Midnight Fireworks – Page 2 – Sydney Spectaculars

Get Planning For A Safe And Memorable New Year’s Eve

Sydneysiders and visitors coming into Sydney this New Year’s Eve are being encouraged to make the most of the latest digital tools, including interactive maps and live social media feeds, to plan a safe and enjoyable night.

More than 1.6 million people are expected to gather around Sydney Harbour for the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays. Tens of thousands more will attend ticketed events and licensed premises throughout the city and neighbouring areas.

The Sydney New Year’s Eve website, Telstra app, printed event guide and city centre information booths will provide audiences with essential planning and transport advice, along with tips on how to make the most of the night.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said planning ahead was crucial to ensuring a safe and memorable New Year’s Eve.

“We’re expecting larger crowds than ever before, so take advantage of our helpful planning tools and arrive early to secure a good spot,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Visit the New Year’s Eve website to search for the best vantage points on our interactive map, receive transport updates and access details about what’s on around town to ensure you get around safely and enjoy your night.”

The official Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 website is a 1-stop shop for essential event information, including an interactive vantage point map to help people find the best spot to ring in the New Year.

More than 65 vantage points are included and can be searched for features including food and drinks, alcohol restrictions, accessible toilets, entry fees and mobility access. The website will be updated throughout the night as vantage points reach capacity.

The website also features a ‘Plan Ahead’ page with road closures and public transport information, while a ‘Program Of Events’ page provides a rundown of the night’s entertainment on Sydney Harbour and what’s on listings for other parts of Sydney like Balmain, Bondi and Manly.

The official Sydney NYE Telstra app will feature live updates on vantage points, 360-degree video footage taken around the Harbour, and the ability to preload 50 text messages for family and friends that will be sent from Midnight – free of charge, no matter what network you’re on.

App users can also live stream Telstra’s Sydney New Year’s Eve YouTube show, which will feature live performances by The Temper Trap and Art vs Science.

The official Sydney New Year’s Eve event guide is available for spectators to pick up from Sydney Airport, major train stations, hotels, tourism information kiosks and the City’s libraries and community centres.

It features a map of harbourside vantage points, transport hubs and other important locations, detailed information about the extra transport services that will be running throughout the night, and advice on mobility access.

An information booth will be set up at Circular Quay from 27 December, and 5 additional booths will be available on 31 December, with volunteer staff offering information, directions and live updates on crowd capacity at key vantage points.

The booths will be located at the Customs House forecourt, Wynyard (cnr George and Margaret streets), Town Hall (Queen Victoria Building), St James (Queens Square) and Macquarie Street (Shakespeare Place and Bridge Street).

Audiences will also be able to get up-to-the-minute information throughout the night on Twitter by following the hashtag #SydNYE and @cityofsydney

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

‘Mustang’ Paces Ford’s Transformation And Exciting New Line-Up By Starring At Sydney NYE2014 – ‘Inspire’

Ford accelerates its’ Australian transformation with the Mustang to be featured at Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire‘ after the City Of Sydney names Ford an associate partner for the event
After scaling the Empire State Building and Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, the all-new Ford Mustang will now take centre stage at the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve event in Sydney, hosting the event’s 1st-ever soundtrack for the crowd
Ford also plans a surprise Ford Mustang appearance at the event, capping a year of iconic moments around the world
Ford is accelerating its’ Australian transformation by introducing a wave of new products in 2015, highlighted by the all-new Mondeo, Everest and iconic Mustang
Aussies can enter for a chance to win tickets at an exclusive area for fireworks and entertainment courtesy of Ford

Ford Motor Company, marking the company’s Australian transformation and wave of stylish, innovative new products, will place its’ globally iconic Mustang centre stage at the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve event to punctuate a history-making year for the ‘Blue Oval’.

The City Of Sydney today announced Ford as an associate partner for this year’s Sydney New Year’s Eve. This completes a history-making year in which the Ford Mustang sat atop the Empire State Building in April – re-creating the original Mustang’s debut 50 years ago – and scaled the Burj Khalifa, the world’s current tallest building in November.

To enhance the day-long event, Ford will bring music entertainment for the 1st time ever to the crowds at key Sydney Harbour vantage points. And, the Mustang will make a surprise appearance to cap a big year.

“We are sending a message that Ford has an exciting future in Australia with a great line-up of new vehicles, including the re-introduction of the Mustang, which is going global after 50 years as America’s greatest motoring icon,” said Bob Graziano, Ford of Australia President and CEO.

“We could not take the all-new Mustang any higher, so now we will give the world a view never seen from a car of Sydney’s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks.”

