Ignatius Jones AM, the creative director of Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) between 1996 and 2001 & Vivid Sydney between 2011 and 2019, has died suddenly aged 67, following a short illness.
He was also the creative director of the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000.
The iconic artistic direction he did for the Olympics & the Millennium propelled Sydney’s events into global popular culture.
In 2001, he was also artistic director of the Centenary Of Federation celebrations, which had a parade throughout Sydney as its’ centrepiece.
Between 2011 & 2015, he also artistic director of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
In 2017, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Australian Event Awards, which was followed a year later with him becoming a full member of the Order Of Australia, General Division, for his “significant service to entertainment”, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Whilst he made most of his event achievements in Sydney, he also worked internationally:
Ceremonies of XXIst Olympic Winter Games: Vancouver 2010
Opening Ceremony of Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Ceremonies of XV Asiad: Doha 2006
Independence Of East Timor ceremony
Dolly Parton’s productions in the United States Of America
Before his iconic career in events, he was a musician, being a singer with the shock rock band Jimmy & The Boys, which introduced shock theatrics to Australia, before forming a swing band, Pardon Me Boys, with his sister, Monica Trapaga. His sister also performed the John Paul Young classic, Love Is In The Air, at the Millennium celebrations as well as doing sets at the Sydney NYE segments: 4 Kids (1997-2001), Carnaval (1999-2001) & Hot Jazz In The City (2001).
Ignatius Jones retired in 2022 & passed away in his birth country, the Philippines, in Iloilo City on May 7 at 9:30pm Sydney time.
He will be remembered for an Eternity.
Below the below quote, you can find highlights from his 3 most iconic Sydney events: the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE1999: Sydney’s Millennium, the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 & Vivid Sydney 2019.
We are absolutely devastated to announce the passing of my brother, Juan Ignacio Trapaga, the formidable Ignatius Jones.
NSW Health is advising people who have been in the Sydney central business district (CBD) area (map above) on New Year’s Eve (NYE) to be on alert for symptoms of Legionnaires’ Disease after 7 people who have developed the disease spent time in the area in the last 3 weeks. This advice applies to anyone else who has been in the CBD since & including Christmas Eve (24 December).
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease can develop up to 10 days from the time of exposure to contaminated water particles in the air & include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia.
Those most at risk are people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions & people who smoke. People who develop Legionnaires’ Disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray & usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital.
The southern boundary of the area pictured above is roughly in line with Sydney Town Hall/southern Hyde Park while the northern boundary is Sydney Harbour.
The only vantage point in the area of concern is the Cahill Expressway. However, most people would have been affected on the way to & from any vantage point if their path of travel took them through the CBD such as via the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Eastern Suburbs or ferries to/from Circular Quay. People who attended Sydney NYE vantage points such as Darling Harbour, Barangaroo Reserve, Observatory Hill Park, Dawes Point (Tar-ra Park), Hickson Road Reserve, Campbells Cove, The Rocks, West Circular Quay, East Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, The Domain: Tarpeian Lawn & the Royal Botanic Gardens: Bennelong Lawn, who are very likely to have traversed throughout the CBD from/to the event should also be especially cautious.
The 7 people who have already developed the disease, 3 women & 4 men, ranging in age from their 20’s to 70’s, independently visited locations in the CBD between Bathurst Street, Sussex Street, Elizabeth Street & Circular Quay in the 10 days prior to their symptoms. All have been admitted to hospital for treatment of pneumonia & have been identified with the Legionella bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease, which is often associated with contaminated cooling towers of large buildings.
NSW Health environmental health officers are working closely with the City of Sydney to inspect cooling towers & review the CBD cooling towers’ maintenance records, which will help determine further towers to be inspected & sampled.
Building managers with cooling towers are being contacted & informed of the cluster. Building owners should ensure that their cooling towers are operated & maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022.
People can be exposed to the Legionella bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air & breathed in. Legionnaires’ disease cannot be spread from person to person.
1 million people are expected to have attended Sydney New Year’s Eve 2023.
Sydney has, once again, showed the world how to live the party life after a spectacular conclusion to 2023 & welcome to 2024.
It began on a disappointing note though. The Fire Tug, announced to make its 1st appearance since New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2018, did not appear in the end.
However, the next event, the Smoking Ceremony, did go ahead & it was the biggest ever – with 3 vessels used for the 1st time.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge light show & pylon projection show started a surprise half an hour early before the visual broadcast began at 8:30pm, which revealed that at it’s beginning that Zan Rowe had finally been promoted to co-host of the entire broadcast after been the concert co-host since NYE2017. New roving co-host Concetta Caristo, after a brief appearance from the eastern roadway of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Fortunato Foti, the Sydney NYE2023 Fireworks Director, in what was probably the 1st ever live television cross to the Bridge on NYE, partially co-hosted the last 90 minutes of the concert.
In another surprise, the message stick presentation from Indigenous elders to the City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, took place at the end of the Welcome To Country rather than at the end of the Calling Country: Live Performance, as it has been done in the past. More surprisingly, it was relegated to the back of the stage rather than onstage and so only via television.
