Hundreds of volunteers and dozens of Take Kare ambassadors will take to Sydney’s streets this New Year’s Eve to offer more support to revellers than ever before.
This year, volunteer support is offered in 15 different languages, including Japanese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, German, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean as well as English.
Volunteers will be on hand to guide visitors throughout the city from 7am on New Year’s Eve, answering questions about access points, public transport and other services.
“We’re proud to have so many volunteers turning out on our biggest night of the year, showing the world how passionate and supportive locals are about our city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
“Many people will have travelled from overseas or interstate, and if this is their first experience of Sydney, we want to make sure it is the best it can be.”
Sydney New Year’s Eve volunteer, Adrian Lane, is eager to again be part of Australia’s largest public event that transforms the entire city he lives in for the night.
“Sydney New Year’s Eve is special because it brings together people from all nationalities and walks of life,” Mr Lane, from Haymarket, said.
“We expect lots of people in the city from 3pm and big crowds leaving the vantage points after the 9pm Fireworks. If anyone needs some help they should come talk to one of the volunteers on the day, we’re always happy to help.
“A lot of the volunteers have been doing this for over five years, some even longer, so they have a wealth of experience and knowledge.”
With over 40 years of volunteering experience, 2016 will see Adrian volunteer on New Year’s Eve for the 10th time. Alongside 200 fellow Spectator Service volunteers, Adrian will hit the streets from 27 December to New Year’s Eve offering information and support to the public.
Roving volunteers will be found at Hyde Park North, Shakespeare Place, Wynyard Park, Macquarie & Bridge St, QVB and the Sydney Opera House on the night.
Information booths will be at The Rocks, Martin Place, Macquarie and Bridge Street, and Shakespeare Place on New Year’s Eve. Information booths can also be found at Customs House and Queen Victoria Building from 27 December to New Year’s Eve.
The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation’s program Take Kare Safe Space will work with St John’s Ambulance on the night.
With a team of around 50 ambassadors, including five roving teams, Take Kare volunteers will operate from Take Kare Safe Spaces at Town Hall and Kings Cross and six information booths from 10pm to 4am.
Take Kare Ambassadors will provide free water, phone and internet access, and help vulnerable people get home safely.
In addition, St John NSW volunteers will have access to St John vehicles, defibrillators, oxygen and first aid kits for those in need of urgent medical attention.
With Sydney welcoming over one million spectators around Sydney Harbour, the new services will further ensure the safety and enjoyment of revellers after the midnight fireworks light up the sky.
Getting in and out of the city will be different this New Year’s Eve. There will be road closures, on-street fencing and diversions that will help people get through the city safely and move crowds to transport.
Over 40 wayfinding personnel will be available throughout the city on New Year’s Eve. They will assist in directing revellers to vantage points and to public transport. Wayfinders will be located on main routes throughout the city.
The City of Sydney will provide a guide for public transport on New Year’s Eve. The guide includes tips about using public transport and a map with walking routes to public transport that is supported by wayfinding personnel. It can also be downloaded from the official New Year’s Eve website on the public transport page.
Leading up to the night, the event guides will be distributed across the city centre at train stations, information centres, libraries and service centres. Event guides are available in Chinese, Spanish, Korean, German, Japanese, large print, braille and audio format.
There will be more than 1,000 extra trains and 3,500 extra buses available on the night.
The official 2016 Sydney New Year’s Eve website offers a range of tools to plan a safe and enjoyable night, including an interactive map with details on road closures, public transport information and vantage point details. Head to sydneynewyearseve.com/plan-your-nye/ for more information on how to plan your night.
Transport for NSW offers public transport information through social media and transportation apps. For a full list of pages and apps, head to
transportnsw.info/en/travelling-with-us/keep-updated/index.page
For further information on road closures, Google Maps will integrate road closure data on 30 December and divert people around these on the day.
Media platforms such as Broadcast TV, ABC TV and 2DAYFM Radio Broadcast will give updates throughout the night concerning road closures and traffic conditions.
Roads and Maritime services has provided a list of real-time road apps, visit rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/using-roads/trip-information/real-time-road-apps.html for more information.
As the event proceeds and vantage points begin to fill, key information be regularly updated and delivered to the public using the #SydNYE twitter hashtag.
For information about the Take Kare Safe Spaces, visit thomaskellyyouthfoundation.org.au/take-kare-safe-space/
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Belinda Wallis 0467 810 160 or email bwallis@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Paul Mackay on 0432 182 647 or pmackay@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au