New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1999 (Millennium Celebrations)

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and each year, I post an entry on how Sydney welcomed the new year 25 years beforehand.

The year of focus is 1999.

This New Year's Eve was widely accepted as the last of the second millennium, though it will always be disputed as there was no year "zero". The millennium ended at 11:59 pm on December 21 2000, as it would mark exactly two thousand years.

Cities, towns and villages around the world all wanted to present the biggest celebration that they could do for their citizens to mark the new millennium. 

By the end of the 1990s, Sydney had built up a reputation for its New Year's Eve fireworks shows, whether at 9pm or to welcome in 1999, at midnight and was attracting global coverage. 

The changeover from 1999 to 2000 was also significant for Sydney because 2000 marked the year it would host the Olympic Games that year and the world would converge on the city for two weeks of sporting competition. 

It meant that Sydney had to welcome the new year in Olympic style. It had to be the biggest and the best.

How did it happen?

Program

• From 8:30 pm to 11:20 pm - Floating Sea Creature Parade on Sydney Harbour - This comprised a loop around Sydney Harbour. From any vantage point, the parade lasted 25 minutes from the passing of the first sea creature. 
• 9 pm - Family Fireworks
• 12 pm - Midnight Fireworks

Below is the soundtrack and how the midnight display would work.

Sourced from: Anon. 1999. "NYE Last-minute guide". The Daily Telegraph, December 31: 40.

Launch positions

Sourced from: Anon. 1999. "NYE Last-minute guide". The Daily Telegraph, December 31: 40.

• Four barges were located in Sydney Harbour - Off Cockatoo Island, Goat Island, Fort Denison and Bradleys Head. 
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Sydney Opera House (It was meant to be a "one-off" but became permanent in 2013)
• Sydney Tower
• Skyscrapers in the Sydney and North Sydney CBDs including Chifley Tower, Goldfields House and Grosvenor Place. 

There will be eight barges for 2024. Apart from the four locations in 1999, there will be a second barge off Goat Island (one on its eastern side and one on the other side of the island, one just west of the harbour bridge, one to the north of the Opera House and one located off Garden Island. 

Bridge Effects

Sourced from The Sun Herald, January 2, 2000

Two lighting effects were featured during the display:

• Smiley Face (As featured in the 1997 New Year's Eve Fireworks Display) - It is the only bridge effect to be used more than once.
• Arthur Stace's etching of Eternity - This appeared at the end of the show and was in tribute to the late Arthur Stace, a Christian man who etched Eternity fifty times a day from the 1930s until he died in 1967. Bells were rung from St Marys Cathedral and St Andrews Cathedral as it was switched on. 

A recreation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Eternity was featured in the 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony held at Stadium Australia, Sydney Olympic Park on September 15, 2000, as part of a pyrotechnics display in the Eternity segment. The segment was about paying tribute to those who have been involved in building infrastructure across Australia over time. 

TV Broadcasters

• Nine Network
• ABC 

This was the first and only time two television free to air networks broadcast the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks. 

The Nine Network had an agreement to broadcast the fireworks with Sydney City Council from 1997-2000 and ended up with the "official" footage and accompanying soundtrack in its broadcast.

The ABC partnered up with TV Broadcasters from 60 nations as part of 2000 Today, which was the world's biggest TV Broadcast to date. ABC provided its own footage of the fireworks and could not play the soundtrack that accompanied them. Footage of Sydney's fireworks would be interspersed between other celebrations that occurred at the same time - Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart, with the soundtrack that of Melbourne's midnight fireworks, which could be played on any broadcast (Channel Nine also did the Melbourne fireworks soundtrack for when they aired the Midnight fireworks immediately following Sydney's Fireworks). 

Interestingly, the BBC (UK) Broadcast of 2000 Today accommodated footage from both the Nine Network and the ABC. Click here to view the coverage presented by Michael Parkinson and Rolf Harris. 

