Last Tuesday & Wednesday night, in the early evening, colourful lights were spotted being tested on the north-eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge underneath the catwalk.
With less than a week until the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023, it could be interpreted as testing for a month-long themed light show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the event, returning the event as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular, the 1st since the International Fleet Review in October 2013.
Sydney Spectaculars yesterday sent queries to FIFA and their local event organising subsidiary & Transport For NSW, who control the Sydney Harbour Bridge. However, neither responded by time of writing.
We also contacted the lighting company who lights up the Sydney Harbour Bridge during Vivid Sydney, Mandylights, but they gave a curious ‘can’t confirm at this time’ response.
Last night, around Midnight, people with torches were spotted scaling the north-eastern side of the upper arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going from the north-eastern pylon up to the summit. We did not spot them descend so they might have descended down the southern side.
Work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge either as part of Bridge maintenance or roadwork has been scheduled from May to December this year. The people spotted may have been involved with Bridge maintenance but if not, they were installing something in the dead of night – fireworks or lights – but at this stage, lights are more likely if they are not Bridge maintenance people.
Lights for New Year’s Eve have also been tested months in advance in a similar manner before too.
There is no evidence of a Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks display for the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023 yet. However, a light show has suddenly become a possibility. There is no evidence for a drone show so far.
Drone shows are also usually rehearsed off-site in a remote location in secret if it is for an important event, but they do require a 6-month approval process from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which means an application would have needed to have been submitted by late February this year.
Regardless of what those people were doing on the Bridge, something important was happening on the Bridge last night as people rarely climb the Bridge in the dead of the night unless it is nightworks, which in itself is rare, or to install fireworks or lights.
With less than a week to the event begins, the biggest sporting event Australia has hosted since the Rugby World Cup 2003, keep an eye on our blog in case any news breaks regarding Sydney Spectaculars.
A FIFA Fan Festival™ Live Site will open at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour at 4pm Thursday & open on match-days at various hours until 11pm, Sunday the 20th of August 2023.
A 10-minute Opening Ceremony, which will feature a live performance of the official event song with dancing & fireworks, will then be held at Eden Park, Auckland at 4:30pm Sydney time/6:30pm Auckland time. Following that, at 5pm Sydney time/7pm Auckland time, the Opening Match, the Football Ferns (New Zealand) Vs Norway, kicks off the tournament from Eden Park. Sunset in Sydney happens 7 minutes later.
After the Opening Match concludes, at Stadium Australia, Sydney, there will be a 10-minute ‘Inaugural Ceremony’ at 7:30pm Sydney time followed by the Matildas (Australia) opening their campaign against the Republic of Ireland at 8pm Sydney time from Stadium Australia. The Final, also at Stadium Australia, is on Sunday the 20th of August 2023 with kick-off at 8pm Sydney time.
If there is a month-long themed light show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the FIFA Women’s World Cup – Australia & New Zealand 2023, a 7:30pm ‘lights on!’ moment as part of the ‘Inaugural Ceremony’ is the most likely time for it to start. If not, sunset that day (5:07pm).
However, as there is no solid evidence linking the lights to the event, the event won’t be redesignated as an ‘Extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular just yet, but it is very possible now.
Despite an energetic fightback by New South Wales at the start & end of Game 2, which they won 18-14, the resulting 4-point difference allowed Queensland to win Women’s State Of Origin 2023 by that amount.
Game 2 begun with a musical act, building up the atmosphere for the record crowd of 18,275, in the 30 minutes to kick-off. This pre-match entertainment was not televised. The customary Welcome To Country, conducted by Uncle Brenton Creed & performance of the National Anthem, sung by Chantelle Anderson of the Australian Army, then followed and was televised. The Women’s State Of Origin shield was waiting on the sidelines.
Anyway, to the main game. New South Wales went out of the blocks fast with Tiana Penitani scoring the opening unconverted try in the 3rd minute, immediately halving their deficit, but unsuccessfully making the most of the opportunity. In the 10th minute, New South Wales were given a penalty, which enabled Jesse Southwell to score a goal to reduce the deficit to 2 points.
New South Wales’s hope of drawing the series by full time was high but Queensland found a gap in New South Wales’ defence allowing Tamika Upton to score Queensland’s 1st unconverted try of the match, moving Queensland’s advantage back to 6 points. An amazing sequence of teamwork and hand-eye coordination allowed Emily Bass to score Queensland’s only converted try in the 25th minute, extending their lead from Game 1 to 12 points.
Queensland’s Tarryn Aiken found, via a dummy pass, another gap in New South Wales’ defence allowing her to storm to another unconverted try, boosting their confidence of series victory to a high with a 16-point lead, double their deficit at the start of the match. At half-time, the score was 14-6 in favour of Queensland: 32-16 on aggregate also in Queensland’s favour.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held between Southern Cross Catholic College & Annandale State School.
In the 2nd half, New South Wales made use of Queensland errors. Queensland left their right wing exposed allowing Tiana Penitani to score New South Wales an unconverted try in the 40th minute, bringing the deficit down to 12 points. 5 minutes later, Queensland’s Emma Manzelmann stripped the ball out of Sarah Togatuki of New South Wales’ hands, forcing a penalty, which New South Wales took advantage of by having Jesse Southwell successfully kick a goal to reduce the deficit by another 2 points to a 10-point deficit.
