Bayside Council's Carols by the Sea, a highlight of the council's annual events program, will return bigger and better than ever.

Carols by the Sea will return in an enlarged format and there will be a new Australia Day concert event, but there is no budget for the New Year's Eve fireworks at Brighton-Le-Sands under Bayside Council's proposed events program for 2026-27.

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In the 2025-26 financial year, Bayside Council allocated approximately $1.5 million to deliver 33 events and activations, ranging from large-scale destination events to smaller community and commemorative activities.

'Reliably successful'

For the 2026-27 financial year the council's events, arts and design team will deliver a program of more than 30 events, supported by a budget of approximately $1.5 million.

The proposed events calendar for 2026-2027 will go to the Bayside city services committee tonight (April 8) for consideration.

Several major events are described as reliably successful - Spring Fair, Food & Wine Festival, Lunar New Year, Ramadan Festival, Diwali, Carols by the Sea and Creative Carlton.

For the 2026-27 Annual Events Program, the events team is proposing a number of adjustments to the current schedule following community feedback, internal review of recent events, and consideration of how to best utilise the allocated budget.

The Carols by the Sea event at Brighton-Le-Sands will now occur at the beginning of December, transforming it into a signature "turning on the lights" celebration.

"Carols by the Sea remains Council's strongest event. With a modest increase to the current budget - focused on securing a headline act, engaging professional performers, and enhancing overall production quality - the event has the potential to become the council's signature Christmas celebration," the council report stated.

Australia Day - It is proposed Bayside Council deliver a large-scale concert at Booralee Park, Botany with a lineup of headline acts and supporting artists, celebrating First Nations heritage alongside the many cultures that define Bayside today.

"Bayside Alive's Walk Together Hand in Hand Australia Day 2027 presents an opportunity to deliver a new unifying, concert-style event that reflects both the diversity and shared identity of the Bayside community," the council report stated.

New Year's Eve Fireworks: At present, there is no allocated funding within the Events, Arts and Design budget to support the delivery of a New Year's Eve fireworks event.

"Although a New Year's Eve fireworks event has not been delivered in Bayside for six years following the cancellation of the 2019 event due to adverse weather there is ongoing consideration as to whether it should be reintroduced," the report stated.

High risk

"The event is inherently high risk and high cost, attracting significant crowds from both within Bayside and surrounding areas. As attendance grew historically, increasingly complex measures were required to manage crowd safety, traffic, and access.

"The event's reliance on fireworks launched from barges on Botany Bay makes it particularly vulnerable to weather conditions. In addition, its proximity to Sydney Airport introduces further operational and regulatory constraints, increasing the likelihood of cancellation due to airspace or safety requirements. Recent quotes indicate that the cost of staging a New Year's Eve fireworks event would exceed $500,000, with costs expected to rise further.

"Given the high probability of cancellation and the significant financial exposure, the event represents a considerable investment with limited certainty of delivery."

Bayside Christmas Tree Program. The council currently installs six Christmas trees which are five-metres tall and are fully decorated including lights at a cost of $230,551.

The trees are installed at Brighton-Le-Sands; Ramsgate shops; Kings Street Mall, Rockdale; Angelo Anestis Pool, Bexley; Mascot Memorial Park; and Arthur Park, Botany.

The three-year contract for the installation of the trees finishes this Christmas and the council will go out to tender for another contract.

Enjoying ambience

"It is timely to consider whether to continue installing six Christmas Trees at the current locations or reduce the number and increase the height and size for impact and install in high visibility locations where locals and visitors gather to enjoy the ambience," the council report stated.