UPDATE (19/11/2019): City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has announced a bushfire/drought appeal for Sydney NYE2019 and said staff are considering how to drive donations.

After predicting there is a chance strong controversy may break out in late December about Sydney NYE due to Wednesday night’s controversially-held corporate fireworks display on Sydney Harbour, it seems momentum has already begun.

Whilst Huffington Post Australia made it’s view known (and the potential for future wider media support for a Sydney NYE cancellation) by writing a sensationalised article about 1 tweeter who disliked Sydney NYE being promoted on Twitter in the middle of the bushfire emergency, it seems community sediment is growing for cancellation with a Change.org petition appearing 5 days ago (before Wednesday night’s controversy) but it has since grown to nearly 10,000 signatures. The petition’s statement and title is below:

Giving NYE firework funds to Aussie farmers and those affected by fire

Kayla Neale started this petition to Scott Morrison (Prime Minister of Australia)

With Australia facing drought and now catastrophic fires, decimating towns as it tears across our country, the thought of spending MILLIONS of dollars on a firework display when it could be used to support and rebuild our country instead is infuriating.

Join me in petitioning that the funds for the 2019/2020 New Years Firework display in Sydney are instead allocated to the Aussie farmers affected by drought and the Aussie citzens affected by the fires.

It’s times like these when we as a nation need to look at our priorities and I believe the new year should be welcomed in in the aussie way; by giving our fellow Australians a helping hand!

X Kayla

Another petition has about 3500 signatures at the time of this article’s initial publication. It said:

Say NO to FIREWORKS NYE 2019 give the money to farmers and firefighters

Linda McCormick started this petition to PM Scott Morrison (PM office AUSTRALIA)

2019 has been a catastrophic year in Australia for Floods and Fires. Give the money we spend on FIREWORKS New Years Eve to farmers and Firefighters and Animal Carers. Save AUSTRALIA’s Wildlife.
5.8 MILLION $$ was spent in Sydney alone for fireworks last year. All states should say NO to FIREWORKS. This may traumatise some people as there is enough smoke in the air.

The event does costs around $6 million.

However, the fireworks, to the best of our knowledge, make up about 1/3 of that cost. It varies between 1 to 2.4 million dollars. Other costs (the other 2/3)  would include marketing, lighting, projections, broadcasting, road closures, marine management, logistics etc.

The event also contributes $133 million to the ‘local’ economy.

The 2nd petitioner also added:

Thoughts and Thankyou’s

Linda McCormick
Townsville, Australia

NOV 14, 2019 —  Latest thoughts not only stop the fireworks NYE 2019 but 1 min silence at 11.45pm NEW YEARS EVE for all the people around the world who have been effected by catastrophic weather events. To show respect for mankind.

This idea isn’t a bad one. It has been done before in 2004 for the Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami (death toll: 227,898) right before the 10 second countdown to the 9pm Family Fireworks. On an equivalent scale for local bushfires, sadly, it would be have to be worse (approximately 280 deaths) in NSW than the Black Saturday bushfires of Victoria in 2009 (death toll: 176), which has double the death toll of the 2nd worst recorded bushfire in Australian history. We don’t that to happen again. This year’s bushfire season death toll is 6 nationally.

In any case, if you are cancelling the fireworks as well, it would be (no offense) pointless to have a minute’s silence by the Harbour as there is no reason to hold it at 11:45pm at night if there is no one there to acknowledge it (unless everyone is still celebrating NYE, right?). No one will go to the Harbour if there are no fireworks or light shows. They would head to the nightclubs or possibly still on their cruises to celebrate at private rather than public functions (with huge discounts hopefully) unless they are boycotting celebrating NYE out of respect for the firefighters and victims of the bushfires. Holding a minute’s silence in the daytime at a national service not on NYE or New Year’s Day would be more appropriate in such a case.

There are a few other faults with these petitions though.

Firstly, it is addressed to the Prime Minister Of Australia.

The Prime Minister Of Australia is not involved with Sydney NYE. The closest you can get is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the official television and Internet broadcaster and the major sponsor of the event.

However, if they don’t remove their sponsorship to cripple the event, the best the ABC can do in protest is to not broadcast or stream the event.

Secondly, most of the funds are already spent.

Planning begins usually in October the previous year so 13 months ago. The show’s soundtrack has been made, the fireworks programmed. The fireworks are probably being made right now.

Thirdly, it is a City Of Sydney event.

Unless Sydneysiders are definitely wanting to cancel the event, then the event will likely proceed assuming the bushfire conditions aren’t worse than Black Christmas.

However, the NSW Government can overrule them. If NSW wants the event cancelled, the NSW Government could withdraw support & their financial contributions (such as, most notably, not letting Foti International Fireworks use the Sydney Harbour Bridge). It would contravene a memorandum of understanding signed every 5 years with the City Of Sydney but that is not a legally binding contract.

Whilst momentum is building, the key times to watch are the 24 hours after the media launch and shortly before Christmas Day. If bushfire conditions deteriorate, public pressure may be very strong particularly after Wednesday night’s controversial fireworks display & these growing petitions. However, precedent was set in 2001 – the bushfires would have to be worse than Black Christmas for cancellation to be possible. With forecasts also being made for a horror bushfire season, a cancellation is not too far a stretch of the imagination. Outside of the annual threat of strong winds, air quality would be the biggest threat in the event of extreme bushfires.

No one wants this to happen but in regards to fatalities, the death toll would have to be the worst ever for a disaster in Australia – 280+ or (slightly higher than 0.003% of the NSW population) – to go higher than the Sydney NYE precedent set by the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami, which shocked humanity (Death toll there was 0.003% of the human population or 227,898 lives). Sydney NYE went ahead after that devastating international event.

If bushfires are near or on the date of the media launch, given the recent controversies, we’d assume it would be postponed to after the bushfires have been extinguished or burnt out, assuming there is enough time left to do a media launch (and if they are going to do one. We’d assume so as they’ve done it every year).

If every petitioner was from the City Of Sydney local government area (can’t be guaranteed), their anger would be noticeable so 10,000 petitioners is a significant number. It just depends on their location. Outside of the City Of Sydney, the anger currently might not be noticeable. If they are all from the City Of Sydney, it is currently enough to give concern to holding the event.

The best we can hope for right now is for the City Of Sydney to consider the possibility of setting up a bushfire/drought appeal running from the media launch in early to mid December until Midnight on NYE. Donations could be taken throughout the night on the ground, via the ABC, via social media.

The total amount raised could be revealed on the pylons during the Midnight Fireworks too or the Sydney Opera House could be turned into a unique ‘fundraiser thermometer’ with throughout the night the amount being donated continuously updating or a representation of how much towards a target has been achieved (though the latter is riskier in case the target was too ambitious or unexpectedly not many people donated)

However, this idea would conflict with this year’s Sydney NYE charity partner, Refugee Council Of Australia. It could though provide an educational opportunity for the charity partner to emphasise the potential migration of refugees from global warming events such as more frequent and intense bushfires.