In a dramatic finish in the 68th minute, Yasmin Clydsdale of New South Wales attempted to score a try with the last grasps of her hands but in act of desperation, Shenae Ciesiolka kicked the ball out of her hands, prompting The Bunker to give a penalty try. New South Wales gained an extra 4 points, reducing the deficit to 6 points but critically, New South Wales wasted 51 seconds celebrating the penalty try before the conversion attempt. It was a miracle to get the penalty try, though Yasmin Clydsdale probably wouldn’t have scored the try if Shenae Ciesiolka had had not kicked it, due to her loose grip on the ball. The penalty try was worthy of celebrating but not that much as those precise seconds could have altered the series. The penalty try was then converted, stopping the clock at 17 seconds to go and reducing the deficit to 4 points but the final 17 seconds was not enough to reverse Queensland’s fortunes.
The successful conversions were kicked by Zahara Temara for Queensland & Jesse Southwell for New South Wales.
The final score of Game 2 was New South Wales 18-14 Queensland. Under the rules of the expanded Women’s State Of Origin, the winner of the series is the team with the highest aggregate points after Game 2 so Queensland won the series 32-28.
The series presentation followed on a stage in the field’s centre with Emma Lawrence as Master Of Ceremonies & Kate Jones, Australian Rugby League Commissioner, Andrew Abdo, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League & Tahnee Norris, Queensland coach waiting on the stage.
The winner of the Nellie DohertyMedal, awarded to the player of the series by the winning coach, was Tazmin Gray. She previously won it in 2021.
(chuckles) Woo! Ah, that’s weird. Um, firstly, I just wanna thank Queensland, the Queensland Government and the fans for coming out. If it wasn’t for you guys, we wouldn’t be able to play the game that we love. Um, to my friends, to my family, to my kids back home – this one’s for youse – I love youse and, um, I’ll see you soon.
Tazmin Gray, Queensland rugby league player
Uh, firstly, I’d just like to thank Townsville for hosting us. It’s been an amazing week, um, for us girls, coming up here, getting to view this beautiful town. We’d loved every minute of it. I’d also like to thank Ampol, Westpac & Harvey Norman. Without you guys, this wouldn’t be possible so um, we’re really grateful for your support every year.
Um, Queensland girls, it’s been a, a tough series. I hope this just pushes a little bit more for us to have the 3 games next year but you girls… (crowd cheers & claps) You girls did really well and deserved to have the series so congratulations to you.
To my girls, I love every single day that I get to spend with you in camp. It’s just like being a bunch of sisters. Our coaching staff, we’re a family that, you know, we’ll never be broken so I’m really proud of all of you tonight. We got the win, um, and I am just super proud so thank you, thank you everyone.
New South Wales co-captain, Isabelle Kelly
Firstly, I’d like to thank the Queensland Government for bringing the game up to Townsville. What a crowd & now you get to hold the record so well done Townsville!
I’d like to thank Harvey Norman, Ampol & Westpac. This game doesn’t happen without you guys so thank you.
To Kylie & the Blues, what a performance. What a series. I know we want 3 games but we put on a show tonight and congratulate yourselves over the series so good job, Blues.
To my girls, the staff, the 20 staff that are there, what a series. You can hold your heads high. What a performance. You showed how Queensland play the game and that’s how it’ s done so good job, girls.
And one last thing,…
…QUEENSLANDER!
Queensland captain, Ali Brigginshaw
Kate Jones & Andrew Abdo then presented the Women’s State Of Origin Shield to Ali Brigginshaw. The former two people moved out the way for the rest of the Queensland team and staff who gathered around the Shield. The crowd clapped and flamethrowers lit up the stage as Katy Perry’s hit song, Firework, played. Ground fireworks exploded behind the stage and maroon confetti was propelled over the stage as Queensland lifted the Shield and cheered in victorious glory. That was Women’s State Of Origin 2023.
Game 3 of the men’s edition is on Wednesday the 12th of July at 8:05pm AEST at Stadium Australia, Sydney.
After a close 1st half, Queensland went onto to lead for the whole 2nd half despite a final unsuccessful push by NSW to win Game 1 of an expanded 2-game Women’s State Of Origin & thereby, lead by 8 points going into the final match.
Women’s State Of Origin 2023 begun with Indigenous singer, Rebecca Hatch, building up the atmosphere for the record crowd of 12,972 with a singer-disc jockey duet set in the 30 minutes to kick-off, which concluded with a pyrotechnic display. Unlike in the men’s edition, this pre-match entertainment was not televised. The customary Welcome To Country, conducted by Aunty Julie Jones and performance of the National Anthem, sung by the Australian Girls Choir, then followed and was televised. The Women’s State Of Origin shield was waiting on the sidelines. Preceding all this, 2 hours prior to kick-off, was a RISE Rookies rugby league match between New South Wales (NSW) Blue Vs NSW Navy, an exhibition match comprising of aspiring athletes aged 17 and over. NSW Blue won 28-8.
Anyway, to the main game. Queensland scored the opening try (Julia Robinson) but crucially, missed the conversion, leaving their lead open to attack by NSW. Shortly after, New South Wales respond with determination by scoring its only converted try (Jessica Sergis). New South Wales were leading 6-4.
In a scary moment, NSW captain Isabelle Kelly, while attempting a tackle, injured her throat which resulted in her struggling for breath, vomiting blood and making an immediate trip to hospital, which, being in Parramatta, is not far away.
Shortly after, just as half-time approached, Queensland scored its only converted try (Tazmin Gray). At half-time, the score was 10-6 in favour of Queensland – just like in the men’s edition.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held between William Stimson Public School & Kurnell Public School.
