Birch, known for his work on numerous Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies brought with him former Jimmy and the Boys frontman Ignatius Jones as Creative Director and Catriona Brown as Senior Producer.

Each second, one shooting comet shot off a different building starting from North Sydney and finishing at AMP Tower to form an Olympic Torch to welcome in 1997.

A smiley face was visible on the bridge during the show, until the finale revealed the word "Eternity" in Copperplate writing, in honour of Arthur Stace.

A rather unusual feature of the 1999 display was a selection of tugboats that made their way through the harbour, each one carrying a colourful, brightly lit model of a particular sea creature.

The show concluded with a remix of the national anthem "Advance Australia Fair" combined with folk song "Waltzing Matilda".

The display, for the very first time, was choreographed to an all-Australian soundtrack created by music production house s:amplify which included original composition.

[17][18] The 2013–14 theme was "Shine"; artist Reg Mombassa served as creative ambassador, and oversaw that year's bridge effect—a giant blinking eye.

[22] A special display known as the "Inspire moment" was held at 10:40 p.m.[23] The bridge effect was a stylised lightbulb, in honour of the United Nations' declaration of 2015 as the International Year of Light.

[24] Additionally, a Welcome to Country ceremony was held at sundown prior to the 9 p.m. Family Fireworks, to acknowledge the harbour as territory of the Cadigal, Gamaragal, and Wangal bands of the Eora people.

In honour of the 200th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden, a papercraft floral sculpture of Sydney Harbour inspired by the event was commissioned from artist Benja Harney, and appeared in promotional material.

Tributes to the musicians Prince and David Bowie were featured during the family and midnight shows respectively, inspired by their songs "Purple Rain" and "Space Oddity".

The midnight show also featured a segment that paid tribute to actor Gene Wilder, with candy-shaped firecrackers in a reference to his portrayal of Willy Wonka.

[24][28][29] The 2017–18 edition featured a total of eight tonnes of pyrotechnics, and a rainbow flag-coloured waterfall effect to pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of Sydney Mardi Gras, and the 9 December 2017 legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia.

[30] The welcome to country ceremony included a special message from the Muwekma Ohlone community of northern California, in honour of the 50th anniversary of Sydney's sister city relationship with San Francisco.

[35] There were calls to cancel the fireworks due to the extreme bushfires across the country, with a petition proposing for their budget to be reallocated to disaster relief purposes.

[37][36] Sydney officials stated that it would be infeasible to cancel the show, as it would be disruptive to tourists and local business, much of the budget had already been spent, and that there would be "little practical benefit for affected communities".

[38][39][40] In an interview with 2GB on 24 September, Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian discussed plans for ticketed attendance at key vantage points for crowd control and social distancing reasons, and remarked of last year's event that Australians "felt relieved that we were still able to have a feeling of normalcy during what was otherwise a very difficult time.

[43] A two-stage perimeter was established within Sydney's central business district (CBD), Circular Quay, and North Sydney on the evening of the event, with the "yellow zone" being patrolled by police to break up large crowds that violate NSW health orders in regards to gatherings,[38][39][40] and the "green zone" (in closer proximity to the harbour) having restricted access by permit only after 5:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

[38][39][40] To honour their involvement, plans were announced for certain "premium" viewing areas on the foreshore to be reserved exclusively to invited frontline workers.

[44][45][46] It was eventually decided that major harbourfront viewing locations in the green zone would be closed to the public; residents were therefore asked to not attend the event in-person, and to watch the television broadcast instead.

[48] In September 2021, amid the Delta variant outbreak, it was reported that the City of Sydney had suspended the Family Fireworks for a second year in a row due to the uncertainty of holding mass gatherings; the decision faced criticism for having been done unilaterally without discussion from councillors and other stakeholders.

On 2 October, it was reported that Lord Mayor Clover Moore had sent a letter to Minister of Tourism Stuart Ayres, stating that Sydney New Year's Eve would be held "in a similar way to prior to the pandemic", provided that the NSW government "intensify its critical contribution" to the event.

She told The Sydney Morning Herald that "the state government has assured us it will take responsibility for the event or cancel the 9 p.m. fireworks should public health conditions deteriorate."

[49] On 9 December 2021, organisers announced that the 2021–22 theme would be "See Sydney Shine", and that the midnight fireworks' soundtrack would be curated by electronic music duo The Presets.

Foti stated that the show would feature new effects to make the Harbour Bridge appear to be "dancing with colour", and a record 2,000 fireworks fired from the Sydney Opera House.

A special three-minute projection and light show was held at 11 p.m. to honour the 45th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, hosting WorldPride 2023.

[57] The Chris Minns state government abolished nearly all paid viewing sites on Crown land along the foreshore, making them open to the public free of charge.

The Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Zoo continue to require paid tickets, as their viewings are charity events that benefit the respective institutions.

[60][61] On 24 December, RTBU reached an agreement with the NSW government, pledging that any industrial action taken would have minimal impact on Christmas and New Year's holiday events in Sydney.

[78] From 2017/2018, Charlie Pickering and Zan Rowe hosted the concert, with Jeremy Fernandez and Linda Marigliano also presenting in 2020/2021, and Concetta Caristo co-hosting from 2023/24.