Scheduled to officially join the brand’s Australian line-up in late 2015, the Ford Mustang will be displayed to the public for the 1st time on 31 December as part of Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire‘, which will be attended by 1.6 million people and viewed by more than a billion globally.

Taking pride of place at a Mustang concert stage harbour-side, this marks the 1st time a car has been this close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge for display purposes, which offers views of the evening’s fireworks, including incredible placement for the Midnight Fireworks display’s ‘waterfall’ pyrotechnics.

Ford is introducing a wave of new products that will accelerate next year as the company plans to refresh its’ entire line-up by 2017. In addition to the new Mustang, the new vehicles include:

2015 Ford Mondeo: The all-new, stylish and technologically advanced Mondeo mid-size sedan arrives early in 2015. The new Mondeo will feature at least 10 advanced models not available on the Camry, including a diesel model that will be more fuel efficient than Camry Hybrid.
2015 Ford Kuga: The newly launched Ford Kuga will be freshened in early 2015 with new EcoBoost technology available, including the 2L EcoBoost engine on high series which offers more power than Toyota’s RAV-4.
2015 Ford Focus: A freshened version of the popular car nameplate arrives in the middle of the year and will include a refreshed performance model of the Focus ST.
All-New Ford Everest: The Australian designed and engineered Everest is a technologically advanced, stunningly capable and refined 7-seat SUV that will be launched in 2015.
2015 Ford Ranger: A freshened version of the tough, capable and Australian-created Ranger will arrive in 2015 to build on its’ momentum after cutting Toyota Hilux’s sales lead by 38% since 2011.

“The theme for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 is ‘Inspire’, which is a perfect fit for the future of our brand – especially with the arrival of the Mustang as people see the car as a way to explore their dreams and the freedom of the open road,” said Graziano.

“Sydney is one of the 1st major cities to ring in the New Year so we want to help the City make the event even more memorable.”

Crowd Entertainment

Ford will bring the soundtrack for the evening to life, hosting a number of Aussie music favourites and broadcasting music to tens of thousands of people around Sydney Harbour.

“People show up early and wait all day for the fireworks displays,” said Graziano. “We are bringing the 1st-ever soundtrack to help people enjoy the day even more. It’s also a chance to celebrate Ford’s exciting future in Australia with a great line-up of new vehicles, including the re-introduction of the Mustang, which is going global after 50 years as America’s greatest motoring icon.” said Graziano.

Ford is also giving Aussies the chance to enter to win tickets to the exclusive event[1]. From 11 December 2014, fans are invited to head to the Ford Australia Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FordAustralia) and share their most adventurous New Year’s resolutions by uploading a photo on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #FordNYE to win[2].

3 winners will receive flights, accommodation, and exclusive tickets for themselves and 3 friends at the coveted location, one of the best vantage spots to watch Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’. In addition, 1 grand prize winner will also win the chance to help make his or her adventurous resolution come true. Entries close December 18 2014.

Australians are also encouraged to follow all the action from the evening by following #FordNYE and #SydNYE.

Global Icon Joins Australian Family

The all-new Ford Mustang is the most advanced version yet of the iconic pony car, offering more advanced driver-assist technology than any other car in its’ class. The sleek new design of the Mustang, fastback and convertible, is backed up by world-class performance from a range of available engines, including a new turbocharged EcoBoost® 2.3-litre and an upgraded 5.0-litre V8 with more than 420 horsepower. In addition to state-of-the-art connectivity systems, Mustang features available track apps, launch control and more.

The Ford Mustang was revealed to the world with a television advertising campaign on the evening of April 16, 1964, before being shown to the public at the New York World’s Fair the next day. The car officially went on sale that day, and Ford dealers accumulated a record 22,000 sales and orders that 1st day on the way to more than 418,000 sales in the 1st year and 1 million sales in less than 2 years. In the past 5 decades, more than 9 million Mustangs have been sold.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across 6 continents. With about 189,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its’ products worldwide, please visit corporate.ford.com.

[1] Terms and conditions apply.

[2] Entrants who enter using Instagram also need to tag @FordAustralia to be eligible to win. See the terms and conditions.

The Only Place To Be On New Year’s Eve Is…

… in front of the TV and tuned to ABC for a 4-hour entertainment extravaganza filled with music and laughs. You’ll have the best seats in the house for both the 9pm Family Fireworks as well as the world-famous Midnight Fireworks.

The New Year’s Eve 2014 show will be jam-packed with some of the country’s funniest comedians, brilliant musical performances and more celebrities than you can poke a sparkler at. And Julia Zemiro and Toby Truslove will be there to navigate us through all the celebrations, live from the Sydney Opera House Northern Forecourt.

