Category: Sydney New Year’s Eve

Celebrate New Year’s Eve In Sydney Harbour National Park

Sydney Harbour National Park is set to go off with a bang this New Year’s Eve as tickets go on sale today for a number of unique harbour-side locations including Clark Island, Shark Island, Bradleys Head and Nielsen Park.

Deputy Chief Executive, New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service, Mark Peacock said these venues, set amongst Sydney’s bushland and heritage sites, are special places to ring in the new year.

“Celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Harbour captures the very essence of Sydney and this year we’re hosting a range of events to attract visitors into our waterfront parks,” Mr Peacock said.

“Tickets to the National Parks & Wildlife Service premier event, The Garden Party, at Clark Island have been made more affordable for visitors wanting a once-in-a-lifetime experience with uninterrupted views of the Harbour and fireworks displays.”

“This year, Shark Island will be transformed into a fiesta-style celebration where guests will be treated to a fun, themed event with South American-inspired food, live music and DJs.”

“Those attending the ever-popular Bradleys Head can look forward to a change in entertainment and facilities so families can enjoy a safe, child-friendly and alcohol-free evening.”

“The price of 1,500 tickets to the Bradleys Head Mast Precinct have been reduced this year, offering a more affordable option for those wanting to spend New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour.”

“Tickets to the Bradleys Head Amphitheatre are also available, offering what’s probably the best view of the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyline from within a bushland setting.”

“Many Sydney Harbour National Park venues have improved accessibility and for the first time, wheelchair accessible viewing areas are offered at Goat Island, Bradleys Head (Mast Precinct) and Nielsen Park.”

“Ticketing for sites will keep crowd numbers within comfortable and safe limits as well as provide a range of options for people looking for different experiences.”

“If you’re thinking of heading to 1 of the spectacular harbour-side spaces or islands of Sydney Harbour National Park this New Year’s Eve, we encourage you to book your tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment” Mr Peacock said.

Tickets are available by booking online through Moshtix. For more information about the events, visit the National Parks & Wildlife Service website.

Media Release: NSW Government – Office Of Environment & Heritage

ABC To Broadcast Sydney NYE…Again.

Despite two controversial broadcasts in a row, the ABC has been awarded the TV broadcast rights for this year’s Sydney NYE event.

This, along with this year’s Sydney NYE theme, ‘City Of Colour’, was confirmed following the release of details of an ABC3 ‘Design Your Own Firework‘ Competition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3EVCsiaU4c

The ABC first broadcasted Sydney’s NYE celebrations in the 1970’s in 4-hour broadcasts but that was back when the event was more of a music concert. Fast forward to 2013 and the ABC surprisingly got the rights of the now high-profile event for the 2013 & 2014 events.

They took the ambitious step of returning the event to 4-hour broadcasts for the first time in nearly 30 years despite no time-consuming TV-quality scheduled Sydney Harbour entertainment in the 3 hour gap between 9pm and Midnight so ABC resorted to their own entertainment choices.

As an event watched by 1 billion people worldwide, it is a given that it rates well on TV so despite 2 years of ratings success, ABC’s entertainment choices for the night have not been so good and over time, did not improve but got worse. Immediately after both broadcasts, speculation on the next broadcast rights holder begun. Here is where they went wrong:

2013

  • Offensive & insensitive comments
  • Rushed 9pm Family Fireworks countdown – have to be on time.
  • Hosts seemed to be influenced by alcohol
  • Long interviews
  • Dull quizzes with guests
  • Concerns that the broadcast was politicised

2014

  • Constant repetition of the ‘ABC Budget Cut’ joke – once would have been enough
  • Concerns that the broadcast was politicised
  • Little but some coverage of the Acknowledgement Of Country ceremony (At least they showed some – Channel 9 ignored the ceremony completely between 2009 & 2012. Channel Ten & ABC showed it in full in 2008 & 2013)
  • No 9pm Family Fireworks countdown this time – who does not like the countdown?
  • The ‘Pub Quiz’ broadcast – an expansion of the guest quiz from the previous broadcast – great idea for a game show but not for NYE entertainment.
  • Long interviews
  • A 15-minute segment dedicated to the negatives of NYE
  • Bad camera work and technical issues (excluding the drone usage – that was something new remember)
  • And finally something that all media outlets missed, delayed footage of the 9pm Family Fireworks inserted into the live Midnight Fireworks.

