Sydney’s official New Year’s Eve fireworks first took place over Sydney Harbour in 1976.
The event was created as part of celebrations for the United States Bicentennial, with Sydney staging a major fireworks display on 31 December 1976. It later became an annual city tradition and one of the world’s most widely televised New Year’s Eve events.
The celebrations are centered on Sydney Harbour, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House forming the best-known backdrop. A family fireworks display is traditionally held earlier in the evening, before the main midnight show. This means the event is not limited to the midnight countdown alone.
A common mix-up is to credit the modern annual fireworks tradition to the city’s earlier celebrations in general. Sydney had marked New Year’s Eve before 1976, but 1976 is associated with the beginning of the current official fireworks event.