arch will be used once again – unless capacity limitations on the eastern upper arch necessitate the return of the western upper arch. The iconic waterfall effect is also likely to still be done from the eastern catwalk, again for the same reason.
This will be the most the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been used for fireworks since it was 1st used for pyrotechnics during the Royal Australian Navy 75th Anniversary Review Fireworks in October 1986. On that occasion, the eastern walkway & catwalk was used – the walkway for a set piece (pyrotechnic sign, which said ‘NSW Salutes The Royal Australian Navy’) & the catwalk for the debut of the iconic golden waterfall off the Bridge.
The only part of the Bridge not used for fireworks currently is the pylons. These were last used in 2013 during the International Fleet Review Spectacular for flame effects while it was last used for stationary pyrotechnics during the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE2006 – A Diamond Night In Emerald City & moving ground pyrotechnics during the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE2002 – The World’s Celebration In Union. It is understood heritage concerns prevent pyrotechnics from being used on the pylons often, especially ground pyro that breaks, after damage occurred during the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000. The only other time the pylons have been used for fireworks was during Sydney NYE1996 – Mask A Sydney Face. The pylons are overdue for another appearance but they are not expected to make an appearance for Sydney NYE2024.
In regard to the official website, whose design is quite modern this year, it will be updated even more in the lead up to the event with additional vantage points, location details, road closures & transport information.
Celebrating one of the biggest New Year’s Eve spectacles in the world takes planning so it’s important to us to ensure we enhance that visitor experience from the outset.
Pivotal to the visitor experience is making it as easy as possible to find out all the information they need to plan ahead for the big night.
I encourage everyone looking to celebrate New Year’s Eve to make arrangements in advance & explore our site for details about all the fantastic experiences Sydney has to offer.
Monica Barone, City Of Sydney Chief Executive Officer
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race has announced its calendar of events for its Sydney Race Village outside the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia (CYCA) with 3 new events but also, the cancellation of the Commodore’s Beer & Prawn Night.
The Sydney Race Village opens on Sunday the 1st of December, but the 1st event isn’t for another 4 days. On Thursday the 5th of December, the Sydney Race Village will welcome back Team Australia from the Youth & Women’s America’s Cup at the Team Australia Welcome Back Reception. You can meet the team & hear about their experience at the events, held in Europe, in a panel discussion. The event begins at 6:30pm & last 3 hours. There will also be finger food & a cash bar operating. You will need a free ticket for this event, which can be got from here. Refunds are available up to the 28th of November.
Quiet Little Drink Image: Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
On Friday the 13th of December is the Quiet Little Drink, which is what the name suggests. This event is a 55-year-old tradition of the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race & will make its debut at the Sydney Race Village this edition. It will celebrate competitors of the upcoming race entering their 10th (females only) 25th, 40th & 50th editions as well as debutants from the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy, which the event will also raise funds for. The event begins at 6pm & last 4 hours. There will also be nibbles & a drink on arrival. You will need a ticket for this event, which can be bought for AUD$30 from here. A portion of the AUD$30 will be donated to the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy’s programs. Refunds are available up to the 8th of December.
The Commodore’s Beer & Prawn Night was to be held on Monday the 16th of December but that has since been cancelled.
Women In Sailing Cocktail Party Photograph: Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
The Women In Sailing Cocktail Party, to be held on the 18th of December, has been announced to feature professional ocean racer Stacey Jackson & local navigator Clare Costanzo in a panel discussion with other female sailors. It will begin at 6pm & last 5 hours. 2 drink vouchers will be provided on arrival. A cash bar will also be operating & food specials will be sold. You will need a ticket for this event, which can be bought for AUD$21 from here. Refunds are available up to the 11th of December.
