Happy New Year! Can you believe the earth has flung another full rotation around our sun and brought us the start of another year, another era and perhaps a new beginning? Time is a mad-made concept to an extent. A convenient shared metric to measure and slice up a day. To organise events, meet others, know when to rest and when to wake.
But, I guess it’s more than that. For whatever reason, the earth endlessly spins, rolling us through perpetual nights and days whose length bloat and retract depending on the season. Yet, I guess the completion of an elliptical orbit of our star is significant and marks the beginning of another cycle.
It’s an interesting time where we tend to reflect on where we are now versus where we thought we’d be as well as where we’d like to be
There’s a lot of pressure on New Year’s Eve to have a “great night”. The one night of the year to let loose and see in the new year with friends, family, drinks and explosive pyrotechnics. Such expectation can, of course, cause disappointment and every year is different and in the ever-changing, divergent cycles of life, some years are always going to be better than others.
This year was a good one for us. We planned last year that we would see the famous Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks on Sydney Harbour. I grew up in Sydney and the New Year’s fireworks were always tradition as family and friends packed our balcony in Balmain to watch the Harbour Bridge erupt in colour and light. However, my wife Jen had never seen them in person, so this year we did it.
It was a long, hot, wet, cold, hot (again), day but it was entirely worth it and something I’d happily do again. Below are the details and gallery from our experience in the hope it might help people to decide and plan (better than we did)!
The details
We left our home on Sydney’s Northern beaches at 8.30am and travelled to Wynyard in the city by bus. The original plan was to go to Macquarie’s Point
So, we headed for the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. This, in my opinion, is the best vantage point… Let’s look at why.
What’s good about the Opera House Forecourt for NYE
- You’re right under the Opera House sails with the perfect view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and fireworks on the harbour that appear above the Opera House.
- It’s completely flat so, you’ll always have a good view whether you get there at 7 am and sit right on the rails at the edge of the water, or get there later and end up more towards the back. Either way, you’re close and right there.
- As always, it reached ‘capacity’ however there was PLENTY of space. I didn’t once feel crowded in or claustrophobic. They’ve improved the management of public spaces over recent years and I think they’ve got the capacity just right. You can also get up and walk around the opera house and get some air. People even started an impromptu, group Latin dance session on the steps.
- You can drink alcohol! (no BYO but available for purchase) –As of 2018/19, you can purchase & drink alcohol here. Most other venues are alcohol-free (kind of defeats the purpose I think!).
- It’s free. You don’t have to buy tickets.
- It’s accessible by ALL forms of Sydney transport; ferry, train and bus. For us, we got the Manly ferry home which is perfect because you obviously don’t have to worry about road closures, traffic or long queues (the ferry fits a LOT of people).
- The ‘Opera Bar’ below the forecourt has a private (expensive), ticketed function. However, once the crowd clears after midnight, you can head to the edge of the forecourt that overlooks the bar and
join the party. Not literally, but you look right down on the dance floor and DJ and many people stood along the (free) forecourt edge and danced the night away as if it was a podium. - The crowd is friendly and diverse with families, tourists and locals. We didn’t see any problems.
What’s not so good
- Like everywhere, you have to get there early so, it’s a LONG day.
- No shade or cover if it rains.
- Concrete ground.
- Don’t set up on the stairs of the Opera House unless you get a place right on the harbour-side edge as you won’t get a view of the Harbour Bridge or fireworks behind the Opera House. The good thing about this is that the stairs become an open area where you can wander freely while waiting the day out.
When to get there
Gates open at about 7 am. We got there just before 10 am. While all the ‘front row’ spots on the water’s edge were taken, we got a great spot in the main forecourt with a clear view of the bridge and Opera House.
This year they stopped letting people in about midday. We had friends who came to meet us and were denied entry as it reached capacity already.
What’s there
- Food stands. This year they served noodles, hot dogs, tacos and more. The food was decent but ran out early evening. Average price for
a main dish is $14. - Coffee stands (very popular after we all became drenched from the rain!)
- A bar! Thank God. Yes, the drinks are over-priced but they’re cold and they actually had a good selection of international beers like Corona and Heineken as well as a local IPA. They also have red, white a sparking wine. This year a beer will cost us $10.
- Toilets. I was actually surprised but the sheer number of toilets as well as the state of them even towards the end of the night. I didn’t once see a major queue.
- Cold & free drinking water stations to refill bottles.
What to bring
Well, we experienced incredible heat, scorching sun, pouring rain and lightning storms all in one day so my advice is be prepared.
- Camera, spare batteries, SD cards, tripod (if you want good video/photos of the fireworks).
- Esky/cooler with ice (don’t try and buy ice in the CBD, it will all be sold out).
- A water bottle to refill
- Something to pass the time – iPad with downloaded Netflix, cards, games… I even saw one guy bring a model plane and spend the afternoon building it.
- Snacks, soft drinks (no BYO alcohol & plastic bottles only).
- A large picnic rug with a plastic base (the concrete gets hot). Also the bigger the better to mark your territory and defend your space.
- Power banks (as many as possible). Smartphones seem to die even quicker on NYE.
- Umbrellas – these will protect you from the sun and rain.
- An old-school radio. As in a real FM radio if you want to listen to the fireworks soundtrack. We tried to stream Kiss FM but, like every NYE, the data reception was horrible and it kept cutting out.
- Bluetooth speaker.
- A device with Spotify. Download your playlists locally before you leave home. Don’t rely on cellular data on NYE!
- Sun cream, sunglasses, hats, change of clothes.
What not to bring
- Glass bottles (there are bag searches and screening on arrival).
- Tent-style sun shades (security will force you to take these down).
- Over-sized shade umbrellas (same as above).
Our gallery from a great day and amazing night:
The thunderstorm approaches! 
Our new lovely friends all the way from Wales! 
Wet, but setting up my camera 
Sheltering from the sun. 
Octonauts on iPad 
Getting changed & all dressed up just before it poured with rain. 
