A tender released this week shows the City of Adelaide is looking for an event manager to deliver a “family-friendly style event” at Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka (Park 14), featuring fireworks and light/drone shows at 9:30pm and midnight on NYE.

It will be the second consecutive year the traditional fireworks show is a ticketed event in the eastern park lands, after the Adelaide City Council opted in 2021 to scrap the previously free fireworks show in Elder Park.

Last year’s Rymill Park event, held amidst a growing COVID-19 wave, was limited to 5000 tickets. It was hosted by the organisers of popular Fringe hub Gluttony.

Despite the lack of COVID-19 restrictions this year, the tender states that the NYE 22 Family Festival “will be ticketed to manage audience numbers”.

Adelaide City Council director of city shaping Ilia Houridis said ticket pricing and site capacity for the family festival form a part of the tender process.

“Affordability [is] a key criteria to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the event within a managed space,” he said in a statement.

“Capacity will depend on final site designs and whilst we don’t have any COVID-19 restrictions, we will consider good event management practices in conjunction with the successful tenderer.”

Council will contribute $130,000 to the festival and organise the 9:30pm and midnight fireworks/lights show.

“The event should appeal primarily to families with young children,” the tender states.

“The Family Festival ticket price should be affordable, and its value aligned to the program experience being offered.

“There will be hybrid lighting, pyrotechnic and drone displays in an adjacent Park Land at 9.30pm and midnight which Council will produce and deliver (drone display is subject to a feasibility study which Council is currently undertaking).”

The tender also shows that council intends to continue with its “Midnight Moments” NYE program, featuring smaller parties and a “decentralised entertainment program” across the city with live music, street closures and outdoor dining.

NYE 2021 featured five unticketed street parties across the East End, Peel Street, Jerningham Street, Eleven off Waymouth and Sparkke at the Whitmore.

This year’s procurement document outlines that the street parties could feature “projected countdowns, lighting shows, low level or more substantial firework displays and other experimental approaches”.

It also outlines an intention for NYE 2022 to encourage patrons “to celebrate at different locations across the city, with the objective of moving towards a city-wide NYE celebration”.

Houridis said market research for the reimagined NYE 2021 program “proved it was a hit”.

“NYE in the City 2022 will build on the success of last year’s approach and return even bigger and better,” he said.

“The total budget for New Year’s Eve is $401,000 and the Family Festival event will feature a hybrid fireworks and lighting show as well as incorporating drones for the first time.”

The total council budget for last year’s NYE program was $370,000.

Council expects to execute a contract with a preferred event manager in September.