Bondi Beach NYE celebrations are set to return after more than a decade, with Waverley residents offered their own free family-friendly space beside the ticketed elrow Sydney XXL event.
The beachfront will host New Year’s Eve celebrations on 31 December 2026 across Bondi Beach Park and Bondi Pavilion, bringing a large-scale event back to the area after the planned 2025 celebration was cancelled following the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack.
While elrow Sydney XXL will form the main ticketed event, a separate Locals Lawn will give eligible Waverley residents a free, all-ages place to mark the night closer to home.
A Local Space at Bondi Beach NYE
The Locals Lawn will be set up at the southern end of Bondi Beach Park, with food trucks, roaming entertainment, family-friendly performances and activities planned throughout the evening.
An early fireworks display is scheduled for 9pm, allowing local families to take part in the celebrations without attending the 18-plus festival.
Local businesses and performers are also expected to be involved, while the program is intended to support homegrown charities and community groups.
The local focus follows strong eastern suburbs uptake for the cancelled 2025 event. About one-third of tickets had been sold within the local postcode, while around 60 per cent had gone to people across Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Waverley residents will again receive priority access to the main event, with a locals presale scheduled to begin at 10am on 30 September.
People who held tickets for the cancelled 2025 celebration are also being offered earlier access through a separate ticket-holder process.
Two Different Ways to Welcome the New Year
Beyond the Locals Lawn, elrow Sydney XXL will run from 6pm until 12.30am across Bondi Beach Park and Bondi Pavilion.
The 18-plus event can accommodate as many as 15,000 people, with tickets starting from $189.90 plus fees.
Two full-scale themed stages will form part of the festival. The main stage will use the El triángulo de las Rowmudas, or Rowmuda Triangle, theme, built around a pirate ship, a large sea monster known as the Kraken and roaming characters including pirates and mermaids.
A second stage, known as the Pink Cathedral, will also be included along the beachfront.
The full performer line-up has not yet been announced.
General presale access is scheduled to begin at noon on 30 September, followed by general public ticket sales at noon on 1 October.
For Waverley residents, the return of Bondi Beach NYE will therefore include both the large ticketed festival and a separate free local gathering, giving families and other eligible residents their own place within the beachfront celebrations.
Published 17-September-2026
