What to expect at this year's NYE celebrations in Sydney

It's one of the toughest gigs in a hard to impress town; planning how to dazzle one million people watching live, and billions across Australia and the world, on New Year's Eve.

Just to add some extra pressure, it will be the 23^rd time Fortunato Foti and his family have had to do so.

Luckily, with eight generations of experience in fireworks stretching back to the late 18^th century, the task of stunning each year with a new and improved pyrotechnicolour extravaganza, is a regular day's work for the Foti clan.

Well, 15 months actually, each new New Year's Eve fireworks display beginning its planning, as the one before is being prepped to ignite.

"I love fireworks," said Fortunato at today's preview announcement at Sydney Opera House. "I'll twirl a sparkler and get enjoyment out of it."

Thankfully for the million or so people watching along the harbour foreshore, there'll be more this year than just a twirling sparkler; in fact, the Fotis are promising the biggest New Year's Even show ever.

More than eight tonnes of fireworks have been prepared, and when digitally launched by 18 computers, will trigger more than 100-thousand individual effects.

Given the smoke that has blanketed Sydney over the past week, the Fotis have been conscious about trying to reduce the amount of smoke their work generates as well.

"We're mindful of the fact that fireworks do create smoke, and we don't want to add any more than necessary," says Fortunato.

And the Fotis will also have some assistance this year in the illumination stakes, with a beam of light jutting from peak of the Harbour Bridge, with the power of billions of candles, a similar lightshow to what the Luxor casino in Las Vegas offers on the Strip.

"It will start with fingers of light, like a big flower or diamond, coming together as one into a solid beam," says Ziggy Ziegler, the event's Lighting Director.

Even the ferris wheel at Luna Park will have a part to play with light on the night.

But before and after both the 9pm family show, and the traditional midnight explosion into the next year, the bridge will be a stage for projections on its pylons, while on the water there will be a flotilla of craft garnished in colour, the evening laced with tribute to Australia's indigenous heart.

Security will remain tight, but police say they are not expecting trouble.

"We have no information or intelligence to suggest there's any specific threat to this year's event," Assistant NSW Police Commissioner Mick Willing said at today's launch.

"Over the last few years, it has been a safe event, by and large, behaviour has been excellent, and I expect the same."

However, the Assistant Commissioner added that there will be a strong number of both uniformed and plainclothes police on duty that night.

While there has been some chat about the suitability of staging the fireworks amid the fury of an early bushfire season, the city's mayor says with thousands of tourists already booked to visit Sydney that night, the show must go on.

"We are going through really tough times now, and this brings us together to celebrate a new year with hope," Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Sydney's NYE celebrations are acknowledged as one of the most visually stunning from around the planet, as the new year chases the sun.

More than $6 million has been injected into this year's display, which is estimated to earn NSW more than $130 million in reveller generated revenue.