Unlike in the men’s edition, Queensland got off to a flyer in the 2nd half with 2 tries (Emily Bass & Julia Robinson) in quick succession, though both were not converted. New South Wales managed to respond with another try (Jaime Chapman), though unconverted & though dominating the game towards its conclusion, couldn’t reach the try line to make up the rest of Queensland’s lead in the final 25 minutes, giving Queensland the win in Game 1 & the lead in the expanded 2-game series.
The successful conversions were kicked by Zahara Temara for Queensland & Jesse Southwell for New South Wales.
The final score was Queensland 18-10 New South Wales. Under the rules of the expanded Women’s State Of Origin, the winner of the series is the team with the highest aggregate points after Game 2 and if they are tied, it will be the team with the most tries, which Queensland also leads 4-2. So, effectively, we are at half time in 4 quarter game with 2 quarters at home and 2 quarters away.
The girls were outstanding tonight. Just the effort, we saw the boys do it last night and I think the girls got a bit of a lift from that. They came out tonight and just put in effort upon effort and held New South Wales out late in that game.
Queensland coach, Tahnee Norris
I think we had some really, really good moments and some, looked really good in patches, but it was only in patches, and we need to be more consistent. I honestly don’t think we could play as bad as we did tonight.
New South Wales coach, Kylie Hilde
Game 2 will be held at North Queensland Stadium in Townsville on Thursday, June 22 at 7:45pm AEST & Game 2 of the men’s edition is the day prior at 8:05pm AEST at Lang Park, Brisbane.
As of 5th April 2023, Sydney Spectaculars is no longer considering the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand an ‘extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular.
As the biggest event to be hosted by Australia since the International Fleet Review in 2013, it had been expected that after the conclusion of the Final, a no more than 3-minutes long fireworks display over Sydney Harbour would occur including no more than 2 barges & the Sydney Harbour Bridge upper arch and catwalk. A Bridge Effect would have also been expected but as times have changed, this would have been in the form of a drone show.
The reasoning behind this expectation is as follows:
A 3-minute fireworks display, using 2 barges & the upper arch and catwalk of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well as a Bridge Effect featured after the Rugby World Cup 2003 – Australia Final.
The modern equivalent of a Bridge Effect is a drone show.
In 2019, World Rugby decided that the words ‘Rugby World Cup’ would now refer to both the men’s and women’s editions.
The FIFA World Cup, an international men’s association football tournament, is an event ranked in importance, below The Games Of The Olympiad & above the Rugby World Cup.
The Games Of The Olympiad – Sydney 2000’s Closing Night Harbour Spectacular was the world’s largest fireworks display at the time.
As both the Rugby World Cup 2003 – Australia & The Games Of The Olympiad – Sydney 2000 had significant fireworks displays on Sydney Harbour at the conclusion of the event if hosted in Sydney. therefore, the FIFA World Cup would also have a significant fireworks display at a size in-between the size of the preceding 2 events’ fireworks displays.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the women’s equivalent of the FIFA World Cup.
Sydney is hosting the Final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand on Sunday, the 20 August 2023.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is ranked lower in importance than the Rugby World Cup (Men’s). Therefore, a drone show & a no more than 3-minute long fireworks display using the Sydney Harbour Bridge & no more than 2 barges should occur.
Sydney Spectaculars is of the understanding that there are no plans for a significant combined fireworks display & drone show nor a sole significant fireworks display, both of which would feature the Sydney Harbour Bridge upper arch and catwalk & no more than 2 barges.
Therefore, as of 5th April 2023, Sydney Spectaculars has decided to downgrade the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand from an ‘extraordinary’ Sydney Spectacular to just another Sydney Spectacular but not a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular as it is not an annual event.
This is a major blow for Sydney’s event industry, culture & night-time economy. The lack of a similar fireworks display and drone show will be a notable absence in the history of major events in Sydney, reduce the significance of hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and potentially affecting Australia’s chances of one day hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup. It also leads to questions of possible discrimination on the basis of sex by FIFA, the tournament’s organisers, and the NSW Government, the government body most responsible for hosting such an event, particularly with the growth of women’s professional commercial sport in the past decade. The FIFA Women’s World Cup was first held in 1991 while the men’s FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930.
If Sydney Spectaculars finds out that by luck a significant fireworks display will occur after the Final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand, we will immediately resume coverage of the event but at this stage, it looks unlikely. There is still every chance for a projection on the Sydney Opera House but this will not be significant as the building is lit up for many other events. A drone show is possible but such a drone show could have been held anywhere in the world – it just would be themed to Australia & New Zealand.
We wish the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Australia & New Zealand every success.
Last night from 8:40pm, the Sydney Opera House was lit up red in its annual traditional illumination to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Red is chosen as it is regarded as a symbol of good fortune and luck.
First lit up in red in February 2013 for Chinese New Year, the illumination’s presence saw the City Of Sydney’s Chinese New Year celebration, which had started in 1996, expand, peaking in 2017 with the included additions of a Sydney Harbour Bridge red (pink as well in 2019) illumination amongst other city landmarks and a fireworks display in Circular Quay to coincide with the beginning of the illuminations. The event was renamed Sydney Lunar Festival in 2019, to take into account non-Chinese celebrations of Lunar New Year & the expansion was suddenly dropped in 2020 and is now held at just below its pre-2013 scale, which it has been ever since. However, the Sydney Opera House red illumination, which is independent of the City Of Sydney event, remains. Lunar New Year in Sydney, nevertheless, was and still is the biggest celebration of the event outside of Asia – a feat that should not be ignored.
