- Organiser/Event Creative Director: City Of Sydney
- Midnight Fireworks Soundtrack Producer: Jono Ma
- Fireworks Provider: Foti International Fireworks
- Light Show: 32 Hundred Lighting
- Pylon Projections: VANDAL
- ‘Calling Country’ Creative Directors: We Are Warriors, supported by R/GA
- Television/Internet Broadcaster: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
- Television/Internet Broadcast Co-Hosts: Charlie Pickering & Zan Rowe
- Radio Broadcaster: KIIS 106.5 (fireworks soundtracks), ABC (concert, audio descriptions & Midnight Fireworks soundtrack), 2RPH (audio descriptions)
- Visual Identity: Frost*Collective
- Charity Partner: Beyond Blue
The 2025 edition took 18 months to plan – that’s since July 2024!
Beyond Blue was confirmed as the official charity partner on August 20.
I am happy to welcome Beyond Blue as our official charity partner of 2025 Sydney New Year’s Eve
Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor
The visual identity debuted on August 29. Described as a “future-focused” “bold, modular brand system…that could flex across formats” universally, it was “designed to move a city” with “strong graphic forms, a vibrant palette & welcoming brand voice” uniting to unmistakably capture Sydney’s more playful side. It will also be used for Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2026 & 2027.
The event’s website was updated on September 4.
Sydney puts on a New Year’s Eve like nowhere else & with more than 1 million people travelling to the foreshore to watch the fireworks, a little planning goes a long way.
Whether you’re committed to securing a family-friendly front row spot at 1 of the many free viewing areas at parks & headlands around the Harbour or planning to go big with your booking, the official website has you covered.
We’d love you to celebrate with us in Sydney.
Clover Moore, Sydney Lord Mayor
Blues Point & Other Vantage Points
After being declined a New South Wales (NSW) Government subsidy at 10am on November 24, North Sydney Council made Blues Point a paid ticketed vantage point.
Back in July, North Sydney Councillors had varying reasons for supporting re-introducing paid ticketing to Blues Point or alternatively, at least asking for an NSW Government subsidy instead. The originator of the idea to ask the NSW Government for a subsidy while arguing against paid ticketing of Blues Point said:
300,000 dollars or a million dollars is less than a rounding error for the State Government. Uh, that is, it is a big impact for this Council & I think that, uh, they, they wax lyrical, uh, in, uh, tourism publications, about the, the benefits of, of New Year’s Eve & I think that that should be reflected in their contributions to Councils.
Angus Hoy, North Sydney ‘Greens’ Councillor
Arguing in favour of both a subsidy request & in the event of its refusal by the NSW Government, paid ticketing of Blues Point, Councillor Christopher Holding erroneously thought the NSW Government organises the event:
It’s a party that the State Government puts on & we, uh, in our area, are, have the, the blessing of having a great viewpoint for it but unfortunately, we don’t get any costs for our side of, um, supporting the, the crowd management & uh, & all those other aspects that come with, uh, the New Year’s Eve fireworks so I think this is a really balanced, uh, educated way of looking at it.
Christopher Holding, North Sydney ‘The Real Independents’ Councillor
This is not true (the State Government putting on Sydney NYE). The City Of Sydney organises the event with the NSW Government playing a supporting logistical role.
A final reason for them supporting both was provided by the Mayor, Zoë Baker. She referred to a “really precarious financial position”, a likely reference to the cost blowout to AUD$122 million on the redevelopment of the North Sydney Olympic Pool, which hosted aquatics at the IIIrd British Empire Games: Sydney 1938. The Council, which had its election in September 2024, in response, had applied to the Independent Pricing & Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) in February for a special rate variation consisting of an increase by 87.05% over 2 years, which was declined in May. In a last desperate measure, at the July Council meeting, where there was 1 Public Forum Speaker on the topic (local resident, Mr Davie MacDonald, who spoke against the staff recommendation), they made the decision to write to the NSW Government asking for a subsidy for North Sydney’s NYE vantage points & if it was declined, Blues Point would become paid ticketed:
As Mr MacDonald (Public Forum speaker) said, well let’s push aside what IPART did. Well we can’t. I would love to but we’ve got to be a financially sustainable Council & so unfortunately, this is one of those unpleasant things that we have got to do & so I do support, I do support the motion.