The Nine Network tried to prevent the ABC from broadcasting the fireworks by claiming "exclusive rights" in the Federal Court, but was unsuccessful. 

In 2024, ABC will broadcast the fireworks. 

Transport

For the Millennium celebrations, train services operated on a 24-hour timetable to give revellers plenty of time to travel to and from the city.

However, due to concerns about the Y2K bug, all underground stations were closed between 11:45 pm and 1:45 am to ensure that passengers were safe in case. Those leaving the city immediately after the midnight fireworks had to walk either to Central or Milsons Point to take trains home. 

A three-day rail ticket was offered for $10 to cover rail travel between December 31 and January 2. Sydney Buses provided their $10 Millennium tickets, which covered 36 hours from 12:00 am on New Year's Eve until 12 pm the following day.

 

Source: New South Wales Department of Transport. 1999. "24 hour trains on New Year's Eve" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, December 26:10.  

Below is a map of Sydney CBD closures and bus terminals.

The Sunday Telegraph and The Sun Herald (January 2, 2000) reported that public transport services ran smoothly, with 250 000 travelling by rail, 150 000 by bus and 33 000 on Ferries. 

Facts of interest

• The festivities cost an estimated $5 million. This year, the fireworks are estimated to cost $6.3 million.
• An estimated 200,000 individual fireworks were launched. 
• The midnight fireworks lasted approximately 25 minutes, the longest show to date.
• As many as 1.5 million attended the fireworks.
• An estimated 6000 spectator craft were on Sydney Harbour (About 7000 spectator craft were reported to have been on Sydney Harbour for the Bicentenary celebrations in 1988). The Sydney Morning Herald (January 1, 2000) estimated that 100,000 people watched the fireworks from a boat in Sydney Harbour.  

Coverage

There was extensive coverage in newspapers, given the historical significance of the celebrations. The front page of The Daily Telegraph featured at the top of the post published a special wrap round as part of a 16-page special. 

The Sydney Morning Herald 

They also published a dawn edition several hours after their regular metropolitan edition to focus on the first sunrise over Sydney of the new millennium. It was an overcast morning.

   

The Weekend Australian

The Sun Herald (January 2, 2000)

A complete broadcast of the midnight fireworks from Channel Nine was uploaded to Youtube by TheSydneyFireworks if you wish to view the entire show.

2000 Today (ABC) - Uploaded by scana1979 to Youtube.

There was extensive coverage internationally by the press including TV Networks. I have posted a direct link to the BBC coverage above under TV Broadcasters.

ABC America

Uploaded by Mason R to Youtube

CNN & CNN International 

Uploaded by Hutchinson Video Archive to Youtube.  Sydney Fireworks coverage begins at 28:36 in the video.

That is how Sydney welcomed 2000 and the new millennium in a nutshell. I wish you all a very happy new year. Remember This? returns for its summer series from next week. 

New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1998

Today is January 1 and Happy New Year to all our readers.

This post was published as the midnight fireworks went off on Sydney Harbour and makes perfect timing to post how Sydney marked the start of the New Year 25 years ago. 

1998 is our year in focus.

December 31 1998, was the second last New Year's Eve of the century (and millennium). Sydney had big plans for December 31 1999, and wanted to do a "rehearsal" of what would happen on that night

Organisers wanted to make the midnight fireworks the pinnacle event of the night, so on December 31 1998, they decided to do what is now regarded as the first major midnight fireworks spectacular, which would involve the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

In past years, there had been midnight fireworks on Sydney Harbour but they were either low-key or not on the scale that was planned. 

The 9pm fireworks show still remained as the main show but was shortened to twenty minutes, while the midnight show lasted ten minutes.

Kylie Minogue was invited to press the button to launch the 9pm show and was booked in as the surprise guest for the black tie ball that was hosted by Lord Mayor Frank Sartor.

Source: Nicholas, G. 1999. "Kylie plays the opera house at a black-tie millennium rehearsal". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 1: 4. 

For some watching on the North Shore, smoke from the fireworks hindered the view, leaving them disappointed. 