Lunar New Year last 15 days from the 1st new moon of the lunar calendar until the 2nd next full moon. The 2023 Lunar New Year celebration began on Sunday the 22nd of January and will end on Monday the 6th of February.
The NSW Government has been joining communities across the state to celebrate this significant cultural event for more than a decade.
While Lunar New Year is significant to many across the state, it also represents much of what we all stand & hope for in a new year, especially new beginnings.
To everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year, I wish you all prosperity, good health and fortune for the year ahead.
Dominic Perrottet, Premier Of NSW
You will be hard-pressed to find such rich diversity proudly championed and celebrated like it is in NSW.
It is about showing communities and the world that we welcome everyone and value our diversity.
I wish everyone a prosperous and happy Year of the Rabbit & for those from a Vietnamese background, a very happy Year of the Cat.
Just days after welcoming in 2023 with its first big NYE party since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sydney has welcomed its first annual drone show event – Elevate Sydney!
Held between January 3rd and January 7th, Elevate Sydney is an entertainment festival held on the Cahill Expressway but each night at 10:30pm, eyes looked skyward above Circular Quay for the Elevate Sydney Skyshow – the largest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere.
Elevate Sydney SkyShow 2023 Map Map: Elevate Sydney
Containing 600 drones, the 5-minute drone show, with a theme of water & ecological sustainability, saw the creation of many images of sea creatures from Sydney Harbour led by an ‘anthromophic’ Benny the Seal. For international readers, Benny the Seal is a real seal who can be found occasionally sunbathing at the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point between Vivid Sydney & September.
Elevate Sydney was first held in the 1st 5 days of 2022 thus making the 2023 edition the first consequentially held drone show over Sydney Harbour. Drone shows made their debut on Sydney Harbour in 2016 as part of Vivid Sydney, when a then-world-record-breaking 100 drones took to the skies of Farm Cove as part of a world record attempt by Intel. The world record is now currently around 5000 drones – a record held by China.
5 and a half years later, drones finally returned to Sydney Harbour for the 1st edition of Elevate, when they set the Southern Hemisphere-record up to 500 and since then, 3 other drone shows have been held – another one at Vivid Sydney to promote the Paramount+ streaming service (which broke the Southern Hemisphere-record to the now-equal 600), The Everest Barrier Draw, Art Up, a nightly drone show to commemorate the re-opening of the Art Gallery Of New South Wales (NSW) over 9 nights in early December and 2 Christmas-themed shows – 1 at Noel Sydney, a new Christmas event and 1 at Darling Harbour – both held numerous times roughly in the week before Christmas.
It begins at 10am with the 2.5 hour Elevate Family (formerly Kids). This session is targeted at children aged under 13 and their parents with the 2022 edition’s session being bookended by live interactive performances of the Australian world sensation television series, Bluey. Hosted by Play School hosts, Michelle Lim Davidson & Matthew Backer, who also run their own twice-held daily event segment called Story Salad, other Elevate Family content includes Monski Mouse (a disc jockey for babies), The Gagliardies and Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo. This session was not held on the first event day as it was in 2022.
In 2022, Elevate Kids was held earlier and longer for 4 hours from 8am. Hosted by children’s entertainment personality, Justine Clarke, each day began with a wellness session by former Wiggles dancer, Lauren Hannaford, before Ready, Set, Dance & disc jockey Romeboy take the reins. Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium & everyday item musicians, Junkyard Beats round out the entertainment which are headlined on the first event day by Australian global sensation, The Wiggles, and by Simon Wiggle & Friends on the latter days. The latest Australian global sensation, Bluey, also appeared on the first 3 event days before the characters of Kangaroo Beach appeared in Bluey‘s place on the final day.
Back to 2023 and the next 2.5-hour session begun at 2:30pm and it is called Elevate Social. This consists of 2 75-minute electronic music and/or disc jockey sets. Headliners each day from 4th January were, in chronological order, Young Franco, Anna Lunoe, Kito & The Jungle Giants. They were supported, again in chronological order, by Running Touch, Harvey Sutherland, Touch Sensitive & Kinder.
In 2022, Elevate Social was a completely different event. It was 3-hour variety event held from 2pm called Elevate Arena. Hosted by comedian Joel Ozbourn, it begun with interviews, conducted by former Sydney NYE television broadcast co-host Stephanie Brantz, with sporting personalities. This was followed by performances by The Drummer Queens, The Hula Queen, DB Freestyle (a freestyle football act) and The Tap Pack. On the first 2 event days, Worlds Collide, a multi-cultural music band was the finale while in the latter 2 event days, it was Barrio Soul. Sporting personalities interviewed included:
NSW dragon boat racing champion, Andrew Wong (final event day),
Under 23 Australian road cycling champion, Emily Watts (2nd event day),
A-League soccer runner-up goalkeeper, Jada Mathyssen-Whyman (3rd event day)
Australian (Rules) Football League runner-up footballer, Tom McCartin (4th event day),
A-Leaguesoccer champion, Rhys Williams (2nd event day),
Matilda, Remy Siemsen (3rd event day),
Matilda, Emily Van Egmond (3rd event day),
3-time Australian beach running champion, Ali Najem (2nd event day),
Rugby League World Cup silver medallist, Brian To’o (2nd event day),
FIBA World Cup silver medallist, Katie Ebzery (final event day),
Rugby World Cup silver medallist, Micheal Hooper (3rd event day),
Rugby League World Cup gold medallist, Tom Trbojevic (4th event day),
Cricket World Cup gold medallist, Ashleigh Gardner (2nd event day),
Cricket World Cup gold medallist, Brad Haddin (3rd event day),
2-time World Netball Championship gold medallist, Kimberlee Green (final event day),
Olympic silver medallist beach volleyballer, Mariafe Artacho del Solar (3rd event day),
Olympic silver medallist high jumper, Nicola McDermott (3rd event day),
3-time Paralympic silver medallist rower, Erik Horrie (final event day),
2-time Paralympic gold medallist wheelchair racer, Madison de Rozario (4th event day) and,
5-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer, Emma McKeon (final event day).
