Best New Year's Eve events and parties in Sydney

The sky-high cocktail bar Dean & Nancy on 22 is bringing its signature sense of 1960's glamour to New Year's Eve, with a sultry evening of cocktails, live music and a tastefully opulent menu. Tickets start at $220, and include a welcome cocktail of your choice, a night of masterfully presented food, and a glass of sparkling wine to toast at midnight. New York-style views across Sydney’s skyline are complimentary.

Step back in time at this beloved Woolloomoolo watering hole. The Old Fitz's farewell to 2023 will start with a glass of bubbles on arrival followed by a French-style banquet, all soundtracked by glamorous, gypsy jazz group Coucou Zazous. Tickets are just $120 per person – for dinner and a show on the last night of the year, that's pretty unbeatable.

Sydney’s home of drag will make sure you see out 2024 in the most fabulous style with three levels of glittery, unpretentious debauchery. This year's party will see Superficial turn the basement into a euphoric pop club, with the main bar playing host to what the Impy does best: drag and DJs. VIP ticket holders can head to the rooftop for complimentary drinks and bottomless pizza.

Barangaroo's spaceship style venue is hosting a three story time warp of a party – with each floor soundtracked by a different decade. On the top floor, you’ll travel back to the 90s – with rooftop cocktail bar Smoke transforming into a nostalgic haven. One level down, Rekodo will be offering a 70s themed disco, and on the ground floor you can step straight back into the noughties. The best news? Entry is free (you'll want to get in early to secure a spot).

Seeing in 2025 from Luna Park is a ludicrously fun option, with each guest at their coveted Harbour Party promised a night of unlimited rides, and an exceptional view of the fireworks. DJs will be playing all night across three stages, and there's the option to upgrade to a Diamond VIP ticket, which includes a harbour-view sit down dinner.

Lumière on Thirty Five is offering a ridiculously opulent event and it's not just for hotel guests. A cool $700 will get you a glittering evening of canapés, cocktails and Champagne as well live DJ entertainment. Splurge an extra $100 and land yourself a window seat gazing over Darling Harbour.

The sprawling W Sydney is celebrating NYE way up high at 29/30 with a massive party. The rooftop bar is hosting a slew of on-the-pulse DJs to dance the night (and year) away. Basic tickets starting from $499 per person will get you free-flowing Champagne, oysters and a taco station, but there are also options to book out whole cabanas for $3,750.

For uninterrupted views of Sydney's world famous fireworks, you can’t go past the open-air, waterfront Opera Bar. Their NYE celebration sells out each year and 2024 will be no different. This year's event is a Future Disco-themed affair: think roaming performers, excellent DJs and front-row seats to our city’s most spectacular show. Snap up a ticket for $595 – inclusive of all entertainment and canapés (drinks come at an additional cost, so you'll want to save up for some midnight bubbles).

If you're looking for a distillery party with a harbour view, you’re greedy. Luckily, you’re also in luck – with The Rocks precinct’s cavernous warehouse distillery bringing exactly that. Tickets for Hickson House Distilling Co’s New Years Eve party start at $295 per person (early bird), and include free-flowing drinks, roaming canapés, live DJs and access to The Rocks precinct for a range of viewing aspects of our city’s spectacular pyrotechnics display.

Found on the corner of King and Clarence Streets (yep, that explains the name), King Clarence holds court amongst Sydney’s top diners. And eat like a king you will this NYE with two banquet menus on offer from $95 or $158 per person. DJs will carve it up all night long while you tuck into one excellent Korean snack after the other. It's a great pitstop on the way to the fireworks. 

Darling Harbour’s Hyatt Regency hotel is playing host to two perfectly balanced events this NYE. Up on level 12, Zephyr Sky Bar is offering a cocktail-style occasion with canapés, grazing table DJs, an epic saxophone player and hours of free-flowing drinks, while downstairs, Sailmaker restaurant is serving a range of buffets from seafood tapas to desserts, celebrating excellent Australian produce.

