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The crowds may have been slightly down from usual, but more than a million revellers turned out to pack the foreshore for a New Year’s Eve with Sydney’s toughest ever security.
As Sydney is one of the first cities around the globe to strike midnight, all eyes were on the iconic harbour display as it paid tribute to the 15 lives lost just over two weeks ago in Bondi.
Police officers carry long-arm guns around the foreshore. Credit: Getty Images
Across Sydney, 38 arrests were made overnight, slightly up from 36 last year, including at least nine in the CBD for offences including assaults against police and affray.
In Dover Heights, police received reports of a man carrying around a gun, but when officers arrived at Caffyn Park they found a 19-year-old man with a shisha pipe that allegedly resembled a replica firearm.
He was charged with behaving in an offensive manner near a public place and granted bail. He is due to face Waverley Local Court on January 30.
Police also had their hands full with illegal fireworks, including an incident at Guildford that left a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl with minor injuries.
Sydneysiders were warned to expect heavily armed police officers crawling Sydney’s streets, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the security measures did not have an impact on people’s enjoyment of the event.
“It wasn’t very visible to me. I think the whole thing was managed really, really well,” she said.
Premier Chris Minns said earlier this week that police have flagged intentions to train more officers to use long-arm weapons.
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Crowd numbers were predicted to be slightly down from usual, although many vantage spots were still at capacity by noon on Wednesday. Revellers around the harbour joined in a moving display at 11pm, marking a minute’s silence and shining torches in remembrance of the 15 lives lost in the Bondi attack.
A menorah and the words “peace” and “unity” were projected onto the Harbour Bridge pylons and, after the minute’s silence, singer Matt Corby performed a cover of Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.
“It was very moving, and I think very reassuring for us as a community,” Moore said. “It provided an opportunity to pause and reflect and to look for hope for a safer and more peaceful 2026.”
Moore also thanked more than 270 volunteers and 2100 staff who worked on the celebrations. They included almost 100 City of Sydney staff who, while others made their way home to bed, started the big clean-up at 1am with 40 trucks used to collect the rubbish.
“There was a million people here so there’s some rubbish, but I think people were pretty well behaved ... there’s only good stories here,” she said.
Nine tonnes of fireworks were shot from 16 locations, with six aerial pyrotechnic platforms deployed for the 9pm Calling Country and midnight firework displays.
Planning for next year’s display is already under way, with the world-famous show taking 15 months to orchestrate.
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