Welcome in the new year in Auckland's city centre
Auckland City is set to welcome in the new year with a revamped and expanded celebration.
For the first time, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum and Te Ara I Whiti - Light Path will light up alongside the Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour Bridge, adding more exciting visual elements to the cityscape.
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum will be lit up from dawn to dusk, while the Light Path will sync with the fabulous Vector Lights show on Auckland Harbour Bridge from 9pm to 1am. At the stroke of midnight, the Harbour Bridge will sync with the Sky Tower fireworks in a five-minute display of dancing colours.
Back again with Auckland’s biggest New Year street party, SkyCity will host live performances on Federal Street from 5pm to midnight with Ladi6 and Chong Nee & Friends as the headline acts.
Families can also join in on the fun this year, as Panuku Development will activate an alcohol-free, whanau-friendly space on Karanga Plaza at the entry to Wynyard Quarter, which offers a fantastic view of Auckland’s midnight moment.
As well as Auckland’s waterfront, the following locations make for great viewing of the grand spectacular that will welcome in the New Year: Little Shoal Bay, Northcote; Bayswater Marina; Mt Victoria, Devonport; Queens Parade, Devonport; Bastion Point; Harbour View Beach Reserve, Te Atatū Peninsula; Sentinel Beach, Herne Bay; Mt Eden.
Another first for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, several streets in the downtown area will be pedestrianised for partygoers, families and visitors to move freely and safely as they enjoy the New Year’s Eve festivities.
Travel information
Mayor Phil Goff says with more people than ever before living in the city centre and thousands more choosing to travel into the city for New Year’s Eve, temporary closures will help to ensure that people can enjoy the celebrations in a safe, enjoyable and pedestrian-friendly environment.
The closures, around Queen Street and Victoria Street, will start at 10pm on 31 December and last until 2am on 1 January 2020.
To ensure that everyone can get home safely at the end of their night, extra public transport options will be available post-midnight. There will be 31 additional bus services; more trains will operate on the Onehunga Line and Eastern Line (to Sylvia Park), and there will also be added ferry sailings between Auckland and Devonport.
For further information on the road closures and public transport options available, please visit at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/events/new-years-eve-2019
