New Year’s Eve in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney

New Years in Sydney takes a some planning. The main event is the fireworks, so we had to secure a good viewing spot early in the day. Adina and I met up with Dianna at noon at Mrs. Macquaries point in the Royal Botanical Gardens. I was not surprised with the line of a few hundred people on the road waiting to get in; I was however floored to find over 2,000 people waiting in the same line just over the hill.

I guess this was going to be a long day after all! It didn’t help the matter that it was raining on and off all afternoon, but we stuck it out and took turns standing in line. I lined up all of my family phone calls to make good use of my standing time.

We secured a good viewing spot around 2:30pm and set up camp for the day. I was shocked at how prepared people were with bags of groceries, sun tents, music and even tripods to photograph the fireworks.

The afternoon went by fast and in no time we were within hours of the family fireworks show at 9:00pm. From 2:30-9:00 I was amazing at the pure cooperation of the crowds. The spot I was at accommodated 20,000 people, and even with all the crowds there was no chaos.

People were drinking but no one was drunk or rowdy. Kids sat quietly and played cards with their parents. No one complained about anything. Walkways were kept impeccably clear by a group of passive police.

We got our first taste of Sydney fireworks during the 9:00pm family showing, which past my expectations by far. The fireworks were launched from multiple points in the harbor, so the most entertaining thing is keeping track of all of the points while still keeping an eye on the Opera House and bridge.

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As it neared midnight we crept closer to the water for a better view, we finally found one that included both the Opera House, the bridge and the harbor and stood in shoulder to shoulder crowds awaiting the midnight show.

The crowd began counting down in harmony right as the fireworks launched and a nearby party started playing the fireworks soundtrack (yes, there is a playlist that matches the intensity of the fireworks). For the next 12 minutes.

I watched in awe of the best fireworks display i will probably ever see. It kind of sounds silly as a I write it, but there was just something about the crowd and the music and the fireworks and the vibe of the new year that made it all a very cool experience.

My final observation loops back to the calmness of the event. On the walk home, amongst thousands of people, I only ran into two obviously drunk people, ironically they were both Americans. I watched small children, who has sat all day, walk by their parents side, perfectly content. As we approached downtown a volunteer worker cheerfully escorted us onto a free bus that went directly to our neighborhood.

The bus was eerily quiet. No one seemed affected by New Years at all. I wasn’t disappointed in the calmness in fact I was quite pleased that the event went off with out a hitch. I give the city of Sydney major props for their immense organization and strict prohibiting of intoxication.

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