Shannon Welch, North Sydney ‘Labor’ Councillor
I share your principle on this & have & um, for, for, for every year that I have been on this Council, I have always voted, um, to keep public open space free & access free but unfortunately, we, as a Council & a governing body, have inherited, um, a really precarious financial position that has not been relieved by our seeking a special rate variation & so it is with exceptionally heavy heart, um, that I find myself supporting the motion for 1 year only.
Zoë Baker, North Sydney Mayor
On the 24th of November at 10am, the subsidy request was declined by the NSW Government. Therefore, 8000 tickets for Blues Point went on sale at the last possible moment for North Sydney Council. They went on sale for AUD$50 (+booking fees) at the moment their subsidy request was declined.
Ticketholders can access Blues Point from 11am on NYE until 12:30am in the new year, with gates closing at 9pm on NYE & the price comes with food trucks, a 4-hour live music set at 2pm by The Steff Domazet Duo and from 6pm until the Midnight Fireworks, disc jockeys, Shanie D and James Alexandr.
The Blues Point vantage point is Hidden Disability Sunflower program-recognised.
Blues Point offers 1 of the best vantage points anywhere on the Harbour.
North Sydney Council is introducing cost-recovery ticketing to ensure that residents won’t have to foot the bill to cover the costs of visitors attending New Year’s Eve celebrations & to ensure that it’s an enjoyable night for both residents and visitors.
Zoë Baker, North Sydney Mayor
Most ticketed vantage points were already sold out by the 4th of December.
The Rocks is not an official vantage point this year.
The Media Launch
The media launch was held at 10am on Thursday the 4th of December.
Photograph: Chris Southwood/City Of Sydney
City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, extended an open invitation for everyone to come & celebrate:
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve is like nowhere else. This year will be another spectacular showcase of our brilliant harbour city to people enjoying the celebrations in person & the millions of people watching around the world.
Sydney New Year’s Eve is about celebrating our incredible city & our creative and inclusive community. It is time to reflect on the year that has passed & look forward with hope to the year ahead.
The 9pm Calling Country fireworks will remind us how Country unites us all & we’re proud to have some of Sydney’s most talented Aboriginal artists bringing their culture to life with 8 minutes of animated projection content, fireworks & a bespoke soundtrack.
Front row seats to the greatest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world are free at City Of Sydney vantage points. It’s great to see so many agencies & councils across the foreshore offering free viewing access so we can continue to make our fireworks accessible to everyone.
I want us all to begin the year on a high note & I can’t wait to welcome 2026 alongside Sydneysiders and the visitors who’ve chosen to spend New Year’s Eve in our city.
Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord May
Sydney Opera House Vantage Point
The Sydney Opera House will become a balloted vantage point this year with the ballot opening at 10am on the 26th of December, Boxing Day, the day the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race starts. The tickets are free, up to a maximum of 6 per person. The 6000 ticketholders enter the vantage point between 12pm & 3pm – at least 4.5 hours before the event begins – & can also pre-order an optional picnic hamper.
Security
The below information in the section applies regardless of if you are attending official ‘Sydney NYE’ events or not in Sydney. It applies to all NYE celebrations in Sydney.
After the Bondi Beach massacre & Jewish genocide terrorism on December 14, it was announced on December 29 that there will be extra closed-circuit television cameras monitoring crowds, concrete bollards in Sydney’s central business district & patrolling New South Wales Police officers armed with machine guns, longarms, “big firearms” & other weapons “you haven’t seen before”.
Photograph: 9News
We can’t have a situation where the c, businesses & the community here suffers because the patronage, the consumers, the customers that we’re expecting to come through in the summer months don’t come about…because I know there is a lot of enormous goodwill for the coffee shops, the restaurants, the retail outlets that exist in these few square blocks but we’re really going to have to show the goodwill & the spirit of Sydney by backing Bondi during the summer months.