Seeing in 2025 with a party doesn’t have to cost you close to four figures. Tropical-themed Bungalow 8 in Darling Harbour hosts a house-tracked NYE event with a selection of package options – starting at just $49 per person for general admission. If you're looking for something a little more swish you and 11 friends can claim a cabana for $5,000 which includes Spritzes, Champagne, Grey Goose, share platters and bottle service. 

View Sydney is hosting a series of expertly curated events this New Year's Eve, including a sit-down buffet dinner at LB's Restaurant and soirée cocktail party on Deck 17 including a roving canapés, Djs and a photobooth.

Odd Culture's Bistro Grenier is welcoming in another year of all things odd with a candlelit, Champagne-fuelled affair. For $135 you'll get a glass of Champagne on arrival, and a suitably high-end feast. 

Grain Bar – the elegant, dimly lit coctail bar at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel – is always a safe bet if you're looking for an excellent drink close to Sydney's CBD. Swing by on New Year's Eve on your way to watch the fireworks, or on your way back for the Afterglow after-party. The UV lit affair kicks off at midnight.

If you can't watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle this NYE, your next best taste is getting a taste of France at this ritzy restaurant in the CBD. All night long, Monopole is offering up its special New Year's Eve menu at $130 per person so you can dine whenever suits your schedule. Look forward to snacks and three courses of dry aged duck, wagyu beef and a gorgeous Paris-brest dessert. 

If you’re keen to catch the fireworks from a different vantage point, this gin-fuelled affair on the eastern shores of Sydney Harbour is the one. Tickets start at $205 per person for a general admission and two drink vouchers, or go all in for Platinum VIP status – a $450 ticket will score you a three-course meal, three-hour drinks package and unrestricted access to the entire venue (including a private bar area for VIPs only).

Dinner at Chin Chin (the Sydney mainstay known for its buzzy vibe and excellent contemporary Thai menu) is always a good idea. Start your NYE here with cocktails and a well-priced set menu, then head out into the night.

Have a NYE date who you really realllllly want to impress? Let Peter Gilmore host you at Quay, an upmarket restaurant like no other. From its perch at the end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal (one of the most unbeatable spots for watching the fireworks), Quay will be serving up lush multi-course meals. Of course, Quay-level luxury doesn't come cheap. The seven-course menu with canapés and fine-wine pairings in the Main Dining Room will set you back an eye-watering $2,100 per person. While the five-course menu with canapés and a premium selection of beverages comes at $1,400. Paired with complimentary Champagne on arrival and at midnight, along with that view – it's hard to put a price on.

Located in Mosman, Ripples Chowder Bay is on the Taronga Zoo to Balmoral Harbour foreshore walk. Its stunning views of Clifton Garden’s Beach make it a prime place to enjoy the last sun rays of 2023. For the relatively affordable $325 per adult, you'll ring in the new year over a five-course degustation and drinks for the duration of the evening. 

CIRQ – the terrace style cocktail bar on the 26th floor of Crown Sydney – is celebrating the start of 2025 with a masquerade ball: complete with flowing Champagne and appropriately high-end canapés. As Sydney's tallest rooftop bar, views are guaranteed to be spectacular, so make sure your mask doesn't obstruct your eyesight. Tickets to this sky-high, black tie event start at $650 per person – it's a once in a lifetime sort of party, and a very sparkly one at that.

Another north-of-the-bridge option comes from our friends at the Botanist, whose theme for this year's NYE is 'Hollywood Walk Of Fame’. For $199, you'll score a glass of sparkling on arrival, a two-hour drinks package, canapés and a night of live jazz in the Botanist's Art Deco drinking den.

Sydney’s fireworks are watched around the world, seen on screen from Tasmania to Timbuktu. And at 83 storeys above street level in Sydney Tower, Bar 83 offers one of the most uninterrupted vantage points for Sydney Harbour’s famous whizzbangs. Plus: retro disco vibes. Illuminated dancefloors, '70’s nightclub glamour, seafood and charcutierie stations, cocktails, free flowing Champagne and canapés. Tickets start from $850 per person.

