Shell Cove could be the location of a New Year’s Eve event. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
A proposal for a 2026 New Year’s Eve celebration that replaces traditional fireworks with an eco-friendly drone light show has won Shellharbour councillors’ support, but not everyone agrees Shell Cove is the right stage for it.
Councillors Kellie Marsh and Mitch Ellis put forward the motion for a report on the costs and benefits of an environmentally and pet friendly New Year’s Eve event at Shell Cove for 31 December 2026, which was unanimously endorsed at a recent council meeting.
Cr Marsh said the event would include a drone light show and sustainable waste practices, and requested the report consider seeking suitable grant funding and/or sponsorship to the value required to avoid it coming from council’s cash reserves.
She said they lost a lot of tourism to Kiama and Wollongong due to Shellharbour not having a New Year’s Eve event, and had “a fantastic city that we should have showcased”.
“The days of fireworks have gone,” she said.
“The drone show provides the opportunity for a pet friendly event and also something that would help people with sensory issues as well.
“I had a resident who spoke to me today that said he’d never gone to a New Year’s Eve event with his grandchildren because he has issues with noise, and this is something he could potentially take his grandchildren to.”
She said it was about showcasing who Shellharbour was, which was environmentally friendly and focused on sustainable practices.
Cr Mitch Ellis said drone light shows had a low environmental impact, with “no emissions, no debris, hopefully no explosions like fireworks and no loud noises”.
“The use of drones also eliminates the issue of waste practices … in comparison to fireworks, which causes smoke, chemical residue, noise pollution, and creates litter from shell casings and debris,” he said.
“The biggest complaints or concerns from the general public are usually disturbing pets, wildlife and people sensitive to loud sounds.
“Shell Cove is a world-class marina, and it deserves a world-class event.”
However, Cr Moira Hamilton said while it was a great idea, she didn’t know if Shell Cove was the answer due to it not having the capacity for large crowds and enough parking.
“There’s a lot of people in our community, and I just don’t know if Shell Cove can actually deal with, say, 50,000 people,” Cr Hamilton said.
“I think it should be done like it was years ago down at Reddall (Reserve) at the lake.”
Cr Rob Petreski said he had originally proposed a similar idea years earlier that didn’t get up due to lack of funding, but did result in the now popular annual Enchanted Forest lights event.
The marina at night. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Cr Petreski said.
“It was something that was flagged a few years ago, and maybe a few years ago the drone technology was more cost prohibitive.
“I think the drone technology is coming down in price exponentially, so I’m hoping it will be affordable.”
However, he said as a Shell Cove resident who visited the area on New Year’s Eve, it was already busy on that night.
“The crowds and the parking and facilitating that may be a bit of an issue, and I hope that that is addressed in the report,” he said.
“I would urge council officers to, of course, look at all those things and come up with Shell Cove as ‘an’ option, but maybe not the only option.”
He said the council’s budgetary constraints were real, so would need grant funding, sponsorship, or a combination of both.
“We’ve seen what happened with Kiama with their fireworks – they’ve had to pull the pin due to a lack of funds,” he said.
“Things like this do cost a lot of money and we need to make sure we can do that within our constraints.”
Cr Lou Stefanovski asked where funds would come from, to which staff responded it would be identified through the report.
Cr John Davey said while his initial reaction was it needed to happen at Reddall Reserve, on reflection he believed Shell Cove was the right location.
“We’re promoting our marina as world-class, so what better way than to put a world-class light show on,” Cr Davey said.
He said crowds and transport issues could all be addressed to make it viable, and adequate security and infrastructure organised.
“There’s a lot of low-lying, flat areas around the marina, towards the village, and we’ve got the promenade,” he said.
“People will be able to spread out.
“I just think this is a brilliant idea, and it’s the perfect location for it to take place.”
Cr Marsh added that drone shows could be viewed from quite a distance, not requiring people to congregate within a small space.