Of course, the 2014 broadcast was summed up in it’s conclusion when host Julia Zemiro infamously said: “Oh, thank god” after the credits started rolling.

The broadcast isn’t shown internationally except the fireworks segments. In 2013, the post-10:30pm broadcast was shown to Asia & Oceania. Ironically, the Telstra YouTube broadcast of the event, which is shown internationally, was extremely well produced with continuously entertaining musical performances from high-profile artists, short interviews with those artists and YouTube personalities & more complete coverage of activities on Sydney Harbour. One downside of the YouTube broadcast though is that the official fireworks soundtrack is not broadcast due to copyright reasons.

Sydney NYE broadcasts are not new to controversy but 2 controversial broadcasts in a row was unprecedented. NYE1979 saw drunken crowd behaviour on live TV climaxing with The Angels’ frontman, Doc Neeson, being hit in the head and thus injured by a large object thrown by someone in the crowd. NYE2006 saw a Channel Ten broadcast which was clearly deemed ‘not family friendly’ and NYE2009 was more of a Channel 9 promo.

The TV rights went up for grabs again in April this year and instead of the usual tender process of the past 6 years, the City Of Sydney returned to sponsorship agreements (a practice they did between 1996 & 2008) and as we now know, ABC signed it. We understand it is a 1-year minimum contract.

Details and duration of the Sydney NYE2015 TV broadcast have not been revealed as yet but the 9pm Family Fireworks & the ABC3 ‘Design Your Own Firework‘ Competition winners have been confirmed as features of the broadcast. The Midnight Fireworks, whilst not confirmed, are all but guaranteed.

ABC is a professional television broadcaster and expectations of them are high. They can deliver but with the past 2 Sydney NYE broadcasts they have gotten it disastrously wrong. Hopefully when details are released, the program is different and entertaining even if it is 4 hours long. A 3rd chance is usually the limit – they have got to get it right or at least significantly improve.

ABC has been contacted for comment. No response was received.

Since the theme has been confirmed, our ‘Guess The Bridge Effect’ section has now opened up again. All that is left to be announced is the Creative Ambassador. With the theme ‘City Of Colour’, it could be a famous, bright & colourful Sydneysider. Can you guess who it will be? We’ll just have to wait & see.

Design Your Own New Year’s Eve Firework With ABC3

ABC3, in conjunction with the City of Sydney, is giving 1 lucky ABC3 fan the chance of a lifetime – to design their very own firework and see it come to life on the Harbour this Sydney New Year’s Eve!

The winner and their family will even feature in the live New Year’s Eve broadcast and countdown to the start of the 9pm Family Fireworks display!

https://youtu.be/Y3EVCsiaU4c

To enter, just get creative, put your imagination to the test and draw the very best firework design.

The winner will receive a trip to Sydney for a family of 4 including:

  • 2 nights accommodation in the Central Business District
  • Return flights to Sydney
  • VIP tickets to the official Sydney New Year’s Eve Dawes Point (Hickson Road) Reserve viewing area
  • Be part of the live ABC TV New Year’s Eve broadcast at 9pm

The design which shows the most creativity, effort and potential to be reproduced as a firework, will light up the sky during the biggest fireworks display in the world.

How to enter:

  • Check out their handy step-by-step guide
  • Put your grand idea down on paper
  • Add colour to your design to bring it to life
  • Upload your entry by the 5pm (AEST) 2 October deadline here

Entries close 5pm (AEST) on Friday, October 2, 2015 and you must be under 16 years of age to enter.