Source: Anon. 1999. "Boos as old year goes up in smoke". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 1: 1.

 

Source: Hilferty, T. 1999. "Smoke hazard: But fireworks lit up most of the 1.1 million fans". The Daily Telegraph, January 2: 4. 

Below is coverage from Pages 4 and 5 of The Daily Telegraph from January 1999. It includes a well-written appraisal of festivities by Ray Chesterton. 

The Sydney Morning Herald, in its coverage (January 1, 1999), looked at both the positive and negative.

 

Source: Dent, J. 1999. "Harbour fireworks light up the night". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 1: 4.

Facts of Interest

• Festivities cost an estimated $2 million.
• Channel Nine was the official TV broadcaster with 2UE providing a simulcast of the playlist for those listening on the radio.
• The main fireworks launching points were from The Sydney Harbour Bridge, and barges placed east of Cockatoo Island and east of Mrs Macquaries Point, compared to six barges and four pontoons for 2023. 
• An estimated 20 000 fireworks were released. For 2023, 75 000 fireworks are estimated to be released, nearly four times the number.
• Fireworks were released from the following city buildings. In 2023, Crown Sydney and Salesforce Tower are among five city towers to have fireworks released. 
• Attendance was estimated at 1.1 million.

Sourced from Page 17 of The Daily Telegraph, December 31 1998.

Transport Arrangements

Below are public transport arrangements for New Year's Eve. Like in 2023, major summer trackwork was suspended for the day to enable revellers to travel to and from the city. 

Source: Sydney Ferries, Sydney Buses & CityRail. 1998, "Don't get stuck when New Year's Eve turns into New Year's Day" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, December 30: 11.

Source: Sydney Ferries, Sydney Buses & CityRail. 1998, "How we'll get you there on New Year's Eve" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, December 31: page unknown. 

New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1997

Above: Promotional poster featured in The Sunday Telegraph on 28 December 1997.

Saturday is New Year's Eve in Sydney, and it will feel well and truly back to normal this year. Last year would rank among the quieter New Year's Eves because of the spread of the Omicron Variant of COVID-19, which meant that many decided not to risk infection by staying home. On 31 December 2021, 22 577 people across NSW tested positive for COVID-19. A reported 30 000 gathered to watch the fireworks, but the figure would likely be higher given that those with views of Sydney Harbour would have been able to watch from their home.

The previous year (2020) saw access heavily restricted under the Zero Covid policy that NSW and the Commonwealth applied at the time. Key vantage points were closed to the public to avoid mass gatherings as the Northern Beaches experienced an outbreak. Those in the Northern Beaches were subjected to stay-at-home orders. 

It will be a quarter of a century before we explore 2020 and 2021, but let's wind back the clock a quarter of a century to 1997.

The story so far...

Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations had their origins in 1989. Back then, it was a thirty-minute fireworks show held at 9pm, which continued each year. Midnight fireworks commenced at midnight on 1 January 1994, though confined to Sydney Tower and Darling Harbour. 

The midnight display was first screened on television on the Nine Network to usher in 1997 at midnight on 1 January 1997, while the 9pm show was first broadcast on 31 December 1994, though delayed until midnight. The first live broadcast of the 9pm show was on 31 December 1996.

What was new in 1997?

 

Source: Totaro, P. 1997. "$2m spectacular to welcome 1998". The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 December: 2. 

Sydney City Council's aim was to make the celebrations bigger for each year leading up to 1999, and they did not let people down:

• The introduction of the first bridge effect - a smiley face.
• Extended entertainment program - Children's concert began at 4pm at Hyde Park and a flotilla of boats shooting fireworks every four seconds from 8:30pm.
• A fireworks barge located west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the first time to "double the impact" of the fireworks.
• Fireworks were to be launched from Star City Casino alongside Sydney Tower at midnight.
• While the fireworks were directed by Ric Birch, two companies provided the fireworks - Syd Howard Fireworks International & Foti's.

