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Sydney NYE

Hi everyone, my husband and I are considering our options for nye events in Sydney. As of now our 3 options are
1. Opera bar: I like the location as we can have a relatively short walk back to our hotel afterwards, and the idea of best viewpoint, but are worried about how crowded it will be. We are perfectly fine with busy/ crowds as long as it isn’t shoulder to shoulder and uncomfortable with no viewpoints of fireworks due to crowds.
2. Pier One: not as close of a walk, but still walkable to hotel afterwards. The atmosphere seems like what we’d like, but my biggest concerns are if there is a decent view of fireworks with it being under the bridge and slightly on the opposite side of the bridge, and pier space seems to be smaller based on photos I’ve seen.
3. Taronga zoo adults only event at their event center : I was originally set on making this our choice but I’m starting to second guess after seeing a couple of videos. I like that it’s further from the crowds but that obviously means further from bridge views. Some photos and videos I’ve seen look like they are great views and others look very far off in the distance. My other concern is it is the furthest from our hotel near Hyde park and I worry it will be a nightmare getting back at night.

If anyone has been to any of these events or has any insight based on my concerns I would greatly appreciate any info as tickets are starting to become available in the next couple weeks. Just for insight we are a couple in our 30s, like a good bar, dj,and fun environment but not one for crazy nightclubs. Thank you!

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1072 posts

Former Sydney resident here.

I would avoid Opera Bar as it extremely popular with a younger crowd and will be extremely crowded.

Pier One is not going to give a great view as most of the fireworks are east of the harbour bridge and Pier One is just to the west of it.

Taronga Zoo will be a nightmare to get back to your hotel unless the event also includes ferry transportation back to Circular Quay.

The best viewpoint is Mrs Macquarie's chair area in the Royal Botanic Gardens. It's usually free to enter the area but it does get very full and does get closed off to new people if the capacity is exceeded - so you need to be there by around 4pm. A lot of people will set up their picnics early in the day on New Year's Eve and just eat and drink all day. It's a great atmosphere but you do need to be prepared to sit around for ages while you wait.

Another place that I have been a few times is Observatory Hill park. It is also on the western side of the harbour bridge but is higher up than Pier One so the view is better. I think it has recently become an alcohol free area on NYE so it has more of a family vibe but does get much less crowded.

The absolutely best place to see the fireworks is from the harbour itself and there are quite a few companies that offer NYE cruises. I have seen the fireworks from the harbour on a friend's boat and it's incredible. Extremely loud and you do have to crane your neck as some of the fireworks feel like they're directly overhead.

You can sign up at this website for updates about NYE 2024 - plan your NYE

Wherever you end up I am sure you will have a good time. Everyone is extremely friendly and it's usually a great atmosphere. There will of course be a few drunk people around but they put on extra police and crowd control so it's all very organised and safe.