Dramatic lighting displays beaming from Sydney Harbour Bridge in time with eight tonnes of fireworks will be seen by the naked eye further across Sydney this New Year’s Eve than ever before.
3,000 individual lighting effects will be choreographed to the fireworks displays and music soundtrack – 1,000 more effects than last year.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the awe-inspiring event would reinforce Sydney’s position as the New Year’s Eve capital of the world.
“Sydney New Year’s Eve is renowned as one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This celebration will be enjoyed by more than one million people around the Sydney Harbour foreshore and a global audience of more than one billion – and we’re doing it responsibly, using new LED lighting effects that will allow us create a phenomenal show using less power than ever before.”
Sydney New Year’s Eve lighting director, Ziggy Ziegler, credits advances in computer technology and new LED lighting for being able to produce an even more eco-friendly show.
“We’re using a quarter of the amount of power that we used four or five years ago and are still getting more light out of it,” Mr Ziegler said.
With more light beams on top of the bridge this year, the lighting effects will also be seen by more Sydneysiders this year.
“Because they’ll be higher and more concentrated, more people will be able to enjoy the fantastic light show across Sydney than ever before,” Mr Ziegler said.
Sydney-based New Year’s Eve artist, Nadia Hernández, created eye-catching paper-cut designs with a bright colour palette that has inspired new fireworks effects, lighting designs and pylon projections.
“This year the displays have a warm, inviting feel based on Nadia’s bright designs. Her use of pastel colours creates an almost fluorescent effect, which have been great to work with from a lighting perspective,” Mr Ziegler said.
For Fireworks Director Forch Foti, the challenge was to create never-before-seen displays.
“With such a striking colour palette to work with and bigger and bolder lighting effects, we’ve created some great new effects that I’m looking forward to sharing with the people of Sydney and the world,” Mr Foti said.
Not to be outdone, the firework displays this year will also be the biggest Sydney has ever seen.
There will be more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night, setting a new record for the annual event's 9pm and midnight displays, with:
- 8 tonnes of fireworks – 1 tonne more than in 2016
- 13,000 shells – 1,000 more than 2016
- 30,000 shooting comets – 5,000 more than 2016
Mr Jackman approached the City of Sydney to fulfil a life-long dream to design a firework for his hometown’s world-famous New Year’s Eve celebrations, and the City was delighted to accept.
“Having a Hollywood star like Hugh Jackman offer his talents to help showcase Sydney New Year’s Eve to the world is a fantastic coup for Sydney and for Australia,” the Lord Mayor said.
For the first time this year, the midnight fireworks will feature a rainbow waterfall of fireworks cascading from Sydney Harbour Bridge in celebration of Australians saying ‘Yes’ to marriage equality and as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras in 2018.
Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for detailed information on the event.
For more information and images, please contact Belinda Wallis, City of Sydney Senior Media Relations Advisor, on 0467 810 160 or bwallis@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, please contact Julia Lenton on 0410 748 039 or email jlenton@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au