The Bluey & Bingo Moment followed but it started a couple of minutes early – potentially causing some revellers to miss the first 2 minutes of the Moment. This was probably because Bluey is an ABC-co-commissioned production for television &as a result, they were allowed to determine the precise timing of the Moment – for television audiences – which was a minute earlier than advertised for people down on the Harbour. It was live in both instances.
Calling Country then started. The live performance & fireworks were, once again, combined after being separate last edition. This meant it started at 8:57pm – 3 minutes before 9pm. It also opened with a film on television before 8:57pm – it’s unsure if this is technically part of Calling Country or just the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcast. However, it was well-produced film that did set the stage for the main performances & displays, which were again, together with that film, the greatest annual expression of Indigenous creativity & culture on this continent.
The biggest surprise though came during Calling Country when it was revealed, for the 1st time since 2008, the Sydney Harbour Bridge catwalk was not used as part of the 9pm fireworks display.
When Calling Country finished, the ABC didn’t let the end of the segment slow the party – they went straight into the concert with a set by King Stingray. It allowed the flow to not be disrupted.
The rest of the event was standard Sydney including the iconic Midnight Fireworks. However, the ABC did slack in the broadcast of the Pink & Sydney Opera House 50th Anniversary Moments. The latter may have been affected by the late inclusion of Harry Connick Junior to the concert line-up, who appeared 25 minutes earlier than expected at around 11:05pm, but either way, the Moments only lasted a few minutes & could have been shown in full. It is unknown if the Moments had soundtracks either as the music played at the Concert, unlike previous years, was not stated by the hosts to have a special link to the Moments.
This, along with the message stick presentation during the Welcome To Country & the timing of the Bluey & Bingo Moment, gives a strong feeling that there is a push to make Sydney New Year’s Eve more of a ‘television event’, like Australia Day LIVE. Last night’s broadcast was ABC’s 10th since regaining the rights in 2013 and the City Of Sydney relies very heavily nowadays on the ABC for the event – the question now is are they starting to rely too much on them?
‘Television events’ are very different to ‘in-person’ events. ‘Australia Day LIVE’ is the prime example. Spectators at the event may have to watch a big screen to see the event for hours as the event is designed for viewers at home rather than at the event. Sometimes, there are rarely any ‘in-person’ segments but a heavy reliance on short films being broadcast to make ‘the event’. Also, if a commercial broadcaster is running it, spectators at the event would experience gaps in the event for television commercials. ABC is a public non-commercial broadcaster.
It should be noted the Moments never used to broadcast but ABC, until last night, started to broadcast them complete with synchronised music from the concert, to really bring ‘the event’ to people’s lounge rooms. The message stick presentation was also, until last night, primarily seen by the people at the ABC concert. This means these are not historically unusual but the trend is going the other way from a ‘broadcast of an event’ to an ‘event designed for television’ – and the latter is not good for spectators attending ‘in-person’ & thus, the actual ‘event’.
While the City Of Sydney did show the world how to live the party life this NYE, the ABC has started to head the other way after so many years of success since their disastrous NYE2013 & NYE2014 broadcasts. It was not a total disaster like those 2 broadcasts. In fact, overall, it was, again. a very well-produced broadcast. It’s just that they didn’t show everything like they used to & relegated part of a segment backstage, meaning it was all but perfect.
My rating for the Sydney NYE2023 event: 8/10
And lastly, great to see Genesis Owusu appear on the concert stage singing after pulling out at the last minute on NYE2021!
UPDATE (6:58PM): All vantage points in the city and North Sydney are now full. Please do not travel into these areas.
The City of Sydney & NSW Police is advising that multiple vantage points around the Sydney Harbour foreshore are now at full capacity ahead of tonight’s Sydney New Year’s Eve 2023 event.
Vantage Points that are full as at 6pm are:
The Domain: Fleet Steps
The Domain: Mrs Macquarie’s Point
The Royal Botanic Gardens: Bennelong Lawn
The Domain: Tarpeian Lawn
Sydney Opera House
East Circular Quay
Blues Point
Campbells Cove
Hickson Road Reserve
West Circular Quay
Mary Booth Lookout/Bradfield Park
Other areas that are quickly filling, as of 6pm, include:
Correction: The article earlier stated there will “a series” of special tributes to Sydney NYE2023 Charity Partner, the National Breast Cancer Foundation in addition to the 10pm Pink Moment. Sydney Spectaculars has received clarification that there will be only the 10pm Pink Moment and not an extra “series” of special tributes.
THE SWEATS has revealed the Midnight Fireworks will be set to 3 music pieces titled NYE (Again), Tiny Sparks & One More Revolution respectively:
The soundtrack draws on house and bass music influences, hyper-pop, drum and bass & old school electronica in tandem with bombastic brass sections and lush choral moments.
It took roughly 2 months to compose, record and produce the soundtrack which comprises 3 individual pieces titled NYE (Again), Tiny Sparks & One More Revolution, that slot together like a DJ mix to create a single, seamless 12-minute track.
Pulling it together was quite the production that involved lead vocals by Royston Esq, 9 children yelling, 33 choristers singing, several backing vocalists & various mixing and mastering engineers.