That goes for New Year’s Eve as well. I’m calling on the people of Sydney to step out, to do what you would ordinarily do, to thumb your nose at the terrorists, to thumb your nose at some of the ideology that we’ve seen online and on social media & ensure you say loud & clear that we will not be cowed by these terrorists or their, or their actions, their violent actions on the people of Australia or the people of Sydney.
It’s really important that if you were going to spend time with your family & friends, that you do just that & I want to send a clear message that New South Wales Police will be out in massive numbers, in some cop, in some cases carrying firearms & weapons that you haven’t seen before, but we judge is absolutely necessary to send a clear message that we will keep the public safe & do everything we can to restore confidence as Sydneysiders go about enjoying the most beautiful city on Earth.
I have spoken to a lot of parents & they would feel far more comfortable if there was a major police presence & that includes with the firepower required.
Chris Minns, NSW Premier
Photograph: Dominic Giannini/Australian Associated Press
The purpose of the terrorism is actually to say to the community in Bondi & New South Wales – ‘We don’t want you to live your life’ – & I think there’s a good opportunity for parents & members of the community to show that they’re not going to be cowed or intimidated by terrorists & that they will celebrate with their family & friends. Now that means that we have to have a, a massive police presence. We need to have huge security available on the scene during New Year’s Eve celebrations & yes, in many cases, it will be confronting for members of the community to see Police with big firearms & machine guns, which aren’t normally the case on Sydney’s streets, but I don’t make any apology for that.
Chris Minns, NSW Premier
The Open Letter
On the morning of the 29th, 30 Jewish-Australian cultural figures wrote a signed open letter to City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, urging the City to project a “Jewish-specific symbol” onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons to commemorate the victims killed in the Bondi Beach Jewish genocide terrorist attack on 14 December.
Signatories included:
- Australian Jewish Music Festival Director, Ben Adler
- Walkey Documentary Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Danny Ben-Moshe
- Pulitzer Prize For Fiction-winning writer, Geraldine Brooks,
- Australian Recording Industry Association Best Female Artist Award-winning rock musician, Deborah Conway,
- Archibald Prize winning-still life portrait painter, Yvette Coppersmith &
- Academy Award For Best Picture–winning producer, Emile Sherman
- pianist & writer, Simon Tedeschi
- musician, Yaron Hallis &
- Australian Chamber Orchestra artistic director, Richard Tognetti
Richard Tognetti performed at the iconic Sydney NYE1999 – Sydney’s Millennium edition during The Ghost Of Time segment.
We acknowledge the City Of Sydney’s plan as a gesture of remembrance & agree with the need for such a gesture. However, we consider the imagery & word chosen to be insufficient as they do not acknowledge the Jewish particularity of the Bondi massacre.
Let us be clear: two terrorists shot dead 15 innocent Australian civilians at a Chanukah event on Bondi Beach for one reason only – because they were Jewish, living publicly Jewish lives. It is insulting to strip our friends and family, who were killed for being Jews, of the dignity of being recognised as Jews in their death.
The selection of this word, coupled with the dove, without any specific reference to the targeting of the Jewish community, prolongs our erasure & obfuscates the problem of domestic antisemitism.
Open Letter signed by 30 Jewish-Australian cultural figures
The letter also argued that Sydney New Year’s Eve were not only a local event but a global cultural broadcast, with the world looking to Sydney as one of the 1st & most spectacular celebrations to bring in the new year. Failing to acknowledge the Jewish identity of the victims sent a damaging message according to the signatories. (Sydney Spectaculars agrees with this after the City made the event ultra-local since NYE2015. The Jewish community is very small globally (0.3%) & in the City (1%) compared to Waverly where the attack occurred (16%))
Attached to the open letter were different designs for a menorah projection.
Spokespersons Ben Adler and Danny Ben-Moshe claimed their antisemitism warnings had been dismissed too often since 2023 by “generic calls for peace”. Ben Adler said the use of a Jewish symbol in the Moment Of Unity would help bridge the divide between communities, saying many non-Jewish friends reached out to him in the wake of the Jewish genocide terrorism saying they had very little understanding of Jewish culture:
Even friends who have lived their entire lives in the eastern suburbs did not know what a Chanukiah is. A menorah on the pylons of the Harbour Bridge during one of Australia’s most watched cultural products is a first step in that direction.
