With more fireworks from more firing locations than ever before, two specially created soundtracks, light shows, projections and an unforgettable concert, Sydney has rung in the new year in spectacular fashion.
The evening's festivities began with a traditional smoking ceremony on the harbour, followed by the 9pm Welcome to Country fireworks, created by Indigenous social enterprise We Are Warriors. The display was accompanied by an original song titled Country's Calling led by producer, rapper and ARIA Award winner, Nooky.
At midnight, 7th-generation pyrotechnics master Fortunato Foti and his team staged a breathtaking, 12-minute spectacle. The largest-ever fireworks display was complemented by explosions above, below, and through the Sydney Harbour Bridge, all perfectly timed to a soundtrack award-winning screen composer, Luna Pan.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the event confirmed Sydney's status as the ultimate destination to ring in the New Year.
"We have once again set the benchmark for New Year's Eve celebrations, with an event that was simply out of this world," the Lord Mayor said.
"Sydney New Year's Eve is the result of more than 15 months of meticulous planning and more than 4,500 hours dedicated to design, preparation and execution. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the creatives, event professionals, partners and sponsors who contributed this year.
"Tonight, we launched more fireworks from more locations than ever before, including from new aerial pyrotechnic platforms and new firing positions on the western side of the Harbour Bridge, making this our biggest NYE spectacle ever. We were treated to new and uniquely Australian explosive effects, amazing light and visual displays and unforgettable music.
"Our New Year's Eve celebration is a moment to come together as a community and it helps us promote Sydney and our stunning harbour setting to the world.
"Whether you watched at home or joined us along the foreshore I hope you enjoyed the show, and I wish everyone a very happy new year."
Sydney New Year's Eve in numbers:
• 9 tonnes of fireworks were launched over the two displays, for a combined 20 minutes.
• 23,000 individual pyrotechnic shots, 40,000 shooting ground-based effects and more than 13,000 aerial shells.
• 10 new custom designs, including shells that exploded into emu walking tracks.
• Visible for 7km along Sydney Harbour and waterways.
• 16 firing locations including barges on the Harbour, new drone-carried aerial platforms, CBD buildings and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• Fireworks launched digitally using 16 computers connected by over 80 kilometres of wires and cables, ensuring perfect synchronisation with the accompanying music soundtracks.
• The highest fireworks reached over 450m.
• Fireworks were shot from 264 spots on the Harbour Bridge, more than ever before.
• For the first time, fireworks were launched from a barge and from 80 new firing positions on the western side of the Harbour Bridge, making for the best western view of fireworks ever.
• 20 sky tracker light beams featured on the Harbour Bridge and 26,500 lights gave the harbour a glow up, including 1,200 LED lights on the iconic Luna Park Ferris Wheel.
• More than 6 hours of bespoke visuals were projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons throughout the night.
• Foti International Fireworks dedicated 4,500 hours to designing, staging and launching the displays.
• More than 100 artists, musicians and other creatives worked on the 9pm and midnight shows.
• More than 1,000 accredited personnel and around 250 volunteers worked behind the scenes tonight.
• 10 buildings plus the Sydney Harbour Bridge were lit up pink after 10pm to promote the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
• More than 1,000 boats enjoyed the show from the water.
• Crowds reached an estimated 1 million around the harbour foreshore.
