New Years Eve Sydney

New Years Eve Sydney is a great event, with awesome fireworks from the Harbour Bridge. You can watch the show from many vantage points, dine at a restaurant or cruise around the harbour in style.

Sydney is one of the first cities in the world to step into the new year and the display of fireworks is broadcast by all the big television networks.

So each year, it has to be bigger and better.

Creatives, designers and technology whiz join forces to make the Sydney New Year's eve memorable for all.

But what makes it really terrific is the gorgeous backdrop of the harbour. Large crowds gather around the many spots with a view.

New Years Eve Sydney - Harbour Bridge Fireworks

Have you been struggling to come up with some ideas on how to spend your Sydney New Years Eve?

You can do it on the cheap or in style.

The obvious low cost idea is to watch the Harbour Bridge fireworks from one of the many vantage points around the harbour.

Photo courtesy of Neerav Bhatt

After all, they set the tone for all the other fireworks in the largest cities on our planet. Billions of people, still rushing to dress up or to make their late preparations for the night, can catch a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge extravaganza on their TV sets.

And they are positively the best fireworks in the world. Just my humble thoughts.

Every year they are more and more spectacular. It is hard work to be among the first in the world to put up a New Year show.

So what better option than being in Sydney, starting the countdown with the crowds and watching the pyrotechnics go live?

New Years Eve Sydney - Here's how You Could Spend the Day

Wake up early, grab a rug and food supplies and find a good viewing spot around the water. Bennelong Point, right next to the Opera and the Bridge is the best place to see it all, but there are many other vantage locations. If you are with a bigger group, you'll find lots of things to do besides watching others partying on paddle boats or cruising yachts.

The New Year's Eve program starts with aerial fly-over shows with vintage planes, followed by an indigenous smoking ceremony and then, at 9 pm, the family fireworks, fired from barges and roof tops.

Tall ships, Sydney Ferries, heritage fleet, all decorated, bright and glowing parade the harbour. They are sparkling with light on the outside and keeping the dancers busy to the music rhythm inside. You can party there too.

And then, to top it all - the midnight huge show of fireworks. Sydney Harbour Bridge is the centrepiece.

But spending a whole day camped on the harbour to have the best possible view can be tough.

Especially if it is a hot day.

Which it usually is. After all it is high summer.

New Years Eve Sydney - Here's how You Could Spend the Night

So an even better option is heading to a restaurant or club. It is not cheap - all prices go up for the New Year. Some offer good deals, others are quite expensive. Though the expensive ones provide the experience too. Think evening dress, scrumptious food, good music.

But the New Years Eve Sydney experience doesn't always come with a hefty price tag. It can come with the setting, vibes and character.

That's what the Vivaz restaurant has.

We tried it last year.

Set in an old warehouse in The Rocks, with a bar in the centre, a dance floor next to it and windows overlooking the Opera and Bridge it has the right character and setting.

And the vibes come with the Latino bands and the multitude of dancers who know what they are doing on the floor.

For a reasonable price you get an all you can yet buffet of meats and salads, which is not bad. Drinks are not included. Buy your cocktail, wine or champagne to raise your glass to the New Year and then turn to dancing and replace the wine with lots of water.

On the bright side, the restaurant is next to where the action is.

You have a view to both the Opera and the Bridge.

Which is good to capture the fireworks on your camera. Not as good as when you were in the open air, though.

On the downside, the windows are rather narrow, you can't open them and everyone inside is trying to get a spot in front of you.

And the dance floor is a bit small, for all the great dancers out there for the night.

New Years Eve Sydney - Stories

Tourism Australia put together a short film based on stories uploaded by people visiting or dreaming to be in Sydney for the New Year's Eve. Enjoy watching it.

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