Earlier this year, the organisers of some of Sydney’s biggest live music events (including Harbourlife and Field Day), announced that they’d be bringing big festival energy to Bondi Beach for New Year's Eve 2025 – set to be the first big NYE celebration to take place on this Sydney beach in more than a decade. Now, following the tragedy that unfolded at the beloved beach on Sunday, the event has been cancelled, along with all other large-scale NYE celebrations in Bondi.
According to a spokesperson from Waverley Council, the Council decided to cancel “New Year's Eve events at Bondi Beach, including elrow XXL Bondi and Local's Lawn”, citing “the current situation on the ground”. It’s another blow for the famously buzzing beachside haven, but one that makes sense in light of the tragedy.
On their website, the promoters (Fuzzy) explained, “We have been working closely with Waverley Council over the past couple of days, focusing on compassion and care for Sydney’s Jewish community and all those impacted, allowing NSW Police to further progress their investigations.”
They went on to explain that the planned festival, along with the free Locals Lawn Family Zone, will not be going ahead this year, explaining that “All ticketholders have now been contacted via email and elrow Bondi Beach XXL ticket holders will receive an automatic full refund, processed back to their original payment method within 7 business days.”
The statement from Fuzzy also included a beautiful heartfelt message, which feels important to share at this time: “Our team includes many who live in and love Bondi. We built those events to reflect everything that Bondi stands for: community, coming together, joy, connection and inclusivity. We know thousands from our community, Australia and abroad were looking forward to seeing New Year’s Eve return to Bondi Beach for the first time in over a decade, but in Bondi we look out for each other, especially in moments of heartbreak. When the time is right, we will come back together with the same spirit of care, connection and joy that defines us.”
You can learn more over here. And if you’re planning your December 31 in the city, our guide to Sydney’s best NYE parties should help.
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