The Sydney NYE fireworks are watched by millions nationally and, apparently, hundreds of millions globally. It’s 1 of the few times the international community actively turns to Australia for reasons outside of the news cycle & one of its most popular cultural offerings – a massive opportunity to show the world that not just Sydney but Australia, after a horrendous 2 years of rising antisemitism, stands unequivocally in support of the Jewish community.
Failing to acknowledge the Jewish community in any way during the memorial moment would have been a massive, missed opportunity for Australia in its attempts to rehabilitate its global image.
Ben Adler, open letter signatory
On Monday afternoon, the Lord Mayor said the City would continue to listen to the community to ensure the Bondi Beach massacre & Jewish genocide terrorism acknowledgement on NYE was appropriate. She agreed with the open letter signatories’ sediments & decided a menorah and the word ‘UNITY’ will also be projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons during the Moment Of Unity.
I’m very relieved, I’m very pleased & I’m very grateful that the Lord Mayor has made this change.
Danny Ben-Moshe, Walkey Documentary Award-winning documentary filmmaker
Danny Ben-Moshe also said the Moment Of Unity‘s expansion would “enable Jewish Australians & Jewish tourists to participate in that NYE event with a sense of inclusion rather than exclusion, perhaps with an element of hope rather than despair”.
In October 2023, New South Wales (NSW) Premier, Chris Minns, implied that once a decision was made to do a Jewish-related projection in response to terrorist events, that the NSW Government would give the Jewish community an opportunity to commemorate and mourn the death of innocent civilians & for the sense of loss that that community had felt, at a nearby vantage point. In response to the City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, deciding to project a menorah on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons, which the NSW Government manages, an NSW Government spokesperson said:
The planning and delivery of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks and projections sit with the City Of Sydney.
The New South Wales Government remains in close consultation with the community, particularly the impacted Jewish community, about appropriate supports & ways to recognise the attack.
NSW Government spokesperson
In short, the NSW Government is still closely consulting with the impacted Jewish community & in any case, it is the City Of Sydney’s choice about what is projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons for NYE.
Bump-In
On December 29, 60 tonnes of equipment had been loaded onto the pyrotechnic barges.
Photograph: Pheobe Pratt/City Of Sydney
The City Of Sydney is also now discouraging overnight camping in make-shift queues prior to NYE.
Party Time!
At the Pirrama Park vantage point from 2pm, Beyond Blue representatives will be running activities & providing tips about setting and sticking to a daily mental health practice in 2026.
There is also a new designated accessible viewing area for the 9pm Calling Country Fireworks only. It is Circular Quay’s Wharf 3. It is a unique vantage point in that attendees have to meet at Redfern Railway Station at 7:30pm & travel together by train to Circular Quay. This is because Circular Quay Railway Station is closed to the public from 3pm. You also have to bring your own chairs to this viewing area. You can register for that viewing area here.
There will be a total of 9 tonnes of fireworks including 40,000 individual pyrotechnic effects. On the Sydney Harbour Bridge, there will be 112 firing points firing pyro from 7000 cues. There will be 2 extra drones during the fireworks, bringing it to a record total of 6 pyrotechnic drones.
Smoking Ceremony
Held for an hour from 7:30pm, it ran behind schedule with the lead vessel, Tribal Warrior, not finishing a semi-circle of Circular Quay by 8:30pm, while it’s support vessels, Mari Nawi & Wirawi, stopping in the south-east corner & to the south-west of the centre of Circular Quay respectively after their entry into the Quay, which would have been a disappointment for the crowds along East Circular Quay & the Sydney Opera House.
Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Projections
Beginning at sunset, the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections begun.
