Sydney New Year's Eve facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sydney New Year's Eve
Opening sequence of the 2006/07 Midnight Fireworks.
Genre	New Year's Eve event
Date(s)	31 December/1 January
Begins	8:30 pm (AEDT)
Ends	12:30 am (AEDT)
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Sydney
Years active	1976-present
Inaugurated	1976; 49 years ago (1976)
Founder	Syd Howard
Most recent	2020/21
Previous event	2019/20
Next event	2021/22
Attendance	1.6 million
Budget	$6.5 million (as of 2019–20)

Sydney New Year's Eve is a huge yearly party held in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate the start of a new year. It takes place on New Year's Eve, December 31st, and is famous for its amazing fireworks shows.

The main action happens around the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). There are two big fireworks displays: the 9 pm Family Fireworks and the Midnight Fireworks. The Midnight Fireworks are watched by over a million people around the harbour and more than a billion people worldwide on TV!

These fireworks are set to music and shoot off the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, nearby city buildings, and special boats called barges. Each year, there's a new theme for the show. The City of Sydney Council is in charge of putting on this amazing event.

The event was first shown on TV on December 31, 1995. At first, the 9 pm Family Fireworks were the main show. But since 1999, the Midnight Fireworks have become the biggest part of the celebration. They usually last about 12 minutes, one minute for each month of the year!

History of Sydney's New Year's Eve Party

How the Celebration Started

The Sydney New Year's Eve celebration began in 1976. It was part of a new event called the Festival of Sydney. The idea was to start the festival with a "big bang" on New Year's Eve. They planned for decorated boats, music, and a spectacular fireworks show at midnight over the harbour.

The idea to launch fireworks from the Sydney Harbour Bridge came from a similar event in New York in 1983. Syd Howard, a fireworks expert, was inspired by this. He first used the bridge for fireworks in 1986 for a special navy event. He even created a "waterfall" effect and spelled out a message with fireworks on the bridge!

From 1996 to 1999, a company called Spectak Productions helped manage the event. They brought in creative people like Ric Birch and Ignatius Jones to make the shows even better.

Early Fireworks Shows (1996–1998)

The first official Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks display in 1996 used the bridge, city buildings, and a boat near the Sydney Opera House. There was a ten-second countdown with fireworks shooting off buildings. For 1997, the Midnight Fireworks included the Star City Casino. The Sydney Tower even turned into a ticking clock! From 1997, the Midnight Fireworks also included the Harbour Bridge.

Big Changes and Special Moments (1999–2002)

For New Year's Eve 1999, the countdown used sounds from the Apollo 11 moon mission. A giant smiley face appeared on the bridge, and at the end, the word "Eternity" was spelled out in lights. This was a tribute to a famous Sydney person, Arthur Stace.

Since 2000, Foti International Fireworks has designed all the displays. For New Year's Eve 2000, a huge birthday cake lit up to celebrate 100 years of Australia as a nation. A "Federation Star" also appeared on the bridge.

In 2001, a dove of peace appeared on the bridge to send a message of peace after the September 11th attacks. In 2002, the 9 pm family fireworks were cancelled because of strong winds. A dove also appeared on the bridge during the finale.

New Ideas and Effects (2003–2006)

In 2003, fireworks were launched from the vertical hangers of the bridge for the first time. In 2004, a cool 3D effect was used on the bridge, and the fireworks show felt like a disco party with a disco ball hanging from the bridge.

For New Year's Eve 2005, a beating heart symbol appeared on the bridge, and some fireworks even exploded in heart shapes! In 2006, city buildings were used again for the Midnight Fireworks, and a ten-second countdown was shown on the bridge's pylons.

Growing Bigger and Brighter (2007–2009)

In 2007, the bridge itself became a "seventh barge," shooting fireworks throughout the whole show, not just at the start and end. The 2008 show was the biggest yet, costing $5 million for fireworks!

In 2009, new "microchip fireworks" were used. These stayed in the sky longer and were more accurate with the music. A Yin and yang symbol appeared on the bridge during the finale.

Themes and Technology (2010–2014)

The theme for 2010 was "Make Your Mark," showing different signs and symbols on the bridge. In 2011, the theme was "Time to Dream," and the music was all Australian. A 90-second countdown was shown on the bridge for the first time.

In 2012, famous singer Kylie Minogue helped create the show. The fireworks included new shapes like bees and koalas. The budget for the show grew to $6.6 million.

