Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has promised a new “Melbourne Moment” will sound the beginning of the new decade this New Year’s Eve in Melbourne.

And instead of the customary Lord Mayoral address, the city will be lit up by a 10-second countdown to midnight that will see V-shaped comets shoot from the rooftops of the city’s tallest skyscrapers.

“It’s a real Melbourne thing with its own identity,” Mr Doyle told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It’s absolutely Melbourne and I love the idea that there will be tens of thousands of people in the streets to countdown 10, nine, eight and so on.”

The countdown will be followed by a 10-minute fireworks spectacular that will be visible from anywhere in the city, as well as any vantage points throughout the suburbs that have a view of the city skyline.

The fireworks display will be the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration that Melbourne has ever seen.

The $225,000 spectacular will be set to a soundtrack featuring memorable pop songs that will be broadcast on 99.7FM, a frequency setup especially for the occasion.

Celebration sites will also be setup at Federation Square, Birrarung Marr, Alexandra Gardens and Docklands.

Family-friendly celebrations will be held at Yarra Park, near the MCG, commencing at 5pm and ending with a fireworks display at 9:15pm.

There will also be an early fireworks display at 9:15pm at Victoria Harbour, Docklands.

NOT TO BE OUTDONE the City of Sydney will host its own massive New Year’s Eve celebrations, commencing at 5pm with aerial displays over the city centre, and projections on the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge of the evening’s theme, ‘Awaken the Spirit’, in multiple languages including Greek.

Sydney’s celebrations will also include a family fireworks display at 9pm, and culminate in a 12-minute fireworks spectacular at midnight.

For the full program of celebrations in Melbourne click here while for the full program of celebrations in Sydney click here.