Women In Sailing Cocktail Party Panel Discussion Photograph: Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
On the 21st of December, a new Long Lunch will also be held at 12pm lasting 4.5 hours. There will be canapes on arrival, followed by a 3-course lunch. Beverages are also provided throughout the Long Lunch. You will need a ticket for this event. Tickets cost AUD$100 for CYCA members & AUD$120 for non-members. They can be bought from here. Refunds are available up to the 14th of December.
Lastly, from 2pm on the main day, the 26th of December (Boxing Day), will be Family Day at the Sydney Race Village with the big screen showing highlights of Channel 9’s live broadcast of the main race start followed by a live stream of the online Yacht Tracker.
The Sydney Race Village is open between the 1st & 26th December inclusive outside the CYCA on the shores of Rushcutters Bay on Sydney Harbour. It will be exclusive to ticketholders during ticketed events while it will be completely closed to the general public on Sunday the 22nd of December between 5pm & 10pm, when it is open to only the racing crews & the CYCA members.
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race begins at 1pm on the 26th of December on Sydney Harbour.
Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) will continue to not have official themes & instead pursue a new visual identity for at least the next 3 editions from NYE2025 inclusive.
The City of Sydney is undertaking a 2-stage process to determine the successful visual identity.
The 1st stage is an expression of interest (EOI), which is open to any creative agency/consultancy.
The 2nd stage will see the City Of Sydney select the best EOIs, no lower than the top 3, who will also be paid a fee of AUD$3000 (excluding Goods & Services Tax (GST)) by the City Of Sydney to improve on their EOIs & deliver their final full creative concept proposals along with requested financial quotes to them in a presentation.
The City of Sydney is requesting the creative concept proposal:
provide a clear, consistent image/idea of Sydney NYE that is original & instantly recognisable
acts as a graphic unifier for the event over time, providing consistency across the event from year to year
clearly positions Sydney as a cultural & creative city
showcases & promotes both Sydney & the City of Sydney
excites & engages all stakeholders – audiences, businesses, sponsors & partners – to participate in Sydney NYE &
leverages the event’s unique & attributable strengths creatively, avoiding predictability.
The new visual identity should align with the event’s philosophy, which is that the event “is a bold, colourful & exciting celebration that marks the end of 1 year & the beginning of another, filled with hope & opportunity”.
It will provide a consistent visual “narrative” across decorations & marketing including online content, physical signage & communications.
For interested parties, it should be pointed out that Sydney & the City Of Sydney are 2 different things, though both are combined. ‘Sydney’ refers to the significant urban area of the Sydney basin, from the Pacific Ocean in the east to Katoomba in the west & Campbelltown and the Royal National Park in the south to the Hawkesbury River in the north. The ‘City Of Sydney’ refers to the local government area immediately south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge down to the industrial area of Beaconsfield as well east to Moore Park and west to the University Of Sydney.
‘Sydney’ (red) & the ‘City Of Sydney’ (blue) Image: Australian Bureau Of Statistics (edited by Sydney Spectaculars)
Renumeration Dispute
The EOI was to initially close on Friday the 26th of July 2024 but just over a week after the EOI opened on the 1st of July, the City Of Sydney announced they will “pause” the EOI after complaints from designers regarding renumeration of the successful applicant.
The City Of Sydney was originally going to sign a AUD$70,000 (excluding GST) contract with the successful applicant to design the visual identity. That amount was likely for just the 1st of the 3 editions. The previous contract was valued at an average $73,333.3 per edition with $120,000 paid for the 1st edition when most of the work over 3 years was done. After consulting with the Australian Graphic Design Association, when the EOI reopened on Tuesday the 12th of November, it was announced the successful applicant would now sign a AUD$100,000 (excluding GST) contract to design the visual identity. It is likely this amount is still for the 1st edition only. However, it is notably AUD$20,000 less in value still from NYE2019.
The EOI will now close on Friday the 13th of December 2024. The best EOIs will be notified on Friday the 10th of January 2025 with Stage 2 presentations being held the next month on Wednesday the 5th of February.
