Believe it or not, 2024 is coming to a close, and as one of the first major cities in the world to welcome in the new year, the Harbour City goes big when it comes to New Year’s Eve. Earlier this month, Sydney’s world-famous fireworks were at risk of being cancelled when public transport workers threatened industrial action. The proposed industrial action was due to cause chaos for the estimated 1.6 million fireworks spectators moving around the city – with the police commissioner and NSW Premier both suggesting that a cancellation of the display could be on the cards. Thankfully, those fears have been put to bed – with the industrial action called off, and the fireworks set to go ahead as per usual. Here’s what you need to know about getting around the city on December 31.
Most of the key viewing sites for the Sydney NYE fireworks are in and around the CBD, which is best accessed via Sydney Metro. The super-fast network connects waterside suburbs on either side of the harbour, with stops at Barangaroo and North Sydney. Barangaroo Reserve – as well as Darling Harbour, The Rocks and a whole lot of harbourside parks across the city – will be hosting free fireworks viewing areas on the big night, with an estimated 1.6 million people set to gather around the CBD to catch the big sparkly display.
To accommodate the crowds, Sydney trains will be running throughout the night – with a non-stop schedule for 46 hours. The bumper transport timetable will involve 3,200 rail services between New Year’s Eve and 5am on New Year’s Day – a 40 per cent increase on a normal weekday. Additional services will run across most lines, with frequency picking up after midnight, and the Sydney Metro running every five minutes until 2am. Light rail services will run until 4am with boosted frequency, and additional late-night ferries will be running to take people home across the harbour.
As another crowd-managing measure, trains won’t stop at Circular Quay from 3pm, and trains from the city to the north will not stop at Milsons Point after 6pm – meaning you’ll want to factor in walking time if you’re planning on catching the fireworks from either of these areas.
If you’re planning on driving, you’ll want to plan ahead and leave extra time. From mid-afternoon on December 31, some of Sydney’s major roads in the CBD and around the harbour will close to make way for the celebrations. You can check the map for the Sydney CBD road closure here, and the North Sydney road closure map here. Although this interactive map will help you to plan ahead, it’s worth checking the live traffic report before getting in the car – with the road closures likely to mean moving around the city by car will be slower than normal. The road closures will also impact bus services, light rail and walking routes, so if you’re heading into or through the city for the fireworks, it’s worth triple-checking the official vantage point map and planning your journey ahead of time via Trip Planner.
You can find more NYE transport info and advice via the Transport for NSW website.
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