An appeal though would be similar to the appeal they did in 2004 for the Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami. That one raised AUS$1.2 million in 3 days with the City Of Sydney starting with a $50,000 donation. Unlike in 2004 though, which was mainly a domestic appeal done by the official NYE charity partner, Oxfam, on the official television broadcast, this one would be international due to the Internet broadcasts now occurring. Even a donation appeal to help koalas in bushfire areas would go great around the world. It could raise millions of dollars (at least half the cost of the event) if each viewer/spectator only donated at least $1.

At the time it was current Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s first year in office, she said this of the appeal:

NYE is a time for celebration and reflection and this year we want all those people that get to enjoy the event to have a great night and at the same time think about those less fortunate who are affected by the tsunami tragedy and do what they can by giving generously to the fund

And in the annual Lord Mayor’s NYE Message (since discontinued):

This year our traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations have been overshadowed by the tsunami disaster.

As the full extent of the tragedy has started to emerge in recent days it has shocked and saddened us all.

I know that as a community, and as good neighbours, Australians feel the need to acknowledge the devastation, pay our respects to those who lost their lives, and offer to help in any way we can.

Coming together tonight to mark the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect.

As a community, we can express our condolences for those who lost their lives, homes and loved ones so suddenly and without warning.

We can also reflect on the help that is needed right now and well into the future, and the part we – as a nation, and as individuals – can contribute.

The commencement of the new year will mark the beginning of a new relationship with our Asian neighbours – a new level of engagement, with a shared understanding of our common humanity, and our common frailty.

Founded on a shared compassion and a collective commitment to help those affected by this disaster.

As a country we experience bushfires, droughts and floods. We know that troubled times often bring out the best in people and create close bonds as we pull together to help one another.

As the year 2005 commences it is time to extend the hand of friendship and assist our Asian neighbours in their time of need.

An official New Years Eve fundraising appeal has been set up tonight with Oxfam collection points around the city until 9pm.  Television viewers can make a donation by calling 1800 034 034. 

Rather than a carefree “happy new year” it may be more appropriate to wish one another a compassionate New Year for 2005.

New Years Eve is traditionally a time when we greet the new year with hope and optimism for the future.  Let’s express this tonight by giving generously.

Thank you.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, MP

A petition last year to stop The Everest Barrier Draw being projected onto the Sydney Opera House contained nearly 300,000 signatures for comparison. However, that was more of a State Government issue. Sydney NYE is a local government event so less signatures (around 10,000) have meaning and could have an effect if the signers are mostly from the City Of Sydney local government area.

Update (18/11/2019): At least 3 more petitions have been found online.

While the City Of Sydney last Thursday would not comment on hypothetical situations, we have contacted the ABC for enquiries.

This post updates.

UPDATE (14/11/2019): The Australian reports Transport for NSW has temporarily banned on-water fireworks while the week-long state of emergency remains in place. Transport for NSW said the granting of licences for on-water fireworks displays will be reviewed again on Monday.

A fireworks display held last night for Daikan, an air conditioning company, on Sydney Harbour has stirred controversy in Sydneysiders due to an exemption given despite a total fire ban in force for Sydney and a state of emergency declared for New South Wales.

The display, 8 minutes in duration and held by Howards Fireworks, was labelled “one of the best fireworks displays of the year” by Twitter user Sydney Fireworks, who follows all Sydney fireworks displays (not just the major ones like us).

Worse of all (no offense Sydney Fireworks), it coincidentally seems to be the most praised non-Spectacular fireworks display on Sydney Harbour that Sydney Fireworks has ever reviewed.

9 News reports the display was booked by Daikin, an air conditioning company. Ironically, most air conditioning can contribute to global warming and thus add to further and more intense bushfires.

Clearly, this fireworks display could have been revoked out of respect. It was just a corporate function.

7 News also reported NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey said the timing of the display was questionable.

“It shows a little bit of a lack of respect for our country folk who are going through hell on earth at this time,” she said.

A NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesperson told 10 daily it’s likely the NSW Government applied to the NSW RFS Commissioner for an exemption to proceed with the fireworks.

The exemption was given in the event weather conditions had improved even though the total fire ban lasted until Midnight and high fire danger warnings were issued.

Sydney Harbour is also surrounded by bushland. The city itself is surrounded by bushland. Sydney, as recent as 1994, has been at risk of being surrounded by bushfires, leaving the city isolated from the rest of the world.

Andrew Howard, director of Howard Fireworks told Sydney Spectaculars that exemptions are quite common with hundreds issued during the fire season if it is deemed safe to do so. He also told AAP it wasn’t his call to proceed with Wednesday’s event.

“It wasn’t my decision to proceed. I was contracted to provide the services for the event”

Mr Howard said he would not have gone ahead with the display if it was up to him, knowing the “effect on the entire community” the bushfires had.

“It certainly could’ve been (deemed insensitive) to people who feel that it was. I totally respect their position on it,” he said.

But he reiterated Wednesday’s pyrotechnics were lawful, having been granted an exemption from the total fire ban.

THIS ARTICLE HAS SINCE BEEN UPDATED (4:30PM 03/09/2019 AEST) FOLLOWING INITIAL PUBLICATION AT 8PM 02/09/2019.

That’s right – this is a big call.

For those who remember it, the Millennium was a moment of global unity.

While Rio De Janerio brang the biggest crowds (and they still do), 2 other cities rang in the new Millennium with what were called the best fireworks displays of the night (or the last Millennium). These cities were Sydney and Paris.

Paris was ranked 2nd on the night. The display was done by Groupe F and the countdown of the display replicated a rocket launch with the rocket (or Tower) lifting off at Midnight, taking Paris into the new Millennium (Video below does not feature the fireworks soundtrack):

Sydney’s though will be remembered for an Eternity.

Sydney’s display featured the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House, city buildings, pontoons in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and 4 barges along the Harbour, 2 in the west and 2 in the east. That display was mostly done by Syd Howard Fireworks though the western barges were coordinated by Foti International Fireworks, who have done every Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) since.

The display, 25 minutes long, double the length of post-2005 displays, celebrated 2 themes – time and Sydney – in a phrase Sydney’s Millennium. It celebrated humanity’s history, beginning with a big bang of sorts and after the traditional Auld Lang Syne, launched into a History Of Pop, featuring 60 significant songs of the 20th century (in roughly chronological order) as well as moments of Australian & international importance like The Dismissal & Apollo 11. After then, it celebrated Australia with a remix of Down Under and Yothu Yindi songs. Encapsulting the universality of the moment, which is best represented by the iconic ‘Smiley Face’ Bridge Effect,  which was used in most of the show, What A Wonderful World was then played. The rest of the songs represented modern music (Itacycoo Park), time (One Of These Days & History Repeating) & the best fireworks finale ever (Let’s Go Crazy).