Visual identities were introduced from NYE2019, replacing the iconic themes that occurred since the turn of the Millennium. Since NYE2019, the visual identity from Garbett Design has been the official visual identity of Sydney NYE.
Sydney NYE2019-2024 Visual Identity Visual Identity: City Of Sydney/Garbett Design
Garbett Design’s contract with the City Of Sydney was extended by a year due to the New South Wales Government managing the NYE2020 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract expired after NYE2022 but the City Of Sydney kept using their visual identity for another 2 editions likely due to the Big Creative Ideas initiative heavily influencing the potential future of the event.
The Big Creative Ideas initiative begun in September last year and finished in January this year & was held to find new creative ideas, especially environmentally sustainable ones, for the City Of Sydney’s events including Sydney NYE. The news of the continuation of visual identities for Sydney NYE leads us to the conclusion that the idea of returning to official themes has not been taken up by the City Of Sydney. Sydney Spectaculars has been allocating unofficial themes to those editions from NYE2019 inclusive except NYE2021 when an official theme did come back for that edition only.
The successful designer for the Sydney NYE2025-2027 visual identity will sign the contract on Friday the 28th of February 2025 & the new visual identity will be unveiled no earlier than Friday the 16th of May later that year.
Sydney New Year’s Eve is objectively the best fireworks display in the world, illuminating our Harbour with stunning pyrotechnics to herald in the new year.
With half a billion people watching, this is an opportunity for a designer to have their work displayed on an international stage & I encourage everyone with an exciting creative concept to apply.
We’re looking for branding that will connect with audiences of all ages & backgrounds, locally, nationally & internationally with a message of inclusion, celebration & safety.
Clover Moore AO, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor
OPINION: It is ironic that the visual identity criteria again asks to avoid predictability whilst also providing consistency. This was also the case in the NYE2019 EOI. The continuation of visual identities instead of themes will see Sydney NYE still be rather predictable as has been the case since NYE2019 with a focus on a bigger and larger Midnight Fireworks with a new unique soundtrack each year. Calling Country will still be the most creative segment of the event with it having the same creative level as the iconic NYE1999-NYE2018 themed editions of the event.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has announced that their Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2024 concert on the Northern Forecourt of the Sydney Opera House will celebrate national youth radio station Triple J’s 50th anniversary.
Triple J first aired on the 19th of January 1975 as Double J before being renamed to it’s current name on the 11th of July 1980.
They will celebrate the 50th anniversary milestone by covering popular songs from Triple J’s Hottest 100 music polls, first held in 1989.
The announcement of the concert theme was made on Thursday the 9th of May 2024.
Last edition’s Happy New Year concert featured 34 songs. Based on this, here are our predictions on which 34 songs will feature at the 2024 concert based on previous Hottest 100 music polls:
Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
The End – The Doors
Respect – Aretha Franklin
A Day in the Life – The Beatles
Imagine – John Lennon
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Anarchy in the U.K. – Sex Pistols
Wuthering Heights – Kate Bush
Alison – Elvis Costello
Rock Lobster – The B-52’s
Shivers – The Boys Next Door
Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
Throw Your Arms Around Me – Hunters & Collectors
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana
Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley
Wonderwall – Oasis
These Days – Powderfinger
Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra
The Less I Know the Better – Tame Impala
Never Be Like You – Flume featuring Kai
Humble – Kendrick Lamar
Confidence – Ocean Alley
bad guy – Billie Eilish
Heat Waves – Glass Animals
Elephant – Tama Impala (The Wiggles cover)
Say Nothing – Flume featuring May-a
Believe – Cher (DMA’s cover)
Paint the Town Red – Doja Cat
As 2 of the songs we have predicted are covers, we are expecting the ABC to try and get The Wiggles & DMAs to perform live at the concert. DMA’s have previously performed at the concert at Sydney NYE2020 – Thank You.
All this is speculation for now, but confirmation of the artists should come from early December, when tickets for the concert also go on sale at the time of the Sydney NYE2024 media launch.