Above: Vantage points to view the fireworks as published on Page 4 of The Daily Telegraph on 31 December 1997.

Compared with the previous year, a similar number of fireworks were to be released - 20 000 fireworks with five tonnes of explosives.

The projected cost of the festivities was $2 million, up from $1.5 million the previous year.

The Nine Network provided live coverage of the fireworks for a second year, with 2UE providing a simulcast of the soundtrack featured in the show.

Transport Arrangements

Below are the public transport arrangements for New Year's Eve 1997 as advertised in The Sunday Telegraph on 28 December 1997. By now, Sydney was mastering the art of transporting the hordes in and out of the city.

Driving was not recommended, given large sections of the Sydney CBD and The Rocks were closed to vehicular traffic. Despite the fireworks, several lanes of the Sydney Harbour Bridge remained open.

Fireworks Wrap Up

Below is coverage of the festivities from The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald on 1 January 1998.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Daily Telegraph

A final word...

I wish each person a safe and enjoyable new year, regardless of how you want to mark it. 

New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1996

Above: A poster promoting viewing points for the New Year's Eve fireworks as published in The Sunday Telegraph on December 29 1996.

As custom, our final entry for the year will look back at how Sydney marked New Years Eve 25 years ago.

Our year of focus is 1996.

If you have viewed my entries from previous years, you would have noticed the evolution of how Sydney welcomes the new year in the way that it does today. 

It started in 1989 with a thirty minute fireworks show at 9pm which was at the time a corporate event and launch event for the Festival of Sydney. In the years that followed, the show grew bigger and bigger. In 1993, the first midnight show was held featuring fireworks at Sydney Tower and Darling Harbour. The following year (1994) the SkyShow was broadcast for the first time, though it was it screened on delay.

The 1996 fireworks was the largest fireworks show held in Sydney since the Bicentenary in 1988 and would be a teaser to December 31 1999 and the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when the world would be treated to a special fireworks display as part of the festivities. 

Celebrations were "new-look" with Ric Birch producing the event at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. With the Olympic Games in 2000, he claimed that he would need ten times the amount for the 2000 Olympic Games fireworks display given the area that would need to be covered to provide the best experience for crowds gathered on Sydney Harbour. For Birch and Sydney City Council, this was a test event which they could learn from as they prepared for 2000.

Source: Totaro, P. 1996. "Sartor's $1.5m cracker for 1997". The Sydney Morning Herald, November 28: 3. 

Source: Papadopoulos, N. 1996. "Fireworks a dress rehearsal for 2000". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 31: 2.

Channel Seven had the rights to the fireworks for the 1994 and 1995 SkyShows. Channel Nine began a decade long association as the official TV broadcaster in 1996 and for the first time, the 9pm fireworks was broadcast live right across Australia. 

There was also a short broadcast of the midnight fireworks at Sydney Tower from 11:57pm to 12:02am. Below is the broadcast of the midnight display. Channel Nine's coverage was anchored by Catriona Rowntree and Richard Wilkins. The midnight show focused on fireworks launched from 10 points from in a southward direction from North Sydney to Sydney Tower in the 10 seconds leading to midnight where Sydney Tower exploding in fireworks to resemble an Olympic Torch on the stroke of midnight. 

Some time back, it was possible to view the full 9pm show but I believe copyright restrictions led to its removal. However there is an edited version of the live coverage if the short highlights package was not enough.

2UE provided the live simulcast of the soundtrack featured in the show.

As in previous years, the show lasted thirty minutes. However for 1996, there was a prelude to the main event. At 8:50pm, shells were launched at North and South Head.  Two Riverboat ferries with fireworks sailed from opposite ends of Sydney Harbour. One started at the Gladesville Bridge and the other at the heads before meeting at the Sydney Opera House. The fireworks launching points increased to 25, which included buildings in central Sydney and North Sydney. The main fireworks barges were located near the Sydney Opera House. The now present boundaries for the New Years Eve fireworks were now set as people were encouraged to watch the show from vantage points anywhere along Sydney Harbour or the Parramatta River that had a view of the harbour bridge. People could stay local if they desired.