Swan Lake then launched the finale. The finale symbolised the dramatic present (the start of a new Millennium) and the future with the iconic rainbow at the end launching the timeline of the display into an Eternity – a word written around Sydney by Arthur Stace from the 1930’s. Bells then rang from St Andrew’s & Mary’s Cathedrals for the 1st time ever on NYE celebrating the new Millennium.

No doubt Sydney’s millennium display was iconic not just for the scale of the fireworks but it’s theming & musical choice.

The Millennium formula, which was tested for nearly 3 years prior, was set in stone and remained how Sydney NYE was done until 2014. In 2015, the iconic Bridge Effect, which had since 1997 taken many forms, disappeared for various reasons. Since then, a light show has taken it’s place, which has been a suitable replacement though it doesn’t have the same anticipation about it.

Efforts to make a theme without a Bridge Effect were made by finding a local artist to do an artwork based around a theme, which was successful and have turned the artworks themselves into something that is deserving & worthy of anticipation.

However, today’s revealing of the updated Sydney NYE website for the 2019 edition revealed an artwork by Garbett Design to be used for the next 3 years. The artwork we can say looks amazing and stunning.

You can expect possibly slight changes in the artwork each year depending on circumstances/outcomes of previous editions with the artwork but most of the artwork will be the same for the next 3 years.

Sadly, the updated website today confirmed that Sydney NYE is now no longer doing themes –  a critical aspect of the event. This is the 1st time this has happened since 1995. The website said this:

Artwork

The spontaneous energy of Sydney and its people inspires the event artwork.

Sydney New Year’s Eve is vibrant, raw and energetic. The spirit of the city is demonstrated in the bright, colourful, flexible and optimistic artwork developed by globally awarded, Sydney-based studio Garbett Design.

Inclusive, celebratory and safe

New Year’s Eve marks endings and anticipates new beginnings. Say goodbye to the old and hello to the new at this festive party for everyone.

The City of Sydney’s gift to the people, Sydney New Year’s Eve is a safe, sustainable event, celebrating local artists before the eyes of the world. Everyone can take part in this uniquely Sydney celebration.

While early December used to be the most likely day to reveal the theme, it seems very unlikely now that a theme will be announced in early December as recent years have had the theme revealed on the website a lot earlier.

It is now essentially just a fireworks display for at least 3 years as the light show & same artwork is being used for the next 3 years, the 2020 & 2021 editions have nothing to anticipate for apart from the fireworks soundtrack. The fireworks soundtrack will never go as modern technology ensures it is to stay plus nearly all fireworks displays nowadays have soundtracks. But the theming, which is decided by humans alone, will no longer be. It seems Sydney NYE has moved from being a creative celebration to a government marketing promotion for Sydney and this spells trouble. Events known for their creativity and moving towards a marketing or messaging approach are destined for failure. Like we have mentioned many times before, just look at the Closing Ceremony of the XXIst Commonwealth Games – Gold Coast 2018.

Back to Paris. The Eiffel Tower has remained unused on NYE ever since, though since 2018, the Arc De Triumphe has been used for projections and fireworks. However, that will never beat Sydney. In 2009, to celebrate the Eiffel Tower’s 120th anniversary, the Eiffel Tower was used as part of Paris’s Bastille Day celebrations. They added projections to the show this time and included a little reference to the Millennium display:

The only fault with the display was the Eiffel Tower’s reintroduction was not emotionally powerful. It wasn’t the best display but it utilized Sydney’s strengths as well as the emerging technology of projection mapping, which at this time was making it’s Sydney Opera House debut at the 1st Vivid Sydney. Notable is the strong usage of theming – the display told the history of the Eiffel Tower from 1885 – the year the concept plans of the Eiffel Tower were presented to the Society of Civil Engineers.

Clearly, Paris liked the display so 4 years later, they brought back the Eiffel Tower fully back (partially & briefly for red stationary flares in 2013) and have kept it as part of the fireworks since. The 2014 display, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, saw Groupe F produce what we think is the greatest pyrotechnic display ever done. It solved all the problems of the 2009 display and it is a display Sydney would be proud of. Sydney’s 2013 International Fleet Review Spectacular probably follows in 2nd place. Their 2014 display, titled War & Peace tells the story of France since 1914 and also features acrobatics & circus acts and brilliant cinematography from France Television:

Groupe F has since produced nearly all future Eiffel Tower displays. Some other companies have done these displays but you can tell the difference in quality. However, all years since 2013 (and maybe even some before then) have had a theme!:

• 2013 – Freedom, Equality, Fraternity
• 2014 – War & Peace*
• 2015 – Paris Welcomes The World*
• 2016 – Paris Is 1 Party*
• 2017 – Olympism
• 2018 – Love*
• 2019 – Federation Party

*Groupe F show

This makes every Bastille Day distinctly different! Other years are below for your viewing:

The 2018 & 2019 displays have been geoblocked to Australia so we can’t see them. The 2017 display has been made a private video too.  But a documentary was made on how Groupe F produce the 2018 show:

If anyone in France is reading this and can provide us a copy of these displays and/or a full translation into English of the documentary, that would be appreciated.

The Eiffel Tower was also used for fireworks 3 times before the Millennium – for it’s 100th anniversary (1989, where it also featured lasers & acrobatics), the opening (1889) and during construction (Yes, during construction in 1887!).

Paris has never gone to the effort of trying to beat Sydney. Sydney’s local & state governments have just taken NYE for granted now. It’s all about marketing, messaging & money rather than celebration, community & creativity.

Sydney has inspired the USA, China, France & the UK to do similar displays.

In fact, New York (with the Brooklyn Bridge) in 1983 inspired Sydney to use the Sydney Harbour Bridge, who since 2014, have inspired New York to bring back the Brooklyn Bridge into fireworks displays. That’s right – if New York keeps improving their displays, their Macy’s July the 4th Fireworks, which once again feature the Brooklyn Bridge could rival Sydney but New York still needs a lot of improvement (Mind you, we’re not American so maybe their cultural preferences suit their display – It’s their national day after all).

The UK even copied Sydney’s own method of Olympic success by also using their NYE celebrations as a ‘test event’ for the Olympics. With Paris due to host the Olympics in 2024, would Paris capitalise on the Eiffel Tower’s fireworks growth and use it on NYE in a couple of years time as an annual ‘test event’ in the lead up to the Games? Maybe they would use the Eiffel Tower like Sydney used in the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Olympics? If so, they will smash Sydney in NYE stakes as Paris’s annual displays looks distinctly different. Sydney isn’t so much anymore.

For the record, we are not saying Foti International Fireworks lack creativity. Unlike Paris, Sydney’s fireworks companies have always specialised in just fireworks with other creativity coming from external sources. Groupe F of Paris has expertise in not just fireworks but acrobatics, projections, lights etc. And that’s a major difference. Foti Fireworks still produce brilliant pyrotechnic displays. It’s just their appointers, the City Of Sydney & the NSW Government, are completely using Sydney NYE as a cash cow instead of a creative masterpiece. The overall event will decline in quality rapidly as a result.

