When I first visited Sydney in March 2017, I returned with an epiphany: I wanted to quit my job. It took me two years to realize that vision, but a lot of work and a not-small amount of luck enabled me to feel secure becoming gainfully unemployed. As I began to create the travel itinerary for my time off, I knew I wanted to spend New Year’s Eve in Sydney. As one of the first cities in the world to ring in the new year, Sydney consistently tops lists of the best New Year’s celebrations in the world. Plus, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere in December, which will never cease to appeal to me.

Fortunately for me, my friends Lindsay and Katz were eager companions for a holiday trip through New Zealand and Australia. Coincidentally, their two friends Adam and Charwyn also planned to be in Sydney for New Year’s, so we ended up with a group of five to celebrate the beginning of a new year and decade.

How We Celebrated the New Year

In total, we spent four nights in Sydney, so we did a lot more than just go to a New Year’s party, but I figure I may as well start with the main event here. We of course wanted to see the midnight fireworks show over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, but we also didn’t want to deal with crowds or have to spend hours upon hours on the last day of 2019 staking out a spot in the viewing area open to the public. The city offers a number of ticketed parties, including harbour cruises, hotel events, opera galas, and more.

After pondering the options, we chose The Calyx Garden Party, one of numerous events held at the Royal Botanic Gardens. At over $400, the tickets weren’t cheap, but they were actually relatively reasonable, as some events were going for close to $1000. Plus, we felt like we were getting a decent value, as the party would include 4+ hours of free-flowing alcohol, bountiful food stations, and a designated area in the gardens from which to view the midnight fireworks.

So, how was the party? Actually quite tame, although we of course did our best to maximize the free-flowing bubbly. The Calyx, a structure within the Royal Botanic Gardens, was set up with plenty of tables for everyone in attendance, and most of the party-goers spent the hours leading up to the fireworks show sitting, drinking, and eating. The 9 PM fireworks were broadcast on screens situated throughout the venue (Sydney actually holds two fireworks shows so that families don’t need to stay up until midnight).

The crowd actually skewed older than I expected; we were some of the younger revelers at the event, although I suppose that was probably related to the price point. There was a seemingly never-ending amount of food, and servers came around frequently to top off our drinks. Some people eventually got up to make use of the small dance floor by the DJ stand, and we entertained ourselves taking selfies with silly props at the photo booth.

Eventually, it was time to head down the hill to watch the fireworks.

All in all, the party delivered everything we wanted: more food and drink than we could possibly imbibe, a comfortable, festive place to hang out, and an uncrowded, easily accessible spot for viewing the fireworks. Like many New Year’s Eve celebrations, it felt a bit anticlimactic, but I suppose that’s the nature of an event that is built up so much. It wasn’t a wild and crazy night, but that was probably for the best, as we would be leaving Sydney and flying to Melbourne on New Year’s Day.

Now that I’ve checked New Year’s Eve in Sydney off my list, I’m not sure that I would return for another holiday celebration– it’s an expensive, busy, crowded time to visit, and some of the places we wanted to go to were closed. The ongoing fires also put a slight damper on our trip. Regardless, it’s always a blast traveling with Lindsay and Katz. The good news? Our travels together weren’t over. We hoped Melbourne was ready for us.