Official New Year’s Eve Fireworks Announced After Shire’s “Underground Pyrotechnics” Movement Wins the Battle

Skye Waverley | Social Reporter | Sutherland Shire Gazette

11 March 2025

After years of digging their heels in and insisting that New Year’s Eve fireworks were a thing of the past, the local council has finally buckled under pressure and announced an official display to ring in 2026. But was it careful planning and community consultation that changed their minds? Absolutely not. It was the Shire’s rogue fireworks enthusiasts, who refused to take no for an answer.

For years, Sutherland Shire residents have been running their own DIY fireworks shows, launching highly illegal, highly enthusiastic displays from backyards, boat ramps, sporting fields, and, in one particularly impressive instance, a moving tinny. With firework sales technically banned in NSW, it remains a mystery where exactly the explosives were coming from, though locals strongly suspect a cousin from Queensland was involved.

This past New Year’s Eve, the unofficial displays reached record-breaking levels, with aerial explosions across the Shire rivalling Sydney Harbour’s multimillion-dollar show. By 12:01 a.m., it was impossible to tell whether the bangs were fireworks, champagne corks, or celebratory backfiring from an over-revved Commodore in the Kurnell boat ramp car park.

Now, faced with the reality that the Shire will explode on NYE one way or another, the council has reluctantly given in, confirming an official fireworks display will now be held. “Look, we’re just trying to contain it,” said one councillor. “If we put on a legal show, maybe fewer people will start their new year Googling ‘how long do burns take to heal.’”

Meanwhile, the local Underground Pyrotechnics Movement remains defiant. “We got ‘em to fold,” said one anonymous backyard firework enthusiast. “Now, we set our sights on the big prize—getting cracker night back.”