Paris is on the rise, Sydney is on the decline. It isn’t Paris’s fault that Sydney isn’t as exciting as it used to be. It is purely Sydney’s own fault.

In other news from the updated website:

• A disclaimer now appears upon accessing the Vantage Points webpage. No doubt to remove the City Of Sydney from any associations with commercialisation of the event.
• It might be just us but the ticketed events appear first on the Vantage Points webpage. Hopefully everyone notices there are free vantage points too! (If you are also taken straight to the ticketed events, please let us know so it can be confirmed). However, this shows an increased emphasis on ticketing.
• East Circular Quay is now free managed access again! YAY! Most likely due to pressure from nearby businesses.
• Campbell’s Cove has gone from free ticketed to paid ticketed (AUD$10) NAY!
• A special ‘Events’ webpage, as revealed last week by the City Of Sydney, shows an emphasis on private 3rd-party events to a scale never seen before. The closest was in 2011 when they did ‘After Midnight’ – a list of venues & private 3rd-party events held after the Midnight Fireworks to visit on your way home.
• Pre-Show Entertainment and the whole event now starts at 6:50pm.  Recent previous editions started at 6pm with an aerial display.

Most of these dot points’ show the events’ purpose is shifting from one of creativity to one of commercialisation. Some improvement, but still as dramatic a decline as last year due to North Sydney now being ticketed as confirmed last month by North Sydney Council.

What do you think? Tell us what you think in our poll. That would truly tell if Sydney has stuffed up NYE.

Sydney Harbour will come to life on New Year’s Eve with a five-minute mini-movie animation inspired by the Aussie music anthem, ‘Great Southern Land’.

Created with award-winning Australian pop duo, Client Liaison, the new music moment at 11pm will see the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons illuminated with Australian beach scenes, the outback and a dramatic setting sun.

The original song ‘Great Southern Land’ was a huge early ’80s hit by rock group Icehouse, evoking the Australian landscape, heritage and identity.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore today announced the theme of New Year’s Eve 2018 – ‘the Pulse of Sydney’.

“Every New Year’s Eve, the world watches as Sydney becomes the first city to ring in the New Year,” the Lord Mayor said.

“No other night reflects the pulse of Sydney quite like New Year’s Eve – with more than one million people coming together around our beautiful Sydney Harbour and more than one billion people celebrating with us worldwide.

“Fireworks Director Fortunato Foti never fails to impress with bigger and brighter fireworks displays and Creative Director Rhoda Roberts has created a new ritual, ‘Calling Country,’ to welcome all to Gadigal land.”

As the animation plays on the bridge, Client Liaison will perform ‘Great Southern Land’ as part of the ABC New Year’s Eve concert, The Night Is Yours, at the Sydney Opera House. This will be broadcast on the ABC and live-streamed on sydneynewyearseve.com.

Client Liaison’s Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller described the Sydney New Year’s Eve collaboration as a creative dream.

“No city on earth does New Year’s Eve like Sydney. To be part of this amazing night as musicians is incredible. To have a creative role as artists is an absolute buzz,” said vocalist Monte Morgan.

“We had so much fun helping create the Australiana animation, and I can’t wait to see our concept beamed on the biggest and most beautiful canvas you could ever hope to have,” said keyboardist Harvey Miller.

Not to be outdone, the fireworks displays at 9pm and midnight will include never-before-seen fireworks effects, with more fireworks than ever before.

This year, more than 8.5 tonnes of fireworks will be used to create dramatic displays across Sydney Harbour – 500kg more than in 2017.

There will be 35,000 shooting comets – 5,000 more than last year – and 13,000 shells lighting up the night with never-before-seen firework effects.

Fireworks director, Fortunato Foti, revealed there will be more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night, with 1,000 more effects shooting from the Harbour Bridge this year.

“Our ‘pulse of Sydney’ theme has inspired new fireworks effects. For the first time we’ve created pulsating fireworks that you’ll see in dramatic new star shapes,” said Mr Foti.

“We’re also introducing wave effect fireworks, where the colour moves across the display rather than the traditional explosion from the centre of the firework.

“And to celebrate summer, we’ve created fireworks featuring new lime and peach colours to brighten the show.”

An age-old Aboriginal tradition of Calling Country will see Sydney mark the International Year of Indigenous languages in 2019.

The Calling Country ritual will welcome all to Sydney and Gadigal land. The ceremony will be captured in a series of stunning animated projections, including water, birds, fish and plants beamed onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons.

Sydney New Year’s Eve creative director, Rhoda Roberts AO, said the cultural protocol “has been updated for the 21st century”, with real significance for the new year.

“UNESCO has named 2019 the International Year of Indigenous languages, so I think it is fitting that we end our new-look welcome in words of the Gadigal we can all embrace,” Ms Roberts said.

The Sydney New Year’s Eve event is included in the scope of greenhouse gas emissions measured and offset by the City as part of its annual assessment.

Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks are manufactured from biodegradable paper and compounds that dissipate after use to minimise the environmental impact. We also draw on improved technology, energy saving LED and low wattage lighting.

The City of Sydney New Year’s Eve event times:

6pm – Air displays start above Sydney Harbour by flying ace Matt Hall and Scott Bretland
7pm – Fire tug presents its water display on Sydney Harbour
7.30pm – Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony on the Sydney Harbour by the Tribal Warrior Association
8pm – Air displays continue above Sydney Harbour
8.30pm – Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon and bridge effects start
9pm – Family fireworks (8 minutes) includes the ABC Design Your Own Firework competition firework display
9.08pm – Calling Country segment honouring Australia’s Indigenous heritage
9.15pm – Harbour of Light Parade starts
11pm – New music moment
12am – Midnight fireworks (12 minutes)
1am – Sydney Harbour Bridge lighting effects end
2am – Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections end

Media Release: City Of Sydney

ABC ready to rock in the New Year!

ABC is thrilled to announce that once again Charlie Pickering and Zan Rowe will be counting down to 2019 when they host ABC’s New Year’s Eve coverage live from the Sydney Opera House, featuring a star-studded concert. Joining the musical line up will be talented all-rounder Tim Minchin, pop singer Christine Anu and the original Daddy Cool Ross Wilson.

They will star alongside internationally renowned singer-songwriter Ben Folds, Aussie rocker Daryl Braithwaite, Casey Donovan, Isabella Manfredi (Preatures), pop duo Client Liaison, Indigenous Hip Hop artist Baker Boy, soul singer Kaiit and drummer extraordinaire turned solo artist, G Flip.

As well as their favourite songs, our performers will be singing songs from a party playlist that’s been voted for by the Australian public.

With special guests appearing and the sensational midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour, capping off the night, it’s going to be a night not to be missed.