The City Of Sydney has awarded Foti International Fireworks the contract to provide the fireworks for Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2024 & 2025 with 2 two-year options to extend beyond those editions to up to & including NYE2029.
The decision was made unanimously at a City Of Sydney Corporate, Finance, Properties & Tenders Committee meeting on Monday the 14th of August 2023, where they also resolved to delegate the authority to finalise, execute & administer the contracts to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Monica Barone, before being finalised, also unanimously, at a City Of Sydney Council meeting on Monday the 21st of August 2023.
As part of the tender process for this contract, respondents had to provide information on initiatives to continue reducing the event’s environmental impact. This information will assist the City in analysing and reporting against the environmental performance of the event. After each edition of Sydney NYE, the CEO will provide an update to Councillors on the just completed edition’s environmental performance.
There were 2 respondents to the tender: Foti International Fireworks & Howard and Sons Pyrotechnics.
During the Corporate, Finance, Properties & Tenders Committee meeting on Monday the 14th of August 2023, the Deputy Lord Mayor at the time, Greens Councillor, Sylvie Ellsmore, revealed the City Of Sydney had considered a drone show over “8 sites” but this was deemed currently not viable when it was revealed to Councillors in a briefing they were given by their Council staff a week earlier.
The City Life Director, Emma Rigney, also revealed at that meeting that the contract is designed to be 2 years with 2 two-year optional extensions in case of any environmental improvements or alternatives arising out of the Big Creative Ideas initiative that was launched last year.
The contract was signed on Monday the 13th of November 2023 & is worth AUD$7,804,000 or AUD$1,300,666.7 per edition.
The yacht race, affectionally known as The Great Race South, starts annually at 1pm & traditionally on Boxing Day (26 December) in Sydney Harbour & sees single-hulled yachts of roughly 9 to 30 metres in length, travel 628 nautical miles (1163.06 kilometres) in order to be the 1st yacht & crew to arrive in Hobart, Tasmania. The journey involves navigating out of Sydney Harbour & Heads passing 2 buoys before travelling south down the New South Wales coast before crossing the edge of the notorious Bass Strait to reach Tasmania, where they travel down its eastern coast, around the iconic Tasman Island & up the Derwent River to Hobart. The 1st to reach in line with & to the east of Hobart’s Battery Point wins the race’s line honours. There are other race categories, mostly handicaps, but line honours is the only category that features all competitors.
Historically, out of 78 editions, the yacht that has won the most line honours is Wild Oats XI, who was skippered by Mark Richards with Robbie Naismith, Iain Murray & Rodney Daniel as 3 of the many crewpersons, winning 9 times in the editions of 2005-2008, 2010, 2012-2014 & 2018.
The current race record was set in 2017 by LDV Comanche, skippered by Jim Cooney with Casey Smith as Sailing Master, Stan Honey as Navigator & a crew of 17 other people, in a time of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes & 24 seconds (or 27 December, 10:15:24pm).
The sailor with the most line honours victories is Steve Jarvin at 15 victories while Bruce Farr of Farr Yacht Designis the designer of the most winning line honours yachts.
Entering yachts are confirmed about 2 months prior to the race in late October. Entries for the 2024 race closed on Friday the 25th of October 2024 with 112 yachts confirmed including 23 double-handed entrants & 4 30.48 metre long (100 foot) maxis. These yachts include 105 from Australia, 2 from France & 1 each from the United States of America (USA), New Zealand (NZ), China, the Philippines & Japan. Out of the 105 yachts from Australia, currently there are:
61 from New South Wales
15 from Queensland
12 from Victoria
10 from Tasmania
4 from South Australia,
2 from Western Australia &
1 from an unknown state/territory
Winning against the world’s best was a dream come true & we are working hard to do it again.
