STORY:
Big Bangs in Store for Sydney

Celebration down under striving to be the best in the world

This celebration has been four years in the planning and comes with a price tag of six million dollars. So what do you get for that kind of money these days? Fireworks from bridges, barges and much, much more.

Sydney’s celebration will be focused on its world famous harbor. There will be 18 sea creature-shaped floating lanterns in the water, which will explode with fireworks at midnight. At the same time the city’s famous bridge known by locals as the "coathanger" will also serve as a launching pad for a massive fireworks display. With both displays going on at one time the entire harbor is expected to come alive with light.

The firework display launched off the bridge will display the word "Eternity" '' which has a special meaning to the city. It is actually the city’s most famous graffiti. For nearly 40 years a reformed petty criminal, Arthur Stace, wrote that word around town. It’s estimated he wrote it at least 500,000 times before his death. The word became a part of the city and will now become a part of the year 2000 fireworks display.

The city is expecting at least 1.2 million people to be on hand to watch this elaborate display. Many will be in the city center; others will line the banks of the harbor. It won’t be just Australia residents taking part in this party. Thousands from overseas are expected to be among the revelers as tourists from around the world seek to be among the first in the world to welcome the new millennium. Because of its proximity to the international dateline, Sydney will be one of the first major cities to welcome the year 2000.

The scale of Sydney's party has health authorities issuing warnings to revelers to be prepared. For crowd control and on watch for possible acts of terrorism, hundreds of New South Wales State police force officers will be patrolling the city center, and security cameras have been mounted at strategic locations to monitor areas expected to be busiest. Advice to revelers includes carefully planning trips into and out of the city center, wearing comfortable shoes even carrying bandages and antiseptic just in case.

If you want a chance to experience this party down under you might want to check out the network New Year’s Eve coverage. Sydney’s party will be covered by many stations and networks because it is one of the biggest parties in the world, and will be one of the first to see the light of the Year 2000.

DATE: 12/21/99

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