From livestreamed fireworks to parties and family-friendly picnics, in Australia’s capital cities you can say goodbye to 2025 and celebrate what’s to come in 2026 however you like.
Here are some major events happening around the country this New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve in Melbourne
At the stroke of midnight Melbourne’s skyline will be lit up with a fireworks and laser display. There will also be a 9.30pm show for the early birds and families.
Both displays will be best viewed from a distance, from any vantage point of the CBD. There will be a number of designated “celebration zones” too that will have some of the best views of the fireworks as well as performances, food and silent discos. These zones will be at Docklands, Flagstaff Gardens, Kings Domain and Treasury Gardens.
Channel Nine will cover the fireworks live and, in the lead-up to midnight, will be looking back at the key moments from the past year.
Some of the best views will no doubt be from a number of rooftop parties, with entry to some costing more than $300.
There will also be free family-friendly events. The Yarra city council will be hosting an official family-friendly countdown to midnight at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North. There will also be a pop-up outdoor cinema that will screen a range of back-to-back films from 4.15pm, with the last screening at 10.15pm.
Melbourne’s weather is forecast to be partly cloudy with a high of 19C on New Year’s Eve and a low of 13C. On New Year’s Day, it’s expected to be sunny with a high of 24C and a low of 14C.
New Year’s Eve in Sydney
As always, the main midnight moment in Sydney will be the annual fireworks display surrounding the harbour bridge. There will also be a display at 9pm curated by We Are Warriors, which will be a celebration of sky, land and sea country by Indigenous artists.
There are a number of spots to view the colourful display across the harbour, including from the water aboard the fireworks cruise. Among those on land – some ticketed, some not – are Barangaroo, Birchgrove Park, Blues Point, Bradfield Park and Mary Booth Reserve, Bradleys Head, the Cahill Expressway, Campbells Cove, Cockatoo Island, Darling Harbour and of course Circular Quay.
But you don’t have to leave your house to see the display. The ABC will be broadcasting the event live.
At 11pm, people will be encouraged to pause for a minute’s silence as a symbol of solidarity with the Jewish community after the Bondi terror attack. Waverley council has cancelled events that were planned to be held at Bondi beach.
There are a number of other parties listed on the city’s official website for New Year’s Eve. They includes a rooftop party at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which will have some of the best views of Australia’s most famous fireworks display. While individual tickets for that party cost up to $950, there are numerous free options for seeing the show, including a family-friendly event at Fairfield Showground that will run from 5pm to 10pm. It will include rides and performances.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has said there will be a massive police presence at major events to give people reassurance after the Bondi beach terror attack, including some officers armed with machine guns.
Minns said some people will find the extra security confronting but “we won’t be mucking around”.
It’s expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 27C on New Year’s Eve and a low of 17C. On New Year’s Day, there’s expected to be possible showers with a high of 24C and a low of 18C.
New Year’s Eve in Brisbane
Brisbane will display fireworks across four different areas along the Brisbane River – simultaneously. This will happen twice – at 7.45pm and midnight – above the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, Howard Smith Wharves, Riverside Centre and South Bank.
For the first time there will also be two drone shows, which will light up the sky for eight minutes at 9pm and 11pm. These shows can only be seen from South Bank and Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.
There are a number family-friendly events in Brisbane too, including at the South Bank Parklands, which will have activities and food.
It will be mostly sunny with a high of 32C on New Year’s Eve and a low of 19C. On New Year’s Day, there’s expected to be a shower or two with a high of 31C and a low of 23C.
New Year’s Eve in Canberra
Canberra’s main event will be on the on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, where there will be fireworks at 9pm and midnight.
Kicking off at 6pm, there will also be food and music at the family-friendly event. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic if they’d like to and soak up the views from the shore.
There are also cruises on the lake to catch the fireworks from, and events at a number of bars and restaurants lining the shores and in the city.
Hopefully, the thunderstorm expected to hit Canberra in the morning or afternoon of New Year’s Eve will pass before the evening festivities kick off. There is a forecast high of 29C on New Year’s Eve and a low of 13C. On New Year’s Day, it’s expected to be cloudy with a high of 24C and a low of 10C.
New Year’s Eve in Hobart
Hobart’s fireworks can be viewed from across the city, over the Derwent River, at 9.30pm and midnight.
The city’s food and wine festival – Taste of Summer – will also be running over the new year period. Located at Princes Wharf, the festival has invited people to come and “toast to 2026 with the city’s best view of the fireworks”, with music and performances to also take place across the night. The event will be themed Neon Nights, with attendees encouraged to dress in their most “blinding attire”.
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It is forecast to be partly cloudy with a high of 18C on New Year’s Eve in Hobart and a low of 10C. New Year’s Day is expected to be partly cloudy too, with a high of 20C and a low of 9C.
New Year’s Eve in Adelaide
Adelaide’s main event will be on the riverbank in Elder Park, where fireworks will light up the sky at 9pm and midnight. There will be bands and family-friendly activities throughout the evening, with the event kicking of at 5.30pm.
Salisbury in Adelaide’s north will also have fireworks across its skyline at the same time, while Glenelg Beach will have fireworks at 9pm and midnight.
It’s expected to be sunny in Adelaide for the celebration, with a high of 26C and a low of 13C. On New Year’s Day, there’s a forecast high of 30C and a low of 13C.
New Year’s Eve in Perth
Fireworks will light up Perth’s skyline at 8.30pm and midnight. The City of Perth has said the best views of the show will be at Elizabeth Quay, Barrack Square, Supreme Court Gardens and the foreshore near Birdiya Drive.
Elizabeth Quay, Barrack Square and Supreme Court Gardens will also have a range of family-friendly activities, food, music and performances. There will be free carnival rides in the Supreme Court Gardens.
Perth is expected to be sunny on New Year’s Eve, with a high of 34C and a low of 18C. On New Year’s Day, there is a forecast high of 34C and a low of 20C.
New Year’s Eve in Darwin
Darwin’s firework display will be best viewed from the city’s Waterfront Precinct, where there will be two shows – one at 9pm and the other at midnight.
There will be a number of live performances across at the precinct as well, including from Eskimo Joe.
There’s a thunderstorm expected on New Year’s Eve with a high of 33C and a low of 26C. The same temperature is expected on New Year’s Day but with showers expected instead of a thunderstorm.