Source: Rogers, J. 1996. "A blazing good time". The Daily Telegraph, December 31:6. 

The theme for 1996 was Masquerade. Those attending New Years Eve celebrations were encouraged to wear a mask in the shape of the Sydney Opera House. The masks were distributed with The Sunday Telegraph on December 29 1996.

The mask was designed by Peter England

Source: Anon. 1996. "Man behind the mask". The Daily Telegraph, December 24: 15.

Syd Howard was appointed as fireworks producer for yet another year which involved the release of 16 000 individual fireworks shells.

Source: Anon. 1996. "Sparks will fly for '97". The Daily Telegraph, December 17: 18.

Transport

Source: Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries & CityRail. 1996. "New Year's Eve Bus, Train & Ferry Services" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, December 27: 28 (Metro Liftout).

Comparing transport arrangements for this year with 1996 is ineffective due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has meant that transport arrangements must reflect public health guidelines and COVID-19 safe practices, especially capacity limits on public transport. There was no pandemic in 1996.

Capacity is determined by the placement of green dots. At the time of writing, all seats on public transport could be utilised but limited scope for standing especially on trains. With limitations on standing, all modes cannot operate at the maximum capacity.

For 1996, a "small army" of drivers and staff were given the challenging job of transporting the hordes.

Trains operated throughout the entire evening to ensure no-one was left stranded.

Source: Phillips, M. 1996. "New year a moving time for the buses". The Daily Telegraph, December 27: 23.

Outside the city

For those who didn't want to travel into the city, Australia's Wonderland provided a whole nights entertainment for just $11.95 after 5pm with entertainment from The Wiggles, John Paul Young and a midnight fireworks show.

Source: Australia's Wonderland. 1996. "Happy New Year From Wonderland" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, December 29: 12. 

Bondi Beach was also another alternative for revellers, though there had been concerns of possible violence.

Fireworks Wrap up

The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald presented glowing reviews of the fireworks which was attended by at least 600 000 people, with 200 000 of those reported at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. Some estimates by police placed the crowds at one million, the most attended fireworks since the Bicentennary in 1988. I remember there was also international coverage of Sydney's celebrations on news bulletins and programs from around the world. The world had taken interest in Sydney's celebrations. 

 

A Final Word...

I would like to wish you all a safe and wonderful new year. During January, look forward to weekly installments of Remember this?.

New Years Eve 25 Years ago: 1995

Source: Anon. 1995. "1995 Sydney Skyshow" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 30:18. 

On Thursday evening, we will mark the end of 2020 and usher in 2021. Due to COVID-19, celebrations have been scaled back and it will be ticketed access only to major viewing sites to allow for social distancing between attendees.

It will be interesting how we will look at this in 25 years from now which is a long way off in the future. Instead of focusing on now or how I may present this years festivities in the future, lets rewind back to 1995 and look at how Sydney welcomed 1996. 

Like 2020, there were challenges and actually threatened the night itself.

Staging an event costs money. The major sponsors from the previous years had pulled out, threatening the show. There was only one show at 9pm.

Sydney City Council intervened to save the now annual tradition while The Sunday Telegraph sponsored the event.  

The Sunday Telegraph prepared a poster for its readers providing details on viewing locations and transport in its edition of December 31.

The SkyShow maintained the traditional launch points - The Sydney Harbour Bridge and one near the Sydney Opera House. The one near the Opera House was shifted eastwards to a point North East of the Sydney Opera House. This opened up even more areas of Sydney Harbour for viewing. 

Source: Dean, A. 1995. "Bang goes another year". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 30:2. 

Syd Howard continued to coordinate the show and managed to keep costs down. It cost only $175 000 compared with $220 000 the year before. Media reports estimated attendance on Sydney Harbour at 500 000 as in previous years.