Writing music for an event of this scale has been an incredible honour & it’s a great privilege to share it with the world.
THE SWEATS
To hear the Midnight Fireworks soundtrack on the Harbour, tune into KIIS 106.FM.
It was also revealed the Bluey & Bingo Moment at 8:50pm, which uses the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections, will see Bluey & Bingo, from global-hit Australian preschool children’s show. Bluey, showcasing their ‘flossing’ & dancing skills.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge light show will also be turned off at 2am, unlike 1am in previous years.
Sydney NYE2023 will have more than 1,000 accredited personnel & around 250 volunteers.
Our New Year’s Eve team and pyrotechnic experts have been working on tonight’s event for the past 15 months& it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
We’re expecting a million people around the foreshore tonight so if you’re coming into the city, early via public transport, pack food and water & wear good walking shoes. Check sydneynewyearseve.com to receive live updates.
If you’re staying at home, tune in to our fantastic broadcasts on ABC TV & KIIS FM.
Wherever you are & however you celebrate, there’s no doubt that Sydney will be at its best tonight as we count down to the dawning of a new year.
Harry Connick Junior (Jr.) has been announced to perform during Sydney New Year’s Eve 2023’s Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcast from the ABC’s concert.
The concert is held at the Sydney Opera House’s Northern Broadwalk & will be broadcast live on the Internet, television & radio from 8:57pm tomorrow AEDT (though the earliest Harry Connick Jr. could perform is actually 9:08pm AEDT due to Calling Country, it is expected he will conclude the concert just before Midnight).
He recently concluded an Australian tour in Melbourne on the 18th of December.
A ballot for tickets to the ABC concert closed just over 3 weeks ago on the 7th of December.
The nearest vantage point to the Concert is the Sydney Opera House, which will have a small portion of the Northern Broadwalk still available for the public to watch the fireworks from just behind the concert’s stage. This area of the Sydney Opera House will be the first to fill up so if you want this location, get there well before the vantage point opens at 7am!
To hear Harry Connick Jr. perform live on radio by the Harbour, tune into ABC Radio Sydney 702AM from 9:08pm until the Midnight Fireworks.
I’m incredibly excited to be taking part in the ABC’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. New Year’s Eve is such a special time of year & it is a great honour to be welcoming in 2024 in Australia. I’m so happy to be performing alongside some of Australia’s greatest talent – whether you’re at the concert in person or watching at home on television, it will be night to remember.
Harry Connick Jr.
Other artists to perform at the concert are Jessica Mauboy, King Stingray, Confidence Man, Genesis Owusu, Angie McMahon, Mark Seymour, GrentPerez, & the NYE queen, Casey Donovan!
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has also revealed Sway by Micheal Bublé to be one of the songs to be performed at the concert & it will be sung by Grentperez as a tribute to his Micheal Bublé-loving parents.
Also, it seems ABC has axed the former Early Night Show, a kids television show that ran roughly in the first half hour of the Sydney NYE broadcast. It was first aired in 2016 & was never an official part of the event. This year, there will be a Bluey & Bingo Moment at 8:50pm, which is part of the event as well & not just the broadcast like the former Early Night Show was like.
ABC has been contacted for comment. So far, they have just remind us that they will be showing the 9pm Calling Country Fireworks.
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.
The pyrotechnic barges, currently at White Bay, awaiting their detonation over & along Sydney Harbour on NYE. Photograph: Abril Felman/City Of Sydney
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.
Foti International Fireworks setting up the pyrotechnic barges. at White Bay Photograph: Abril Felman/City Of Sydney
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.
Foti International Fireworks setting up the pyrotechnic barges at White Bay. Photograph: Abril Felman/City Of Sydney
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.
After much confusion, Sydney Spectaculars has confirmation from the City Of Sydney that the Welcome To Country & Calling Country events for Sydney New Year’s Eve have been reordered & at different times despite what the official 2023 website says.
However, as in previous years, the Calling CountryFireworks will remain at 9pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) for 8 minutes & the televised video version of the Welcome To Country will occur at the start of the telecast at 8:30pm AEDT for 3 minutes.
The new schedule is this:
8:30pm-8:33pm: Welcome To Country (televised video version)
8:54pm-8:57pm: Welcome To Country (Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projection version)
8:57pm-9pm: Calling Country – ‘Buried Country’ Live Performance
9pm-9:08pm: Calling Country – ‘Buried Country’ Fireworks
So for the full Calling Country experience:
If you are down by the Harbour, tune into Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Sydney (702AM) at 8:57pm & immediately look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons! ABC Radio Sydney may broadcast the Calling Country Fireworks soundtrack at 9pm (as it is now part of the Concert) but if they do not, tune into KIIS106.5 FM.
If you are watching it on television or the Internet, tune in at 8:57pm AEDT – not 9pm AEDT.
You can read more about this edition’s Welcome To Country & Calling Country on our Sydney NYE2023 webpage.
UPDATE: The Domain: Fleet Steps (10:46AM, 31 December), The Domain: Mrs Macquarie’s Chair (10:46AM, 31 December), Blues Point (2:42PM, 31 December), Mary Booth Lookout (5:48PM, 31 December) & Bradfield Park (5:48PM, 31 December) are FULL.
