Information for residents and business

What you need to know.

Residents and businesses in the City of Sydney

Sydney New Year’s Eve attracts more than 1 million people to Sydney Harbour. With so many people celebrating in the city centre, getting around will be different and access to your property and parking will be affected.

There will be widespread road closures, on-street fencing and diversions to help people get around safely and move crowds towards public transport.

Access to vantage points

Most vantage points around the harbour foreshore will have free access. Be sure to plan, arrive early together and secure your spot.

Here’s what you need to know about Sydney New Year’s Eve.

Parking restrictions and road closures

Special event clearways are in place on most roads across the city centre from 2am on New Year’s Eve to 4am on New Year’s Day. Times vary, check signs for details.

Clearways are strict no-parking zones and apply to all vehicle and motorcycle types including those with City of Sydney or Transport for NSW mobility scheme parking permits. Check signs carefully before parking on the day and the night before as vehicles left in clearways will be towed and a fee applies. If your vehicle is towed, call 132 701 or visit tfnswtowlink.my.site.com/findmycar/s/ to find its new location.

Roads will start closing from as early as 4am on New Year’s Eve, with major closures from 2pm. Most roads reopen by 4am on New Year’s Day.

You must not exit a driveway or drive onto a closed road unless directed by NSW Police Force. Vehicles driving through road closures pose a serious safety risk and will be treated as a direct threat to the safety of the general public. Fines apply.

Find out more about road closures, cycleway and walkway closing times.

Business operations

Access to your business may be affected. Below are some important things to consider for your operations.

  • Keep footpaths clear. Do not place bins, furniture, signs or other temporary equipment on them.

  • Review and consider alternative evacuation points and assembly areas as these may not be accessible on New Year’s Eve.

  • Talk with your employees and contractors about alternative access arrangements. Tell your service providers about alternative pick-up and drop-off locations and road closure times.

  • Help your guests and ticket holders plan their night. You may want to include this information on your event and ticket communications: Getting in and out of the city centre is different on New Year’s Eve. There will be road closures, on-street fencing and diversions to help people get around safely and move crowds to public transport.

  • Communicate to any ticket holders attending events in the northern part of the city to arrive before 7pm or they may not be able to get in.

If you’re hosting an event, you can list it on the City of Sydney’s free What’s On directory. Visit whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Deliveries

Road closure restrictions also apply to food deliveries. Avoid disappointment, plan your night and ensure you organise any deliveries outside the road closure times.

Walking

Access for people walking around vantage points will be restructured. There will be checkpoints throughout the city centre for residents, event ticket holders and authorised employees. Road closures may affect access to buildings for residents and businesses.

The way you arrive at your location may differ to the way you travel home. Be prepared for a longer journey time and potential access delays to your property. Please always follow directions of security and NSW Police. There will also be navigating assistance on the night for you.

Public transport changes

With thousands of extra services, catching public transport is the best way to get around on New Year’s Eve.

  • Trains will not stop at Circular Quay from 3pm to midnight. Use Wynyard, St James or Martin Place stations instead.

  • Trains from the city centre won’t stop at Milsons Point from 6pm to midnight. Use North Sydney station instead.

  • Metro services start from 4am and run regularly until the early morning on New Year’s Day. Barangaroo metro will close from 5pm to 11:45pm. Use Wynyard or Martin Place stations instead.

  • Bus stops will be relocated and diversions will be in place while roads are closed. From 2pm buses to and from the city centre will run from temporary interchanges.

  • Some ferries will stop running to Circular Quay from 5:30pm on New Year’s Eve. A limited number of services will run after the midnight fireworks.

  • City centre light rail services will not run between Town Hall and Circular Quay from 2pm. From 7pm services will start and end at Central. Inner west light rail services will not run between Convention and Central from 8pm.

  • Many taxi ranks will be inaccessible while roads are closed. Additional secure taxi ranks will be located outside the road closure area.

Visit the public transport page for more information about trains, bus stops, metro, ferries, light rail and taxis.

Live transport and traffic updates

Follow @BusesInfo, @TrainsInfo, @sydneymetro and @FerriesInfo on X for real-time transport updates.

Visit livetraffic.com and follow @LiveTrafficSyd for real-time updates on road closures.