Fantastic finale to 2018 at Light Up the Lake

Liverpool City Council’s iconic New Year’s Eve celebration, Light Up the Lake, was a huge hit for families and friends coming together to celebrate a great year.

Around 8000 people converged on Grand Flaneur Beach at the picturesque Chipping Norton Lake alongside family and friends, surrounded by spectacular food; fun rides and games; and outstanding entertainment.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said she was pleased so many people braved wet weather and came along to the festivities at Chipping Norton Lake.

“2018 was a huge year for Liverpool and our iconic Light Up the Lake celebration was a fantastic finale to cap it off,” Mayor Waller said.

“I’m delighted so many in our community ignored the early showers to ring in the New Year and reflect on wonderful achievements and special occasions, including weddings and births.

“From the rezoning of our city centre to delivering bigger, brighter events and much more, Liverpool continues to be a city on the move. Council has done some great things for Liverpool in the past 12 months and will continue to do so throughout 2019.

“The past year has also presented some challenges and we extend our condolences to families who experienced illness and loss of loved ones. It’s during these hard times in particular that our community’s selflessness and courage has shone through as one of our city’s great strengths.

“In recent weeks community members and volunteer NSW SES crew assisted those whose homes were damaged in the major storms just before Christmas and at Light Up the Lake, $1000 was raised for SES Liverpool as a way for Council; our fundraising partner, Rotary Club of Liverpool; and the community to give back.

As a way of adding a sense of nostalgia to the 2018 New Year’s Eve experience, Council partnered with Seven News to broadcast an immersive multimedia experience that looked back from the 1970s to 2018, with live acts performing top hits from each decade and this year.

“The crowd was transfixed on Seven News’ decade recaps and it was wonderful to see people of all ages bopping along to their favourite songs from the past,” Mayor Waller said.

“In addition to our 9pm firework display, we upped the ante to trial midnight fireworks and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback so far.

“The shift in our event program gave families the chance to celebrate together at an earlier time while others were able to stick around and ring in 2019 as we counted down to our mega midnight firework display.

“A huge thank you to everyone behind the scenes for making Light Up the Lake 2018 our brightest New Year’s Eve celebration to date.”

Council has now turned its attention to its next big celebration.

“We are now looking forward to Australia Day at Woodward Park, which will be another exciting opportunity for people to celebrate our vibrant, multicultural city,” Mayor Waller said.

“From 5pm – 10pm on 26 January, we will have live entertainment for children and adults, amazing international cuisine, children’s activities, carnival rides, fireworks and plenty more.”

Visit www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/australiaday for more event information.