Fireworks will continue to light up the night skies on New Year’s Eve, with Council endorsing a continuation of the popular displays across multiple locations.
Council funds and delivers a major firework display each year at Dee Why Beach and has provided funding for independent firework displays at Manly Cove and Bayview.
Last year Council also put on fireworks at Lionel Watts Reserve, Frenchs Forest, to ensure crowds were spaced out at New Year’s Eve locations. That event will again be held for New Year’s Eve 2022.
“The highly popular New Year’s Eve fireworks displays have been lighting up our sky for many years now,” Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said.
“Our fireworks continue to delight both residents and visitors while supporting local businesses and our economy.
“Council did investigate alternative options such as drones and laser light displays but found them to be far too costly and of little value to our ratepayers.”
The investigation highlighted several issues including the high cost of drones and laser light shows compared to fireworks, the higher risk of cancellation or poor display due to weather and lack of haze, the longer lead time required for designing a laser light show, and the complexity of regulations and permits required.
The cost of putting on a drone and laser light show would cost over $1 million in additional funding per location – well beyond Council’s New Year’s Eve budget of around $137,000.
“One of the other major challenges identified was that our air quality is just too clean for a laser light display which requires smoke and haze to reflect the lights,” Mayor Regan said.
“If technologies improve and costs decrease, we can of course re-evaluate alternatives to traditional fireworks displays. But for now, fireworks will continue to ring in the New Year on the Northern Beaches.”
To minimise the environmental impact of fireworks displays, Council is looking to develop a carbon emission offset program.
