Kiama’s NYE fireworks and lightshow, the largest between Sydney and Melbourne, will not be held this year.

Councillor Matt Brown, chair of the Destination Kiama advisory committee, says the decision was made early so as not to waste time and money preparing for something that might not be allowed to proceed.

“There are a lot of resources needed to prepare for our NYE celebrations, Kiama’s biggest event of the year.

“It takes a good five months to prepare for, as there are many agencies and community groups to liaise with.

“Ordering the fireworks is one of the easiest parts.”

He says in dollar terms the night costs $25,000, but the real cost is much higher when staff costs are factored in.

“Given there is a high likelihood it could all be cancelled because of social distancing requirements, I don’t want to tie up a whole load of resources for something that may not happen.

“It would be demoralising for that effort to be wasted.”

Instead, Destination Kiama is planning for a July celebration of some kind.

“Our town will be bustling over summer, and we think it is a better use of resources to plan for something in July next year rather than risk our fireworks being a fizzer.”

Councillor Brown encourages anyone with ideas for the July event to contact him or Destination Kiama.