But before the concert kicks off, Rove McManus is taking over hosting duties of New Year’s Eve: The Early Night Show. Rove will be joined by Hoot and Hootabelle, Jimmy Giggle, Grace Koh, Jemima, Big Ted and the Design Your Own Fireworks Competition winner as well as other special guests. With lots of music, including performances by Zindzi and Dami Im, and the Family Fireworks to look forward to, it promises to be a fun night for the whole family.

New Year’s Eve: The Early Night Show starts at 8.30pm

ABC New Year’s Eve…The Night is Yours coverage starts at 9.30pm

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Now firstly, to be clear, not all the vantage points of Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) are sold out or reached capacity already.

Just mostly the good ones.

This year has seen an expansion of ticketed vantage points that now see some of the most iconic views of the event now sold out over a month before the event is held.  These views include areas where you could choose a spot to sit on the morning of the event.

Some of these ticketed areas aren’t paid areas too. That is, it is free of charge but you can still book a ticket.

So, this Sydney NYE, where were you planning to watch the fireworks from?

Here?:

Sorry, sold out on the 22nd of November. What about here?:

Sorry, that’s sold out too in early November. What about here?:

Yeah, same as that last one – sold out.

Wait!!!! So where can I watch the fireworks????

The remaining spots are either very far away, got poor views, got very limited space of good views or cost heaps for a ticket. This year, 2.5 of the 7 kilometres of Sydney Harbour foreshore that provides a perfect view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be non-ticketed.

The 2 remaining spots we can recommend as allowing you to have a fair chance of getting a good view include Mary Booth Lookout… (If you don’t know where that is, here is the view):

This location has a capacity of 4500 people and last year, reached capacity at 2pm. Given the lack of good vantage points, this could reach capacity earlier this year.

…and the Sydney Opera House, which has a capacity of 7000 people and last year, reached capacity at 1pm. Like with Mary Booth Lookout, we expect this area to reach capacity earlier this year. This one particularly due to East Circular Quay being sold out already.

So what’s wrong with the other vantage points?

Well, using the Sydney Opera House for starters, the only free sections are in a small corner on the north-western side of the Northern Forecourt and most of the Southern Forecourt.

Despite being a free vantage point, in the past decade, most of the Sydney Opera House has become ticketed.

• Most of the Northern Forecourt is now home to a paid ticketed concert for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s broadcast of Sydney NYE. However, proceeds from ticketing go to charity.
• The actual building is used for paid ticketed events.
• The western side of the Sydney Opera House is mostly home to paid ticketed functions.

And obviously, if you are on the eastern side of the Sydney Opera House, you cannot see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You will still see 3 barges of pyrotechnics, which whilst it is impressive, it isn’t what you went to the event for. You went for the Bridge.

Ok. So what about Mrs Macquaries Point?

That is mostly covered by trees or facing away from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Again, only a very small portion of that Point has a good view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and that is right on the tip of the point. The whole western side of the Point is now mostly paid ticketed functions & these aren’t covered by trees. Queuing up overnight outside the Art Gallery Of New South Wales (NSW) for this vantage point has happened for a long time but since the paid ticketed functions were introduced, getting a good view at Mrs Macquaries Point is more prized because only a few would get a good view.

Where else then?

Uh….

• Dawes Point – Sharp angle of Bridge & very crowded.
• Hickson Road Reserve – Paid ticketed
• Bradfield Park – Very sharp angle of Bridge & very crowded.
• The Rocks – Buildings cover most of view & very crowded.
• First Fleet Park – Crowded but you can’t see the Bridge at all.
• Circular Quay Promenade – If you want to see a ferry terminal instead.
• Cremorne Point – The lower half of the Bridge is blocked by the Kirribilli headland. If you want to see the iconic waterfall effect, don’t go here. From here, you will see most of the fireworks from the Bridge & from a couple of barges though.
• Royal Botanic Gardens – (Paid) Ticketed and mostly good views. Good view of Bridge only if Sydney Opera House doesn’t block view.

What about the vantage points west of the Bridge?

The eastern side of the Bridge is the ‘show’ side of the Bridge. Most things happen on the eastern side of the Bridge so you’re very likely to miss a lot of entertainment on the western side of the Bridge. This doesn’t mean the fireworks won’t look spectacular – they just won’t be as good as compared to the eastern side.

Given Blues Point Reserve is now paid ticketed, vantage points in the town of East Balmain are now your best free option on the western side of the Bridge. However, they are not as iconic as Blues Point Reserve and have no view of the Sydney Opera House.

Are there more good vantage points on the east of the Bridge?

No…unless you are prepared to pay or want a distant view. The best location far away from the Bridge is Bradley’s Head but all that is paid ticketed. Strickland House has an iconic view (It is used in the television broadcasts). However, it is no longer an official vantage point & to watch the fireworks from there requires a paid ticket.

So, yeah, pretty much every good vantage point is gone. Only about 12,000 lucky people will get a good free vantage point on the day.

Ok. Well, I’m going to Mary Booth Lookout for NYE2019.

Hang on. Sorry, to break the bad news, but North Sydney Council is currently considering making all of it’s vantage points ticketed. So far, it is just Blues Point Reserve this year and that is just a trial. Also, Balls Head Reserve has been closed to the general public this year (NYE2018) due to environmental concerns. Anyway, Mary Booth Lookout is a North Sydney Council vantage point so there is a fair chance that will become ticketed for NYE2019 (and maybe further into the future).

Well, then Sydney Opera House.

Well, it does seem that the Sydney Opera House will be the sole good vantage point of Sydney NYE in the future that will be some what free of charge to enter. However, given the trend, it may seem likely that the Sydney Opera House will follow suit. And that will be that…

The Free Ticketed Vantage Points

However, firstly, remember earlier it was mentioned that some vantage points are ticketed but free of charge. Well, there are 3:

1. Cahill Expressway
2. Campbell’s Cove
3. East Circular Quay

The latter 2 being 2 of the newly ticketed vantage points this year. Cahill Expressway has been free ticketed ever since it was first used as a vantage point in 2005. However, you need to be a NSW resident to enter the ballot for a ticket so there is a barrier to most of the general public but that is reasonable given nearly all NSW residents own the road (The NSW Government’s Roads & Maritime Services own the road). The ballot is also publicised very well every year.

The latter 2, whilst being open to everyone, weren’t publicised well. Despite a Property NSW (owner of those vantage points) spokesperson responding to our queries by saying they will “reach out to key publications for coverage”, their media release webpage shows no media releases publicising these tickets going on sale on the 6th of November, which would show their seriousness in promoting the newly ticketed vantage points. Simply contacting random publications, which could have happened based on that quote, wouldn’t be as serious. To compare, North Sydney Council who controls the now paid ticketed Blues Point Reserve, issued a media release that got reported in a few newspapers. No newspapers have reported East Circular Quay & Campbell’s Cove becoming ticketed.