Christian Beck, ‘LawConnect’ Owner & 2023 Race Skipper
Notable confirmed entries include LawConnect, last year’s line honours winner, Comanche, 4-time line honours winner, Bacardi (‘The Bus’), the yacht with the most races entered, URM Group, Moneypenny, No Limit, Whisper, Willow, Caro (NZ), Katwinchar, Wild Thing 100, Ocean Crusaders J-Bird & debutants, Maritimo 100, Fika, Bacchanal (USA) & Cocody (France). The current International Rating Certificate (IRC) handicap class trophy, the Tattersall Cup, holder, Alive, will also try to win it for a 3rd time:
We’re excited to be back, proudly representing Tasmania in the 79th edition & we are hopeful to back up our previous victory. We are in it to win it. Phillip (Turner, the yacht owner) & the whole team are very excited.
Duncan Hine, ‘Alive’ skipper
Officiating the race are umpires, 3 committees (technical, race & protest) & an international jury.
Spectators can watch the race for free. However, to gain access to the Sydney Harbour exclusion zone & be precisely on the start line, there is only 1 spectator boat allowed – the official spectator vessel. This year, the official spectator vessel is The Jackson, a luxury superyacht. Public access is only to the main deck, which has 270-degree views, with the mid & top decks reserved for private functions. New for 2024 are additional, even more comfortable, tables & seating. Tickets are $390 per person & are on sale usually from June. Apart from the race, The Jackson‘s main deck includes canapés, substantial snacks, premium beverages & a 5-meter light-emitting diode screen of the official television broadcast. Official event merchandise is also available for purchase on board. It departs from King Street Wharf 2.75 hours before the race start, returning 2 hours after the race start. Boarding begins half an hour prior to departure from King Street Wharf. There are many other private cruises available for purchase, but they are all are outside of the exclusion zone.
The Jackson Photograph: Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
While the race begins on 26 December & can finish within 2 days, the yachts can finish as late as January 6 – 11 days later! Also, at the start & finish cities are Race Villages. These Villages have entertainment, event merchandise, food, drinks & children’s activities.
The Sydney Race Village, held at the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia, opens about 20 days prior to the race start, on the 6th of December, formally beginning the whole event. It hosts a Women in Sailing Cocktail Party, The Commodore’s Beer & Prawn Night, an outdoor screen for live coverage of sailing events on Sydney Harbour & outdoor seating. On Boxing Day, for the race start, family activities are held at the Sydney Race Village before the Village closes for that edition later that day.
Between the 13th & 15th December inclusive is the Sydney-Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta. A regatta is a series of boat races. This regatta features previous Sydney-Hobart race entrants that launched their yacht over 33 years ago. It features 2 pointscore races of varying courses in 3 handicap divisions while an extra race to open the Regatta combines all divisions into 1, with no points scored & uses the same course. All races are held in the iconic stretch of waterway that features the start of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race with 1 race occurring each day.
The Hobart Race Village, held waterside at Constitution Dock, opens at 12pm on the 27th of December & closes on January 1st, formally ending the whole event unless there are still more yachts to finish, which could be the case. The Hobart Race Village has an information desk, question and answer sessions, daily live music & the informal trophy prizegiving ceremonies for the line honours & IRC handicap winners, the latter handicap category making up about 63% of the racing fleet.
Vendors already confirmed for the Hobart Race Village include Richard Bennett,Brown Brothers Family Winemakers, Devil’s Corner, Dark Lab, Daiquiri Isle PL, KaKi LiMa Indonesian Street Food, Kung Fu Canteen, Culinary Kitchen, Jasmine Kitchen, Orlando Plenty & Monica’s Fairy Floss.
There is also a formal trophy prizegiving ceremony at Hobart’s Hotel Grand Chancellor at 3pm on New Year’s Eve.
The 2024 race will have its media launch in late November. 8 rule changes though were announced in June when entries opened but they were mainly to do with safety/weather, handicap category requirements/allowances & crew composition but nothing that would significantly affect line honours or change the sporting nature of line honours.
