Shellharbour Council is looking to get a share of the action for the 2026 New Year’s Eve celebrations along the Illawarra coastline with a motion passed at its October Meeting.

Councillors Kellie Marsh and Cr Mitch Ellis submitted a Notice of Motion at the meeting which was passed unanimously, 8-0.

Cr Marsh is calling for drones and to ditch the fireworks to protect the pets and wildlife of the Shellharbour local government area.

“I suppose after New Year’s Eve last year, it pained me to see that residents of Shellharbour would be going to Wollongong or Kiama,” Cr Marsh said.

“I’d really like to keep the locals at home, enjoying their own city, networking with their own community and showcasing the beautiful environment and people that we’ve got in Shellharbour for the tourists.

“It’s just horrible to see how many animals are affected by it [the fireworks].

“We have so many dogs that have anxiety issues, but there are also people in the community that have issues with large noises.

“So I think that if we’re going to do something, it needs to be something that is for everybody.”

For Cr Marsh, her idea is aimed towards providing entertainment while having a frugal and environmental approach for Shellharbour Council and residents.

“By doing a drone show, it would be the first for the Illawarra and something that would draw quite a large crowd,” Cr Marsh said.

“[Drones are] are a little more cost effective than fireworks and the least environmental footprint that we can have as well.”

The motion also asked for consideration to seeking suitable grant funding and/or sponsorship including what value of grant funding would be required to enable the event to take place.

“That’s why I’ve asked for a report as well, so we can find out how much it’s going to cost us,” Cr Marsh said.

“I don’t want the money [for the NYE event] coming from ratepayer money and council coffers.”

Cr Marsh is aware of the associated costs and used Kiama Council’s recent cancellation of the 2025 New Year’s Eve Sky Show celebrations as the yardstick.

“It’s all those hidden costs that have to be taken into consideration,” Cr Marsh said.

“It’s not just security or crowd control, but also traffic management as well. It is all those incidentals around the event that put the costs up.”

The Bugle reported in August that the Kiama 2025 New Years Eve Sky Show was budgeted to cost approximately $90,000 to hold the show (not considering staff costs), with only $35,000 associated with the actual fireworks and associated entertainment.

In the recent Notice of Motion, the proposed location is in Shell Cove which is part of a master plan of Shellharbour City Council for the Waterfront Shell Cove Marina which includes a 1-room hotel.