This year the ABC is going all out to make this night full of entertainment for all the family. Charlie Pickering will give us a sneak peak at his new show which will debut on ABC in 2015, and throughout the night they’ll cross to Lawrence Mooney hosting Australia’s biggest ever Pub Quiz, featuring guests Denise Scott, Tom Gleeson and Alan Brough and music by Barry Morgan. You can play along at home or sit back and just enjoy the fun. Adam Zwar and some of the favourite Agony Aunts and Uncles will present a special edition of The Agony of New Year’s Eve.

Legendary journalist Fran Kelly will look back at the stories that made news headlines in 2014; self-confessed sports nut Stephanie Brantz will take us through the year in sports; and triple j’s music guru Zan Rowe will review the year in music.

Julia will chat to Jack Thompson, Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ Creative Ambassador, plus they’ll cross to the Lord Mayor’s Party for live performances by Suze Demarchi, Kasey Chambers, Josh Earl and The Tap Dogs.

They’ll check out what’s happening around the country with crosses to roving reporters – Dave O’Neil (Melbourne), Lawrence Leunig (Brisbane), Anne Edmonds (Darwin), Tegan Higginbotham (Perth) and Urzila Carson (New Zealand). They’ll also cross to Peter Hellier partying at home, Adam Richard at the Lord Mayor’s Party chatting to a cavalcade of special guests, and Tom Ballard, flying above the ‘International Date Line’ in the ABC chopper.

Younger viewers will be entertained by ABC3’s Kayne Tremills and ABC4Kids’ Jimmy Giggle as they chat to families and spectators live from the Harbour’s edge. Plus, fans of Nowhere Boys will be treated to a special 1-off episode that bridges episodes 6 to 7 from the latest series.

The New Year’s Eve 2014 broadcast starts on Wednesday December 31 at 8:30pm on ABC*.

Rundown highlights (exact times subject to change):

8:30pm: Opening welcome – Julia Zemiro and Toby Truslove
9:00pm: Family Fireworks Display
9:15pm: Nowhere Boys mini-episode
9:20pm: 2014 Pub Quiz – Part 1
9:50pm: Chat to Jack Thompson (Sydney NYE2014 – ‘Inspire’ Creative Ambassador)
10:00pm: Fran Kelly presents the News Year In Review
10:10pm: Comedy performance by Josh Earl
10:15pm: 2014 Pub Quiz – Part 2
10:35pm: Performance by The Tap Dogs
10:45pm: Stephanie Brantz presents the Sport Year In Review
10:50pm: 2014 Pub Quiz – Part 3
11:15pm: Musical performance by Suze DeMarchi
11:25pm: Adam Zwar presents The Agony of New Year’s Eve
11:40pm: 2014 Pub Quiz – Part 4
11:50pm: Musical performance by Kasey Chambers
12:00am: Midnight Fireworks display

*ABC broadcast delayed to local times.

ABC News 24 will broadcast both the 9pm Family Fireworks display and the Midnight Fireworks display live AEDT.

Come celebrate your New Year’s Eve 2014 with us, on ABC TV.

Hashtags: #SydNYE #ourABC
Handles: @abctv
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abctv
Instagram: #SydNYE #ourABC http://instagram.com/ABCTV

See Your Tweets Light Up The Bridge!

This Sydney New Year’s Eve, for the 1st time, the world’s most famous bridge will be lit up with tweets from Sydneysiders and visitors about how the harbour city will inspire them in 2015.

In the lead up to the world-renowned Midnight Fireworks display, audiences gathered around Sydney Harbour – along with those watching at home – will be encouraged to use the hashtag #SydNYE to tweet New Year messages that tie into this year’s theme, Inspire.

The tweets will appear live on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night, and will be broadcast around Australia and the world in coverage of the 1st major city to ring in the New Year.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney was known as the ‘New Year’s Eve Capital Of The World’ for good reason, and this year’s event would not disappoint.

“Each year, more than 1.6 million people gather around the Harbour foreshore, and millions more around Australia watch at home, as Sydney rings in the New Year with the most spectacular fireworks display in the world,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This year, for the 1st time in Sydney New Year’s Eve history, our audience will become part of the celebration as their New Year tweets are displayed on the Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night.”

‘Tweet the Bridge’ is just 1 exciting new element of this year’s $7.2 million Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations.

During the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays, 7 tonnes of fireworks – including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects – will be launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and barges on Sydney Harbour.

A 3rd mini-fireworks display, known as the ‘Inspire Moment’, will also feature at 10.40pm to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.

