Nine tonnes of fireworks will be launched from several Sydney CBD locations,  including the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and The Four Seasons hotel for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. Waterfalls and AI works will feature.

Council of the City of Sydney

Sydney is set to launch its New Year's Eve celebrations with two fireworks waterfalls cascading from the Harbour Bridge for the first time. The midnight display will include fireworks from multiple city locations, native-themed pyrotechnics, and AI-enhanced effects on the bridge pylons.

The festivities will feature performances by Casey Donovan, Melanie C, Matt Corby, and the Cat Empire, and will celebrate 60 years of Play School. The event offers 50 free vantage points, with Beyond Blue as the charity partner, and aims to provide hope and community spirit after a challenging year.

Waterfalls and AI works to feature in New Year's Eve fireworks

Our New Year's fireworks light the fuse for the global party, and this year, for the first time, not one, but two waterfalls will cascade off our famous coat hanger. It's so soft and beautiful and, you know, every year people just go off. We thought, you know, instead of doing one, let's just do two. At midnight, crackers will fly off six city buildings, the Opera House, and 14 aerial and floating platforms. There'll be nine tonnes of fireworks firing 25,000 individual pyrotechnic shops, displaying native plants and animals, and more than 800 pyrotechnic effects. The bridge pylons will literally bloom, as DNA from native Australian plants combines with AI. Queen Bee of our New Year's spectacular Casey Donovan is buzzing. Headlining is global sensation Melanie C, joined by soulful favourite, and one of my favourites, Matt Corby, and festival icons, the Cat Empire. After the 9pm Calling Country fireworks show, New Year's turns into a birthday party, celebrating 60 years of play school. At midnight, an original 12-minute soundtrack. My memory of how New Year's Eve feels, and that's like euphoria, ecstasy, celebration, catharsis. The skies will come alive with cracker cockatoos and koalas, bottle brush and waratahs. It's best to book a spot. Of course, the best seats in the house, like this one right here, are free. There are 50 free vantage points, and the Lord Mayor is hoping most councils keep it that way. People have just gone through a very hard year in terms of cost of living, and I think a great gift for them is to have a free New Year's Eve. This year's charity partner, Beyond Blue, will see the bridge and harbour light up blue. We're also in the business of providing hope, and New Year's Eve is a moment of hope. Ali Donaldson, 10 News.

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