To submit your entry or for more information and to view the terms & conditions, visit abc.net.au/nye.

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Sydney New Year’s Eve Brings Harbour Bridge To Life

New technology will transform both sides of the Harbour Bridge pylons into giant screens for creative displays for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015.

As well as being the focal point for the world’s favourite fireworks display, this year the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be illuminated with full-length projections at each end, showing photos, film clips and creative content from both local artists and residents.

For the first time, there will be projections on the western side of the Bridge pylons as well, meaning great views of the action for everyone around the Harbour.

“Sydney New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest annual celebrations in the world, attracting more than one million spectators along the Harbour foreshore,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“We can’t rest on our laurels if we want to keep our place as the world’s best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve, so we are constantly evolving.”

“I’m delighted that communities in both the east and west of the city centre will have a great view this year.”

“These new projections will bring our world-renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge to life, using locally created images to showcase to the world the diverse beauty, talent and colour of our great city.”

Sydney New Year’s Eve has a global audience of one billion viewers. It is Australia’s largest public event and features one of the largest, most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.

The City Of Sydney has wanted to project on the western side of the Bridge pylons for some years but until now technical issues made it difficult to achieve. Now new technology will make the impossible a reality.

Both the City and Imagination, the creative company who will produce the images for the projections for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015, are staying tight lipped about the finer details of this year’s events.

“We’re really excited to have even more of the Sydney Harbour Bridge this year as a giant canvas for creativity,” said Imagination’s Director, Heath Campanero.

“The eastern projections will be four times the size of previous years and for the first time ever we can wow the west too.”

“Both Imagination and the City have plenty of other exciting plans for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015 but they are staying under wraps until nearer the time.”

As well as showcasing creative content, the pylon projections will also be used as an important public messaging channel for community service announcements, messaging from our Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015 charity partner, Habitat For Humanity, and emergency messaging.

Sydney New Year’s Eve has a direct economic impact on New South Wales of more than $133 million.

For more information on Sydney New Year’s Eve, visit sydneynewyearseve.com.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Sydney’s Big Event Puts Charity In The Spotlight

The City of Sydney will partner with a major charity for its’ biggest 2015/2016 event to raise awareness and funds for work to reduce housing poverty.

The official charity partner is: Habitat for Humanity Australia (Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015)

The partnership will provide the charity with a range of opportunities to promote their cause through activities such as media broadcasts, merchandise sales, donation collections, social media, and entertainment at the event.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City’s affiliation with the charity would encourage the huge number of visitors to the event to reflect on the broader needs of the community while enjoying the celebrations.

“The City hosts some of Australia’s most successful events, and we want to make the most of the enormous publicity they create to let people know about the incredible work of our charity partners,” the Lord Mayor said.

“More than 1.6 million people attend this event and almost a billion people are reached through the media, providing a great opportunity to remind everyone about this worthy cause.”

“The City strongly supports the work of Habitat for Humanity Australia and we’re very proud to join forces with them for our biggest event over the next 6 months.”

One of the world’s leading providers of safe and affordable housing, Habitat for Humanity, will partner with the City for its’ Sydney New Year’s Eve celebration. The partnership will provide the charity with a platform to engage Sydneysiders to take action combating housing poverty across the Asia-Pacific region.

For the last 11 years, Sydney New Year’s Eve has supported 8 charities and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a variety of causes.

These include organisations dedicated to helping alleviate poverty, treating and preventing blindness, environmental conservation and humanitarian engineering.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Save The Rings!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agu2VmjkN8g

It lit up Sydney when the city was at it’s brightest – the 2000 Olympics. For over 14 years, the iconic ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect, which was switched off in the most dramatic fashion during the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular (see video), has been sitting in a shed nearly 200 kilometres south of Sydney in Goulburn and now it is for auction on eBay for $10,000 minimum – but would this iconic and historic piece of lighting be preserved?

