Tag: Sydney New Year’s Eve

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Media Release: NSW Government – Office Of Environment & Heritage

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

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

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

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

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

2013

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

2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to enter:

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

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

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

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Media Release: City Of Sydney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Media Release: City Of Sydney

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

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

Program Audiences:

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

Metro Audiences

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

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

Top 10 programs – 5 City Metro

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

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

Spectacular aerial footage from inside tonight’s Midnight Fireworks display will be captured by drones and broadcast live for the 1st time anywhere in the world.

The drones will fly up to 1,000 feet above Sydney Harbour, recording high-resolution footage of the fireworks as they launch from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and barges on the water.

Live footage from 2 drones will feature in the ABC’s TV broadcast and Sydney NYE Telstra YouTube Show.

A 3rd specially-built drone equipped with six cameras will capture amazing 360-degree views of the fireworks that audiences can view after the event via the Sydney NYE Telstra App.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the celebrations to welcome in 2015 were shaping up to be Sydney’s best yet.

“Our Sydney New Year’s Eve team and pyrotechnic experts are busy putting the finishing touches on tonight’s displays, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’re expecting large crowds tonight, so if you’re coming into the city, make sure you arrive early to secure a good spot and download the Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire‘ app to receive live updates about the event.”

“If you’re staying at home, tune in to our fantastic broadcasts, which will include never-before-seen drone footage of the fireworks – giving you the chance to be part of the event without having to leave the house.”

“Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, there’s no doubt that Sydney will be at its best tonight as we countdown to the dawning of the New Year.”

The 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays will feature 7 tonnes of fireworks, including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.

More than 1.6 million people are expected to line the harbour foreshore to view the displays, which are recognised as one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the world.

The centrepiece of tonight’s displays will be the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect – the top-secret, 12 storey high LED design that will be revealed at midnight.

The Bridge Effect ties into this year’s Sydney New Year’s Eve theme, Inspire. After debuting tonight, it will continue to shine brightly above the harbour from 8pm to midnight on Thursday and Friday night.

Pre-Show Entertainment will begin at 6pm when former fighter pilot Matt Hall performs daring aerial displays above the harbour. At 7pm, tug boats will blast tonnes of water into the sky from Millers Point to Fort Denison and back again.

Following the 9PM Family Fireworks, the Harbour of Light Parade will see more than 50 illuminated boats carry over 8,000 people on a majestic passage around 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.

Audiences around the harbour and at home are being encouraged to become part of the celebration by using the hashtag #SydNYE to tweet messages about how Sydney will inspire them in the New Year.

The tweets will appear live on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons throughout the night, and will be seen by millions of people across Australia and more than a billion worldwide.

For up-to-the-minute information on tonight’s celebrations, follow the hashtag #SydNYE and @cityofsydney on Twitter.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

6pm & 8pm	Air Displays above Sydney Harbour Flying ace Matt Hall performs flyovers with aerial displays
7pm	Fire Tug Water Display on Sydney Harbour  Tug boats blast tonnes of water into the sky from Millers Point to Fort Denison and back again.
8:30pm	Pylon Projections on the eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Projections will come to life on the pylon’s surfaces after sunset and huge images will be projected throughout the night.
8:40pm	Acknowledgement of Country Ceremony on Sydney Harbour A ceremony that reflects a respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and honours the relationship between traditional custodians and the land.
8:45pm	Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect The Sydney Harbour Bridge lights up in a design that features over 13 kilometres of spectacular LED rope lighting.
9pm	9PM Family Fireworks display An 8-minute fireworks display at a family-friendly time, complete with a soundtrack appealing to young children.
9:15pm	Harbour of Light Parade® Features more than 50 illuminated boats that carry over 8,000 people on a majestic passage within and around Sydney Harbour.
10:40pm	The Inspire Moment An inspirational mini-fireworks display to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.
Midnight	Midnight Fireworks Display A show-stopping grand finale display on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, barges along the harbour and city buildings.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

• The City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display is recognised as one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced New Year’s Eve fireworks displays.
• The 9pm Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays are watched by 1.6 million people on Sydney Harbour, millions across Australia and more than a billion worldwide.
• Sydney’s celebrations draw larger crowds than New York City (1 million), Berlin (1 million), London (700,000) and Paris (100,000).
• The fireworks are designed by Foti International Fireworks, led by Fireworks Director Fortunato Foti, and require a pyrotechnic crew of 45 people. This is the 17th consecutive year the company has been involved in Sydney New Year’s Eve.
• Approximately 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects will be used in the display, which is made up of 7 tonnes of fireworks.
• 14 shipping containers of equipment, weighing 120 tonnes, are needed for both the 9pm Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays.
• 12 computers will digitally launch the fireworks from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, barges and buildings, shooting 10,000 cues. The computers will be used to fire the show and will ensure the fireworks are synchronised to the music.
• More than 60 kilometres of wire and cables link the launch computers, and there are 130 firing points on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• The 9pm Family Fireworks will go off from 4 fireworks barges, while the Midnight Fireworks will launch from 7 barges, jet-skis, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
• Each year the top-secret Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect is a highly anticipated part of the night and is only revealed at the end of the Midnight Fireworks display. The Effect has been a highlight since the mid-1990’s when a smiley face appeared on the Bridge.
• This year, the Bridge Effect will be made from more than 13 kilometres of LED ropelight, and measure 12 storeys high.
• Previous Bridge Effects have included the word ‘PEACE’ and a dove (2002), 3 concentric hearts (2005), a mandala (2007) and an all-seeing eye (2013).
• The Harbour of Light Parade® features more than 50 illuminated boats, which make a majestic passage within and around the Sydney Harbour Exclusion Zone after the 9pm Family Fireworks, building up excitement before the countdown to midnight.
• The boats carry over 8,000 people and join more than 3,000 other vessels celebrating New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com.