Therefore, Sydney Spectaculars believes it is the right time to include sailing events into the events we cover & the most famous sailing race in Sydney is the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race, that starts in Sydney Harbour.
We considered whether or not the sailing in The Games Of The Olympiad, which Sydney hosted in 2000, is more ‘spectacular’. We decided that the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race is unique from the sailing in the Olympics. In 1896, whilst cancelled, the sailing in The Games Of The Olympiad involved only naval ships. In 1900, events were based on weight. In 1904-1968, events were based on length. In 1920, geometric area was also considered. In 1924 & from 1932 to the present, the races were also based on the overall design of the boats (i.e. all boats must be of the same design. That is, ‘one design’.).
To enter the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race, yachts mainly are required to be single-hulled & with a length of 9 to 31 metres. Currently in the Games Of The Olympiad, events require boats of a length less than 9 metres. The longest sailing boats in the Games Of The Olympiad are 5 metres long & out of the 10 events, 1 event involves a multi-hulled boat. Even though there is no ‘one design’ rule for all entrants in the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race (there is a special handicap category though), the race’s boat eligibility requirements are distinct enough from The Games Of The Olympiad’s rules to deem the race just as spectacular as Olympic sailing.
History
In 1944, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) was formed. A yacht cruise from Sydney to Hobart was proposed by some club members in early 1945 to take place on Boxing Day (26 December) that year. In the middle of 1945, Royal Navy (UK) Officer, Captain John Illingworth, visited the Club & heard about the plans for the cruise. He suggested to turn it into a race – an idea the club took up & on Boxing Day 1945, The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race first set sail.
It was an immediate hit. The race record dropped dramatically over the 1st generation of competitive sailors from a week to 2.5 days, where it halted for 2 decades, when it was broken twice in 4 editions in the late 1990’s. It took another 6 editions before it was broken again in 2005. Another 12 years passed before it was most recently broken in 2017.
The 1982 edition was the most competitive race so far with the top 2 finishing, for line honours, 7 seconds apart. Last year’s edition comes in at a close 2nd with a gap of 51 seconds.
Tragedy stuck in the 1998 edition when 5 people drowned, 1 dying from a heart attack, 55 people being rescued, 5 boats sinking & 7 boats being left abandoned when an unusually intense low-pressure system formed, resulting in winds of 118 kilometres per hour with gusts of 148 kilometres per hour. It resulted in Australia’s largest peacetime rescue operation with 27 Royal Australian Navy vessels & 35 aircraft searching. Only 38% of the racing fleet completed the race.
For the 1999 edition, rules were tightened but by the 2000 edition, the Coronial Inquest found the CYCA simply “observed” the race rather than “managing” it while also criticising the Bureau Of Meteorology, the Australian Government’s weather forecast agency, for failing to provide an updated forecast, which included the fateful storm, to the CYCA. The CYCA’s Race Director also resigned as a result, particularly after the Coroner felt they would repeat the same mistakes in the future.
In the 2001 edition, a 500-metre wide 190km/h waterspout with golf ball-size hail struck several boats on Boxing Day, severely damaging one, which managed to finish the race. In the 2004 edition, just over half the fleet finished the race due to severe storms, which this time only caused 1 sinking with no lives lost.
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race currently has a daily average attendance of 67,000 people and a daily broadcast average audience of 86,000 people though up until 2019, only the start was televised as a special event broadcast. The start sees 400,000 people gather around Sydney Harbour & 700,000 watch on television and via the Internet from around the world. 93,000 people from around the world, on average, watch the line honours finish via television or the Internet. The actual in-person attendance for the line honours finish fluctuates greatly every year as the finish could be in the early morning hours! However, we estimate that if it was in the middle of the daytime with perfect weather for watching & competitive sailing, it would be no more than 13,000 people.
