To ring in 2026, there were 48 ticketed vantage points across Sydney.
Some of the spots were free, others had a pre-booking system. For most of the free spots, it was on a first-come, first-serve basis and this resulted in crazy line-ups with some social media users showing videos of people rocking up at 4am to start queuing!
We pre-booked tickets to the Blues Point Reserve, arguably one of the best viewpoints in the entire city. Tickets were AUD $50 per person, which we found super reasonable compared to the harbour cruises and dinner reservations we saw going for upwards of $700 per person! Tickets went on sale on 23 November so you do have to plan in advance.
→ Find your vantage point for next year's Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks!
Although we had tickets, we still arrived at the spot by 4pm (gates closed at 9pm) in order to secure a good place to sit and wait as there were 8000 people in that one area. Once in, you weren't allowed to leave, so bringing camping chairs, warm layers, books and card games was a good idea! Food was available for purchase on site from a handful of food trucks but the food was pretty average and I'd really suggest packing your own lunch and dinner. Glass bottles are not permitted inside, neither was any alcohol (which I thought was a good thing, nothing worse than spending New Year's Eve with a bunch of rowdy drunks).
Of course, you also have the opportunity to find your own spot but be prepared for road closures, many people and no ease of access.
Public transport was fairly well organized but the sheer volume of people was simply too much and we felt that the city wasn't well-prepared enough for that. Transport workers desperately tried to direct the hundreds and thousands of people using megaphones. It took us two hours to get from Blues Point Reserve onto a train back into the city, a walk that normally takes just 15 minutes.