For those unable to attend (or those who attended but wanted to see it again), Channel Seven broadcast the show on delay at midnight across the nation. The video is below but no sound is featured. Anne Fulwood presented the show from Cremorne Point. Channel Nine would pick up the baton one year later and turn it into a live TV event. 

Darling Harbour provided a very good alternative. In addition to a 9pm fireworks show, there was also a midnight fireworks show with fireworks released from Cockle Bay and Sydney Tower  Entertainment was also provided in Tumbalong Park. Sydney City Mission also encouraged partygoers to support its "Mission 96" fundraiser.

Source: Sydney City Mission. 1995. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, December 31:94.

CityRail combined with the State Transit Authority for the first time to produce a combined newspaper advertisement for public transport arrangements. Many bus routes operating to the city were subject to diversions to accommodate for traffic congestion and road closures. Sydney Harbour Bridge remained opened to vehicular traffic during the fireworks but pedestrians were banned. 

Source: CityRail & State Transit Authority. 1995. "New Year's Eve Bus, Train & Ferry Services". The Sun Herald, December 31: 8. 

New Years' Celebrations have become page one news, but our newspapers on January 1 1996 did not feature the celebrations on the cover.

The Daily Telegraph Mirror ran coverage on Page 3. For the paper itself, it was its final day under The Daily Telegraph Mirror before reverting to The Daily Telegraph. 

 

Police patrols were stepped up at Bondi Beach following a riot on Christmas Day (for more details, read my Christmas entry from last week) but it had been reported of clashes with revellers and police. It was estimated that as many as 100 000 could have converged in the area for the evening.

The Sydney Morning Herald published a photo of the fireworks released from the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Page 2, but focused more on Hogmanay celebrations amongst Sydney's Scottish community and sales of French Champagne.

Finally, I wish all of you a very safe and happy new year. 

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New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1992

On Sunday night, Sydneysiders will gather by the millions to celebrate the start of 2018. We have been promised a big night of celebrations.

Twenty-five years ago, we were promised what was at the time a big night of celebrations.

The annual skyshow was now in its 4th year and was now evolving into a separate event in its own right, even though this was the launch for the 1993 Festival of Sydney.

Unlike today, the main show was at 9pm with no midnight display. It ran for thirty minutes compared to twelve minutes in more recent times. 

Below is the liftout that was published The Daily Telegraph Mirror on December 29, 1992, providing all the details you needed about the show.

Fireworks were to be launched from three barges and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Note that there were no barges to the west of the Harbour Bridge. For 2017, two of the barges are in similar locations to 1992. The one off Bennelong Point has since been moved further east; nearer to Clark Island.

Syd Howard had the job of bringing the show together. In a first for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, fireworks would be launched from the pylons.

Those attending were told to take public transport. Lots of extra services would operate through the night.

Crowds were estimated at 500 000 for the 30 minute display. The display was not televised but the music was simulcast on 2DAY FM. People were encouraged to bring along their radio to tune into the soundtrack created.

Thousands watched the display in their cars while stuck in snarls on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Cahill Expressway. Congestion on city streets, was to become a problem for part of the decade until organisers closed off the Harbour Bridge and the Cahill Expressway.

At least for a while, one could enjoy the fireworks on the Sydney Harbour Bridge itself.

Below is coverage from the January 1, 1993 edition of The Daily Telegraph Mirror. I will include a short summary of some of the details.

• 500 000 watched the skyshow.
• 200 000 gathered at Darling Harbour.
• The fireworks cost $250 000 compared with $7 million to welcome 2017. 
• Boating traffic on the harbour was "the busiest in years". I think it would have been nothing compared to the Bicentenary just five years before!!!
• People staked their place at vantage points from 4pm. No rush needed!!! If you want a prime spot on Sunday night, camping out from Friday might be a good idea. 
• 2000 attended the Bachelors and Spinsters Ball at the Bondi Pavilion. 

Finally, I wish you all a very happy new year. Tune in each Monday during January when I bring back the Remember This series, which was quite popular last summer.