The Property NSW spokesperson did say though that:

The ticketing will be promoted via the City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve website. Property NSW will also promote the New Year’s Eve precincts via multiple consumer- facing channels, including The Rocks website, social media and electronic direct mail.

However, these would have reached only 2 major interest groups – tourists & people who have a great general interest in The Rocks and/or Campbell’s Cove and/or East Circular Quay. There is no effort to promote these vantage points becoming ticketed to Sydneysiders in general. You know, the people who are so accustomed to Sydney NYE being a non-ticketed event at East Circular Quay & Campbell’s Cove. At least North Sydney Council made an effort to let Sydneysiders know that Blues Point Reserve will become paid ticketed.

The tickets for Campbell’s Cove & East Circular Quay did sell out quickly and well before Sydneysiders even think about NYE, which is around early December. No doubt those tickets went to tourists due to the free pricing and brilliant views. There is no problem with that. However, Sydneysiders were left unaware of the ticketing. It leaves suspicion that maybe Property NSW might make those vantage points paid ticketing next year & into the future. A Property NSW spokesperson said in response to our queries:

A review of the ticketing system will be undertaken post NYE 2018. No decisions have been made regarding paid ticketing for future events.

The Property NSW spokesperson also said:

These areas have become ticketed to improve customer experience, manage crowd numbers and improve safety.

But that’s the thing. Ticketing doesn’t improve it. For many years, managed access (bag checks) have been done, capacity limits have been enforced and there isn’t anything different about the vantage points themselves on the day than what they will be like this year. All that is different now is that you need to book a ticket 2 months in advance. Why?

You can be the judge of that.

Other reasons that make it odd to add more ticketed areas include that the attendance of Sydney NYE has been declining by a million people in the last 5 years and the official organisers of the event, the City Of Sydney, actively try to reduce attendance due to the large crowds the event creates.

Given the trend, which has developed over the past decade, there is a possibility that these 3 vantage points could go from free to paid ticketing next year or sometime further into the future and then that will be that…

You might as well consider Sydney NYE fully ‘commercialised’ if that happens.

If that happened (the Sydney Opera House & those 3 free ticketed vantage points becoming fully paid ticketed vantage points), it will be impossible to get a good view without paying hundreds or thousands of dollars. And if you don’t have to do that, booking a ticket months in advance. And if you miss out on a ticket, expect poor views and/or a very far away vantage point and if you are close to the Harbour Bridge, ultra crowded locations – not just during the fireworks but all day – with limited views.

Can you imagine being squashed in like sardines in the middle of The Rocks all day?

The North Sydney Vantage Points

The main reason why the North Sydney vantage points are planned to become ticketed is because “Many sites are increasingly being ticketed and this is having a flow-on effect to North Sydney”

It’s reasonable to expect then that if North Sydney becomes fully ticketed, the “flow-on effect” will go somewhere else. Highly likely, this could be East Balmain or Dawes Point (the latter of which could also “flow-on” to The Rocks).

Sydney New Year’s Eve, at it’s core, is a City Of Sydney event. An event run by a local government. And not just an event, a community event.

If Sydneysiders have to face a barrier to access an event they are already paying for, this could be the tip of the iceberg.

Sydneysiders may refuse to allow their rates to go towards this event. If the City Of Sydney refuse to pay for this iconic event, things will get problematic.

City Of Sydney holds the rights to the event & even some copyright. They may grant a license to another entity to use their rights for a given period to run the event. This would bring in some extra revenue for the local government.

The most likely entity to pursue the rights are the NSW Government. However, the same problem arises. Why should Australian taxpayers (NSW doesn’t collect taxes – they receive most of their income from the Australian Government, who receive that income as tax from Australian taxpayers) pay for an event that has a barrier to access the event for the people paying for the event?

The next likely entity is a commerical operator. Imagination, the current creative directors of Sydney NYE, could maybe end up organising the event themselves particularly after their work doing the International Fleet Review Spectacular in 2013.

However, the event will have to rely completely on sponsorship unlike currently, where governmental funds make up a fair portion. If sponsors can’t promote their brands to a large community audience, the sponsorship value of the event may plummet and there will be no Sydney NYE anymore.

Last year, we predicted Vivid Sydney will reach a peak this year and that came true with it’s 1st attendance decline ever. We’re now predicting the commercialisation of Sydney NYE will destroy the event in the next few years. ‘Sydney Spectaculars’ (not our blog) is at it’s peak so enjoy it while it lasts. It’s been an amazing 2 decades. The growth of the ‘Sydney Spectaculars’ reminds us of the Roaring Twenties. Maybe we are approaching October 1929?

‘Corporate Box’-Style Seating

If you thought that was a sad idea, then get ready for this: Earlier, we mentioned that North Sydney Council is thinking of implementing paid ticketing at it’s vantage points. As mentioned earlier in our article, Blues Point Reserve has become a paid ticketed vantage point as a trial. Originally, North Sydney Council staff recommended that the Blues Point Reserve ticket price be in order to make a profit (with the profit going to fund the other non-ticketed vantage points of theirs) but North Sydney Councillors (all Independents) said no, the ticket price must be in order to just break-even, which is the price that has been implemented. The Councillors did, though, accept the staff recommendation that Balls Head Reserve should be closed as a vantage point this year due to environmental concerns.

The North Sydney Councillors also resolved to get their staff to develop a community engagement strategy and a report outlining revenue generating opportunities & cost recovery strategies for NYE. This was back in late May this year.

2 months later, the report was received by the Councillors. One of the options outlined was this:

Option 2: Temporary land licensing to corporate organisations

Advantages: This option is suitable for some sites and transfers organisational responsibility to third parties. Under this option, some Council venues would be managed as third party sites following the same principles as other existing third party events such as Spring Cycle and the Sydney Running Festival.

Disadvantages: Council would receive less income than it would from individual ticketing and would have less control over the style and price of event offered. While some organisations may want to lease land to provide a special experience for their customers or staff, it is likely that most would want to run a high-cost ticketed event to cover the cost of land hire and event operations. Council staff would be need to coordinate any NYE third party event as they do for existing third-party events on Council land and the land area outside the venue.

Now, this isn’t the recommended option. That is just plain ticketing. The ticketing option has been taken to community engagement, which finished this month. The Community Engagement Strategy that was requested in May was also delivered with the report mentioned earlier and the community engagement tried to follow that Strategy.

However, what if the North Sydney community reject ticketing of their vantage points? The next preferred option, according to North Sydney staff, is sponsorship and the report doesn’t make it clear whether ‘sponsorship’ can be combined with the option detailed above – the ‘corporate box’ option.

We call it the ‘corporate box’ option because that’s essentially what it is: Vantage points essentially ‘given’ to corporate organisations “to provide a special experience to their…staff”.

Can you imagine Commonwealth Bank at Blues Point Reserve, Facebook at Mary Booth Reserve and Telstra at Bradfield Park?

