Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display the biggest ever to ring in 2019
Sydney’s New Year fireworks spectacular will be the biggest bang the Harbour City has ever heard, with 500kg more fireworks ringing in 2019 than were used 12 months ago. With more than a million people expected to turn out here is everything you need to know.
It will be the biggest bang Sydney has ever heard, with 500kg more fireworks ringing in this New Year than were used 12 months ago.
More than a million people are expected to crowd harbourside vantage points on Sunday night as 8.5 tonnes of pyrotechnics are fired from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and a string of barges on the water.
And the more than 100,000 effects will for the first time include lime and peach-coloured displays.
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The midnight showing will be accompanied by a countdown culminating in “Sydney” emblazoned in white across the Bridge, while a barge underneath will pump out heart-shaped and smiley face fireworks.
Animations projected on to the bridge pylons will follow the 9pm display.
In a sign of the times, the environmental impact has been minimised — the fireworks are made from biodegradable paper and compounds that dissipate.
As usual, the fireworks will be set to music — including the late Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, which will play as gold, silver and purple effects light up the sky.
“New Year’s Eve is a perfect time to reflect on the year that’s been and it’s also a marvellous opportunity to honour artists who have passed, such as the much-loved Aretha Franklin,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
“Sydney’s world-beating celebrations generate more than $133 million annually for the local economy and further showcases Sydney to the world.”
But the City of Sydney has been accused of privatising the event by stealth, with previously free vantage points being ticketed — including Pirrama Park Wharf in Pyrmont where a family of four will pay $753.
And while there are still free vantage points — including Cremorne Point, Pyrmont and Watsons Bay — there have also been complaints that most are now alcohol-free or charging up to $24 for a glass of champagne, such as The Point in the Royal Botanic Garden.
Yet many of the free spots, such as Milsons Point and Kirribilli under the bridge, are expected to reach capacity early.
Many revellers were already sleeping out in prime locations last night.
NSW Police are deploying buses and bollards to protect revellers from any potential vehicle attack, with thousands of officers and the riot squad on duty in the biggest operation of the year.
And people are being told to leave their cars at home, with road closures across the city. Ferry services will be limited and railway stations at Circular Quay and Milsons Point will be closed.
German tourists Nadine Freitaj, 19, and Lilian Zwanzig, 18, are excited to see their first Sydney NYE fireworks, and will head to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair early today, while friends Lene Scholl and Marlene Falk, both 19, will ring in the New Year in an equally Aussie way — on the beach at a surf camp.
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