Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Fun Ways to Watch it

Every year Sydney welcomes the new year with the iconic midnight fireworks on Sydney Harbour. From the special new year's eve cruises in Sydney, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House to the countless other vantage points bedecked in a festive mood, Sydney Harbour assumes a feisty-good character on every new year’s eve. Every year, millions of people gather on the harbour to get a glimpse of the iconic Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks, more so on board the luxury cruises on the Harbour as they offer the best views of the Harbour and its surrounds. However, this year too, we may not expect a huge turnout like the yester-years as the situations are still uncertain. But let’s hope to welcome another year in a grand way. If you’re planning to make it to the harbour to see the fireworks, book your tickets today for a New Year’s Eve cruise in Sydney. Australian Cruise Group is a leading cruise operator that runs several New Year cruises on Sydney Harbour. There are luxury catamarans, premium glass boats and authentic paddlewheelers that provide unique and extravagant spaces to match the excitement of the occasion. They also offer excellent menus that are designed by expert chefs on the team and the best part about the dining experience is that you can dine with a view of the fireworks and the colourful lights that fill the harbour on the New Year’s Eve.

It’s obvious to often wonder how the celebrations at the harbour came to be. So, what makes Sydney NYE so special and how did it all start? Let’s take a sneak-peek at how the whole event took its form. Deemed to be one of the biggest NYE celebrations in the world, the Sydney NYE has an interesting background narrative. Although the first formal New Year’s Eve in Sydney is thought to have been celebrated on 31 December 1896, it became a grandiose event only in the 1980s. So how did it exactly happen? Until the late 70s, people in Sydney used to celebrate the Waratah Festival from late October to early November which coincided with the blooming season of the NSW emblematic flower known as Waratah. However, at the turn of the 80s, it was decided by the Sydney Committee that the festival be henceforth be reconstituted as the Festival of Sydney and that it was to be launched on the New Year’s Eve 1980 in a “big bang affair.” That year, thousands of people gathered on the Sydney Harbour to take part in the celebration which included music, art and crafts and finally the spectacular fireworks.  

In 1986, the most amazing evolution happened to the Sydney NYE when Syd Howard, a pyrotechnician decided to make the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the launchpad for fireworks. This was inspired from the 1983 fireworks display on Brooklyn Bridge on its 100th anniversary. In the following years, Syd’s fireworks excelled to incorporate surprising effects into the fireworks such as the waterfall effect, birthday cake effect, Bridge effect and display of pyrotechnic messages. The popularity of Sydney NYE has soared up since its initial years and so has the demand for places on Sydney Harbour offering the best views of the fireworks. Of what a majority of Sydneysiders may suggest, a luxurious New Year’s Eve cruise in Sydney renders the best new year’s eve experience. With sweeping views of the fairy-lit harbour, special new year’s eve dinner and finally, front-row views of the fireworks, a new year’s cruise is an ideal way to ring in the new year while in Sydney. For an unforgettable and reminiscent new year’s eve in Sydney, book your seats on one of these majestic new year cruises without further ado. Hurry!