Pyrotechnics, pylon projections, a spectacular Welcome to Country and a celebration of the upcoming WorldPride festival will delight crowds as Sydney rings in 2023.
More than 35,000 shooting ground-based effects, 12,000 aerial shells and over 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects will be launched from four building rooftops across the city as well as barges, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House sails.
The stunning displays will see the Sydney Harbour Bridge transformed into a giant rainbow at midnight as a celebration of the city’s diversity ahead of next year’s Sydney WorldPride.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said crowds are expected to return to the harbour foreshore this year, with local, interstate and overseas visitors witnessing the world’s most iconic fireworks display after three years of disruption.
“Sydney’s iconic fireworks are the best in the world and kick off global celebrations with a spectacular bang,” the Lord Mayor said. “As we go over the final plans and get ready for the countdown, we are hopeful this will be our best New Year’s Eve yet!”
“After the challenges of the past few years, we’re excited to welcome international and interstate visitors back to Sydney to mark the beginning of what we hope will be a safe, peaceful and fabulous 2023.
“Sydney is one of the first cities in the world to ring in the New Year and we set the benchmark with a spectacle that showcases the best of what our city has to offer as a stunning and safe, inclusive and buzzing destination.
“This year’s fireworks displays include a special celebration of the original custodians of our land and, as we ready to host WorldPride 2023, projections, coloured comets and pyrotechnic showers will turn the iconic Harbour Bridge into a spectacular rainbow.
“We are not out of the woods of the pandemic yet and its impacts are still being keenly felt throughout the community. We’re hopeful this celebration provides some relief from the challenges faced over the past few years and an opportunity to look with hope to the new year.
“Our service, hospitality and tourism industries have particularly struggled through the pandemic but are now making the most of strong, pent-up demand and starting to bounce back. I encourage everyone in the community come join us this New Year’s Eve and make a night of it. Make a reservation at a restaurant or bar to start your evening, stay overnight at a hotel and support our terrific Sydney businesses.”
Lead up to 9pm
Special animations celebrating all facets of life in the harbour city will be beamed onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons as we countdown to the Calling Country fireworks.
9pm Calling Country fireworks
Our family friendly 9pm fireworks will feature a light display projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons. First Nations artists Carmen Glynn-Braun and Dennis Golding from Re-Right Collective in partnership with Gadigal artist Nadeena Dixon have creatively directed the display.
The eight-minute display will feature pylon projections honouring the knowledge and resilience of Aboriginal women as well as the kangaroo draped in the cape of a superhero to celebrate Indigenous peoples who care for Country.
Re-Right Collective has also joined forces with Foti International Fireworks to create the 9pm pyrotechnics display. The fireworks aim to draw inspiration from sky, land and sea. Sky blue peonies and sky blue umbrella aerial shells will reflect the clear blue sky, while red, orange and lemon pastel peonies will symbolise the sunburnt country.
The display will be set to a unique soundtrack from artist Rowan Savage. Closing out the 9pm celebrations will be a performance from Akala Newman and rapper Kobie Dee. The pair have collaborated on a new track that highlights the strength and resilience of First Nations peoples and will be joined on stage by the Brolga Dance Academy.
WorldPride
At 11pm a spectacular 3-minute pylon projection and lighting display in Progress Pride colours will light up Sydney Harbour for our Sydney WorldPride Moment.
Midnight fireworks and soundtrack
Celebrating more than 25 years of creating the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve fireworks displays over Sydney Harbour, the master pyrotechnicians at Foti International Fireworks promise a colourful display of enjoyment and hope for the future.
Colours including aquamarine, lemon and magenta, as well as gold crackling willow shells and green glitter willow shells, will wow crowds across the city as they light up the night sky.
We’ll continue our celebration of diversity and inclusivity as the Sydney Harbour Bridge is transformed into a giant rainbow, before infinity pods bring the crowd together for the final countdown to midnight.