The final, main session is at 8pm & last 3 hours. It is called Elevate Nights & unlike the other sessions, it is held every event day. Essentially, it is a nightly concert hosted by Sydney NYE concert television broadcast co-host, Zan Rowe. Headliners in 2023, in chronological order, are, Ya Girl Party B (2 sets), Spacey Jane, Amy Shark, The Veronicas and Sampa The Great. Supporting them are Client Liaison (1st event day), Thelma Plum & Ruby Fields (2nd event day), Mallrat & Becca Hatch (3rd event day), Betty Who & Drax Project (4th event day) and Northwest Party House & Wafia (final event day). All event days apart from the 1st one open with a house disc jockey.
Back in 2022, it started an hour earlier at 7pm (with the drone show being 30 minutes earlier at 10pm also to conclude the session) and was called Club Elevate. It was a slightly different event with theatre included with each night taking a different name (list below in chronological order):
Elevate First
Elevate Discotheque
Elevate Encore
Elevate Music
Elevate Sydney Final Night
As you can see above, they quickly ran out of unique names (Note: ‘First’ is a pun referencing both the first event night and First Nations) so it’s not surprising they stuck with a simple Elevate Nights label for all nights in 2023.
Elevate First begun with a Call To Country designed by Sydney NYE2008-2010 Creative Director, Rhoda Roberts, before performances were held by Indigenous artists, Electric Fields (support act) & Troy Casser-Daley (headliner).
Elevate Discotheque was headlined by Leo Sayer with support acts by Marcia Hines & Courtney Act, the latter who also acts as host. Elevate Encore is headlined by Lime Cordiale and supported by Peking Duk. Elevate Music was hosted by Triple J‘s Ebony Boadu and featured the following artists: BVT, CXLOE, Hauskey, L-FRESH the LION & Ngaiire, while Elevate Sydney Final Night was headlined by Tones & I, supported by Tim Minchin & hosted by Joel Ozborn after Courtney Act had to pull out.
One constant between the inaugural edition & the 2nd edition was that the drone show soundtrack was composed both times by DOBBY (Rhyan Clapham) featuring Uncle Matty Doyle. The 2023 soundtrack, which was available live online during the drone shows for the 1st time, also featured Kelsey Iris, who opened the soundtrack. All 3 artists are descendants of the Murruwarri people of north-western NSW.
The 2022 drone show had a generic theme of ‘Summer Sydney’ particularly as it was the first edition of the event. The 2022 event also had an augmented reality smartphone experience produced by Charles Clapshaw of Futures of Art and notably had strict COVID-19 protocols, given the public health situation at that time.
The inaugural Elevate Sydney SkyShow in 2022, themed ‘Summer Sydney’. The 2023 edition is at the conclusion of this article below.
Something new in 2023 was the introduction of the world’s longest bar – the aptly named Long Bar! Stretching 127 metres along the Cahill Expressway facing the north over Circular Quay, this bar operated during the Elevate Social & Elevate Night sessions during the final 4 event days.
Whilst tickets to sit at the bar are free, each ticket is only valid for a 1-hour window. There are no tickets handed out for the Long Bar during Elevate Family sessions, particularly as there is, rightly, no alcohol service during that session but the bar is still available to be sat at any time for an unlimited time during that session (if a seat is available!).
Back to the Elevate Social & Nights sessions, an add-on food & beverage package costing $50 per person is also available, which includes a “glass of NSW beer or wine served with a grazing selection featuring the finest of NSW produce”. If you do not purchase the package, there is still other food & beverages being sold at the Bar during those sessions. Also, if you have a ticket for the Long Bar you enter via an elevator on the eastern Circular Quay promenade that is goes up to Expressway level! This elevator is not used during Elevate Family.
Elevate Sydney 2023 Entertainment Festival Map Map: Elevate Sydney
Commissioned by Destination New South Wales to help with the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic & produced by AGB Events with producer Olivia Bradley, Elevate Sydney is the beginning of a new dawn in annual events over Sydney Harbour – the biggest since projection mapping was introduced in 2008 for Sydney New Year’s Eve, which later sparked the phenomenal success of Vivid Sydney, which began a year later. Chief Executive Officer & Creative Director of AGB Events, Anthony Bastic, said at the 2022 Elevate Sydney launch:
The coupling of technologies and applying them to outdoor public events greatly enhances the audience experience & will certainly set a benchmark for future events. This world-class initiative really positions New South Wales as a leader in event innovation, & what a stunning debut it will be over Sydney Harbour.
We are very grateful for the support & efforts of the many agencies who have worked with us to realise this project. This is an industry we really want to nurture and promote. The Intel pilots travelling to Australia and sharing their knowledge is an amazing opportunity to grow the expertise of local drone operators
Anthony Bastic, Chief Executive Officer & Creative Director of AGB Events
The 2022 edition’s Cahill Expressway sessions, which had a capacity of 3200, reached full capacity on the penultimate Elevate Kids session & the final 3 Club Elevate sessions. Sydney Spectaculars estimates no more than 63,000 people attended Elevate Sydney 2022 (average maximum 13,100 per day, that is day 2-5) including 18,000 around Circular Quay over the 5 nights to watch the SkyShow (average 3,600 per night) in addition to the maximum 3,200 watching from the Cahill Expressway. Day 1 of the event (New Year’s Day) had an estimated attendance of no more than 3,660 given it was only held at night and also, understandably, Sydney had a big night the previous night.