This may be a step too far especially after last month’s The Everest Barrier Draw controversy.

Even if they don’t use the vantage points for their staff or customers, North Sydney staff believe “it is likely that most would want to run a high-cost ticketed event” instead.

They compare this option with Spring Cycle & the Sydney Running Festival but they are different. Those events are held on the land by the event’s organisers. Sydney NYE is held mostly on and above Sydney Harbour – not in the North Sydney Council vantage points and those vantage points are managed by North Sydney Council – not Sydney NYE’s organiser, the City Of Sydney.

An exception to this is North Sydney Council’s Bradfield Park & Mary Booth Lookout, which are home to the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projection towers for the northern pylons.

This option should only be implemented in those 2 vantage points mentioned above and applicable to only corporate organisations who are sponsoring the projections on the northern pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We contacted North Sydney Council with a few queries about the ‘corporate box’-style vantage points and they just responded to all queries with:

Community feedback to the New Years Eve consultation is currently being collated. A report on the future of ticketing will be provided to Council in early 2019. The feedback will be included in the report.

So I guess we will have to wait & see.

Sydney NYE is, though, sadly become less of a public COMMUNITY event and more of a paid ticketed private CORPORATE/COMMERCIAL event.

It should be remembered that most of the Sydney Harbour foreshore has houses on it and they are very valuable, most likely owned by millionaires.

If you live in NSW and want Sydney NYE vantage points on public land or in publicly-owned venues around Sydney Harbour to remain free of charge, contact your local councillor (if your local government borders with Sydney Harbour) and/or your member of NSW parliament and/or the NSW Minister For Local Government and/or The Environment.

Did you mention Hickson Road Reserve earlier? Isn’t that the Sydney NYE Very Important Person (VIP) Viewing Area?

Yes and it was. Similar to last year’s cancellation of the Sydney NYE Lord Mayor’s Party, the City Of Sydney have decided to cancel the VIP Viewing Area for reasons unknown but highly likely because priorities lie elsewhere, like with the Lord Mayor’s Party cancellation. This leaves only the Lord Mayor’s Picnic of the Royal Botanic Gardens as the only original official event function left of Sydney NYE.

The owners of Hickson Road Reserve, Property NSW, have decided to replicate the VIP Viewing Area with 1 major difference – tickets are no longer free. You have to pay (though the pricing is just to break-even and not to make a profit).

This decision makes not much difference to Sydney NYE as Hickson Road Reserve has been an invitation-only ticketed area since 1996 and is one of the 1st few ticketed areas ever organised for the event. This ticketed area, since it was introduced to last year, was also different from all other ticketed vantage points – it was a ticketed vantage point of the official organiser of Sydney NYE, the City Of Sydney.

However, now it is paid ticketed, it adds to concerns about the commercialisation of Sydney NYE.

UPDATE – 3rd December 2018, 4:11pm AEDT:

The City Of Sydney, official organiser of Sydney New Year’s Eve, have tweeted this post today:

UPDATE – 11th December 2018, 4:11pm AEDT:

The event guides for Sydney NYE2018 – ‘The Pulse Of Sydney’ were released online recently. A notable thing to point out about this year’s event guides is the vantage point map – very high profile vantage points are left off the map. Why? Because they are sold out at the time of publication of the event guides. There are large gaps in the map as a result.

ABC, ABC ME & ABC News reached 3.7 million viewers in metro & regional markets across its Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2017 – Wonder broadcast coverage from 8:34pm last night.

In addition, a total of 46,000 live streams were recorded via iView across the night & the coverage had a further 2.2 million views across social media platforms.

Audiences peaked at 11:59pm for the ABC’s Midnight Fireworks broadcast (combined metro & regional audience).

Television (TV) & iView Audiences

• Last night, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was the leading network in the metro markets with a 5 city metro prime-time share of 23.2% (2016 result was 20.4%). The highest share was in Sydney with a prime-time share of 33.5%;
• ABC TV’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: Midnight Fireworks was the #1 program of the night. Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: 9pm Family Fireworks ranked #2;
• Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: 9pm Family Fireworks achieved an average audience of 1.2 million across ABC, ABC News & ABC ME (Combined metro & regional audience);
• Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: Midnight Fireworks achieved an average audience of 2.1 million across ABC & ABC News (Combined metro & regional audience);
• ABC’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ coverage was live streamed 46,000 times via ABC iView.

Sources: OzTAM & Regional TAM Preliminary Overnight Data; Webtrends 

Social Audiences

ABC’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ coverage was live streamed directly to ABC TV’s Facebook page & YouTube channel.  The Midnight Fireworks were also streamed on Periscope.

On Facebook, the live streams & highlights packages amassed a combined total of 1.7 million views across ABC TV & partner pages.

On YouTube, ABC TV’s live stream & highlights packages had 340,000 views. The live stream trended during the broadcast & remains trending at number 1 this morning.

The Midnight Fireworks live stream on Periscope had a further 152,000 views.

#NYEABC trended number 2 on Twitter during the broadcast. There were 5,300 #NYEABC tweets in the last 24 hours, reaching 8.9 million people.

Sources: Facebook Insights, Hashtracking, Periscope, YouTube. Numbers correct as at 9am the 1st of January.

David Anderson, ABC Director Of TV said: “The ABC is thrilled to once again have hosted the broadcast of the iconic Sydney New Year’s Eve event. It truly is a night of celebration & family friendly entertainment that brings the nation together.  Across Australia, wherever you were, the ABC brought the fireworks to you live across TV, iView, YouTube & Facebook”

People from all over the world joined Zan Rowe & Charlie Pickering as they counted down the biggest night of the year with the Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ broadcast, which included the Countdown Live Concert, on ABC TV, iView, YouTube & Facebook.

Presented from the Sydney Opera House, Charlie & Zan took us through an evening jam packed full of unmissable entertainment from an all-star line-up including Jimmy Barnes, Phil Jamieson, Marcia Hines, John Paul Young & Kate Ceberano with plenty of fun for all ages including the Family Fireworks at 9pm with it all culminating in the world-famous Midnight Fireworks.

At 9pm, the winner of ABC ME’s Design Your Own Firework competition, 10-year-old Lucia from Adelaide, set the Sydney sky alight with the Family Fireworks display featuring her own unique firework design.

Audiences watched the full broadcast in high definition on the ABC & live streamed celebrations on ABC iView. The Welcome To Country – A Day In The Life Of Country, the 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks were also available on the ABC TV YouTube channel. The 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks were also streamed live on the ABC TV Facebook page.

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Sydney has once again earned its place as the New Year’s Eve (NYE) capital of the world with the biggest & most spectacular fireworks display to welcome in 2018.

A rainbow waterfall cascaded from the Harbour Bridge during the Midnight Fireworks for the 1st time while glittering fireworks designed by Hollywood superstar, Hugh Jackman, shot across the night sky.

