The popular Tropical Fruits New Year's Eve (NYE) event will be going ahead in December and January 2024 but will be significantly smaller than its peak years.

Like most events, Tropical Fruits NYE celebrations have been curtailed by COVID or flood and once again the February 28, 2022 flood is having an impact.

A development application is before council, which asks for the event capacity to be reduced from 3,500 tickets to 1,500 tickets and camping capacity reduced from 1,500 to 1,000.

The DA states:

The proposed event is a New Years’ Eve Dance and New Year’s Day Recovery Party and associated activities, including an Art Exhibition, Café and short-term camping area set up within the grounds of the event site. The event has been run annually at the Lismore Showgrounds since 2002, with no major changes to event structure in this period. A continual update of management practices has seen the event run smoothly and with no major complaints in this time. Camping commences on December 27th and concludes January 4th. The first event begins at 6pm on December 30th with an exclusive event for campers only. The main party commences at 8pm on December 31st and concludes at 6am on January 2nd.

There will be no pool party at the Lismore Memorial Baths, as the pool will not be reopened before the New Year, plus there will be no street parade through the CBD block.

There will be low-noise events on New Year's Day (January 1 2024) such as workshops, performance and panels before the party starts again at 4pm. This replaces the pool party.

A spokesperson for the Tropical Fruits Committee said the Tropical Fruits New Year's Eve Party will be a year-by-year assessment and 2023/24 is a knock-on effect from the flood.

"We are scaling it down this year because of the rebuild. We had a metre and a half through our clubhouse and we lost a lot of items including sewing machines which are crucial to our functioning."

"To put on a big event takes a lot of people and a lot of volunteers. This year the availability of those people is less, everyone is very tired after an exhausting last twenty months. But, we still wanted to put on an event."

‘Bush Magik’ is this year’s theme. The Tropical Fruits website says it pays homage to the beauty and enchantment of this great land, while celebrating the connection between the Australian bush and the magikal forces that have shaped the landscapes of ourselves and each other as LGBTQ+ people.

"Bush Magik is a return to our grassroots & rhizomes, a festival for up to 2000 people, consisting of three dance parties across the 30th (Camp party), 31st (NYE party) & the 1st (Recovery party), our renowned Cabaret (NYE) the crooked ‘Next Day Cabaret’ (NYD) as well as an arts & cultural program with panels, workshops & activities happening throughout. Camping is available from 27th-4th for up to 1000 people."

You can buy tickets here.