Firstly, the New South Wales (NSW) Government is encouraging revellers to start planning now including public transportation to & from your vantage point.
Don’t bother considering these vantage points unless you have a ticket as they are already sold out (as of 30th December 2023):
Royal Botanic Gardens: Foundation & Friends Picnic
Goat Island
Bradleys’ Head: Mast Precinct*
Bradleys’ Head: Amphitheatre*
Bradleys’ Head: Athol Lawn*
Clark Island
Shark Island
Strickland Estate*
Cockatoo Island/Wareamah
Cahill Expressway**
Dudley Page Reserve
Taronga Zoo
*Free of charge **Ballot for NSW residents only
For people with a disability,all designated accessible viewing areas are also booked out as of 28th December. You can still join a waitlist for some though in case a spot becomes available.
All other vantage points are free, non-ticketed but on a first-come, first-served basis on event day with limited capacity.
The City Of Sydney are also advising guests that City restaurants & private functions require a booking & therefore, you need to have a ticket or reservation before you come into the City.
TIP 2 – WEAR PINK!
The official Sydney NYE2023 charity partner, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, is encouraging everyone to wear pink on the night! It will culminate with the Sydney Harbour Bridge being lit up in pink at 10pm.
TIP 3 – TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
There are a lot of road closures on NYE, starting as early as 4am and lasting up to 30 hours. Due to the road closures, buses & taxis will be using temporary routes, terminals & ranks, roughly during the times of the respective road closures. There are also cycleway closures from 6pm lasting up to 10 hours. The best bet to get to your vantage point is to leave the car & bicycle at home and take public transport.
There will be thousands of more public transport services than usual. However, McMahons Point & Woolwich Wharves will close at 10am & 11:30am respectively. As the day goes on, vantage points will reach capacity necessitating some more ferry wharf closures. Keep this in mind. Circular Quay will not be directly accessible by bus & light rail (from 2pm), train (from 3pm) & ferry (from 5pm) progressively throughout the afternoon. Ferries may reach capacity around 3pm so if you need to catch a ferry, plan to arrive early in the day as queues will be long. particularly as they will stop services from around 6pm. Milsons Point will not be directly accessible by bus (from 3pm) & train (from 6pm).
TIP 4 – BE PREPARED FOR QUEUES AT ICONIC VANTAGE POINTS ON NYE
Fourth, and this can’t be stressed enough, be prepared for crowds. The attendance is expected to be similar to recent non-COVID-19 pandemic years (1 million). However, it is expected that this edition, crowds will converge on the entry points of the more scenic & iconic vantage points first early in the morning. This will lead to long queues and a high possibility of missing out on a good view for latecomers.
TIP 5 – WATCH FROM THE OPERA HOUSE SIDE OF THE BRIDGE
Both sides of the Sydney Harbour Bridge give a good view of the fireworks. However, the eastern side of the Bridge, which the Sydney Opera House is also on, is considered the ‘show’ side of the Bridge. The Bridge’s light show is only on this side so the light show may be not seen well from the western side. Also, some fireworks from the arches & the hangars of the Bridge fire out to the east & not to the west. The Sydney Opera House from most western vantage points (but not Bradfield Park, Lavender Bay Parklands & Blues Point) would be obstructed by the Sydney Harbour Bridge southern roadway. Simply, for the full Sydney NYE experience, head to a vantage point on the eastern (Opera House) side of the Bridge.
If you are on the western side, you will still be able to clearly see the pylon projections & some of the Bridge’s fireworks including from the roadways, aerial shells from the upper arch & the iconic waterfall.
TIP 6 – BRING AN AM/FM RADIO, PICNIC BLANKET, FOOD, BEVERAGES, UV PROTECTION. SOME PERSONAL ENTERTAINMENT & REUSABLE ITEMS
UV PROTECTION
After 8:40am, wear sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat & a shirt, especially if no shade is providing shelter from UV. Try and seek shade as well where possible though. Reapply sunscreen regularly until the late afternoon. It will make sure the sun doesn’t burn your NYE experience when it finally starts at 7pm! Sun protection is recommended between 8:40am & 5:10pm as the Ultra Violet (UV) index will reach 11 on NYE. An index of 11 means ‘Extreme’ UV. Remember, clouds or no high temperatures does not mean no risk of sunburn (Current forecast: Cloudy with 30% chance of light showers at a maximum 24 degrees Celsius)
PICNIC BLANKET
You will likely be waiting hours on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour as the event starts at 7pm so bring a picnic blanket to rest on. It will also help if you are also bringing food, beverages & your own personal entertainment as detailed below.
BEVERAGES
Bring water or soft drinks so you do not get dehydrated while waiting the long hours for the 7pm start time of the event. Bring your own (BYO) alcohol is prohibited at nearly half the vantage points though. Some but not all popular iconic (22% of) vantage points sell alcohol. 29% of vantage points allow BYO alcohol. To check your considered vantage points’ rules on alcohol, you can apply a filter on the official vantage point map. Below we mention Blues Point, Bradfield Park & Mary Booth Lookout – those vantage points have a total prohibition on alcohol.
