Massive crowd lines Gisborne’s riverbanks for Fire in the Sky event

The sensational 10-minute fireworks show enraptured the massive crowd, which lined the riverbanks to watch it. Photo / Murray Robertson

The New Year was welcomed in style over the Gisborne city rivers, with fireworks keeping a massive crowd enraptured.

The annual Walter Findlay “Family Fire in the Sky” event, held on the evening of January 1, has previously drawn estimated crowds of 10,000.

Some attendees believed this year may be the biggest yet, estimating numbers well over 10,000.

The crowd started to build properly early evening, but some people settled into their viewing spots during the afternoon. Half-an-hour before the fireworks started the riverbanks were packed. Photo / Murray Robertson

Spectators packed the banks of the Taruheru and Turanganui rivers around the Peel St, William Petty and Gladstone Rd bridges.

Looking out over the Peel St bridge, there was a sea of faces on both sides of the river and around the Cenotaph.

The crowd started back near the rear of Gisborne Fire Station.

Both sides of the Taruheru River were crowded, along with the area around the Cenotaph and the bridges themselves. Photo / Murray Robertson

A bouncy castle “village” established in Kelvin Park drew many hundreds of children throughout the buildup to the climactic fireworks show.

The crackers started to go up just before 9.30pm, and the display lasted around 10 minutes, full of vivid colours and loud bangs.

Spectators were united in their positive reviews of this year's fireworks celebration. Photo / Murray Robertson

People spoken to by the Gisborne Herald afterwards were universal in their praise for it.

“It was absolutely fabulous,” said one rapt spectator.

“The cascading fireworks were my favourite,” said another.

“Such a cool show for Gisborne,” said a visitor.

“It was so good to see so many families with their kiddies there enjoying the night. It was magic.”

One man spoken to reckoned it was one of the biggest, if not the biggest crowd, he had ever seen at the Walter Findlay-sponsored show.

“It was a massive turnout, and what a spectacular fireworks show.

“A great start to 2026!”