Sydney Harbour Bridge centenary celebrated with record light show

Sydney celebrated the 94th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge opening with a record light and projection show that attracted an estimated 1.2 million people to the foreshore from the Rocks to the Opera House, surpassing the previous record attendance for a bridge anniversary event and reflecting the sustained public affection for a structure that has transcended its role as transport infrastructure to become the defining symbol of Sydney and one of the world's most recognised landmarks.

The light show — produced by Spinifex Group under commission from the NSW government and Destination NSW — ran for 45 minutes and told the story of the bridge's construction, the workers who built it, and its evolution from a purely utilitarian crossing to a civic icon whose BridgeClimb experience has become one of Australia's most sought-after tourism products with more than four million visitors having climbed the arch since the experience launched in 1998.

Destination NSW chief executive Steve Cox said the anniversary event had generated an estimated $48 million in economic activity in Sydney over the anniversary weekend, with visitors from interstate and international tourists specifically timing their Sydney trip to coincide with the event. The accommodation sector reported the highest occupancy since the post-COVID recovery peak, with premium hotels in the CBD and the Rocks achieving the nightly rates that had not been seen since the international travel bubble reopened in 2022.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the bridge anniversary was "a reminder of what Australians can build when we commit to ambitious infrastructure," drawing parallels to the Western Sydney Airport that is expected to open later this year as the next generation of Sydney infrastructure that will shape the city's development for the century ahead.

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