“With more fireworks than ever before, the awe-inspiring Sydney NYE fireworks displays captivated Sydneysiders & audiences across the globe” Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.

“More than 1 million people watched the 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks from vantage points across the city with images & vision shared around the world on television & social media”

“Having a world-renowned Australian actor like Hugh Jackman join us in creating fireworks effects was fantastic for Sydney & for Australia, combined with the beautiful designs on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons by our Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder creative artist, Nadia Hernández”

Sydney’s biggest NYE celebration required a mammoth clean-up effort to get the city moving again once the festivities were over.

City Of Sydney staff worked through the night to collect around 43 tonnes of waste & ensured the City streets were clear of rubbish and thoroughly cleaned following last night’s celebrations.

The clean-up operation involved over 205 City Of Sydney workers along with 55 trucks, sweepers & compactors.

An additional 128 mobile rubbish bins were collected filled with recyclable plastic bottles, paper & food containers.

“City staff worked tirelessly to clear truckloads of rubbish & leave the City sparkling clean in time for sunrise on New Year’s Day” the Lord Mayor said.

“It was an enormous task requiring nearly 3 times the number of cleansing staff on duty on an average day. We thank each & every one of them for their incredible efforts”

All waste collected overnight was transported to the SUEZ Artarmon facility for processing.

Destination New South Wales estimates that the Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder event contributes more than AUD$133 million to the local economy.

“It was the biggest & most spectacular fireworks displays yet with more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects & more than 8 tonnes of fireworks” the Lord Mayor said.

“The spectacular Midnight Fireworks featured a rainbow waterfall with red, yellow, purple, green & blue fireworks cascading from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate Australians saying ‘Yes’ to marriage equality & the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018”

Fireworks Director, ‘Forch’ (Fortunato) Foti, who has (co-)directed the fireworks for the past 20 years, spent more than 5,000 hours to create the remarkable Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder fireworks displays.

The effects were inspired by the work of Sydney-based artist, Nadia Hernández, who created eye-catching paper-cut designs with a bright colour palette.

Sydney-born superstar, Hugh Jackman, created unique fireworks for the Midnight Fireworks including a glittering gold brocade & waterfall shells that launched from barges on the Harbour & from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The stunning fireworks were set to the track, Wiyathul, by famed Indigenous artist, Dr G Yunupingu.

Australia’s First Peoples were recognised throughout the night with special pylon projections & the Welcome To Country – A Day In The Life Of Country which included lighting effects & the traditional smoking ceremony on the Harbour.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

For the 1st time, fireworks in the shape of numbers have led the countdown to Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE)’s spectacular Midnight Fireworks.

As well as the traditional countdown on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons from 90 to 1, the numbers 10 to 1 lit up the night sky to the east of the Bridge this time. 

At the stroke of Midnight, the word, ‘SYDNEY’, was emblazoned across the Harbour Bridge to mark the beginning of the biggest & best Midnight Fireworks ever that was enjoyed by 1 billion people across the globe.

City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said Sydney had shown once again that it is the best place in the world to celebrate NYE.

“More than a million people gathered around Sydney Harbour for tonight’s Sydney NYE celebrations & more than a billion watched from around the world” the Lord Mayor said.

“This truly spectacular start to the New Year is only possible because of the many thousands of hours of hard work by our City Of Sydney team & the Foti International Fireworks family. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the many volunteers, event professionals, sponsors & partners who make this the biggest free public event in Australia”

“I hope you have time to relax with friends and family & return invigorated for the rest of the new year, 2018.”

Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder Fireworks Director, Fortunato Foti, said his team has, this year, gone that little bit further to make the Sydney NYE show even more spectacular.

Apart from the 6 barges, Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House, the Midnight Fireworks were also fired from an array of individual pontoons instead of 1 Bridge barge allowing the display to reach a wider audience than ever before.

The 12-minute spectacular featured a rainbow waterfall of red, yellow, purple, green & blue to help celebrate Australia voting ‘Yes’ for marriage equality & to mark the 40^th anniversary of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018.

Sydney-born superstar, Hugh Jackman, created unique fireworks for the Midnight Firewoks including glittering gold brocade & horsetail shells that launched from barges on the Harbour & from the Bridge.

The stunning fireworks were set to the track Wiyathul by famed Indigenous artist, Dr G Yunupingu.

There were more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night, setting a new record for the annual event’s 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks with:

• 8 tonnes of fireworks – 1 tonne more than in 2016
• 13,000 shells – 1,000 more than in 2016
• 30,000 shooting comets – 5,000 more than in 2016

There were more than 3,000 individual lighting effects choreographed to the fireworks displays & music soundtrack – 1,000 more effects than last year.

New light-emitting diode technology also meant the City’s Sydney NYE lighting display was achieved using less power than ever before.

Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for event details.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder’s 9pm Family Fireworks display lit up the sky in an array of new, vibrant colours designed to excite revellers of all ages.

The fun-filled 8 minute display at 9pm followed 2 daring aerial shows above Sydney Harbour at 6pm & 8pm.

At 8:38pm. a stunning animation featuring a grandfather & grandson’s journey along the warerways of the Eora Nation was projected onto the pylons of the Harbour Bridge as part of the night’s Welcome To Country –  A Day In The Life Of Country ceremony.

The Welcome To Country –  A Day In The Life Of Country ceremony featured water flares & flares off the Bridge.

“Sydney New Year’s Eve is one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world & it just gets better every year” City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.

“Our bright & colourful 9pm Family Fireworks display means that families with young children can come down to one of the many free vantage points around Sydney Harbour & beyond or tune in on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television/iView (ABC TV/iView) from home before tucking the kids into bed”

“It was a great way to kick off our always spectacular Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations & I am looking forward to ringing in the New Year in a few hours”

The winning entry from the ABC’s Design Your Own Firework competition featured in the 9pm Family Fireworks display. Competition winner, 7-year-old Lucia from South Australia, designed a multi-coloured umbrella with a palm cross.

From sunset, video projections of the popular designs by Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder Creative Artist, Nadia Hernández, were projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons.

Central to her Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 artwork were the words ‘wonder’, ‘radiate’, ‘hope’, ‘dance’ & ‘together’.

“These are words that are celebratory but also capture the essence of Sydney” Miss Hernández says.

“There is a great sense of unity about New Year’s Eve & this is a message of hope for the future. It starts with everybody coming together to celebrate a new beginning with friends, family and complete strangers & wish each other a Happy New Year. It is very powerful & very special”

Nadia’s artwork also inspired a new colour palette for the 9pm Family Fireworks & light shows with bright orange, pink, lime green & light blue featuring for the 1st time.

The 9pm Family Fireworks featured shells off the barges that created a magnificent waterfall effect.

The 9pm Family Fireworks were synchronised to a soundtrack created by Alex Gooden which was simulcast on KIIS 106.5FM & broadcast on ABC TV/iView.

Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for event details.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Note: All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time.