Intel, who did the drone show at The Games Of The XXXIInd Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony and the first Sydney Harbour drone show at Vivid Sydney 2016, did not return in 2023 with a local company, Mirragin, instead taking the reins.
While the 2023 attendance statistics are yet to be announced, all sessions sold out while the penultimate Elevate Social session was cancelled and the first Elevate Nights session finished early (the SkyShow still went ahead on time in the end, fortunately, though), both due to the weather.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will be staged in Australia and New Zealand, following a vote taken by the FIFA Council during its meeting held via videoconference, the result of which was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The joint bid submitted by Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football received 22 of the 35 valid votes cast by the FIFA Council members in the first ballot, with the Colombian Football Association having obtained 13 votes. The full voting results are available below.
Following on from the astounding success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™ in France and the subsequent unanimous decision by the FIFA Council, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the first edition to feature 32 teams and it will also be the first to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand and across two confederations (AFC and OFC).
It has been a long day but it ends with the sudden & controversial decision to use the Sydney Opera House essentially as a ‘billboard’ to promote the upcoming The Everest horse race, a horse race that, whilst being the richest turf horse race in the world, has only been held once.
This is, without a doubt, the most controversial decision in the history of ‘Spectaculars’ in Sydney.
Firstly, apologies to all the Sydney Spectaculars followers for not posting any stories and responding to queries received. In the upcoming month, a post will be made about the future of the blog as the past 9 months, we’ve been weighing up what to do with the blog. We will then also respond to the queries received. In any case, this story is too big not to post about.
So prepare for the most controversial decision regarding a Sydney Spectacular EVER.
The story has only erupted in the past 24 hours but as we follow stories about what we call as ‘Sydney Spectaculars’, we can actually say it begun just under a year ago but let’s begin 7 months prior to that to get the full timeline:
2 February 2017
Racing New South Wales (NSW) & The Australian Turf Club announce a new horse race, The Everest, which is to be the richest turf horse race in the world with AUD$10,000,000 prize money, which is funded by “subscribers” & the event’s revenue. It is to be run under weight-for-age conditions over 1200 metres on the Royal Randwick Racecourse on the 2nd Saturday of each October.
To enter the race, it costs $600,000 depending the result of an expressions of interest process. There are 12 spots available, which can be traded with other horse owners.
As referred by the Australian Turf Club Chairman, Laurie Macri:
…Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club…share a vision to see more Sydney racing on the world stage
Australian Turf Club Chief Executive Officer, Darren Pearce, said:
…The Everest furthers our goal to attract a global audience…
These 2 quotes emphasise why The Everest was created.
Australia’s most iconic race is the Melbourne Cup, first held just under 160 years ago and whilst is one of the richest turf horse races in the world, it’s prize money is $7,300,000. Sydney and Melbourne, the capital cities of the states of NSW & Victoria and the largest and 2nd largest cities in Australia respectively have long held a sporting rivalry.
10 October 2017
The barrier draw for the 1st edition of The Everest is held on a boat in Sydney Harbour’s Farm Cove.
14 October 2017
The Everest is held for the 1st time won by Redzel. 33,000 people attended compared to the Melbourne Cup‘s attendance of approximately 90,000, which was held just under a month later.
17 October 2017
The Sydney Morning Heraldreports that the parliamentary leader of the NSW Labor Party said that, if his political party wins next year’s (2019) state election (to be held on the 23rd of March), they will allow on the Sunday prior to the race, the Sydney Harbour Bridge to be closed and used for the barrier draw for The Everest, which would have formed part of new week-long festival centred around The Everest.
The article also mentioned that The Everest from 2019 might be held on a Friday night instead.
Closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, home of one of Australia’s busiest and critical motorways, for an event like a barrier draw would have been unjustifiably disruptive. After all, the barrier draw held a week prior to the article’s publication was held on a boat on Sydney Harbour’s Farm Cove, which is in front of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It was also televised globally. That was in an iconic location with the benefits outweighing the costs. Closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge would’ve undoubtedly have the costs outweigh the benefits.
Closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been done before but for more realistic events like protest marches, fireworks displays, Formula 1 car driving and historic commemorations but nothing that is nearly equivalent to a simple lottery draw that can be held in a smaller location with an equally iconic view.
At the time, the leader of the NSW Parliamentary Labor Party, Luke Foley, said:
If the government is focused on sitting down with Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club this could grow and grow and grow into just the greatest promotion for Sydney on the global stage
It is likely this is what has sparked the current situation particularly due to the state election to be held in just under 6 months.
21-24 August 2018
Friction in the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party leads to Prime Minister (at the time) Malcolm Turnbull (Leader of that parliamentary political party) to call a spill at a party meeting, which he subsequently wins but upon receipt of a petition containing a majority of signatures of party members, another extraordinary meeting was held where he resigned the parliamentary political party leadership. He later resigned as Prime Minister. Scott Morrison subsequently got elected by the party and appointed by the Governor-General to each of those positions respectively.
27 August 2018
Alan Jones, a radio broadcaster, revealed to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 7:30 program that he contacted 2 Members Of Parliament (MP) during the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party leadership spills that occurred earlier that month.
