01/01/2018 03:47 PM

Port Authority helps stage Sydney New Year's Eve 2017

Port Authority helps Sydney stage the biggest show of the year, the New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular, this time with a little help from Hugh Jackman.

It’s one of the biggest parties in the world. Every New Year’s Eve, over 1.5 million people make their way to Sydney Harbour to watch one of the most incredible fireworks displays on earth.

It takes 15 months in the making to plan for the 12 awe-inspiring minutes of the midnight display. And when you’re in one of the busiest harbours in the world in a city of four million — finding the space to put it all in place can be a challenge. 

Image: Hugh Jackman with a signed firework on Glebe Island.
Credit: Katherine Griffiths/City of Sydney

Every year, Port Authority lets the City of Sydney use the port at Glebe Island to construct the fireworks rigs and barges. Around 12,000 square meters of the port are used to construct the rigs destined for the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, while 310 meters of quay line are used to load and deploy the seven barges that shoot fireworks from the water. 

Hollywood legend and all-round Australian hero Hugh Jackman was invited to design a fireworks set for this years’ show and he and Sydney mayor Clover Moore came down to Sydney Harbour’s last working port for a media event to promote the spectacular NYE show. 

Image: Image: Hugh Jackman and Clover Moore promote Sydney NYE at Sydney Harbour's last working port.
Credit:Katherine Griffiths/City of Sydney

The 2017 display featured 28,000 fireworks fired from 175 firing points around the harbour. With around 2,000 other boats filling Sydney Harbour for the event, Port Authority had its emergency vessels and firefighting tugs ready to respond to emergencies and were on standby throughout the nght to help ships stay safe.