When you put on one of the world’s biggest fireworks shows year after year, it must become a challenge to top what has come previously while also coming up with something new.
This New Year’s Eve celebration comes with two never-before-used colours in the display.
There will be lime and peach-coloured fireworks over Sydney Harbour for the first time, thanks to new technology which allows for the use of more pastel colours.
There will also be pulsating fireworks, to represent this year’s celebration theme: “The pulse of Sydney.”
“They work on a similar principle to strobe lights,” New Year’s Eve fireworks director Fortunato Foti said.
“They’ll strobe on and off in various colours — red, orange, green, lemon — and they’re very bright so the whole harbour will light up.”
This is Mr Foti’s 21st year at the helm of the world-famous fireworks display.
“We’re like any other entertainer, we’re there to entertain people,” he said.
“Fortunately we are able to do it en masse.”
Despite his experience, Mr Foti admitted it was still daunting.
“One of the greatest fears of a fireworks person is come midnight nothing goes off,” he said, but was quick to add that would not happen.
There are a few more additions to this year’s New Year’s Eve line-up.
For the first time there will a “Calling Country” segment just after 9:00pm.
It will include images of Australia’s Indigenous heritage being projected onto the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Later, the pylons will be illuminated again with animation inspired by the Australian Icehouse song Great Southern Land.
The images will be projected on the pylons while Australian band Client Liaison plays the song on the Opera House foreshore.