Though one of the MPs is a friend of Alan Jones, the other likely isn’t particularly as he refused to name who that MP was. Access to MPs from their electors is extremely hard to get due to their busy schedule and to have such direct access during such extraordinary times questions how much influence he has over the current Coalition Government & in particular, the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party.
5 October 2018
Approximately 1:00am
The Daily Telegraphreports that NSW government officials rejected a pitch by Racing NSW to host the barrier draw on the side of Sydney Harbour Bridge without disrupting traffic sometime ago.
Clearly, from that, at some point, the NSW Labor Party’s plan (if it was initially their plan) was heard about by Racing NSW who proposed it to the NSW Government for the 2018 edition of The Everest. However, it was inevitably realised that closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge was never going to be an option so a projection show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons became the newer option.
However, for some unknown reason, that more logical idea was rejected by NSW Government officials but, as compensation, offered Racing NSW to use the Sydney Opera House instead.
Negotiations then begun (sometime before mid-August as per the Sydney Opera House’s Sail Illumination Policy) between the NSW Government, Racing NSW & the Sydney Opera House Trust, which were still going at this point, to hold an hour long projection show on the Sydney Opera House next Tuesday (9th of October 2018) as part of the barrier draw.
It was to be “designed alongside the company behind the renowned Vivid festival”. Vivid Sydney has always been organised by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism agency. The Lighting Of The Sails, though, has been designed by numerous companies over the event’s history.
The projection show would coincide with the barrier draw, which lasts 5 minutes and show the names and colours of the 12 horses. For 55 minutes after the projection show, the horses’ colours would be shown. The Everest logo would also be shown the projection show, which would be recorded and used in promotional material all around the world.
The negotiations were mediated by the Sports Minister, Stuart Ayres, but the Sydney Opera House Trust kept refusing to allow the projection show.
The night prior to the article’s publication saw Racing NSW agreed to remove The Everest logo from the images to be used and instead replace it with a trophy.
Approximately 9:00am
Invited by Alan Jones, a radio broadcaster, the CEO of Racing NSW and the Sydney Opera House Trust go on The Alan Jones Breakfast Show via telephone, a program on the radio station 2GB.
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Alan Jones refers to ‘rugby’ in the interview. He is referring to the usage of the Sydney Opera House for the Wallabies logo during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which wasn’t held in Australia. However, it was held at the time of the projection, which lasted a few nights. This isn’t promotion for a future event though as the event was occurring at the time of the projection. According to Stuart Ayres at the time, it was used “to cheer the team on” and “to celebrate the Wallabies”.
Image credit: Destination NSW / James Morgan
Approximately 5:00pm
The Sydney Morning Heraldreported that the chief executive of the Sydney Opera House, Louise Herron, said she has received an “outpouring of support” in response to the earlier interview which showed the Sydney Opera House Trust’s resistance to the proposal. Ms Herron told the Herald:
The community regards the Opera House as its asset to be treated with respect, to be treated as the treasure it is. The accusation that this is in any way elitist is just so wrong, because the response is from the community. The racing community is a small part of the community… but does it get to dictate something to the rest of the community … when the rest of the community is saying ‘we absolutely don’t want this?’
Referring to the Sydney Opera House’s official Sail Illumination Policy, she said to the Herald that it was important to maintain such a policy:
What that means is when people come along and say ‘I want to advertise Chicken Tonight on the sails,’ we can hold firm because we never approve that.
If we said yes to this, ‘we’re fine put the Everest logo on there’ our policy is worthless to us, we’re just going to allow whoever comes along to use the Opera House as a billboard,’ we would lose our World Heritage status.
We would be seen in the global community as not respecting this jewel, this masterpiece of human creative genius that is the greatest building of the 20th Century.
The government wants something to happen. Something will happen, I have no doubt. At the very least the colours will go up. And that’s fine. We will support the government’s position… as we always do
When asked by the Herald what she thought of the proposal, she laughed and said:
Well what can you say? Just so inappropriate.
In response to the interview with Alan Jones, she said to the Herald:
I feel very supported by the board, I feel very supported by the government, and I feel very supported by the community. I wouldn’t feel that supported by Alan Jones, but by the rest I certainly do.
The Sydney Morning Herald claims Luke Foley, the parliamentary leader of the NSW Labor Party, supports the proposal.
Approximately 6:00pm – THE DECISION
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the NSW Government will instruct the Sydney Opera House Trust to agree with the proposal (including the trophy amendment). However, some more amendments are to be made, the word ‘Everest’ will be added but not the list of the participating horses.
The chief executive of Racing NSW, Peter V’landys, said to the Herald:
We are very grateful to the NSW Government and Sydney Opera House for their support. We look forward to promoting Sydney internationally via the world’s richest race on turf – The Everest.
The instruction will come from the NSW Arts Minister, Don Harwin, who the Herald understands to be disappointed with the decision.
To the Herald, a spokesman for the NSW Premier said “of course” Ms Herron had her support, but would not answer whether the Premier had spoken to Alan Jones that day.
During the interview, Alan Jones said he will be speaking with the NSW Premier in “5, 3 minutes”, which was after when his show concluded.
Requests for illumination of the Sails may come from time to time from Government to promote special events or encourage tourism. These requests will be responded to positively while maintaining the Trust’s policy of non-exploitation of the Sails.
It is the last 10 words of that policy section that is currently contentious – “while maintaining the Trust’s policy of non-exploitation of the Sails”.