Make a sustainable Sydney NYE by bringing reusable cutlery, cups, bottles, napkins, containers and bags for your food & beverages.
PERSONAL ENTERTAINMENT
As it can be hours waiting under the glorious Sydney sun for the event to begin, bring some entertainment of your own so you do not get bored. A popular choice is a game of cards.
AM/FM RADIO
The Midnight Fireworks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge light show and pylon projections & Calling Country are all synchronised to music. To hear the official soundtrack, you need an AM/FM radio. At 7pm, KIIS 106.5FM provides the opening official event broadcast. They will play party hits until 8:57pm when Calling Country begins. At this point, switch to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Sydney 702 AM, who will be broadcasting live the concert on the Sydney Opera House Northern Forecourt, which includes Calling Country. This concert is synchronised to the Sydney Harbour Bridge light show.
KIIS 106.5 are said to have the Calling Country Fireworks soundtrack ‘exclusive’ but the Calling Country Live Performance is part of the ABC concert so there is a chance this year that ABC will also have the Calling Country Fireworks soundtrack broadcast on radio as it is after the start & before the end of the concert. If they do not broadcast it, quickly switch back to KIIS 106.5FM and when the Calling Country Fireworks finish, go back to ABC Radio Sydney 702AM for the rest of the concert.
When the final song in the concert before Midnight has finished its performance, quickly switch back to KIIS 106.5 FM for the Midnight Fireworks soundtrack and the finish of their broadcast, which concludes at around 2am. You can read more about the artists featured in the fireworks soundtracks & concert here.
For people with a disability, tune into 2RPH at 8:50pm & 11:55pm for audio descriptions of the Welcome To/Calling Country & Midnight Fireworks respectively.
TIP 7 – ARRIVE EARLY…EVEN DAYS EARLY
There are 5 popular vantage points that are infamous for having queues forming or campers arriving days in advance. These are Blues Point, Bradfield Park/Mary Booth Lookout & Mrs Macquaries Point/Fleet Steps (The Domain). If you are on the water, as popular spots fill up quickly, move into position well before 7pm on NYE, the event start time.
Blues Point
Blues Point, whilst being iconic, we do not recommend as it is not on the ‘show’ side of the Bridge (see tip 5). If you still want to watch it from Blues Point, campers used to arrive days in advance for a prime spot. However, it is now managed access – meaning if you arrive early, you will be kicked out the night prior & asked to wait outside the managed access gate until opening time. The gate for Blues Point will be on Blues Point Road south of French Street & outside the Blues Point Hotel, closing at 9pm 30 December & opening for revellers at 9am NYE. Only the first 8,600 that get through the managed access from 9am will be let into this vantage point. To access Blues Point, catch a train to North Sydney & then walk west along Blue Street then south for 9 minutes on Blues Point Road. While people may camp outside the Blues Point Hotel, there should be sufficient time on NYE for people to get a good spot if they arrive at the gate before the capacity limit is reached.
Blues Point Vantage Point (dark purple), managed access (light purple), managed access gate (red line), French Street (black line), recommended way to get to vantage point (brown dots). Image: OpenStreetMap
Mary Booth Lookout/Bradfield Park
This vantage point is unique in that half is on the ‘show’ side of the Bridge , some underneath the Bridge while the half is on the ‘non-show’ side of the Bridge (see tip 5). Therefore, to get a good spot here, you need to arrive early – really early. Like Blues Point, campers used to arrive days in advance for a prime spot & it is too now managed access – meaning if you arrive early, you will be kicked out the night prior & asked to wait outside the managed access gate until opening time. The gate for Mary Booth Lookout & Bradfield Park will be at the intersection of Fitzroy Street & Broughton Street with the entry gate leading into Fitzroy Street, closing at 8pm 30 December & opening for revellers at 9am NYE. Only the first 18,000 that get through the managed access from 9am will be let into these vantage points. However, the very first revellers to enter will get Mary Booth Lookout first while the next lot will get the ‘show side’ of Bradfield Park.
Mary Booth Lookout (non-event day) Photograph: City Of Sydney
Bradfield Park (show side on NYE) Photograph: City Of Sydney
If you leave it too late, you will be on the ‘non-show’ side or worse, if you want to clearly see the Bridge, directly under the Bridge behind the pylon.
Bradfield Park (non-show side on non-event day) Photograph: City Of Sydney
You can also be under the Bridge in front of the pylon however, this will only give a good angle of the barges and pontoons, the Opera House, the city buildings, Bridge catwalk pyro fired to the east as well as a close-up of the iconic waterfall.
