‘Surreal’: Sydney rings in 2024 with epic show
Happy New Year, 2024 is here!
Sydneysiders welcomed the New Year with a stunning extravaganza of colour and light over Sydney Harbour, with the iconic midnight fireworks display erupting over Australia’s global city to mark fresh beginnings.
A packed crowd counted down from 10 to one as pink lights lit up the Harbour Bridge before the night blasted off with explosions of sparkle and dazzling light.
British tourist Ben Scammell, speaking after the show, said he was overawed and did not have words for the spectacle he witnessed.
“That was just…I don’t have words for it,” he said from the harbour.
“It made the whole coming to Australia so much worth it...it was the pinnacle.
“That moment will last my whole lifetime.
“For every hour (waiting at the Opera House), it was worth every minute of those fireworks.
“It feels quite surreal that it all just happened.
“It was one of our bucket list things here in Sydney.”
Mr Scammell waited for the show with his buddy Lewis Burn, with both arriving at the Sydney Opera House at 8am on Sunday morning.
The first batch of fireworks to mark the start of a new year exploded at 9pm show, which Ben also called “breathtaking.”
“It was exactly what we wanted to see,” he told NCA NewsWire.
“Everywhere you looked, there was light everywhere and there were patterns we had not seen before.
Thousands crammed into Sydney’s CBD for the iconic show, with the police warning all viewing spots in the city and North Sydney had filled up by the evening.
“We’re having a really good time,” Ben said after the 9pm show.
“Surrounded by people, sharing their food. Vietnamese people, Taiwanese people, sharing stories.
“It has been really eye opening.”
The 9pm show went on for about eight minutes.
A night of fashion splendour
Aussies and tourists at the Sydney Opera House dressed up in spectacular outfits and were “loving life” as they counted down to the iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular.
Tegan Ayling, a British tourist from Derby, sported an elegant layered purple dress.
“I just thought, why not make an effort for New Year’s Eve,” she told NCA NewsWire from a bar at the iconic venue.
Ms Ayling went out with friends from the UK and her friend Manisha Pannu-Weston wore a beautiful black dress, which she described as “glam with a bam”.
“Some of our friends it’s their first time in Sydney, so we had to go glam with a bam for the most iconic night in Sydney,” she said.
“We are very excited, mega excited, with an exclamation mark.
“We’ve got a prime viewing spot, at the opera bar.”
“We’re scared to leave in case anyone takes out seats.”
Vanessa Chea, meanwhile, said she was “loving life” at the Opera House alongside her aunt, Monika Houn.
“It’s amazing. The crowd is great, the vibe is really good. The weather is amazing,” she said.
Vanessa sported an elegant red dress while Monika wore a striking patterned outfit.
“She’s gorgeous, she’s my aunty. She’s stunning,” Vanessa said.
“This is how we normally dress, to be honest.
“This is actually a dress down for us, to be honest.”
Betty Berka and Dr Wubshet Tesfaye also dressed up in brilliant outfits for the big night, Betty in a striking black dress and Dr Tesfaye in a sharp pink jacket and crisp white shirt.
Sheba, meanwhile, sported a remarkable red pinkish dress that seems to shimmer and sparkle.
“The crowd is getting a bit more fuller, more people are coming. It’s looking good,” Vanessa said an hour before the 9pm show.
“Loving life at the moment. We’ve got the best spot.
“Everyone is just so chilled out and relaxed.”
Spots filling up fast
Some of Sydney’s most iconic vantage spots for the notorious New Year’s Eve firework display are already full, after crowds began gathering in the early hours of the morning.
A massive number of people are expected to flood the Harbour City on Sunday, not seen since pre-pandemic days, with viewing areas at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Domain and the Opera House full by 11.20am.
The City of Sydney council is providing updates on its website to eager revellers, with the most sought out spots already at full capacity with 1 million people expect to gather in the city to catch the display.
The large numbers have prompted NSW Transport to implement additional train and bus services in and around the city, with 1000 trains expected to pass through the area into the night.
Thousands of people gathered in the city as early as 5am around the city in the hopes of getting a front-row-seat.
One group of men lined up for three days at the Domain, as the line began moving just before 8am to allow people into the Royal Botanic Gardens.
@lewis.burn Only 16 hours to go until new years…. #travel #traveltok #traveltiktok #sydney #nye #newyear #australia #backpacking #travellife ♬ Real Love Baby - Father John Misty
People have also been lining up since midnight at the Opera House, with footage showing the crowds running towards the fence at the harbour for a good view.
Meanwhile, others set up tents on Cockatoo Island and camped overnight.
Those who have been queuing overnight have had to deal with damp and cool conditions with the weather not expected to clear until later into Sunday.
For those who weren’t willing to get out overnight or line up all morning there are still plenty of places to get a good view of the fireworks with the City of Sydney listing the 49 vantage points for the display.
Eleven of those are sold out after they went through a ballot system to control numbers and rolling updates can be found on the other 38 areas via the Sydney Council website.
