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Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Napier New Year’s Eve at Sound Shell: Fireworks, music and family fun all for free

Hawkes Bay Today
13 Dec, 2025 05:00 PM2 mins to read

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Fireworks in Napier will mark the moment midnight strikes and the New Year begins. Photo / Connull Lang

Fireworks in Napier will mark the moment midnight strikes and the New Year begins. Photo / Connull Lang

Napier will be finishing 2025 with a bang this New Year’s Eve.

The oceanfront Sound Shell will be the setting for the Art Deco city’s end-of-year celebrations, which will feature dancing, music, free admission and two fireworks displays.

One display will be at 9.45pm, specially for the young ones, and the second display is at midnight after the traditional ringing of the Veronica Bell.

The Veronica Bell is from the HMS Veronica and was presented to the city as a memento of the assistance given by the ship’s officers and crew in rescue work after the 1931 earthquake.

Now the bell is rung to herald in the New Year and at the conclusion of Art Deco weekend to commemorate those who suffered and died in the earthquake.

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This year’s line-up of musicians and artists is headlined by the winners of RNZ’s Battle of the Cover Bands 2018, White Chapel Jak, who promise feel-good grooves, powerhouse vocals and fresh twists on old classics to get the crowd moving.

They join local acts Urban Dukes, who will perform cover songs to get the dancefloor humming, country rockers with a punk edge Devils Elbow, singer-songwriter Ella Pollett and the Sophie Jean Dance Company.

Napier Mayor Richard McGrath said this New Year’s Eve will be one of the best in the city yet.

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“You don’t need big plans for New Year’s when we have everything sorted, including plenty of food trucks to cater to all tastes,” he said.

“There’s nothing like celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Sound Shell. It’s a place that everyone loves being in.

“Bring the family, grab your mates and your visitors, show them how Napier celebrates and kick the year off right.”

New Year’s Eve at the Sound Shell is an alcohol-free event and a liquor ban is in place in Napier’s CBD.

A total fire ban is also in place.

The event is made possible through a partnership between Napier City Council and Littlestone.

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