New Year’s Eve revellers across Australia are preparing to farewell 2023 with multiple cities set to sparkle with fireworks, light shows and illuminations.
Sydney will be one of the first major cities in the world to celebrate the start of the new year and will set the tone with 20 minutes of fireworks in two displays, a smoking ceremony, AI-driven projections onto the harbour bridge, and illuminated boats on the water.
People wanting to celebrate from one of many non-ticketed foreshore vantage points are being urged to use public transport rather than travel by car.
Spectators are encouraged to arrive early to secure their spot.
In Melbourne, a similar New Year’s Eve crowd to 2022 is expected, when a record 475,000 people flooded the city’s CBD.
A midnight fireworks display will showcase more lasers and projections than previous years, lighting up the skyline from 27 rooftops.
The City of Melbourne has designated four “celebration zones” where families can watch the 9:30 p.m. fireworks and measures will be in place to avoid pedestrian “pinch points,” including closing the Elizabeth Street underpass, Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.
“We are expecting a safe and sparkling New Year’s Eve for hundreds of thousands of Melburnians and Victorians who will come into the city to celebrate,” she told reporters on Thursday.
Thousands of police officers will be out in force and conducting an operation to find people carrying weapons on New Year’s Eve.
Across Victoria, public transport will be free from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Western Australia will celebrate the new year with community events, parties and fireworks displays across the state.
Perth city will be treated to two explosive displays, one at 8 p.m. from a barge on the Swan River and a second at 11:59 p.m. when fireworks on top of buildings dotted across the city announce the arrival of 2024.
New Year’s Eve fireworks are also planned in Karratha, Esperance, Albany, and Pemberton, on Rottnest Island and the Cocos Islands, at Rockingham, Mandurah, and a handful of other Perth beach and riverfront suburbs.
Brisbane’s official New Year’s Eve event has not been altered despite heatwave conditions in the days beforehand.
An event at South Bank Parklands will include two fireworks displays along the Brisbane River, one at 8:30 p.m. and one at midnight.
Gold Coast council was on Thursday considering cancelling some events, with a possible risk of fire amid heatwave conditions and emergency services continuing to respond to storm damaged homes.
However, it continued to list fireworks events on its website, including at 8 p.m. at Coomera Sports Park and Broadwater Parklands, 8:30 p.m. at Lake Orr Varsity Promenade, 9 p.m. at Paradise Point Parklands.
Hobart waterfront is expected to be packed as spectators celebrate 25 years since the city’s first New Year’s Eve river fireworks.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the $127,000 event would include two nine-minute shows from multiple barges on the Derwent.
In Adelaide, revellers can enjoy 9 p.m. and midnight fireworks coupled with live music at a Riverbank event.