Serving up some of the best views of Sydney Harbour, the Fenwick in Balmain East is a prime spot to spend your New Year’s Eve. For $850 per person, not only will you be guaranteed first-class seats to the fireworks, but you’ll also get a degustation menu with free-flowing premium drinks. In the food department, expect meticulously crafted dishes including Abrolhos Island scallop crudo with ruby grape, and Aleppo pepper, steamed coral trout with nduja, mussel and saffron, and lamb fillet with zucchini blossom and braised French peas.

The views from Circular Quay’s Whalebridge are pretty unparalleled – across the harbour directly to the Harbour Bridge. To celebrate their prime location, the al fresco French bistro is offering a four-course New Years Eve menu complete with wine pairings and a midnight Champagne toast. Tickets start at $1,300 per person.

The wheel of time keeps turning, not unlike this plush revolving bar 47 storeys above the streets of the CBD. O Bar & Dining is serving up a sophisticated eight-course degustation with matching wines, plus stellar views of Circular Quay, from $780. The menu is as fancy as the surrounds, with delights like dry-aged duck breast, an asparagus and black truffle tart and charcoal grilled Waygu.

If you are into luxe living, and want to see our city's famous fireworks without getting swallowed alive by a mammoth crowd, there is a place for you. Bennelong arguably has Sydney's bougiest harbour view. This New Year's Eve, the fancy folks over yonder will be putting on a special dining experience for all those who enjoy the high life, with a night of haute cuisine, live entertainment and a prime view of the firework’s beneath the sails of our city’s most famous house. An evening at Bennelong on December 31 starts at a cool $1,750 per person – inclusive of Champagne on arrival and at midnight, a four-course menu (plus canapés) by Executive Chef Peter Gilmore, and premium wine pairings throughout.

Watch the sunset for the last time this year from the popular Potts Point venue's leafy terrace – one of Sydney's best vantage points for taking in the city skyline. As well as a share-style feast from Head Chef Amber Doig, your $250 ticket will score you a glass of Champagne to toast at midnight, and live music. Add a three-hour drinks package for an additional $75, of $95 for a merry four hours of free-flowing tipples.

Waterside Italian food and wine sounds like a good way to say "saluti" to 2025, right? There are two packages on offer at Ventuno Walsh Bay this year. A casual Aperitivo Package for $175 per person, which gives you an Italian-style, six-course shared tasting menu and access to a pop-up bar to purchase drinks. Or go all out with the Banquet Package – a five-course banquet-style Italian menu with premium drinks, served all evening, for $455.

Located in Darling Harbour's Cockle Bay, this large three-story nightclub is playing host to six rooms worth of fun this NYE. If you're looking for an affordable ticket to Darling Harbour views, $30 will get you throuhg the door but you can pay right up to $3,500 for a waterfront booth with 12x express entries and bottle service. 

Tickets to SoCal's Palm Springs-inspired NYE party start at $99 – a ridiculously good deal for a night of tacos, free-flowing drinks and dancing. It might be the only restaurant in Sydney where you're encouraged to ring in the new year in "Baywatch inspired swimmers and daisy dukes". Ride that wave on into 2025.

The InterContinental Sydney is something of a timeless gem – towering 30 floors into the sky above the city. After a $120 million refurbishment in late 2022, now is as good a time to visit as any. Opt for one of their New Year packages for a few nights of luxury in a Harbour Bridge-view room and breakast in the sky to start 2025.

Otto Ristorante in Woolloomooloo is known for fine Italian dining on Woolloomooloo’s sparkling wharf, and there are few options that would qualify as a more Sydney final meal of 2024. Early diners between 5pm and 6.15pm can choose from Otto's a la carte menu, whereas 'main sitting' diners from 7.30pm are opting for a glass of Charles Heidsieck Champagne on arrival and a four-course choice dinner. A place at the table for the later seating costs $370 per adult and $120 per child.