New Year’s Eve in Sydney: is there anything more iconic than seeing the harbour explode in a sensory spectacular of light, colour and sound? Our harbour fireworks display is watched by more than a million people each year. Just being there in the thick of it can be a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage for some … and an ordeal for others. This list has something for all types of revellers. As always, the fireworks go off at 9pm and midnight, and depending on your mode – party, family or gastronomic – plenty of these activities cater to both displays (or neither of them).
NYE in the Park
This year’s edition of NYE in the Park sees hip-hop headliners Hermitude joined by Girl Talk, Client Liaison, Sneaky Sound System and more, to help you end the year on a high. And a last-minute announcement: The Jungle Giants, who will hit the main stage at 8.20pm. The midnight countdown will be huge, with US mashup DJ Girl Talk ringing in the new year. In addition to the music, you can snack on street eats, grab a drink from one of the festival’s many pop-up bars and watch the epic fireworks display, away from the busy city, in the heart of Camperdown. There are loads of public transport options to get you in and out. Remaining tickets range in price from $129 to $169.
NYE Cockatoo Island
This Unesco World Heritage site is the only harbour island letting you stay overnight. Make the most of it – eat and drink, take a tour of the island, then finish the year with live music and DJs into the night. Deluxe (tent, bedding and seating) and BYO camping options are both still available, but the prime real estate is running out fast. Book now to avoid disappointment. Remaining tickets range in price from $400 to $985.
We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.
SIGN UPNYE at Mary’s Underground
The Mary’s crew is offering the antidote to all your virtuous new year resolutions (or a decadent last hurrah). The $300 Party Package gets you a post-fireworks feast from 9pm, including dishes such as spanner-crab tortillas, dry-aged duck breast and a flaming bombe alaska for dessert. You can add matching wines for $90 and kick on to the Mary’s New Year’s Eve after-party for free. If you have kids in tow, there’s also a family-friendly version of the feast starting at 5.30pm ($150 for adults; $40 for kids under 12; $80 for kids aged 12 to 17). In keeping with the basement’s history as an iconic space for live music, the house brass band and DJs will be blowing out with you. Tickets here.
New Year Festival at Manly Wharf
Hop on a fast ferry (be sure to check last services) for this two-day festival at Manly Wharf Hotel. Catch the local fireworks show from the jetty bar as British indie-pop royalty Friendly Fires ring in the New Year with a DJ set. Do it all again the next day with Nick Drabble and Stu Turner of Sydney electro duo Set Mo. They’ll spin chilled Balearic beats and ratchet things up as the evening kicks on. There’s free Chandon and Heineken flowing from 3pm until 5pm, plus canapés to sort out the January hangover. It’s $63.63 for a two-day pass or $37.81 for one day. Tickets here.
Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel
If you’d rather stay south of the Harbour Bridge, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel is throwing its annual New Year’s Eve party with a line-up of local DJs and one of the best views of the harbour. VIP packages are available from $249, but a standard ticket gets you free booze from 5pm to 6pm and front row to a DJ set by Sydney’s own KLP for just $129. Final-release tickets here.
Bar Patrón
How about a Mexican fiesta in prime position at Circular Quay? Bar Patrón is offering a special New Year’s Eve set menu with six or eight courses to choose from, including Black Angus short-rib tacos, fish tostadas and tetelas (corn tortillas filled with saltbush and Oaxacan cheese). There are two sittings. The first ($150) ends at 9.30pm, the second ($250) runs from 9.30pm onwards. Cool down with a complimentary hibiscus granita on arrival. And there’ll be DJ tunes from 8pm. Book here.
Sunset Supper at Aria
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Matt Moran’s iconic restaurant with a fancy early supper before you head off into the evening fray. Choose three courses ($300 for adults, $150 for kids) from a festive à la carte menu by executive chef Joel Bickford. There are two sittings – one at 5pm and another at 5.30pm. Book here.
NYE at Taronga Zoo
If you need a good family–friendly option this New Year’s Eve, Taronga is the foreshore for you. Bring the kids and set up a picnic at the zoo’s incredible vantage point. If you don’t want to lug the food and drinks, everything you’ll need to be fed and watered is available on–site. Tickets, packages and add-ons range in price from $110 to $998, and some include zoo access until 6pm. All ticket sales will support Taronga’s ongoing conservation work. Tickets here.
NYE on Clark Island
New Year’s Eve on a Sydney Harbour island is a party like no other, and this one includes a three-course meal and cocktail on arrival. Clark Island is just 10 minutes by ferry from Circular Quay and offers unobstructed views of the fireworks. Snack on canapés when you alight, then pick a main from the woodfire barbeque. Drinks are provided (no BYO, sadly) and a DJ will push through until midnight. Packages range from $252 to $410 and include water transfers. Tickets here.
NYD at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
Leave it to Sneaky Sound System to help you pick up the pieces on New Year’s Day. The electro-pop duo (who must clean up this time of year) will once again transform the iconic Bondi restaurant into Sydney’s best day club, leading a stacked lineup of DJs including Goddollars, A Club Called Rhonda, Lunar Disco and Mark Brown from midday. An all-inclusive ticket for $450 gets you free-flowing Perrier-Jouët Champagne, house cocktails and canapés such as oysters with lemon-myrtle jelly; Ortiz anchovies with pepper crackers; Icebergs’s famous fish sandwich; and afternoon coolers of chilled melon and native-mint sherbet. Register for pre-sale tickets here.