Maitland will ring-in the new year with a bang again this year, but the party could finish more than two hours before 2015 begins.
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The city’s annual New Year’s Eve midnight fireworks could be canned, with revellers left with only the 9pm light show.
Councillors will debate whether to scrap the midnight fireworks at tomorrow’s meeting, after Maitland City Council staff recommended a single fireworks show at 9pm to celebrate the end of 2014.
This would mean the council-run New Year’s Eve events would finish at 9.30pm.
Under the proposal, the alcohol ban would be lifted in the area around Galton’s car park at 4pm on December 31 and be reinstated at 9.30pm.
Cr Philip Penfold disagreed with the plan, which he said was a case of council being the fun police.
He said the midnight fireworks display was a tradition that the city should uphold.
While Cr Penfold had not regularly attended the midnight show, he said council should cater for people without families or children.
“The report doesn’t suggest that this needs to be done to save money or because there has been a history of antisocial behaviour,” he said.
“My argument is that there are people across the city having backyard parties and gatherings who see the fireworks, who might not be at the riverside.”
The mayor of Maitland, Cr Peter Blackmore, said council was focused on continuing to provide a free family-friendly event.
Cr Blackmore said the 9pm display was popular and attracted thousands of people to the riverside, as opposed to the hundreds who stayed for the midnight fireworks.
“Our figures indicate that there are 7000 to 8000 people at the 9pm fireworks as compared with a very, very small number of people at the midnight fireworks,” he said.
“We would be better to concentrate on the earlier fireworks.
“We are one of the only local governments in the Hunter providing free fireworks, particularly on New Year’s Eve.”
The recommendation came after council staff who reviewed last year’s fireworks event found that crowd numbers dropped significantly after the 9pm display.
“The proposed changes will allow council to focus their efforts into providing a high-quality and entertaining event that targets the primary audience of families, during the time they are at the event, which is up to 9.30pm,” marketing and communications manager Rachel MacLucas said.