As in previous years, the crowning glory will be the top-secret Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect. This will form the centrepiece of the fireworks displays, featuring 13 kilometres of LED rope light and reaching 12 storeys high.

“With an exciting Pre-Show Entertainment program, 3 fireworks displays and the dazzling Bridge Effect, this Sydney New Year’s Eve promises to be a truly unforgettable evening,” the Lord Mayor said.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Troy Grant, said more than a billion people worldwide watch as Sydney Harbour shines behind the backdrop of one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.

“I can’t think of a better way to start each year, than Sydney and NSW in the global spotlight with hundreds of images beamed around the world of our magnificent Harbour,” Mr Grant said.

“Major events such as the world-famous Sydney New Year’s Eve are why Sydney is regarded as Australia’s global city, and help drive visitation and contribute to the NSW Government’s goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”

The Creative Ambassador for this year’s event is Australian screen legend and storyteller Jack Thompson.

Mr Thompson has been working with the City of Sydney and Sydney New Year’s Eve creative agency Imagination Australia on plans for the event since early this year, including writing his own poem describing how Sydney inspires him – ‘I Am Sydney’.

“It is such an honour to be able to represent my home town – one of the world’s truly great cities – as the Creative Ambassador of 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve,” Mr Thompson said.

“Sydney is filled with stories that inspire, from the ancient engravings of the Gadigal people in the sandstone of the headlands to the unique architecture of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.”

“As we prepare to celebrate the year that’s passed and look to the future at what lies ahead, I encourage Sydneysiders and visitors alike to join with us and share their own inspirational stories of Sydney.”

This year’s official Sydney New Year’s Eve charity partner is Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB). The non-profit organisation works with communities worldwide to provide clean water and sanitation, energy, basic infrastructure, waste systems, communication technologies and engineering education.

CEO of EWB, Lizzie Brown, said: “EWB is very proud to be the charity partner for the Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations for a 2nd consecutive year.”

“This is a unique opportunity for our organisation to celebrate the inspiring contribution that the Australian engineering sector makes towards creating lasting social change in Australia and around the world.”

People coming into the city on New Year’s Eve will have access to a range of tools to help them plan a safe and enjoyable night, including the official 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve website, which features an interactive vantage point map and live transport and road closure information, and the Sydney NYE Telstra app.

A new printed event guide will also be available for audiences to pick up from Sydney Airport, major transport hubs throughout the city, hotels, tourism information kiosks and the City’s libraries and community centres.

The City is committed to making Sydney New Year’s Eve an inclusive event for the many Sydneysiders and visitors with a disability. A live audio description will be broadcast on 2RPH, and designated accessible viewing areas and accessible route maps will be available online.

Those who would rather stay at home on New Year’s Eve can tune into ABC TV’s broadcast, listen to 104.1 2DayFM’s live fireworks soundtracks, or live stream the Sydney NYE Telstra Show on YouTube.

And for the 2nd year in a row, the City has teamed up with the Royal Australian Mint to develop a souvenir coin celebrating the Inspire theme with colourful images of fireworks.

2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve 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.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

Fireworks Building – ‘MSB Tower’ – Recommended For Demolition

The heritage listed MSB Tower, used for pyrotechnics during Sydney New Year’s Eve 2012 – ‘Embrace’, has been recommended to be demolished by the Barangaroo Delivery Authority as part of altered redevelopment plans for a park.

Standing at 87 metres tall, it served as Sydney Harbour’s control tower between 1974 and 2011 after which the operations conducted inside the tower were moved to Botany Bay. In 2012, it featured for the first and only time during the 9pm Family and Midnight Fireworks for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2012 – ‘Embrace’. This year will be the tower’s 40th anniversary.

The MSB Tower is ideally located on Sydney Harbour providing a panoramic view around Sydney Harbour – perfect for operating Sydney Harbour – so since it is no longer used for that purpose, ideas for keeping the tower have made including converting it into a restaurant or a museum. It can even be used as a special vantage point for Sydney Harbour pyrotechnic displays (as well as continuing to be used as a firing location for Sydney Harbour pyrotechnic displays).

The MSB Tower was originally supposed to be part of their redevelopment plans for a park but after finding that the demolition of the MSB Tower will be cheaper to do than keeping it even for worthy reasons such as the ideas listed earlier, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority have decide to recommend to the NSW Government to approve the MSB Tower’s demolition.

A planning application for the MSB Tower’s demolition is currently being prepared.

Relive the MSB Tower’s pyrotechnic appearance in Sydney New Year’s Eve 2012 – ‘Embrace”s 9pm Family and Midnight Fireworks below (It is the most northern used building in the two pyrotechnic displays):