To access Mary Booth Lookout & Bradfield Park, catch a train to North Sydney & then walk east along Blue Street to some stairs leading to Lavender Bay Art Gallery & the Royal Art Society of NSW, climb these stairs, walk for a minute, then descend on the other side where you enter Walker Street. You then nearly immediately turn east on Middlemiss Street, which looks like a lanway. Use this laneway to lead you to the Harbour Bridge northern railway. Once you reach the railway, follow it all the way to Fitzroy Street. This should take 12 minutes. Along the way, once you reach the roundabout, follow Alfred Street south. On the other side of this roundabout is a sign ‘Bradfield Park’ – you have arrived at the park but not the vantage point. Keep following the railway, you should pass Milsons Point Railway Station (which is closed on NYE from 6pm) & some basketball courts on the left. After these basketball courts is a small roundabout – this is Fitzroy Street on the left. Turn left, go under the arch in the Harbour Bridge on-ramp & on the other side of the traffic lights, you will see the managed access gate. If you go under a Luna Park-themed sign, you didn’t turn left early enough so turn around! To reach Mary Booth Lookout immediately after entering the vantage point, follow the eastern boundary of the vantage point as close as possible until you reach a dead-end or are turned away by security guards (the latter means capacity has been reached in that location).
Mary Booth Lookout/Bradfield Park Vantage Point (dark purple), managed access (light purple), managed access entry gate (red line), Fitzroy & Broughton Streets (black lines), recommended way to get to vantage point (brown dots), managed access entry path (black dots), divide between Mary Booth Lookout & Bradfield Park (grey line), Harbour Bridge (pink), Bridge pylons (light yellow), managed access exit gate (green). Image: OpenStreetMap
While people may camp under the Harbour Bridge on-ramp or in the surrounding Milsons Point suburb, there should be sufficient time on NYE for people to get a good spot if they arrive at the gate before the capacity limit is reached, particularly if you do not mind the ‘non-show’ side.
The Domain: Mrs Macquarie’s Point/Fleet Steps
This is the big one. If you want a spot here, camping overnight is essential. You will not be allowed to camp on the foreshore but where the queue begins (near the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Wooloomooloo Gate) instead. This vantage point is infamous for tourists all over the world queueing up to 3 days in advance for the best spot. There is a reason for this and briefly, I am just referring to Mrs Macquarie’s Point. It has a capacity of 10,500 but most of it is under trees so the only prime spots are on the very tip of the Point where the trees are not on the foreshore and an obstruction. That’s why people queue in advance – you wait even just to the morning of NYE & you’re likely under the trees (the only real benefit is the shade on a scorching summer day).
But there’s a twist! This year, due to the Australian Labor Party making The Domain free entry as part of their election commitment, a new free vantage point has emerged – Fleet Steps. This has been a paid vantage point since the early 2000’s. This section guarantees an iconic view over Farm Cove to the Opera House & Harbour Bridge. However, there’s a small disadvantage. The Bridge is always partly obscured even though it still gives an iconic view (see the photos below).
Fleet Steps – Southern End (note: Southern pylons & part of Bridge – particularly southern roadway – obscured) Photograph: Google Street ViewFleet Steps – Just north of ‘Entrance Ramp’ bottom (note: Southern pylon clearly visible & Bridge – including most of southern roadway partly obscured) Photograph Google Street ViewMrs Maquaries Point (the tip) & Fleet Steps – Northern End (note: Southern pylon obscured & most of the Bridge visible except northern end of southern roadway) Photograph: Google Street View
The general tip for Fleet Steps is the more north you are, the more pyro you see but if you want to see both Bridge pylons, you need to position yourself just north of the vantage point’s ‘entrance ramp’. That’s problem 1. Problem 2 – and this is the bigger problem for both vantage points: capacity. There is a risk if you arrive really early (camping days in advance) & can’t decide – Fleet Steps or Mrs Macquarie’s Point – as pass outs are not granted (You can leave – you just can’t re-enter – unless capacity has not been reached when you reach the end of the queue again… if one exists later in the day. It won’t exist if capacity has been reached). The rule for capacity is not ‘the amount of people that can fit in an area’ but ‘the moment you have counted that amount of people, whether or not a person has entered more than once, through that gate’.
Mrs Macquarie’s Point has 10,500 spaces while Fleet Steps has only 1,350 – so which line would you join?
First, a discussion on Mrs Macquarie’s Point. There is a risk in trying to get a good view of Mrs Macquarie’s Point. As stated earlier, while it has large capacity, only the tip of the point (see earlier photo) has a clear view of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, the city buildings, the pontoons & a barge or two or three. On the western (left) side of the photo below, it is possible to find gaps in the trees with a perfect view of the Opera House & Harbour Bridge peeking through (also see image at end of this section) – but the rest is hidden by trees. If you are just content with a view of the Harbour Bridge & Opera House but not the wider Harbour & city buildings, the western edge may provide opportunities. Else, you are under and looking through trees or worse, given the once-in-a-lifetime nature of the event, on a big screen via the official television broadcast.
The trees in the northern half of Mrs Macquarie’s Point vantage point (the centre of the vantage point is at the far right). Photograph: Google Street View.
So back to that question – which line: Fleet Steps or Mrs Macquarie’s Point? Being the first in Mrs Macquarie’s Point guarantees the tip (The edge of the foreshore at the tip is fenced off for safety) if you don’t get overtaken in the run to the tip (it’s 1km from gate to tip) but if you miss out, you are stuck under trees unless you are happy to leave and try & find another vantage point with a better view. If you try Fleet Steps, which if you are considering after not being happy with your Mrs Macquarie’s Point view, you are probably too late for as well given the small capacity, head as north as possible in the vantage point (unless you want to see both Bridge pylons as detailed above). Even if you miss out on the best spot, you will still get an iconic spot even if it isn’t as good as further north in the vantage point (again, unless you like to see both pylons).