The Everest is a ‘special event’ though and does ‘encourage tourism’ and based on that quote above, the Government can request but not instruct the Sydney Opera House CEO to accept this proposal. The Sydney Opera House CEO will respond positively but only if it doesn’t exploit the Sails. This has all been done.
The policy linked to this article is from 2012. It went under review in 2014 so we can’t be certain if it is the same but it is very likely the same.
So who is in the right? The Sydney Opera House Trust or The Everest organisers? You can be the judge.
In the exercise and discharge of its powers, authorities, duties and functions the Trust shall, notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, be subject to the control and direction of the Minister.
The bigger story out of this is the influence of media figures in politics particularly in light of the recent Liberal Party leadership spill, which saw a change in Prime Minister (and several other ministers – well nearly all ministers) as well as the resignation from the Australian Parliament of Malcolm Turnbull.
Surry Hills is set to celebrate all things Christmas with decoration workshops, free gift wrapping services, a live disc jockey (DJ), kids’ entertainment & photos with Santa.
The village’s 1st Christmas festival, A Very Surry Hills Christmas, will bring together retailers, local businesses & the community to celebrate the festive season.
Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said the event was part of the City Of Sydney’s efforts to attract more shoppers to the area & support local businesses and the community.
“Local retailers are part of what makes Surry Hills special & unique. This event is about boosting our support for those local businesses, residents & visitors who spend time in the area” Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.
“We have worked closely with Sydney artist, Jeff McCann, to create a range of unique works for our Christmas event including wrapping paper, wreaths & spectacular Christmas trees that will decorate Shannon Reserve.
“A Very Surry Hills Christmas will light up and energise the village & I hope as many residents and businesses as possible come together for this celebration”
Gifts purchased from local retailers can be gift wrapped, free of charge, in distinctive McCann-designed paper created specifically for the event.
Visitors can take part in free workshops & learn to make their own Christmas decorations from floral wreaths & screen-printed coasters to personalised edible gingerbread gifts.
A live DJ will entertain crowds throughout the day & there will be face painting, free entertainment and photos with Santa for the kids.
A Very Surry Hills Christmas will be held from 9am–5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday the 16th of December at Shannon Reserve, Surry Hills.
Shoppers, visitors, residents & workers can soak up the spirit of the festive season as the sounds of Christmas fill the air across Sydney.
Traditional Christmas carollers, including the Jingle Belles Singers, The Cleftomaniacs, Soulfood & Endeavour Harmony Chorus, will entertain passersby with favourite holiday tunes in Pitt Street Mall every Thursday, Saturday & Sunday night from the 25th of November.
In Martin Place, choirs, including the Australian Girls’ Choir, Sydney Philharmonia Choir, Circular Keys & TheSalvation Army Band And Choir, will perform under the branches of the interactive Christmas Tree every evening from the 26th of November until Christmas Eve.
Sydneysiders can also enjoy a night of carol singing, festive music & readings at the annual Christmas At Sydney Town Hall concert on Tuesday the 19th of December. The magnificent grand organ & stunning sandstone surroundings make this very festive affair a memorable night for the whole family.
The City’s 2017 charity partner’s choir, Variety – The Children’s Charity Choir, will also perform as part of the Choirs In The City program. The lively, fun group of Aussie celebrities & kids, led by The Voice alumni, Darren Percival, will perform in Pitt Street Mall on the 14th of December & in Martin Place on the 20th of December.
“There is nothing quite like Christmas in the city. We are going to get everyone into the Christmas spirit with our Choirs In The City program, making Sydney as festive & fun as possible” Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.
“The sound of carollers & choirs will ring through Pitt Street Mall & Martin Place, creating an exciting, festive atmosphere in Sydney’s main retail precincts”
Pitt Street Mall program – from 6pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT):
Leichhardt Espresso Chorus – 25th of November The Cleftomaniacs – 30th of November Northern Beaches Chorus – 30th of November United Nesian Movement – 2nd of December Australian Girls’ Choir – 3rd of December Soulfood – 7th of December Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir – 7th of December Australian Girls’ Choir – 9th of December Circular Keys Chorus – 10th of December Variety – The Children’s Charity Choir – 14th of December Australian Girls’ Choir – 14th of December Endeavour Harmony Chorus – 16th of December Jingle Belles Singers – 17th of December Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir – 21st of December Northern Beaches Chorus – 21st of December
Martin Place program – from 6pm AEDT on weekdays & 7pm AEDT on weekends:
Circular Keys – 26th of November NuSom – 27th of November Sydney Sings (With One Voice) – 28th of November Australian Girls’ Choir – 29th of November Erskineville Public School – 30th of November SISTA! Quartet – 1st of December United Nesian Movement – 2nd of December Australian Girls’ Choir – 3rd of December Jingle Belles Singers – 4th of December Bondi Sings – 5th of December Endeavour Harmony Chorus – 6th of December Campbelltown District Marching Band – 7th of December NuSom – 8th of December Australian Girls’ Choir – 9th of December Circular Keys – 10th of December Jingle Belles Singers – 11th of December Honeybees – 12th of December Endeavour Harmony Chorus – 13th of December Darlington Public School – 14th of December Circular Keys – 14th of December Circular Keys – 15th of December Endeavour Harmony Chorus – 16th of December Jingle Belles Singers – 17th of December Sydney Philharmonia Choir – 18th of December Sydney Philharmonia Choir – 19th of December Variety – The Children’s Charity Choir – 20th of December Sydney Philharmonia Choir – 21st of December The Salvation Army Band And Choir – 22nd to the 24th of December
Sydney Spectaculars 
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