- The Sydney New Year’s Eve website is live again to help visitors and locals prepare for December 31, 2025.
- The useful online tool lists 48 vantage points around Sydney Harbour.
- Sydney has one of the world’s best fireworks displays and careful planning has become essential for anyone hoping to see the epic show.
Few New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world can compete with Sydney on December 31. Our New Year’s Eve fireworks display is magnificent, and it’s still improving each year with more launch points, a wider scope and even more vantage points than ever before.
Two epic NYE fireworks displays make full use of Sydney Harbour’s natural beauty and unique architecture each time we’ve got to shift from one year to the next.
I, for one, can’t wait to see what our gorgeous harbour has in store, and I’m sure I’m not alone in starting my plans as early as possible. Especially since heading down to Sydney Harbour to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks always requires a ninja’s level of precision and planning.
The crowds are thick and enthusiastic, the wait is long (people start showing up as early as sunrise), and the eternal fight to get the best view is endless.
Sydney Travel Guide will help you get all prepared to make your next Sydney New Year’s Eve as memorable as possible. We’ll do this by keeping up updated on all the events, vantage points, tips and tricks you need get across before December 31 rolls around.
But for now, you can head on over to the City of Sydney’s official New Year’s Eve fireworks planning site. It’s just been put live in preparation for the holiday season and clearly maps out what to expect on New Year’s Eve via the following schedule.
What’s the schedule for New Year’s Eve in Sydney?
Nothing has really changed in terms of a schedule for New Year’s Eve in Sydney. You can expect the following:
- 7:30pm – Smoking Ceremony
“A ritual of purification and unity with smouldering native plants on the iconic vessels Tribal Warrior, Mari Nawi and Wirawi. Produced by Tribal Warrior Association.“ - 8:30pm – Pylon projections and lighting effects
“Projections enliven the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night. Lighting effects on the eastern side dazzle the harbour foreshore. Produced by VANDAL and 32 Hundred Lighting.” - 8:45pm – Welcome to Country
“Welcome to Country Elders from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council welcome visitors to Gadigal land.” - 9pm – Calling Country Fireworks
“A celebration of sky, land and sea country, presented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through music, dance and illustration. Produced by We Are Warriors.” - 9:15pm – Sydney Harbour lights
“Boats adorned with lights create a visual spectacle as they glide across the harbour. Produced by Australian Commercial Marine Group. “ - 12am – Midnight Fireworks
“Ring in the new year with the world’s best fireworks show. Featuring pyrotechnics launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and other landmarks. Tune in to the soundtrack on KIIS 1065.”
What are the best vantage points for the NYE Fireworks in Sydney?
There are 48 prime vantage points dotted around Sydney Harbour for great views of the NYE fireworks. Compare this with many other cities around the world, where there are fewer unique locations to experience the show.
Ten of the most popular NYE vantage points in Sydney are:
- Bradfield Park and Mary Booth Reserve, Pyrmont
- Bradley’s Head, Mosman
- Cahill Expressway, Sydney
- East Circular Quay, Sydney
- North Head, Manly
- Royal Botanic Garden, Fleet Steps
- Taronga Zoo, Mosman
- Luna Park Sydney, Pyrmont
- Darling Harbour, Sydney
- Blues Point Reserve, North Sydney
Now, do keep in mind that some of these vantage points now charge an entry fee, while others are open to everyone. Some may require pre-registration, however.
North Sydney’s popular Blues Point Reserve was the centre of heated debate earlier this year as the local council decided to introduce a $50 entry fee to offset costs borne by the long-delayed remodelling of North Sydney Olympic Pool.
A tool to help you plan your NYE
The City of Sydney introduced the new sydneynewyearseve.com website last year to make it easier for both visitors and locals to plan ahead of their New Year’s Eve. This isn’t just a tourism product either; it’s a necessary way to more logically map out Sydney’s sprawling NYE celebrations to address common issues like crowd control and transport logistics.
We encourage you to use the website for any cursory planning ahead of your visit, while Sydney Travel Guide will keep you posted on specific details regarding each of the main vantage points, as well as all the New Year’s Eve parties and events you need to know about.
