Image: The City is preparing for a more normalised New Year's Eve celebration this year. Photo: Creative Commons.
By DANIEL LO SURDO
The City of Sydney has finalised plans for New Year’s Eve celebrations that Lord Mayor Clover Moore hopes will be a ‘line in the sand’ for Sydneysiders after almost two years living with the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the pandemic interrupted celebrations last year, the City has reverted back to most of its usual practices amid a growing vaccination rate throughout NSW.
The program will begin at 8:30pm, with lighting effects to be projected onto the eastern pylons of the Harbour Bridge. This will be followed by the 9:00pm fireworks, which are being curated by First Nations artist Blak Douglas and are expected to feature projections of dancers, whales and eel totems, fireworks and a hip-hop performance. The traditional midnight fireworks will conclude the night’s proceedings, with pyrotechnic effects to be launched from the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and barges in the harbour.
“I know many of us are looking to put this year behind us,” Cr Moore said via Facebook. “Not only do we deserve a party, our NYE event will help support local businesses and the tourism industry as we begin to recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
Changing Tide
Cr Moore initially cancelled the 9:00pm fireworks (similarly to the 2020 celebrations) in September after uncertainty surrounding mass public events and the vaccination status of children who would likely attend the earlier event. This decision was reversed one month later after Cr Moore was assured by NSW Jobs and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres that the State would provide extra provisions and a guarantee to take control of the event should it be compromised by new health advice.
While tickets for the event will be free, patrons will need a ticket to attend the event. The City has encouraged people not to travel to any of the harbour vantage points if a ticket or reservation has not been made.
City vantage points, which include Observatory Hill, Beare Park, Bicentennial Park, Giba Park, Pirrama Park and Embarkation Point, will be opened from 7:00pm and will be closed from 10:30pm. It is expected that more vantage points will be added ahead of the event.
As is consistent with the NSW Government’s reopening roadmap, the New Year’s Eve celebrations will be opened to both vaccinated and unvaccinated patrons. This will be subject to change depending on the latest health advice or best practice. The City will encourage patrons to be double vaccinated if they wish to attend one of the vantage points, and will also request that masks be worn where social distancing cannot be maintained.
