North Sydney Council to debate ticketed access to three New Year's Eve observation spots

News.com.au

3 days ago

Revellers taking in Sydney's legendary New Year's Eve fireworks show could soon have to shell out $50 to access a prime viewing spot in a major shake-up to how tourists and locals experience the beloved event.
North Sydney councillors will decide next week whether to implement 'ticketed access' to Blues Point, a popular vantage point that fronts Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.
The council area boasts three renowned vantage points for the show, namely Bradfield Park, Lavender Bay and Blues Point, with thousands of punters descending on the spots on December 31 to take in the party.
But a new report, which will be debated at the council's Monday night meeting, recommends councillors establish an introductory $50 ticket price for Blues Point to recoup costs associated with New Year's Eve.
'The current budget for NYE is $1,086,000,' the report states.
'To introduce ticketing at Blues Point only, additional costs of approximately $95,000 would be incurred including contract staff, equipment, and additional communications support. This would result in a total cost of $1,181,000.
'If 8000 tickets were sold to access Blues Point at $50 per ticket, this would generate $400,000 in revenue, reducing council's net expenditure to manage NYE crowds to circa $781,000.'
At the moment, access to all three sites is free.
Council costs for the event include providing toilets and bins and crowd and traffic management.
Bradfield Park sits just below the northern end of the Harbour Bridge, close to Kirribilli House, while Lavender Bay sits between the park and Blues Point.
The report acknowledges introducing tickets could cause some consternation in the community.
'Ticketing for an event which has been free of charge could see large numbers of non-ticket holders arriving at the sites, potentially manifesting in unsettled behaviour near entry gates, dissatisfaction voiced to staff on the ground or complaints to council's customer service centre,' the report states.
'This can be managed by regular, targeted communications in the lead-up to the event, along with well-planned operations and thorough briefing of staff prior to the event.'
The countdown and fireworks is a hugely popular draw for both Sydneysiders and tourists from across the world.
British tourist Ben Scammell, speaking after the 2023-24 show, told NewsWire that he was overawed and did not have words for the spectacle he witnessed.
'That was just … I don't have words for it,' he told said.
'It made the whole coming to Australia so much worth it … it was the pinnacle.
'That moment will last my whole lifetime.'
The first batch of fireworks to mark the start of a new year explodes over Sydney Harbour at 9pm, with a second batch at midnight.
Hundreds of thousands of people cram into the CBD and North Sydney to witness the show.
The report to North Sydney Council outlines three options for the 2025-26 event.
Option 1 involves ticketing across all three spots to achieve 'full cost recovery'.
Option 2 involves 'partial cost recovery', with ticketing limited to Blues Point, and Option 3 involves continuing with 'free managed access'.
The report recommends the councillors trial option 2.
'Subject to community consultation and feedback following NYE 2025-26, council could then decide whether to change the ticket price for future NYE managed access, expand or maintain the number of ticketed locations or return to free-access options for all managed sites,' the report states.