Syd fireworks a taste for midnight

Revellers have been treated to a taste of the spectacular show to come at midnight with the first round of fireworks thrilling crowds at Sydney Harbour.

Bursts of colour shot into the sky from a number of sites, while a colourful waterfall of sparks cascaded from the Harbour Bridge.

Louise Atab and her two young children made their annual pilgrimage from the city's west and will now drive straight home to Bankstown to catch the midnight show on TV.

"We've been doing this for years now and there's something really special about it, the kids just love it, being here among all these people," Ms Atab told AAP.

Anabelle, 8, explained her tactic for making it to midnight.

"I'll have an hour's sleep on the way to make sure I can stay awake."

The early show also attracted interstate visitors, Simon Krug and Sophie Cucommun, who flew from Melbourne to catch the pyrotechnics.

Mr Krug, 18, said nothing could have prepared him for the million-strong crowd lining Sydney's waterside.

"There's something about being here under the bridge, near The Rocks, to see some of the best fireworks in the world that's just something pretty awesome," Mr Krug told AAP.

"It's amazing to see so many different people here, just to see the fireworks, just to cap off New Year's."

There was standing room only as far as the eye could see along Sydney Harbour from early in the night.

Frenchman Baptiste Galleron, who grew up watching the Sydney fireworks on TV will have been waiting at Milsons Point for 32 hours when midnight comes.

Sydneysider Anthony Tarabie said getting to see the show firsthand for the first time stirred up a sense of nostalgia and homecoming after living abroad for several years.

His friend Michelle Flocco returned to the city's annual show after 15 years to show resilience in the wake of international terror attacks.

"It's about saying we're not afraid, we're here and we're proud, we're a community and we won't be stopped from celebrating," she told AAP.

More than seven tonnes of fireworks will be set off over the Sydney skyline on Thursday night.

A "brave and bold" welcome-to-country honouring Sydney's first people is expected to feature prominently in the midnight show.