ABC New Year's Eve Coverage

Television ABC
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Lifeline and Kids Helpline join forces with ABC this New Year’s Eve

The ABC will welcome in the new year by partnering with Lifeline and Kids Helpline in a joint appeal to help fund frontline services and crisis support. The annual New Year’s Eve broadcast, live from the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, will bring communities together for a night of music, fun and fireworks.

Lifeline and Kids Helpline are the leading providers of crisis support and suicide prevention in Australia, with over 1 million Australians reaching out each year; this demand for counselling services has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Together, we can help raise funds to provide connection and hope for the thousands of people who call both services every minute, so no person in Australia needs to face their darkest moments alone.

Hosts Zan Rowe and Charlie Pickering will be driving the callout for donations as they host our We Are One Live Concert, live from the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl starring some of Australia’s top performers including Paul Kelly & Friends, Amy Shark, DMA’s, Vera Bluey, Teskey Brothers, Casey Donovan, Odette and Ben Lee. Before they rock the main stage, families can enjoy the New Year’s Eve Early Night Show hosted by Rove McManus, Kiki Masella and Chenelle Carr who will present a variety show with everything you need to get the party started from the comfort of your own home.

Director of ABC Regional & Local, Judith Whelan said, “I think many of us are looking forward to farewelling 2020. It’s been a very tough year for so many Australians and this partnership with Lifeline and Kids Helpline gives us all the chance to show support where it is most needed. The ABC has put together a terrific show to see out the year. I know our audiences will enjoy the great line-up of Australian talent and I hope everyone will dig deep to help those most in need.”

Lifeline Australia’s CEO, Colin Seery said, “More people have been reaching out for support this year, than at any other time in our 57-year history. As we stay up to watch the fireworks this New Year’s Eve, our Crisis Supporters will be on-shift, answering calls and keeping people safe. It’s our hope that Australian’s will rally behind the ABC in their support of Lifeline and Kids Helpline to help us ensure that each and every night, there is someone there to take the call from a person who needs our support.”

yourtown CEO, Tracy Adams said, “Our Kids Helpline service continues to experience increased demand, it is critical that we are able to respond to children and young people in the moment that they need help. As we embark on a new year we don’t expect to see a decline any time soon, in fact, as Australia rebuilds, the need for counselling and support services will only continue. We share a commitment with Lifeline of being there when we are needed at any time.

Funds raised on the night will enable Lifeline and Kids Helpline to keep providing lifesaving crisis counselling to Australians in need and support frontline services – helping more people to answer more calls.

The live concert will be broadcast to Australia via ABC TV, iview and simulcast on ABC Radio from 10pm AEDT. The rest of the world can watch the concert via ABC Australia and ABC Online. The ABC will also broadcast an audio description of the fireworks.

8.30pm New Year’s Eve Early Night Show

9.05pm Welcome to Country

9.10pm We are One Live Concert

12.00am Midnight Fireworks

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Paul Kelly rehearsing for New Year’s Eve. Posted on Instagram by Jessica Hitchcock.

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What a waste of money

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Tomorrow’s NYE concert in Sydney will be held at the Opera House forecourt without crowds.

An ABC spokesman said the public broadcaster was working hard to ensure people all around the country could participate in New Year’s festivities from the safety and comfort of their own homes.

“Producing live television entertainment without an audience is something we have become used to this year,” he said.

“We have just under 200 ABC staff working on the night to bring everyone here and around the world the very best Australian entertainment.”

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For many it will be the only fireworks they get to see. There’s not going to be any fireworks around our area and we’ll only have the TV ones to watch. Still better than nothing. There’s been way too much nothing this year already, we need to try and have some normality when we can.

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Exactly, there shouldn’t be any fireworks.

Think about the money Wasted and pollution that fireworks create. There are other ways that New Years can be celebrated, it doesn’t have to be fireworks. Led laser Light shows would be far more cheaper and still can create a cool effect to celebrate the New Year!

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Ok boomer

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How about letting people enjoy things?

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Will be interesting to see how it goes crowd-less

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I can’t wait for Charlie Pickering’s dead and soulless eyes to see me into another year.

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Hope he doesn’t mess up and tell everyone to kill…sorry, kiss a policeman.

But kissing is probably out of the question too in these COVID times.

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Adelaide City Council was planning a laser light and drone show for tomorrow but cancelled it due to COVID-19. I reckon it will go ahead in 12 months’ time.

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Like looking in the mirror, eh? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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My face is capable of giving off human expressions and emotions.

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Sick burn. :rofl:

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I’m a simple man. I like seeing exploding things. The anti-fireworks crowd are just a bunch of wowsers who fail to conceive that an awe-inspiring laser light and/or drone show will be just as expensive as shooting a bunch of fireworks in the sky. And the ‘animals’ argument is pretty weak when you consider that the rumble of thunderstorms will affect animals in the same way…and we aren’t exactly rushing to ban thunderstorms, are we?

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Working in pyros I can tell you the past few years most major displays have had a large portion of explosives use bio paper with far less chemicals. Sydney’s been carbon neutral for a while now and other cap cities pushing towards that goal too. Operating a laser show to gain a similar effect would be next to impossibly (particularly down here in Melb with so many locations).

Yes, of course there’s other ways to celebrate, however the points you’ve offered don’t really stack up in reference to Australia’s major displays.

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How about drones?

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I’m all for drones and laser lights and all that sort of stuff but they’re not going to launch something new like that without any fanfare and after they’ve told everyone to stay home. That’s something they’d be making a big fuss about and wanting everybody to gather round and watch and celebrate with… exactly the opposite of what they’ve had to do due to COVID but the fireworks however, there will be plenty of people who can see them from their home but potentially millions who can watch them on TV from their homes and with so many local displays and events cancelled around the country they need something to watch and celebrate but also to have a sense of normality which so many people require but have struggled to have this year with so much upheaval.

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Update:

ABC’s line up tonight remains the same. However, instead of the Family Fireworks as part of New Year’s Eve 2020: Early Night Show there will be a ‘best of’ 9pm fireworks.

https://twitter.com/Rove/status/1344468939456217088?s=20

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