Overall, Fleet Steps is a safe choice & Mrs Macquarie’s Point is a risky choice so it is highly likely people will be camping along the eastern side of Art Gallery Road from the managed access gate near the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Wooloomooloo Gate, down past the Art Gallery Of NSW to a patch of grass over The Domain car park, in the next few days for both vantage points as despite an overall capacity of 11,800 – only the first in the queue (minimum the first 11%) – will get that iconic view.
So the risk in arriving really early is not being able to decide or deciding the wrong vantage point by arriving just a bit late and realising you wasted your time camping out for nothing. It’s a new problem for the Sydney NYE revellers for these vantage points, mainly Mrs Macquaries Point. The risk for those turn up on the morning of NYE is a high chance you will miss out on Fleet Steps as given its capacity of 1,350, it is expected to close very shortly after gates open at 11am & if you risk Mrs Macquarie’s Point, remember you cannot re-enter if capacity has been reached & if you decide to leave anyway, it is a minimum 30 minute walk to the next best vantage point, which would be those around Circular Quay. Despite being the hub of Sydney NYE, Circular Quay is not known for people camping for the queue days in advance. Also, remember, the Royal Botanic Gardens itself is closed to the public on NYE (except for those with a ticket to the Foundation & Friends’ Picnic) so you cannot use the Gardens as a shortcut!
Mrs Macquarie’s Point & Fleet Steps will close at 8:08pm (sunset) on 30 December, with the official queue opening at 7am NYE & the managed access gate opening for revellers at 11am, 4 hours later. Only the first 11,800 that get through the managed access from 11am will be let into these vantage points. Remember at least the first 11% to enter are guaranteed an iconic view.
To access Fleet Steps & Mrs Macquarie’s Point, catch a train to St James. Depending on where you surface from the underground railway station, follow the northern edge of Hyde Park (or via the Archibald Fountain) to Prince Albert Road. Take the 10-minute walk to the gate near the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Wooloomooloo Gate from this street. At the first intersection, it will turn into Art Gallery Road. The queue will open at 7am on NYE with gates opening at 11am.
Fleet Steps/Mrs Macquarie’s Point Vantage Point (dark purple), managed access (light purple), Wooloomooloo Gate (orange line), managed access entry gate (red line), Art Gallery Road (black lines), recommended way to get to vantage point (brown dots), unofficial queue overflow (blue dots), managed access entry path (black dots), divide between Fleet Steps & Mrs Macquarie’s Point (grey line), Fleet Steps ‘Entrance Ramp’ (pink line), Royal Botanic Gardens/Government House boundary (blue lines), the actual Fleet Steps staircase (orange line), Fleet Steps internal footpath (light green dots), Mrs Macquarie’s Point path to best spots (dark green dots). Image: OpenStreetMap
Remember, if you are the first to enter, make sure you are prepared for a 1-kilometre run (or a 15-minute walk). It is literally a race for the best spots. Depending on the time you arrive at the queue, you may find it winding out of the official queue, past the Art Gallery of NSW and down onto a patch of grass above The Domain car park. Regardless of time of arrival (except when capacity is nearly reached), be prepared to wait hours for entry, especially if you camp at the queue entry overnight. After 8:40am, wear sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat & a shirt, especially if no shade is providing shelter from UV. Reapply sunscreen regularly until the late afternoon. It will make sure the sun doesn’t burn your NYE experience when it starts at 7pm, 10 hours after the official queue opens!
Tree obstructions (green), Good view of eastern barge fireworks (purple), iconic views of western fireworks including Opera House & Harbour Bridge (yellow), boundary between Fleet Steps & Mrs Macquaries Point (grey line), the actual Fleet Steps staircase (orange line), vantage point boundaries (black lines). Image: OpenStreetMap
TIP 8 – TUNE INTO KIIS 106.5 & ENJOY THE BRIDGE LIGHT SHOW & PYLON PROJECTIONS UNTIL 2AM TO AVOID THE LEAVING CROWDS
Recent editions of the event has seen the method of getting home varying significantly differently to how you got to the event. Planning how you will get home is a must.
A good tip is to wait after the Midnight Fireworks for the crowds to clear before heading home. The Sydney Harbour Bridge light show & pylon projections will remain on to 2am to keep you amused if you are wondering what to do. You can also tune into KIIS 106.5 for the official event broadcast, which will continue playing tunes live from the Harbour until that time. You could have an impromptu dance party while waiting.
Alternatively, you can head to the many venues around Sydney hosting their own post-Midnight Fireworks celebrations. The City Of Sydney are also advising guests that City restaurants & private functions require a booking & therefore, you need to have a ticket or reservation before you come into the City. Once the crowds have cleared, you can access the public transport stops quickly with ease.
