Sydney NYE fireworks will turn rainbow to celebrate same-sex marriage ruling

Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks will be spectacularly fabulous this year, celebrating the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the upcoming 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will feature a 'cascading waterfall fountain' to celebrate the LGBTQI community's enormous year.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will feature a 'cascading waterfall fountain' to celebrate the LGBTQI community's enormous year. Source: Brett Hemmings/City of Sydney/Getty

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has confirmed that that Sydney's 2017 New Year's Eve firework celebrations will include a tribute to the Australia LGBTQI+ community, and the success of the fight for same-sex marriage. 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be lit up in rainbow colours, in commemoration of the decades that the community has spent fighting for recognition. The rainbow tribute will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which began with a street party / peaceful protest march that went awry in 1978. 

Moore said the display would show the world Sydney was now a more accepting and comfortable place for the LGBTQI+ community.

"It will be a wonderful time for LGBTI people who for too long have been discriminated against," she said. "I think that 'yes' vote really meant, across Australia, we are saying we are progressive, we support equity and we support everyone to be able to marry the person they love."
Moore revealed that the sensational tribute to a historical year for the Australian LGBTQI+ community will be a "rainbow waterfall cascade" off the Harbour Bridge. 

The responses on social media were celebratory and ecstatic:

Share
2 min read

Published

By Chloe Sargeant


Share this with family and friends


Download our apps
SBS On Demand
SBS News
SBS Audio

Listen to our podcasts
Good writing begins with questions. What does it take to write a good story?
What it's like navigating the world of dating and relationships when you're already partnered up with anxiety.
Real stories that will sometimes surprise you, move you, and leave you hanging on to every word.
Find more SBS podcasts on your favourite apps.

Watch SBS On Demand
The Swiping Game

The Swiping Game

From the intimacy of their bedrooms, Australians talk all things dating with startling honesty and humour.