For 2013, fireworks were launched from the Sydney Opera House to celebrate its 40th birthday. The bridge effect was twice as big and used new LED lights. The theme for 2014 was "Inspire," and a lightbulb symbol appeared on the bridge. People could even send messages on Twitter to be shown on the bridge!

Celebrating Culture and Events (2015–2019)

The 2015-16 theme was "City of Colour." For the first time, a special "welcome to country" ceremony was held. This honored the local Aboriginal people and included projections of Aboriginal art on the bridge.

In 2016-17, the theme was "Welcome to SydNYE." The show included tributes to famous musicians like Prince and David Bowie. There was also a segment for actor Gene Wilder with candy-shaped fireworks!

The 2017-18 show had eight tonnes of fireworks and a rainbow-colored waterfall effect. This celebrated the 40th anniversary of Sydney Mardi Gras and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia.

The theme for 2018-19 was "The Pulse of Sydney," with new fireworks that seemed to "pulsate." The show also paid tribute to singer Aretha Franklin.

Recent Challenges (2020–Present)

2019-20: Bushfire Impact

Before the 2019-20 event, there were calls to cancel the fireworks because of severe bushfires across Australia. People suggested using the money for disaster relief instead. However, the City of Sydney decided to go ahead with the fireworks. They said it would be hard to cancel and would help local businesses. They also promoted a charity appeal for the Red Cross during the event.

2020-21: COVID-19 Impact

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the 2020-21 New Year's Eve event was much smaller. Only a seven-minute fireworks display happened at midnight, and the 9 pm Family Fireworks were cancelled.

Special zones were set up in the city center to control crowds and ensure social distancing. Only people with permits, like local residents or those with restaurant reservations, could enter certain areas. Plans to reserve viewing areas for frontline workers were cancelled due to new COVID-19 cases. People were encouraged to watch the fireworks from home on TV.

Bridge Effect: Lights on the Harbour Bridge

A key part of the fireworks shows since 1999 is the special lighting display on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This "bridge effect" uses lights to create different symbols and images related to the year's theme.

The lights are made of rope lights attached to a special frame in the middle of the bridge's eastern arch. This frame is often visible weeks before the event, leading to guesses about what the design will be. Many talented designers work on these lights each year.

The "Waterfall" Effect

The waterfall effect seen on NYE 2008.

The "waterfall" effect is a continuous stream of fireworks that fall from the base of the bridge into the water. It uses about 1,100 special fireworks. Usually, it's a traditional golden waterfall.

Sometimes, the waterfall effect changes. In 2000, it changed from gold to silver. In 2002, 2005, and 2006, it had a "strobing angelic" effect, where the lights twinkled and changed colors like green, white, or red.

In 2004, the golden waterfall slowly moved across the bridge. In 2017, a rainbow waterfall flowed from the bridge to celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia.

The golden waterfall didn't light up as planned in 2018, but it worked perfectly in 2019. In 2020, the traditional golden waterfall was briefly joined by a white strobing waterfall.

The "Birthday Cake" Effect

The "birthday cake" effect was first used in 1988 for Australia's Bicentennial celebrations. It was a loud and bright way to end the fireworks show. It used 200 long-burning fireworks that shot balls of fire high into the sky. A silver star effect at the top of the bridge made it look like a huge birthday cake with 200 lit candles. This effect was used to end the Sydney New Year's Eve celebrations from 1996 to 1999. It hasn't been used since 1999.

Watching the Show: TV Broadcasts

Many TV channels have broadcast the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks over the years. From 1996 to 2006, the Nine Network showed the event. Then, Network 10 had the rights from 2006 to 2009. Nine Network got the rights back from 2009 to 2013.

Since 2013, the ABC has been the main broadcaster. In 2015, they started using cameras on drones to get amazing new angles of the fireworks. Since 2016, there's also an official international live stream on platforms like Facebook, so people all over the world can watch!

Images for kids

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  The Sydney Harbour celebrations on NYE 2004.

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  An all-white finale to the Midnight Fireworks on NYE 2007.

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  Sydney New Year's Eve 2008–09

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  Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks 2015. Taken during the 9 pm display from Mosman (north of Sydney Harbour).

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  Sydney New Year's Eve celebrations 2018

See also

In Spanish: Víspera de Año Nuevo en Sídney para niños