They featured native flora such as Bottlebrush as well as reimaginations of native plants through the combination of artificial intelligence & the actual sequencing of the plants’ deoxyribonucleic acid in a collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens & Sydney NYE2025 Pylon Projection Designers, VANDAL, using the Genomics For Australian Plants database. The overall narrative for the pylon projections this year told the story of the deep connection between land & Sydney, capturing the spirit of rewilding. The plants were divided into 3 categories:
- Ground Dwellers – fungi & ferns such as the Ruby Bonnet, Ghost Fungus, Coral Lichen & Bird’s Nest Fern glowing & growing across solid stone
- Sky Seekers – Sydney’s own Red Gum, Scribbly Gum & Cabbage Tree Palm stretching skyward, joined by the Golden Wattle & Blueberry Ash
- Bloomers – Gymea Lilies, Christmas Bells, Fringe Lilies & the Waratah bursting into bloom
The full-pylon main creative sequences begun at 9:22pm though & appeared 21 times from then on until 2am (excluding the Midnight Fireworks sequence) with varying durations of up to 16 minutes long. The creative sequences still appeared during the ‘Welcome To Sydney’, event partner acknowledgement & production credits projections, which also occurred prior to 9:22pm. However, they weren’t the main focus those times & in the latter twos’ cases’, were only upper pylon.
Image: Sydney NYE
Our streets, footpaths & foreshore are already teeming with extraordinary plant life but it’s so often overlooked.
It’s a rewilding of Sydney in the most joyful, celebratory sense.
Chris Scott, VANDAL Creative Director
This isn’t just a creative flourish. It’s nature helping to shape its own representation. We’re combining art, science & technology to let the plants speak in their own visual language.
Alice Robinson, VANDAL Producer
Also, made in consultation with the Jewish Board Of Deputies, to remember the victims of the Bondi Beach massacre & Jewish genocide terrorism on the 14th of December, at 8:47pm for 1 minute & at 12:13am-12:21am, the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons shone white with an image of a dove above the words ‘PEACE’ & ‘UNITY’.
Light Show
Beginning at 8:30pm, this year’s light show will feature 5,000 moving spotlight beams & light-emitting diode effects. In a major expansion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge light show, the western upper arch featured for the 1st time on NYE, hosting spotlight beams for the 1st time.
Broadcasts
The executive producer of the ABC broadcasts was Nikita Agzarian.
The television/Internet broadcast started at 8:42pm, 12 minutes later than last year, making it the shortest broadcast in 12 years.
Image: ABC
ABC’s 2025 New Year’s Eve broadcast will be truly memorable & lots of fun. It’s a joy to collaborate with City Of Sydney & share this celebration with audiences across Australia and around the globe.
Kath Earle, ABC’s Arts, Music & Events Head
Welcome To Country
The Welcome To Country is being conducted by proud Wiradjuri/Gadigal woman Aunty Joan Bell, on behalf of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. It was filmed by We Are Warriors & Johnathon Karalis at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The 1 minute & 42 minute film was screened on the visual broadcast at 8:42pm & on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons (without subtitles) at 8:45pm AEDT, 12 & 15 minutes later than last year.
Video coming soon.
Lord Mayor’s Message
The City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, appeared in a special 36 second film produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to deliver a message following the Bondi Beach massacre & Jewish genocide terrorism, which was screened on the visual broadcast & the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons (with subtitles) immediately following the Welcome To Country.
Video coming soon.
Calling Country
Live Performance
Beginning at 8:57pm on the Sydney Opera House Northern Broadwalk. The below video contains the 1st 5 seconds of the Calling Country fireworks.
Soundtrack
- Silver Lining – Nooky & Jem Cassar-Daley ***WORLD PREMIERE***
Fireworks
- Projection Artists: Aaron Kennedy (Jerrinja/Djirringanj Yuin) & Shal (Bundjalung/Yugambeh’s Shaun Daniel Allen)
- Projection Animator: VANDAL‘s Jeremy Mansford
The Calling Country projections for this edition we have decided were not made exclusively for the 9pm show as the projections were repeated at 11:42pm (except the opening & last minute. However, that image appears throughout the main show) so for this edition, the Calling Country fireworks only consisted of the fireworks, lights & soundtrack. Outside of the fireworks throughout the night, the pylon projections also included the words ‘Bujari Gamarruwa’ & ‘Always was. Always will be.’
