Sydney’s plan to be ‘the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World’

 

Sydney’s plan to be ‘the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World’

Dean Jacobowski stands atop the Sydney Opera House as the first glimmer of the day’s summer sun bounces from the famous white sails. It’s early in the morning, three days before New Year’s Eve. The harbor is Jacobowski’s canvas. He plans to paint it with pyrotechnics. “It’s the most recognized structure in the world, so just playing a small role in that is amazing,” Jacobowski tells CNN down below.

“There’s one billion people that tune in to be able to watch the fireworks, so yeah … no pressure to get the fireworks right,” he laughs. Jakubowski’s team will rig the Sydney Opera House up with some of the 36,000 shooting effects, 13,000 aerial shells and more than 75,000 pyrotechnic effects that will explode over the harbor after midnight strikes.

Sydney’s local government, which calls its city the “New Year’s Eve Capital of the World” has also set 7,000 firework cues on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, wanting it to “dance with color.” “It’s such a big tradition in our peak summer,” says John Hughes. He’s the CEO of Luna Park, an iconic Art Deco amusement park nestled under the bridge. 

“All of the iconic landmarks are clustered together on this incredible harbor and it’s one of the first places in the world to ring in the new year.” Luna Park is one of those landmarks: Sydney’s answer to Coney Island, the gaping grin of the Luna Park clown is unmistakable. This year the team will put on its 20th New Years Eve Harbour party. While the official New Year’s Eve extravaganza focuses on the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Sydney’s big night is felt across the city, lighting up individual streets, homes and businesses with the atmosphere of the evening.