Sydney's Biggest New Year's Spectacle: Indigenous Rituals, Fireworks, and Beyond Blue Tribute Light Up the Harbour

December 4, 2025
Sydney's Biggest New Year's Spectacle: Indigenous Rituals, Fireworks, and Beyond Blue Tribute Light Up the Harbour
  • During 10:00–11:00pm, the bridge lighting shift to blue continues the Beyond Blue tribute and focuses on wellbeing during the festive season.

  • Drones will assist in launching the fireworks as a more eco-friendly option, though there will be no separate drone-only show this year.

  • The program features first-time live performances by Nooky and Jem Cassar-Daley for the song “Silver Lining,” with a midnight soundtrack by Jono Ma.

  • The evening will open with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, leading into the Calling Country Indigenous ritual and a spectacular eight-minute Aboriginal projection, as well as bespoke music, on the Harbour Bridge for the 9pm show.

  • Special effects for the Harbour Bridge include native-species shapes formed by fireworks and eight minutes of Aboriginal projection on the pylons, accompanied by a custom soundtrack for the proceedings.

  • Beyond Blue is the current charity partner, continuing a tradition of collaboration with foundations such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation, The Smith Family, and the Refugee Council of Australia.

  • The event expects over 1 million attendees across 50 free viewing points, with additional ABC broadcasts and ticketed sites at Goat Island, McMahon’s Point, and Taronga Zoo.

  • Sydney’s Lord Mayor calls the show the city’s biggest yet, highlighting the display as a reflection of Sydney’s creative, diverse, and inclusive identity.

  • A blue-lit Harbour Bridge at 10pm will honor Beyond Blue, with mental health tips provided by volunteers at Pirrama Park.

  • Foti Fireworks, partnering with the City of Sydney for nearly three decades, emphasizes scale and evolving effects to maximize visibility from distant vantage points.

  • Organizers describe 18 months of collaboration among artists, technicians, and staff to produce the largest fireworks footprint to date.

  • Midnight festivities include a 12-minute sequence of fireworks, lighting, and soundtrack, with 9 tonnes of fireworks and AI-driven plant-projection pylons synchronized to a global broadcast.

Summary based on 2 sources


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