History of Sydney’s World-Famous New Year’s Eve Fireworks
The mention of New Year’s Eve in Sydney brings one word to your mind in an instance - Fireworks! Ever wondered where it all began and how it turned world famous? Here’s how:
Sydney New Year's Eve
All modern-day celebrations and rituals mostly originate from traditional ones. Similar is the history of Sydney New Year’s Eve & its world-famous fireworks. An annual event on 31st December every year, the entire celebration is centered around the glorious Sydney Harbour.
It all started when the Sydney committee decided to reconstitute a failing Waratah Festival as the Festival of Sydney. The old Waratah Festival used to coincide with the blooming of the NSW emblematic flower - the Waratah. It was decided that the new festival will focus on the harbour and adjacent areas and will include a sail of craft, music and a midnight fireworks display. It was planned to be launched on New Year's Eve as a grand affair with the slogan "Get into the 80's with a bang,'' as per the 1979/80 brochure.
The first formal New Year's Eve celebration in Sydney, based on historical records, was held over 120 years earlier, on 31 December 1896. By 1897, the celebration started shaping into a miniscule event of today’s NYE celebration, what with the vessels showcasing illuminated lighting and minor fireworks being launched from random spots.
Taking inspiration from the launch of fireworks on the Brooklyn Bridge at its 100th anniversary celebrations in 1983, the idea of recreating the same on Sydney Harbour Bridge took shape. The same further progressed to add a countdown and improvised pyrotechnics as the years passed.
The popularity of the pyrotechnics also grew with time to the point that for the 2010/11 event, 1.5 million people watched the display from the local harbour and a reported 1.1 billion witnessed it globally.
With so many interesting facts and figures, witness this spectacular event for yourself For the best seats, go on board a Sydney NYE cruise. With tickets getting sold like hot cakes, book yours on board an all-inclusive New Year’s Eve cruise on Sydney Harbour without further ado! With dinner, drinks & entertainment included, don’t wait! Book your Sydney NYE cruise today!