A change has also been made this year, with harbour venues being free to enter after the NSW government scrapped the ticketing system that had been in place.
As for the weather, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting showers but it is only expected to be light and there isn’t any real heavy showers forecast to put a damper on things.
For the midnight fireworks display, the temperature is expected to be 21℃ with some cloud cover and maybe a shower, but certainly nothing that is expected to quell the enthusiasm of the crowds.
@yourmomsfaveasko I would rather not see the fireworks tbh #sydney #newyears #sydneynewyearseve #sydneyfireworks ♬ origineel geluid - Tik Toker
TRANSPORT CHANGES
More than 400,000 people are expected to use public transport and more than a million people are expected to gather for the display.
Due to the large number of people expected to use public transport thousands of extra services will be running across the city.
TRAINS
Extra trains will run all day and into the New Year, with some stations having altered arrangements to help manage large crowd numbers.
More than 1000 trains are expected to pass through the city.
Trains will not drop passengers off at Circular Quay station between 3pm and midnight, it will be pick up only, passengers are urged to depart at Wynyard, St James and Martin Place stations and continue on foot.
From 6pm to midnight trains running from the city will not stop at Milsons Point for easy access to viewing areas in the area. Passengers are being advised to get off at North Sydney station.
In another adjustment no trains will be stopping at the Domestic Airport or International Airport stations between 12.30am and 4.30am.
Metro services will run every ten minutes from Sund ay morning until 4pm when they will start running every five minutes until 3am.
BUSES
Buses will be affected by road closures meaning altered routes and stops throughout the day and night.
City buses will relocate from Circular Quay to Martin Place from 2pm, with all buses using temporary terminals at Hyde Park, Wynyard, QVB and Town Hall between 5pm and 7pm.
North Sydney buses will also be diverted to different stations from 3pm onwards with no access to Milsons Point and McMahons Point due to road closures.
FERRIES
Ferries are one of the most popular modes of transport for New Year’s Eve so people are encouraged to get there early as queues will be long, capacity for each ferry is expected from mid afternoon.
Changes to the ferry service include no stopping at Woolwich Wharf from 11.30am, McMahons Point wharf from 10am and Milsons Point wharf from 3pm.
There will be limited ferries following the midnight fireworks with services running to Manly and Lower North Shore only.
LIGHT RAIL
Light rail services will also be impacted from 2pm L2 and L3 will not run between Circular Quay and Town Hall and from 7pm they will start and end at Central.
From 8pm to 2.30am L1 services will not run between Convention and Central due to large crowd numbers and road closures.
TAXIS
There will be a number of secured taxi ranks for the evening as well with security guards on patrol, they are:
33 Bayswater Road – 9pm to 4am
Oxford St, between Pelican and Riley St – 9pm to 4am
Darling Harbour, northern end of Lime St – 9pm to 11pm, 1.30am to 4am, limited operation
Susses St – between King and Market St – 9pm to 11pm, 1.30am to 4am, limited operation
City Centre, 43-47 Goulburn St – 9pm to 4am
Zollner Circuit – 9pm to 4am
Pyrmont Bridge Rd, 9pm to 4am
Liverpool St at Hyde Park, 9pm to 4am
There will be up to 1000 accredited personnel behind the scenes and 250 volunteers making sure everything runs smoothly, Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore said a lot of preparation had gone into the evening.
“Our New Year’s Eve team and pyrotechnic experts have been working on tonight’s event for the past 15 months, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever,” he said.
“We’re expecting a million people around the foreshore tonight, so if you’re coming into the city, early via public transport, pack food and water, and wear good walking shoes.
“If you’re staying at home, tune in to our fantastic broadcasts on ABC TV and KIIS FM.
“Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, there’s no doubt that Sydney will be at its best tonight as we count down to the dawning of a new year.”
A large police presence is expected in the city among the revellers, NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley thanking them for their efforts.
“I want to say thank you to every officer who is spending their New Year’s Eve keeping the public safe,” she said.
“We want everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves but to do so safely and responsibly.
“Our police are incredibly dedicated and hardworking. This operation goes to show how much effort they put in to keep the community of NSW safe.”
More than 8.5 tonnes of fireworks are planned for the displays at 9pm and 12pm, with a 60 man crew and over 11km of cable needed for the event.
There are several planned major road closures due to the fireworks with some CBD roads closing Sunday morning, roads in Circular Quay and The Rocks set to close at 2pm and roads in Pyrmont closing at 7pm.
Milsons Point and Kirribilli roads in North Sydney will start closing at around 5pm, Sydney Harbour Bridge being completely closed in both directions from 11pm, with the city bound lanes of the Anzac Bridge closing between 8.30pm and 9.30pm followed by a second closure from 11pm to 1.30am.
The majority of roads in North Sydney and Milson Point are expected to reopen at 3am with the CBD closures expected to end an hour later at 4am.
Roads north of Bridge Street in Circular Quay and The Rocks as well as roads in Millers Point and Barangaroo closed shortly after midday.
