Maitland's New Year's Eve fireworks have been postponed due to the current and forecast extreme weather conditions for the city.
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It is the second year in a row the 9pm fireworks have been called off, after an intense storm forced their cancellation last year. But this year's event will still go ahead as planned without the 9pm sky display. Council will make a decision on what to do with the unused fireworks in the new year.
The decision to call off the fireworks came from a meeting between Maitland Council, representatives from Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service and the pyrotechnicians on Monday morning.They reached a consensus position that current and forecast conditions would mean proceeding with the planned fireworks would present an unacceptable level of risk to both the safety of the event and the community.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Greg Symonds said there were a number of factors that led to the decision including the severe fire danger forecast for the region, predicted 42 degree temperatures, unfavourable wind forecast and low fuel moisture content on site and in the surrounding area.
"These, combined with our services being heavily committed to existing fires in the region, meant that proceeding with the fireworks presented too great a risk," he said.
Council booked the fireworks display earlier in the year and had planned to proceed had conditions been favourable.
Council's General Manager David Evans said council committed to the fireworks long before the conditions we are currently experiencing took hold.
"We would have liked to have been able to proceed with the fireworks had the conditions forecast for tomorrow been more favourable, but after the site inspection today, we support the advice from the emergency services," he said.
Council will still proceed with the other planned activities from 5pm - 8.30pm in the Riverside Car Park, which include free family amusements, live music, face painting, food stalls, kids disco, craft activities, free photobooth and more.
"Despite the fireworks not going ahead, we'll still be hosting a range of free family activities, to say goodbye to 2019 and welcome 2020 so I would encourage everyone to come along join together and celebrate," Mr Evans said.