TIP 9 – PLAN YOUR TRIP HOME
In all cases, pedestrian diversions will be in place so the way you go home may be different to the way you arrived as during daylight, these pedestrian diversions & not all road closures were not implemented. This is because 1 million people are leaving all at once after Midnight compared to a slow trickle of 80,000 per hour throughout the day. For the 5 vantage points mentioned above, here are the recommended ways home:
Blues Point – Walk up Blues Point Road for 9 minutes before turning right into Blue Street. Catch a train from North Sydney.
Mary Booth Lookout/Bradfield Park – Walk west along Fitzroy Street, turn right and go up Alfred Street north. At the roundabout with the ‘Bradfield Park’ sign you saw when you arrived, do not go straight ahead (i.e. the way you arrived). Turn left into Lavender Street. Follow Lavender Street until Blues Point Road. Turn right and go up Blues Point Road to Blue Street. Turn right again into Blue Street and catch the train from North Sydney. The walk should take 21 minutes.
Mrs Macquarie’s Point/Fleet Steps – Walk down Art Gallery Road for 10 minutes. It will turn into Prince Albert Road. Cross the road into Hyde Park. Walk along the northern edge of Hyde Park west until you reach the entrances to St James railway station. Catch the train from St James.
For other CBD vantage points, consult this map. For other North Sydney vantage points, consult this map. There will be extra signage at this time of the event and be aware that some railway stations will have different entry & exits compared to normal.
Sydney New Year’s Eve 2023 begins at 7pm AEDT this year while Sydney Spectaculars will be happy to answer any of your event-related queries up until 5pm AEDT on NYE.
Sydney is upbeat & ready for the biggest party of the year.
More than a million people will make their way to the city & to the 49 vantage points around the Harbour for Sydney’s free New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations.
I’d encourage revellers to get to the city early, pack food, water and sun protection & wear good walking shoes! New Year’s Eve 2023 promises to be a night to remember.
Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor
We have the most beautiful harbour and the most beautiful city & every person should have the opportunity to enjoy the fireworks for free.
New Year’s Eve shouldn’t be about raising revenue. It should be about families & friends getting together to celebrate & reflect on a year past & look forward to the year to come.
Every little bit helps at this time of year – that’s why we have made it free for thousands of families to see in the New Year.
Prue Car, Acting New South Wales Premier
There are 49 different vantage points to view the Sydney Harbour fireworks so I encourage everyone to plan early – visit the website, think about how you’re going to get in and out of the city & be prepared for crowds.
There are so many ways to celebrate no matter where you live. Remember there are fantastic events that might be closer to home, including those run by local councils.
Thousands of extra public transport services will be running throughout the night & into the early morning on New Year’s Day. While our network will be busy, the best option is to leave the car at home.
New Year’s Eve is the largest event of the year & for New South Wales Police, the safety of our community is always the number 1 priority. Responsible behaviour from those with tickets to the busy foreshore sites will make for a safe & memorable New Year’s Eve.
Kate Washington, Acting Minister For Jobs & Tourism
The Sydney Opera House today revealed the images to be projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons on New Year’s Eve (NYE) at 11pm as part of the Sydney Opera House 50th Anniversary Moment.
There are 42 photos/films in total.
It looks to open with a film & a few images of the World Heritage site & it’s official opening in 1973 featuring the late Queen Elizabth II before travelling through its history to the present with other images such as of the late Barry Humphries portraying his iconic character Dame Edna Everage, complete with Opera House-themed Ascot hat in 1976, Life Enlivened & a Sails illumination for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2019. It also looks to also feature a film of Iggy Pop performing in the Concert Hall. It then concludes with images from the 50th Anniversary celebrations, which concludes this NYE with the Midnight Fireworks.
10 years ago, during Sydney New Year’s Eve 2013 – Shine, there was a similar projection show for the 40th Anniversary called 40 Years Of Sydney Opera House – Iconic Moments. This was unannounced, though highly speculated in the lead-up to NYE2013 to be a feature on the Opera House sails, which would have been a 1st for NYE in terms of projection mapping. It ended up being projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons regularly throughout the night of NYE and still unannounced when they first featured on the pylons. You can rewatch the 40th Anniversary show here:
To conclude the Sydney Opera House 50th Anniversary Moment, the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections will debut new artificial intelligence-created animated segments of doughnuts, balloons, flowers, galaxies & kaleidoscopes, with help from Sydney NYE Harbour Bridge Pylon Projection Designers, VANDAL, in the lead-up to the iconic Midnight Fireworks.
During the Midnight Fireworks, the Sydney Opera House will feature as a location for fireworks & silver and gold pyrotechnics will be used around the Harbour to commemorate the Sydney Opera House’s 50th Anniversary.
There is a possibility this will be the last time the Sydney Opera House will be used for fireworks on NYE as the Opera House’s ‘Decade Of Renewal’ ended in late October on its’ 50th anniversary of its opening. The Sydney Opera House is also used for fireworks during Australia Day LIVE (26 January) & the Lights On! Moment of Vivid Sydney (late May).
The fact the Opera House is now used 2 more times during the year for fireworks might indicate it will return next NYE. However, 10 years ago, when they reintroduced the Opera House for NYE fireworks after its previous sole appearance at the turn of the Millenium, the reason stated was for the ‘Decade Of Renewal’, which finished 2 months ago so we will have to wait & see.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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