Such great excitement to see in the New Year in this great city. We had booked tickets well in advance with carefully planed logistics of where we thought we might get the best view of the fireworks. The Opera Bar which lies on the lower terraces just below the The Sydney Opera House was throwing a themed party to celebrate the New Year. Many of the roads around the Harbour are closed off during the afternoon and evening of the celebrations and I even had some difficulty getting to the kitchen at Quay to drop off Immie’s key as this is well within the security zone as it directly overlooks the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Sadly Immie was working for the evening although they had a fantastic view of the fireworks from the terraces at Quay.
There were long queues leading up to the Opera House and Botanical Gardens all of which were hosting ticketed events. Luckily we left in plenty of time so arrived in good time to secure a great spot. The Bar was buzzing with activity and a great party atmosphere. The theme was glamorous beachwear and the guests had embraced the dress code and all looked beautifully exotic. There was even a make over stall to add glitter and sparkle to your costume along with exotic flowers and new year tattoos ! There were lots of party additions such as a retro ice lolly van with fresh fruit ice lollies and all sorts of additional entertainment characters dressed up, some dancing and some on roller-skates! Several live bands and DJ’s kept us all entertained and dancing the night away and the food was all delicious, substantial and abundant which also ensured that we could all keep going all night. There were street food stalls also providing sustenance and all this continued throughout the night right until the bitter end so keeping everyone in good spirits.The venue was decorated with a sort of Hawaiian theme with colourful tropical style flowers everywhere and there were lots of little treats being handed out as the night went on. The girls were particularly fond of the tropical rum cocktails served in bright yellow pineapple vessels.
There are in fact two firework displays that take place the earlier session at 9pm which is stunning but not quite as spectacular as the midnight extravaganza which was truly memorable and an oustanding display of coloured explosions! All the boats on the water were also all illuminated with festive lights adorning the masts and sails which added to the festive effects on the water. The bar is on the lower terraces below the Opera House so we were right at the waters edge overlooking the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House itself and just accross the water we could see Quay where Immie was working for the night although both at 9pm and midnight the kitchen staff were permitted to come out of the kitchen and watch the fireworks with their stunning viewing position.
As the evening drew to a close we had to walk back to Paddington. Luckily it was a lovely night although I think we were all quite shattered after a truly spectacular evening !
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