The 8 best ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Australia

Sydney is famous for its midnight NYE fireworks display, attracting a whopping one million people to watch the world-renowned spectacle. In 2024, the Harbour City promises one of its biggest celebrations yet, with pyrotechnics launched from both the eastern and western sides of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House for the very first time. The festivities kick off with a 9pm Calling Country fireworks show, featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through music, dance and illustration, followed by the main event fireworks at midnight. If you want to do NYE in Sydney right, it’s essential to plan ahead. This year, the City of Sydney has launched an official NYE website, mapping out prime vantage points, the hottest events and transport tips. The map pinpoints 42 free viewing spots perfect for setting up a picnic, with favourites including Barangaroo Reserve, Blues Point, Bradfield Park and Dawes Point. 

Brisbane Festival sets the bar pretty high with Riverfire, Queensland’s biggest and most beloved fireworks spectacular over the Brisbane River. But the sunny city’s NYE edition is the next best thing. At both 8.30pm and midnight, sparks fly from Brisbane’s biggest bridges, barges and city rooftops, painting the skyline with a kaleidoscopic display of colour and light. You can pack a picnic and watch the fireworks for free from South Bank Parklands, Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Wilson’s Outlook Reserve and the Howard Smith Wharves. Just arrive early for the best spots! 

With Tasmania’s hottest food festival in full swing and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race crews partying it up, Hobart is quite the spot to send off the year in style. You can catch the city’s signature NYE fireworks display over Sullivan’s Cove all along the River Derwent, with the yachts docked by the waterfront adding an extra layer of excitement to the show. Prime viewing spots for both the 9pm and midnight displays include Parliament House Lawns, the summit of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, Kangaroo Bluff Reserve and Princes Park. 

Perth may be one of the last cities in Australia to welcome the New Year, but that doesn’t mean they don’t go out with a bang. For the very first time in 2024, Perth will debut its very own midnight fireworks extravaganza on the Swan River, marking the biggest NYE celebration the city has ever seen. On the night, both Elizabeth Quay and Barrack Square will come alive with amusement rides, a sideshow alley, food vendors, roving entertainment and more. Families with little ones in tow can catch the smaller fireworks display at 8.30pm.

Australia’s “festival city” pulls out all the stops for NYE, with two showstopping free firework displays skyrocketing over the River Torrens at both 9pm and midnight. A talented line-up of musicians and entertainers will keep the good vibes flowing between shows, while local food vendors are ready to whip up your last supper (of the year). Elder Park is the main hub for catching the fireworks, but for a far less crowded vantage point, Mount Lofty offers panoramic views of the entire city and all of its smaller firework displays.

If you're keen to ring in the New Year in Victoria with an actual bang, catching Melbourne's NYE fireworks is the way to go. Rather than paying big bucks to get into one of the city's many rooftop bars, there are lots of spots where you can view them for free. Claim a prime position on the St Kilda Foreshore or the banks of the Yarra River and prepare your oohs and ahhs. There’s a special fireworks display for children at 9.30pm, as well as the main event at midnight. 

Party people know all too well that Surfers Paradise is the ultimate hot spot for a big night out. Once the schoolies crowd has cleared out, the Gold Coast transforms into a playground of unforgettable NYE celebrations sprinkled throughout the city. Slip on your dancing shoes and hit up the Gold Coast’s most glamorous rooftop bars, or roll out your beach towel for free firework displays at Surfers Paradise Foreshore, Coolangatta Beach, Robina Town Centre Promenade, Paradise Point Parklands and Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach. Many locations offer an earlier fireworks show for the little ones to enjoy before the mega-midnight spectacle.

As the weather heats up in Australia, so do our festivals, with a slew of the nation’s hottest music events going down over New Year’s. You can tear up the dance floor (ahem, dirt floor) at Beyond the Valley, Australia's largest New Year's music festival in Barunah Plains, featuring headliners like Fisher, Ice Spice and Tinashe in 2024. If you’re looking for a quirky escape, head to Lost Paradise on NSW’s East Coast, where you can get weird in the wilderness with eclectic music, talks, workshops and wellness experiences. And for families seeking summer fun, Woodford Folk Festival in rural QLD showcases more than 2,000 performers from a mix of local, national and international musicians and entertainers.