Note:This is a historical story. The last New Year on the Waterfront took place on New Years Eve 2009 welcoming in 2010. The Geelong waterfront celebrations for 2015/6 New Year’s Eve will include a spectacular fireworks display over the floating Christmas tree.
New Year on our beautiful waterfront is one of the Geelong’s great traditions. The waterfront has been the place to be on New Year’s Eve for nearly twenty years, previously the celebrations were held on Cunningham Pier in an old goods shed, well before the Smorgy’s redevelopment a decade or more ago. But with a whole new and rejuvenated waterfront precinct came a whole new event, New Year on the Waterfront.
If its style you want on New Year’s Eve well the Geelong’s magnificent waterfront is the place to be, everyone dresses to the max giving a high class and party atmosphere all with one aim to out the old year and see in the new year.
The event is Geelong’s premier New Year’s Eve celebration taking over the lush Steam Packet Gardens right on the edge of Corio Bay. The night always features some of Australia’s hottest music acts. In the events first five years alone it has featured the likes of Something for Kate, Thirsty Merc, Evermore, Alex Lloyd, Living End and Eskimo Joe plus a whole range of great DJ’s and support bands.
The grassy parkland is transformed with huge tents featuring a smorgasbord of delicious food, hot and cold, with something for everyone’s taste and plenty of bars serving beers, softdrinks, spirits and wine to help celebrate the night.
The headline acts perform on elaborate outdoor stages, while huge marquees are transformed into state of the art dance venues, complete with well known Dj’s using lasers and high tech thumping audio, video and some amazing lighting. Several outdoor bars and plenty of seating give people the opportunity to relax for a while and enjoy the warm summer’s night.
New Year on the Waterfront is a huge tourist draw card for the town, with hundreds of the usual 4000 to 5000 people who attend the event coming from outside Geelong, and many more people come from their holidaying on the coast just to celebrate the New Year in style in Geelong.
Midnight is celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display over the bay to celebrate another New Year being brought in. At the end of the evening the crowd hit the city clubs to continue the festivities well into January 1.
The last New Year on the Waterfront took place on New Years Eve 2009 welcoming in 2010. Partygoers welcoming in 2011 partied at a new event on the refurbished Cunningham Pier, called New Year on the Pier (taking the old name). This new event is part of the Pier Festival.
Note:This is a historical story. The last New Year on the Waterfront took place on New Years Eve 2009 welcoming in 2010.