Over the years, there have been proposals to permanently place it in Goulburn as a tourist attraction along the town’s bypass whilst some have also proposed it to be locate at Sydney Olympic Park but none of these have happened. It is apparently in good structural condition but the ropelight no longer works – an upgrade of the ropelight could see it become LED with colours – something the Bridge Effect did not have in 2000 (it was just plain yellow back then). The Bridge Effect could also be programmed to form different patterns and sequences or made interactive too.

 

It still has potential but with little time left, it is highly likely the ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect might disappear forever again…for real this time unless someone buys it with intent to preserve it. It has heaps of sporting, cultural, historical and engineering significance and is something the public could enjoy to see for decades. It was switched on for the first time on September 14 2000 when the Olympic Torch Relay arrived at the Sydney Opera House and the Olympic Flame was exchanged between the torches of Pat Rafter and Olivia-Newton John. It then stay lit until  October 1 2000 when it featured in the world record breaking finale of the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular which saw the Olympic Rings ‘explode’ into the night sky. A year later, a section of the ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect appeared in a local Goulburn parade and has not been seen in use since.

Only 1 Bridge Effect has been placed permanently for the public to view – ‘Fanfare‘ (or colloquially known as the ‘disco ball’) from Sydney NYE2004 – ‘Reflections On Australiana’ is currently being installed in Christchurch, New Zealand as part of a SCAPE Public Art project after being donated by the City Of Sydney. The designer of that Bridge Effect, Neil Dawson, is from Christchurch.

Given the significance of the ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect and the fact that it is still intact (very rare), it deserves a permanent home so we have set up below a petition to hopefully ensure the ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect’s survival. Share it on social media – there is very little time!

The description on eBay reads ‘The Rings are massive, in good condition and under cover they could be used for igloo type buildings. Located in Goulburn NSW. Transport can be arranged’.  Bidding closes at 10:18pm AEST 13 May 2015. Hopefully the ‘Olympic Rings’ Bridge Effect has a bright future…

#savetherings

Sign our petition as a way to show your support:

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‘Olympics Rings’ Bridge Effect Fast Facts

  • Each ring consists of 4 or 5 separate sections
  • 7 semi-trailers are required to transport it (Each semi-trailer holding 3 sections)
  • 1st time 40 tonnes of metal structure was hung off the Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • 8.5 kilometres of iridescent ropelight
  • Face of each ring is 2.1 metres in width/1.8 metres deep
  • Each ring contains 20 ropelight strands
  • 300,000 globes in the ropelight overall
  • Ring diameter is 25 metres
  • Spans 78 metres
  • Powered by 200 amp power supply
  • Designed and built by Kermac Welding and Engineering
  • Lit /electrified by The Wilken Group
  • Lit on the Sydney Harbour Bridge between 14 September and 1 October 2000 for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons Light Up To Honour Fallen ANZACs

Shown projected on the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge: MILSON, Capt. Stewart. 4th Bn. Australian Inf. Mentioned in Despatches. Killed in action 6th/8th Aug., 1915. Age 28. Gallipoli 7. Lone Pine Cemetery. Son of Arthur James and E. May Milson, of Walaya, Milson’s Point, New South Wales. Native of Queensland. Image: Roads & Maritime Services

Cancelled for today – 21 April 2015

Due to the unsafe and potentially damaging weather conditions, the projections on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons have been cancelled for today, 21 April 2015.

It is hoped for the program to continue as planned tomorrow, 22 April, at 6pm

To honour the fallen ANZACs for the centenary of the Gallipoli landing, Roads and Maritime Services will showcase a series of poignant images from World War I onto the eastern face of the north and south pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Selected from the archives of the Australian War Memorial and the State Library of NSW, the images help tell the ANZAC story.

Sydneysiders have a unique opportunity to be a part of this special commemoration and pay their respects. Viewing areas will include the Sydney Opera House, Mrs Macquaries’ Point, Dawes Point Park and Bradfield Park in North Sydney.