So to acknowledge the fact it is the world’s most famous annual sailing race & it’s sporting iconography for Sydney, we have decided to designate The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race as a flagship Sydney Spectacular.
What if I cannot attend the event?
From 2024 & in a multi-year deal, the Australian broadcast rights for the start are held by the 9 Network, after a long stint by the 7 Network, but if it is like recent rights with the 7 Network, they are non-exclusive rights. The whole race is livestreamed via YouTube in the form of morning and afternoon updates with live coverage of the start & finish of various yachts & categories including line honours as well as the prizegiving ceremony. It has been confirmed 9Now will show all this, which is a significant change to the previous 7+ coverage, which only featured the start live & on-demand.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart is Australia’s summer sporting icon & we couldn’t be more excited to chart a new era for the race and its competitors through Nine’s huge storytelling ecosystem. It aligns perfectly with our portfolio of world class sporting events & we look forward to partnering with the Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia, their team and sponsors to grow the footprint of this extraordinary event across Australia.
Michael Stephenson, 9 Network Chief Sales Officer & Local Markets Managing Director
Sydney Spectaculars will be providing coverage of the 2024 race. Assuming the television & digital rights are still non-exclusive, this will include all scheduled live streams embedded on our ‘Watch LIVE’ page. We will try to embed unscheduled live streams but owing to the effect of weather on the race and the fact some yachts may finish suddenly in the middle of the night, this may not be possible. However, we will provide a link to where you can find the unscheduled live streams. This will especially be the case if the television & digital rights turn out to be exclusive to the 9 Network in Australia.
The Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race is also part of the Blue Water Pointscore – a series of 6 races from July to December, concluding with the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race. These additional races are not considered a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular. The series began in 1958 & currently begins in July with the 2nd most ‘spectacular’ race on Sydney Harbour – the Sydney-Gold Coast Yacht Race. The other 4 races currently include the Flinders Islet Race (Sydney-Illawarra-Sydney), the Tollgate Islands Race (Sydney-Batemans Bay-Sydney), the Bird Island Race (Sydney-Central Coast-Sydney) & the Cabbage Tree Island Race (Sydney-Nelson Bay-Sydney). The latter race actually begins on the day the Sydney Race Village opens & is the opening race in the international Australian Maxi Championship.
The Australian Maxi Championship lasts 5 days & features 3 other races down Sydney Harbour and out to off Sydney’s coast & back. A maxi is a yacht that is a minimum of 18 metres long. On the Australian Maxi Championships‘ final day, the Big Boat Challenge is the final race held & just like in the Sydney-Hobart, is open to all yachts down to a minimum of 9 metres in length. This race is held mainly along the waterway that hosts the iconic start of the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race but instead of finishing in Hobart, they finish at the World Heritage-Listed Sydney Opera House!
If speed, rather than meteorological tactics, is more your style, the Australia Sail Grand Prize (SailGP) of the SailGP Championship is held just to the northwest of Shark Island in early February each year. All sailing vessels in this event are the F50 – a 15-metre-long multi-hull foiling sailing vessel.
There are also other regattas held on Sydney Harbour throughout the year including the one on Australia Day around Shark Island, which is the oldest continuously run annual sailing event in the world & is open to any racing boat. If more than 5 similar boats enter, organisers may form a special division for those boats to race against each other.
The Sail Sydney Regatta is held on Sydney Harbour on the 6-9th December when the Sydney Race Village is open & includes the sailing boat classes that feature in The Games Of The Olympiad excluding windsurfing & kiteboarding, as well as classes of similar to mid-sized sailing craft. Races are held in classes, but some classes may race at the same time on the same course.
There is also, as mentioned earlier, the Tall Ships Race at 1pm on Australia Day from Bradley’s Head to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Ferrython on Australia Day does not count as that is not a sailing event due to the ferries having motors.
As you can see, Sydney Harbour has a rich history of sailing with its pinnacle the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race.
Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race, it’s time to set sail!
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