2,000 fireworks will be launched from the four sails of the Sydney Opera House, while 7,000 effects will fire from 184 positions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In addition, four city rooftops will be used as firing platforms, framing the city skyline during the display.
“With so many people finally able to come and watch the fireworks in person, we really wanted to make sure they were in for something special as we all come together to share this amazing experience,” Foti International Fireworks director, Fortunato Foti, said.
“We put more than 4,000 hours into designing, staging and launching the fireworks so we can give people a reason to say ‘that was the best display ever’.
“This year we’re launching fireworks from four city rooftops as well as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. This will let us create a ‘Panorama of Pyro’ which will be sure to wow crowds.
“As with every year the soundtrack and pyrotechnics work hand in hand to create the phenomenal experience that is Sydney New Year’s Eve. 16,000 individual firing cues synchronise the fireworks to the soundtrack to bring about this unique event.
“The fireworks are ultimately the performers and the night sky their stage, what we do is give them the freedom to dance.
“If we can bring everyone together in celebration and get them looking forward to the New Year ahead with renewed optimism and joy, then we see that as a job well done.”
Platinum-selling, ARIA-nominated music producer, DJ and vocalist Stace Cadet will bring his own flavour of dance music to the midnight fireworks, creating an original soundtrack featuring vocal powerhouse KLP, which will be live-streamed and simulcast on KIIS 1065.
The musician said he was honoured to be involved in creating the track: ‘Follow the Lights (NYE 22)’ by Stace Cadet featuring KLP.
“The Sydney fireworks are so iconic and I am thrilled to be a part of this momentous occasion. I wanted to complement the light display with a cinematic journey purposely designed to articulate the joy that surrounds ushering in the new year and celebrating the last. I’m beyond grateful to have the insanely talented KLP and her amazing vocals featured,” Stace Cadet said.
Charity partner – The Smith Family
The Smith Family is the official charity partner for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2022. The independent children's charity helps disadvantaged Australian children get the most out of their education through long-term emotional, practical and financial support, as well as its suite of evidence-based learning and mentoring programs.
"The Smith Family has supported children and young people for 100 years, and today we are helping more children than ever to achieve their potential through the transformational power of education," Doug Taylor, CEO of The Smith Family, said.
"We are so proud to mark the end of our centenary year as the City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve official charity partner, and with the generous support of the community, we can help even more children experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves."
Safety and ticketing
The City of Sydney is working with the NSW Government and other agencies, including the NSW Police Force, Transport for NSW, Port Authority of NSW, NSW Ambulance and NSW Health, to ensure a safe New Year’s Eve celebration.
Many of the Sydney New Year’s Eve vantage points in the CBD will be ticketed. Visit sydneynewyearseve.com/vantage-points for up-to-date information on where you can view the fireworks.
The City of Sydney manages six vantage points around the harbour. Four of these are ticketed – Observatory Hill Park, Giba Park, Pirrama Park and Embarkation Park. Tickets to these four vantage points are free and available via the sydneynewyearseve.com website. Beare Park and Bicentennial Park do not require tickets for entry.
The City will release more tickets to these vantage points on 1 December at 9am, with an additional release on 30 December.
Sydneysiders and visitors are encouraged to support local businesses on the night before heading to a vantage point to watch the fireworks.
If you plan to party at home, you can see Sydney shine on TV or online. ABC TV and ABC iview will broadcast live from Sydney Harbour at 8.30pm. The 9pm and midnight fireworks will be live streamed at sydneynewyearseve.com/live-stream/ and on ABC iview.
You can also listen to the exclusive soundtrack at 9pm and midnight on KIIS 1065.
For full event details visit sydneynewyearseve.com
File images and b-roll of Sydney NYE is available for download here.
For media inquiries or images, contact Nicky Breen. Phone mobile 0436 599 861 or email nbreen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore contact Zoe Delamare. Phone 02 8974 4165 or email lordmayormedia@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au