The below video includes the last 30 seconds of the Calling Country live performance.
Soundtrack
The 3-song fireworks soundtrack is produced by Caleb Tasker. The song titles below are not the actual or suggested song title names but instead descriptions of the 3 tracks.
- Djiranganj Welcome Song – Warren Foster
- Dharrawal–Dhurga song about the wild dogs, Mirrigan & Warrigal – Cecil McLeod & Richard Scott Moore
- Djiranganj Wallaga Lake woven handline & abalone hook fishing song – Nooky
The whole soundtrack is of a 600-kilometre journey, beginning in the Bega Valley heading north to Sydney’s outskirts before returning.
Concert
Between Friday the 5th & the 12th of December, ABC Local Radio Sydney Breakfast held a competition to win 1 of 15 double pass to the concert. A cue to call 1300 222 702 was broadcast & to win, you had to call that number& correctly perform the on-air task asked by the presenter. Entries were limited to 1 per person & you had to be 18 years old or over to enter.
General tickets to the Concert went up for ballot at 9am on Monday the 8th of December. They had cost AUD$60 (+booking fee) with all proceeds going to RizeUp, who support families affected by domestic violence. Only 4 tickets could be bought per person.
All ticketholders had to be 18 years or older to attend.
Held on the Sydney Opera House Northern Broadwalk, the concert begun at 9:08pm & concluded at 11:59pm in the broadcasts and 12:45am in person.
The concert could be heard anywhere down by the Harbour on ABC Local Radio Sydney (702 AM), which was synchronised to the Sydney Harbour Bridge light show.
The Play School tribute band included drummer, Andy.
Monica Trapaga made her 1st appearance on the television broadcast since the Millennium & her 1st appearance at the event since NYE2001!
After The Cat Empire set, the back-up singers’ names were Alusha, Melissa & Gary, who were also part of the house band that featured after the Play School tribute band.
- How To Explain? – The Cat Empire
- 2 Shoes – The Cat Empire
- Hello – The Cat Empire
- Dumb Things (The Cat Empire cover) – Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls
- Still Young – The Cat Empire
- Play School Tribute (see below)
- Shake My Sillies Out – (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan cover) – Raffi
- Wiggerly Woo (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan featuring Monica Trapaga cover) – Don Spencer & Moira Cochrane
- Everybody Do This (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan featuring Monica Trapaga cover) – Mary Miller, Richard Connolly & Rosemary Milne
- If You’re Happy & You Know It (Peter Dasent instrumental cover) – Traditional
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (Peter Dasent instrumental cover) – Tune anonymous
- Hickory Dickory Dock (Peter Dasent instrumental cover) – Traditional
- The Wheels On The Bus (Peter Dasent instrumental cover) – Verna Hills
- Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Peter Dasent instrumental cover) – Traditional
- Dingle Dangle Scarecrow (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan featuring Monica Trapaga & Philip Quast cover) – Mollie & Geoffrey Russell-Smith
- Play School Tribute (see below)
- Untouched (Ayesha Madon cover) – The Veronicas
- Supervision – Ayesha Madon
- God Only Knows (Jem Cassar-Daley, Casey Donovan & Ayesha Madon cover) – The Beach Boys
- Golden (Casey Donovan cover) – Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami
- Beyond Blue Moment (see below)
- Champagne Supernova (Jem Cassar-Daley cover) – Oasis
- Front Left Pocket – Jem Cassar-Daley
- Cruisin’ (Don West cover) – Smokey Robinson
- Send It Back – Don West
- Just The Two Of Us (Don West cover) – Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers
- Dance To The Music (Marcia Hines cover) – Sly & The Family Stone
- You – Marcia Hines
- MacArthur Park (Marcia Hines & Casey Donovan cover) – Jimmy Webb
- Perfect For You – Peach Porcelain (PRC)
- Blondes – Peach PRC
- Sweet N’ Low – Peach PRC
- Firework (Peach PRC cover) – Katy Perry
- Moment Of Unity (see below)
- Resolution – Matt Corby
- Brother – Matt Corby
- Man I Need (Matt Corby cover) – Olivia Dean
- Miracle Love – Matt Corby
- Abracadabra (Casey Donovan cover) – Lady Gaga (featuring interpolated melody sample from Spellbound by Siouxsie & The Banshees)
- Where Is My Husband? (Casey Donovan cover) – Raye
- I Turn To You – Melanie C
- Never Be The Same Again (Melanie C cover) – Melanie C featuring Left Eye
- Sweat – Melanie C
- 2 Become 1 (Melanie C cover) – The Spice Girls
- Say You’ll Be There (Melanie C cover) – The Spice Girls featuring Judd Lander
- Spice Up Your Life (Melanie C cover) – The Spice Girls
- Who Do You Think You Are? (Melanie C cover) – The Spice Girls
Sydney Harbour Lights
Held from 9:15pm until 10:59pm, Sydney Harbour Lights was a parade of illuminated vessels travelling around the Harbour between Goat & Clark Islands/Bradley’s Head. It concluded at 11pm with the Moment Of Unity (see below).
