Sydney has been divvied up into five zones for NYE.
Coming into effect from midnight tonight (Wednesday, 30 December), household New Year’s Eve celebrations will be capped at five visitors—children are counted—for all of Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. The zoning restrictions, however, come into effect at 5pm on 31 December.
Residents of the Northern Beaches will only be allowed visitors from within their zone, as was drawn up for Christmas celebrations. That is, residents north of Narrabeen Bridge and east of the Baha’i Temple in Mona Vale make up the northern zone while residents south of the bridge and west of the temple make up the southern zone.
The Green Zone, as outlined by the NSW government, includes areas closest to the harbour such as Circular Quay as well as other key vantage points in North Sydney. Entry into this zone will be allowed only to residents, guests, and those with confirmed bookings at venues such as restaurants, hotels or bars within the area.
To enter this zone, you will need to apply for a permit, which you can do so here.
Unfortunately, the offering to frontline workers to get a front-row view of the fireworks has been rescinded. Other ways to thank them will be provided throughout 2021.
The Yellow Zone will surround the Green Zone and although no permit will be required to enter these areas, large groups may be asked to move on by Police.
Outdoor gatherings will be permitted, but many parks and outdoor green spaces across the city will be closed. These include the Blues Point Reserve and Cremorne Point Reserve in North Sydney (among others), as well as all harbourside parks in the Inner West council area.
Outdoor gatherings in the Northern Beaches will be capped at five people, where everyone must be a northern beaches resident, whereas outdoor gatherings across the rest of Greater Sydney will be allowed up to 30 people. This has been brought down from the pre-holiday period restriction of 100 people, and down from the previous New Year’s restriction of 50 people.
Sydney’s firework display has been modified from previous years and all NSW residents have been urged to watch them on TV from home.