Viewers will be able to follow the story of each image by visiting the Roads and Maritime Services website on hand-held devices as the images appear on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons.

The projections will run in 15 minute intervals from 6pm to Midnight between 21st & 27th April 2015 except for the 24th April when it will run all night from 6pm until 6am on 25th April.

Telling The Story: About The Images

The images will feature 6 ANZAC-related themes:

  • Call to War
  • Journey
  • Gallipoli
  • Portraits of ANZACs
  • Support
  • Commemoration

Each image will be supported by information on the Roads and Maritime Services website, providing information for viewers on the history and background of each image.

The Symbolism Of The Poppy Animation

Every projection series will feature a 2 minute animation of poppies ‘falling’ from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons.

By the end of the week’s projections, more than 62,000 poppies will have ‘fallen’ from the pylons, representing each of the 62,000 fallen Australians in World War I.

Additional Information

The project is being funded by Roads and Maritime Services & administered by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Source: Centenary of Anzac commemorations – News & Events – About – Roads and Maritime Services

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Live Projection On The Sails

Audiences across the world will be able to watch the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for the 1st time projected live in concert onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in a grand salute to Vienna, the world capital of classical music.

Visions Of Vienna, presented by the Vienna Tourist Board, is a multimedia event that will be live-streamed online. It is set to celebrate the importance of music to both cities – Vienna and Sydney – while presenting Vienna’s rich culture of acoustic and visual art.

Footage of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra players performing a classic Viennese program inside the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall will be projected live onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House, with the grand towering figures of the musicians transforming the cultural icon’s western exterior into a moving artwork.

The footage will be accompanied by stunning Viennese imagery inspired by the capital’s striking architecture, the Art Nouveau movement and the works of Austrian secessionist painter Gustav Klimt.

Audiences across the world will be able to view the spectacle unfolding on the sails in a live stream online, filmed from West Circular Quay.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Managing Director Rory Jeffes said the event would be a chance for the world to see an orchestra like never before and learn more about the ‘City of Music’.

“We’re immensely proud to be joining the Vienna Tourist Board in what will be a celebration of classical music, Viennese art and multimedia excellence,” Mr Jeffes said. “As the world tunes in to watch our players live in action for the 1st time on the sails of the Sydney Opera House, we will be saluting Vienna and it’s contribution to our art form, and giving a friendly wave to our musical counterparts at the many institutions in the Austrian capital.”

Vienna Tourist Board Managing Director Norbert Kettner said the event would be a unique meeting of world-class music and world-class architecture: “It’s hard to imagine anything more impressive than a successful fusion of 2 different artistic disciplines at the very highest level – like we have managed in this case with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing the kind of classical masterpieces that Vienna is so famous for and the unique architecture of the Sydney Opera House.”

Visions Of Vienna will begin at approximately 8:30pm AEDT and feature the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing the 2nd half of Greatest Hits From Vienna, a concert in the spirit of the traditional Viennese New Year’s Day concert. Greatest Hits From Vienna will be led by Vienna-based conductor Ola Rudner and feature Viennese soprano Elisabeth Flechl as soloist in a program of classics, operetta and dance musical favourites by great composers such as Johann Strauss II, Lehar, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven.

The Vienna Tourist Board invites the public to view Visions Of Vienna from it’s public event area at Campbells Cove in The Rocks. More information can be found at: visions.vienna.info.

Audiences across the world can watch the live stream of the event at: www.sydneysymphony.com and visions.vienna.info.