A shower passed over Kirribilli at around 9:30pm.
Play School Tributes
At 9:39pm-9:40pm & 9:48pm-9:49pm, the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections featured a 60th birthday tribute to Australian preschool learning television program, Play School. Beginning with a fly-through of the iconic windows, it reveals the Rocket Clock lifting off before going through a series of images of the show’s toys doing human things. It concluded with Humpty Dumpty falling causing a puff of confetti, only for Humpty Dumpty to cheekily reappear showing he actually survived the fall.
- There’s A Bear In There (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan cover) – Richard Connolly & Rosemary Milne
- Let’s Play Together (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke, Kaeng Chan, Monica Trapaga, Philip Quast, Big Ted, Jemima, Humpty, Kiya & Little Ted cover) – Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting
- There’s A Bear In There (Peter Dasent, Michelle Lim Davidson, Justine Clarke & Kaeng Chan featuring Monica Trapaga, Philip Quast, Big Ted, Jemima, Humpty, Kiya & Little Ted cover) – Richard Connolly & Rosemary Milne
Beyond Blue Moment
Between 10:08pm-10:09pm, Sydney Harbour including its Bridge lit up blue to honour the work and message of hope from the official charity partner, Beyond Blue.
Through the collaboration with the City Of Sydney, Beyond Blue is encouraging people to prioritise self-care & consider small, regular and meaningful actions that will benefit their mental health in ways that last beyond NYE.
There was no soundtrack.
Video coming soon.
That could be committing to volunteering, catching up with a friend for coffee on a regular basis, going for a walk each morning, starting that hobby you’ve been keen to try or if it’s needed, booking an appointment with a mental health professional.
This partnership allows us to talk to Australia about mental health at an important moment & encourage people to take action to look after their mental health in the coming year.
Lighting up the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge blue will be a powerful reminder that no matter who you are or where you are, Beyond Blue is there for you if you need support.
Georgie Harman, Beyond Blue Chief Executive Officer
Moment Of Unity
Made in consultation with Australia’s Jewish community, at 10:59pm-11:01pm, the Sydney Harbour Bridge & the Sydney Harbour Lights vessels were lit white. A spotlight beam also shone directly up from the top of the eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
3 bells were sounded signalling to spectators, viewers & listeners to shine a light & be silent.
A menorah was projected onto the pylons during the silence.
Photograph: Getty Images
After what ended up being 55 seconds of silence, 3 bells sounded again as the words ‘PEACE’ & ‘UNITY’ under a dove of peace was projected onto the Bridge’s pylons before Matt Corby covered INXS‘ iconic song, Never Tear Us Apart from the Sydney Opera House Northern Broadwalk.
Full video coming soon.
Soundtrack
- Bell rung 3 times – Unknown
- 55 seconds of silence
- Bell rung 3 times – Unknown
- Never Tear Us Apart (Matt Corby cover) – INXS
Sydney New Year’s Eve is more than fireworks. It’s a reflection of who we are – a vibrant, diverse & inclusive city. Those values are more important than ever.
