Sydney gets the party, it was promised
As the city of Sydney welcomed in the New Year, it did so in spectacular fashion, with a blaze of colourful fireworks, pylon projections, and an emotional moving display of Calling Country.
During the breathtaking display that took place at midnight, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was transformed into a gigantic rainbow, and colours such as aquamarine, lemon, and magenta erupted across the sky.
More than eight tons of fireworks, including one hundred thousand individual pyrotechnic effects, were let off from a total of six water platforms, four city rooftops, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Sydney Opera House.
The festivities for the evening began with a smoking ceremony on the harbour, which was then followed by the 9 p.m. Calling Country display, which was curated by First Nations artists Carmen Glynn-Braun and Dennis Golding from the Re-Right Collective in partnership with Gadigal artist Nadeena Dixon, Rowan Savage, and Foti International Fireworks.
As preparations continued for Sydney to play host to WorldPride 2023 in February, a spectacular rainbow of colours was unleashed into the night sky at the stroke of midnight.
7,000 fireworks were fired from 184 different positions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while 2,000 fireworks were launched from the sails of the Sydney Opera House. All of this was synchronized to a bespoke soundtrack composed by Stace Cadet and featuring KLP.
The original track, which was released at midnight and was titled "Follow the Lights (NYE 2022)," featured vocal performances by both Stace Cadet and KLP. The producer, DJ, and vocalist were nominated for an ARIA Award in the category of “Best Vocalist.”
A spectacular pylon projection and lighting display in the colours of Progress Pride took place three minutes before the start of the giant rainbow at 11 o'clock at night.
The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, stated that the city had once again demonstrated why it is the best place in the world to celebrate New Year's Eve.
Not only did last night's unforgettable show ring in the New Year, but it also sent a message to the rest of the world that Sydney is back and better than ever!
"As a way to celebrate the New Year, we have conveyed the importance of diversity and inclusiveness, and I have high hopes that this message will be heard all over the world as 2023 gets underway.” Morre said.
Morre said Sydney has once again solidified its reputation as the New Year's capital of the world, and we hope that those watching from across the globe will begin planning to visit here soon.
"I'm proud that we kicked off the year by focusing on the stories of First Nations people and providing a spectacular welcome to those travelling to Australia for WorldPride,” Morre said
"This jaw-dropping start to the new year is only possible Thanks to the many thousands of hours of hard work that has been put in by our team from the City of Sydney, our partners from the NSW Government, the Foti fireworks family, and the many creatives and professionals who help deliver the event." I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to them. We promised that this year's fireworks display would be our best one yet, and I have no doubt that it lived up to our expectations,” Morre added.
"I hope that the celebration brought you some happiness and an opportunity to look forwards with optimism to the coming year. On behalf of the City of Sydney, I want to wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023!” Morre disclosed.
To guarantee perfect timing and synchronization with the musical soundtracks, the fireworks for both displays were digitally launched by 16 computers that were connected to one another via more than 35 kilometers of wire and cables.
It took more than 4,000 crew hours and 18 shipping containers full of equipment to design, produce, and launch the two displays, which transformed Sydney's night sky into the world's largest stage. The displays could do this by turning the city's skyline into a stage.