#VisionsOfVienna

VISIONS OF VIENNA – Campbells Cove – 8:30pm Wednesday the 4th of February 2015 AEDT

  • FRANCESCO SUPPÉ-DEMELLI  Overture to ‘Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna’
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Overture to ‘The Bat’
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Sounds From Home
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Artist’s Life
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Egyptian March
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Greetings, My Lovely Little Nest
  • JOSEF STRAUSS Without A Care! 
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II By the Beautiful Blue Danube

Ola Rudner – Conductor, Elisabeth Flechl – Soprano

GREATEST HITS FROM VIENNA – Sydney Opera House Concert Hall – 8pm Wednesday the 4th of February 2015 AEDT

  • FRANZ SCHUBERT Overture to ‘Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus‘
  • JOHANNES MOZART That Ungrateful Soul Betrayed Me
  • LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN ‘The Creatures of Prometheus’ Finale
  • FRANZ LEHAR Love, Thou Heaven On Earth
  • JOHANNES BRAHMS The Hungarian Dances: No. 4 – In F Minor (F♯ Minor For Orchestra): Little Supported – Lively 
  • FRANCESCO SUPPÉ-DEMELLI  Overture to ‘Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna’
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Overture to ‘The Bat’
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Sounds From Home
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Artist’s Life
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Egyptian March
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II Greetings, My Lovely Little Nest
  • JOSEF STRAUSS Without A Care! 
  • JOHANN STRAUSS II By the Beautiful Blue Danube

Ola Rudner – Conductor, Elisabeth Flechl – Soprano

Bookings through the Sydney Symphony Orchestra box office on 8215 4600 (9am–5pm Monday to Friday) or select your own seat at: www.sydneysymphony.com

4 Million Australians Watch New Year’s Eve Celebrations On ABC TV

ABC and ABC News 24 reached 4 million viewers in metro and regional markets across its New Year’s Eve 2014 coverage from 8:30pm last night, up from 3.7 million last year.

In Sydney, more than 1 in 4 tuned into ABC TV during the coverage.

Program Audiences:

  • The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Welcome (20:30-20:55) was 782,000 on ABC.
  • The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: 9pm Family Fireworks (20:55-21:10) was 1.4 million on ABC and ABC News 24.
  • The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Party (21:10-23:55) was 1 million on ABC.
  • The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks (23:55-00:22) was 2 million on ABC and ABC News 24.

Metro Audiences

  • Last night, ABC was the leading channel in the metro markets with a 5 city prime-time share of 19.7%.
  • ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks was the No.1 program of the night with a 5 city audience of 1.4 million followed by the 9pm Family Fireworks with an audience of 1 million.
  • In Sydney, ABC also achieved a share of 27.9%.

Justin Holdforth, ABC Head of Sport and Events says: “The Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks are an iconic and much loved event. I’m delighted that the ABC was again able to deliver a spectacular night of family entertainment to audiences across Australia”.

Top 10 programs – 5 City Metro

Rank Program Channel Audience Share %
 1 New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks  ABC  1,372,000  53.2
 2 New Year’s Eve: Family Fireworks  ABC  1,007,000  29.4
 3 Nine News 9 889,000 27.5
 4 Nine News 6:30  9 834,000 25.8
 5 New Year’s Eve: Party ABC 768,000 26.8
 6 Seven News 7 702,000 21.8
 7 A Current Affair 9 636,000 19.5
 8 Seven News/Today Tonight 7 604,000 18.7
 9 New Year’s Eve: Welcome ABC 567,000 17.9
 10 ABC News-Ev ABC 545,000 16.8

Source: OzTAM & RegionalTAM overnight data. Reach is based on 5 minutes consecutive viewing.

Sydney Lights Up The World

A brilliant light bulb illuminated Sydney Harbour last night as huge crowds gathered around the foreshore to welcome in 2015, while millions more watched around the world.

Celebrating the International Year of Light, the 12-storey-high Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect was the centrepiece of the Midnight Fireworks display – one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.

Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 - 'Inspire' - 9pm Family Fireworks Photograph: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin - First Light Photography
Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ – 9pm Family Fireworks
Photograph: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin – First Light Photography

The light bulb design, which remained top-secret until midnight, followed an animated image of the New Holland Seahorse, which appeared on the Bridge during the 9PM Family Fireworks.