We will begin the event by lighting the Bridge pylons with the word PEACE & at 11pm, I invite everyone to pause and shine a torch light, to show the Jewish community that we stand with them & that we reject violence, fear and antisemitism.
Following the minute silence, a projection of the peace dove & the words ‘PEACE’ & ‘UNITY’ will be shown on the pylons.
There are no words that can make this moment easier nor explain the evil we have seen.
These moments will provide an opportunity for people to show respect, to reflect on the atrocity & to say we will not let this hateful act of terror divide us.
Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor
Midnight Fireworks
With a footprint spanning 7 kilometres along the Harbour, we’re doing everything we can to give the people of Sydney a great night with some stunning pyrotechnic moments.
We’ve been delighting & entertaining Sydney New Year’s Eve audiences for 28 years & we strive to make every year bigger and better.
Keep your eye out for cockatoos, koalas, bottlebrushes & waratahs as well as ambitious back-to-back waterfalls off the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Fortunato Foti, ‘Sydney NYE2025’ Fireworks Director
This year’s event will be our biggest New Year’s Eve yet, with more fireworks launched from more locations than ever before.
Clover Moore, City Of Sydney Lord Mayor
It began with a 60 second countdown projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons with the final 10 seconds featuring the drones shooting off pyro outwards once a second per drone, with 3 drones on top of each other to the east in front of the Sydney Opera House & 2 drones to the east on top of each other to the west near Goat Island. The final second featured all drones.
The western Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons were used for pyrotechnics for the 1st time ever. The eastern pylons were not used.
It finished at 12:13am (though the last minute or so was only of the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections saying ‘Happy New Year 2026’ without fireworks)
Soundtrack
The Midnight Fireworks Soundtrack was released by Jono Ma on the 19th of December as part of his new EP, No.77: Higher Together. You can also listen to them all on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music.
For the 1st time ever, the Midnight Fireworks soundtrack was simulcast on KIIS 106.5 & ABC Local Radio nationwide!
Preparation
Jono Ma, a founding member of local psychedelic electronic rock dance band, Jagwar Ma, will be the official lead artist of the Sydney NYE2025 Midnight Fireworks soundtrack, beginning a 3-year contract with the City Of Sydney so expect his work to appear in the following 2 editions as well!
Also returning for a 2nd year straight on vocals is Josie Mann.
Jono Ma also joined forces with American soul gospel family group, Annie & The Caldwells, who just happened to be in Sydney when Jono needed such voices.
Also appearing in the soundtrack is Maanyung on vocals and clap sticks, Matteo Zingales on strings, brass and percussion, Jonti Danilewitz on vocals and synthesisers & Jackson Mico Milas on strings.
It was recorded at Sonar Music, Space Mountain Studios Sydney & EMS4 London.
Video: Sydney NYE
Video: Sydney NYE
The soundtrack was initially conceived as an “ethereal” piece before evolving to what it became.
The maritime exclusion zone was lifted at 12:38am.
Post-Event
Ben Adler, one of the signatories of the 29 December open letter to City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said regarding the menorah projection during the Moment Of Unity:
(City Of Sydney) Council probably didn’t warn ABC that the design wouldn’t be visible, you know, more than half a kilometre away or however far it was.
I was there myself in Circular Quay last night, probably 800 metres away & I could barely see it.
The letter was attached to different designs for the menorah. We could have weighed in & explained which ones are stronger and clearer, just from a purely optical perspective but we didn’t have that opportunity.
I think the general principle is that going forwards, it’d be really, really great if bodies like the Council & ABC, when they have an element that is representative of a certain minority, just consult with that minority.
Ben Adler, open letter signatory
Despite the last paragraph of the above quote, the City Of Sydney did consult with the Jewish Board Of Deputies the entire time.
The City Of Sydney also said questions around the visibility of the symbol on the visual coverage was a matter for ABC. While the ABC did produce that coverage, it was despite the Moment Of Unity being part of the world feed that the City provides to global media.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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