Australians have criticized the New Year’s Eve fireworks show in Melbourne, calling the spectacle “disappointing”.
Millions of Australians across the country called in 2025 after flocking to the country’s major cities to watch the iconic fireworks.
Sydney’s famous fireworks dazzled more than a million revelers who had waited for hours to see the 12-minute spectacle over the iconic harbour.
The show included pyrotechnics in two displays, eight water-based fireworks platforms and new designs based on animals shot from the top of the Sydney Opera House sails.
Meanwhile, more than half a million revelers gathered in Melbourne to watch the fireworks, which included 60 laser projections and pyrotechnics at 27 points.
However, many Melburnians were left disappointed after starting 2025 with disappointing fireworks displays, with some even calling for them to be “cancelled”.
Some in Sydney were also unimpressed after waiting hours at a viewing point only to have their view blocked by a train as the fireworks began.
‘So, we just watched the Melbourne fireworks in the city. What was that? It was so bad,’ a girl said in a TikTok video.
Australians criticized Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, with many saying the show was disappointing.
“I will never go back to the city (of Melbourne) to see the fireworks. Never, every time I see it. We should have stayed in our hotel room.”
Her friend chimed in: ‘It was so fucked up.’ Did I come from the United States for this shit? “Melbourne is cancelled.”
Another reveler mocked the Melbourne fireworks display, which showed hundreds of people trying to film the sporadic spectacle.
“Melbourne after claiming they have world class fireworks 15 times better than Sydney,” the caption read.
Other social media users agreed, saying Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve fireworks were disappointing.
“I was there and I completely agree with them, shit show,” one commented.
“Why the hell would you go to Melbourne over Sydney?” wrote a second.
A third chimed in: ‘Yeah, just watched a video of Melb’s fireworks… they’re not big, just spritzers from the top of buildings and a couple of cheap laser lights. I think the local officers I went to were better.’
Some defended the spectacle, saying it was better to watch the fireworks from afar than in the heart of the CBD.
“You couldn’t see how much space the fireworks took up if you were inside, seeing them from the beach 20 kilometers away was crazy,” one wrote.
“You have to see it from afar, I saw it from a hill in Hawthorn and it was incredible,” another person commented.
A third added: “They’re not really designed to be seen from the CBD or the city itself, they were amazing on TV especially with the lasers…very good and much better than the ones in Sydney.”
One social media user, who watched the fireworks in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, claimed New Year’s Eve celebrations should be cancelled.
Others mocked people who claimed Melbourne’s fireworks were better than Sydney’s.
Another reveler even claimed Melbourne’s fireworks show was better than Sydney’s and catered for everyone, not just the “rich”.
“Sydney’s fireworks look spectacular on TV, but they can only be enjoyed live by those rich enough to own a yacht or afford waterfront property,” they wrote on Reddit.
‘Melbourne launches fireworks from all the tall buildings in the city. “It’s messy and chaotic, but everyone can have fun.”
Online commentators criticized the sentiments of revelers, with almost all stating that the fireworks in Sydney were and always will be much better than in Melbourne.
One person pointed out that the Sydney display lasted a full 12 minutes, while the Melbourne one lasted 8 minutes.
“Sydney fireworks are falling all over Melbourne in every way, don’t be fooled,” one person wrote.
“I’ve seen both and I can put my hand on my heart because the New York fireworks in Sydney are so much better than the ones in Melbourne. They have a landmark and a beautiful harbor to do this in, we don’t,” a second person wrote.
A third person added: ‘There are thousands of buildings in Sydney, many of which allow people to get on the roof. There are also hundreds of viewpoints where locals gather to enjoy them.
“I was born and raised in a poor house and have seen them dozens of times with incredible views.”
However, for some frustrated Sydneysiders, their view of the iconic harbor display was blocked by a train as the fireworks marked the start of the year 2025.
Many argued that Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve fireworks paled in comparison to the 12-minute fireworks show over iconic Sydney Harbour.
However, some revelers had their view of the Sydney fireworks blocked when a train passed through Circular Quay railway station.
A video shared on TikTok showed a crowd of people packed into a viewing point on Alfred Street in Circular Quay.
A train moving slowly through Circular Quay station interrupted the view of the fireworks, angering many partygoers.
“Worst time for that train to come by and ruin the view of the fireworks,” the video’s title read.
Social media users said a train at Circular Quay station had also ruined the view of the fireworks last year.
‘It’s the same last year. “Some smart people take the train during this period to get a fantastic view of the fireworks,” one person wrote.
New Year’s Eve was celebrated across the country at midnight on Tuesday, with capitals and city councils celebrating the start of 2025.
In Brisbane, around 80,000 individual fireworks exploded on the horizon, with more being launched along the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
While in Adelaide, fireworks, food trucks and live music attracted around 25,000 people to the banks of the Torrens River and more than 400,000 people visited the CBD on New Year’s Eve.
Perth enjoyed two explosive displays, one at 8.30pm from a barge on the Swan River and a second display at midnight to herald the arrival of 2025.
In Tasmania, Launceston combined fireworks with a festival to showcase more than 40 of the island state’s best food and drink producers at the seventh annual BeerFest at Royal Park on New Year’s Eve.