The New Holland Seahorse – commonly known as the Sydney Seahorse – is native to Sydney Harbour.

Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 - 'Inspire' - 'New Holland Seahorse' Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect Photograph: David Clare - First Light Photography
Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ – ‘New Holland Seahorse’ Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect
Photograph: David Clare – First Light Photography

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney’s world-famous fireworks displays provided the perfect welcome to the New Year.

“Sydney is known as the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World and last night’s celebrations were no exception,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Spectacular images from the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays have already been shared around the world – on television, online and via social media – shining a spotlight on our magnificent harbour and inspiring audiences worldwide to visit Sydney.”

“Our New Year’s Eve celebrations have allowed us to showcase our fantastic city to the rest of the world, reinforcing that Sydney is and always will be a welcoming, inclusive, harmonious and multicultural community.”

Sydney NYE2014 - 'Inspire' Producer Aneurin Coffey, Sydney NYE2014 - 'Inspire' Creative Ambassador Jack Thompson and Sydney NYE2014 - 'Inspire' Fireworks Director Fortunato Foti discussing fireworks at White Bay. Photograph: City Of Sydney
Sydney NYE2014 – ‘Inspire’ Producer Aneurin Coffey, Sydney NYE2014 – ‘Inspire’ Creative Ambassador Jack Thompson and Sydney NYE2014 – ‘Inspire’ Fireworks Director Fortunato Foti discussing fireworks at White Bay.
Photograph: City Of Sydney

Master pyrotechnician Fortunato Foti of Foti International Fireworks was responsible for the fireworks displays for the 14th consecutive year.

The displays used approximately 7 tonnes of fireworks, including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.

Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 - 'Inspire' - Midnight Fireworks Photograph: Karl Bayer - First Light Photography
Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ – Midnight Fireworks
Photograph: Karl Bayer – First Light Photography

The Lord Mayor praised the City of Sydney crews who worked throughout the night to ensure Sydney was sparkling this morning.

“With huge crowds gathering around the harbour foreshore and at vantage points across Sydney, the clean-up of New Year’s Eve is an enormous task,” the Lord Mayor said.

“A fantastic team of 350 City staff worked tirelessly throughout the night, collecting between 48-50 tonnes of waste.”

“Within hours, our staff had transformed the City’s streets and parks, clearing truckloads of rubbish to reveal a pristine setting in time for sunrise.”

The $290,000 clean-up operation involved the use of 60 trucks, sweepers and compactors and 600 mobile garbage bins to support the City’s 720 street litter bins, which were filled with plastic bottles, food containers and food scraps.

90% of the waste collected will be recycled courtesy of SITA Australia.

Crowds at the Campbell's Cove Vantage Point for Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 - 'Inspire' Photograph: Yie Sandison - First Light Photography
Crowds at the Campbell’s Cove Vantage Point for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’
Photograph: Yie Sandison – First Light Photography

The Lord Mayor also thanked everyone who made the event possible, including the City’s Sydney New Year’s Eve team and Creative Ambassador Jack Thompson.

“After more than 15 months of planning, it was wonderful to see Sydney at its best last night, as the 1st major global city in the world to ring in 2015,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Thank you to everyone who worked throughout the year – and all those who dedicated their time last night – to ensure the celebrations ran smoothly.”

“Sydneysiders have gone through a period of trauma and mourning over the past weeks, and last night we all spared a thought for the families of the Martin Place siege victims.”

Crowds at the West Circular Quay Vantage Point for Sydney New Year's Eve 2014 - 'Inspire' Photograph: Yie Sandison - First Light Photography
Crowds at the West Circular Quay Vantage Point for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’
Photograph: Yie Sandison – First Light Photography

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ acknowledges the support of Leadership Partner – Telstra, Charity Partner – Engineers Without Borders Australia & NSW Government agencies and landholders including the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Sydney Opera House Trust.