1887
First Carnvial
The Burnie Athletic Club organised its first carnival on the South Burnie ground on New Year’s Day 1887 when Burnie’s population was about 1000 and for the first couple of years continued with a picnic entertainment programme.
1889
First 130 yard Sheffield Handicap
The first 130 yard Sheffield Handicap, the event that became the Burnie Gift and the blue – ribbon event in Tasmania was staged in 1889. To understand the significance of that date, that first Burnie Gift was held seven years before the First Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
1915
Moved to West Park Oval
In 1915 the Burnie Athletic Club moved to West Park and hosted the 1915 New Year’s Day Sports Carnival.
1917
Cycling was added to the program in 1917
Cycling was added to the program in 1917, with the Burnie Wheel attracting some of the world’s leading cyclists. The first Wheel Race was conducted on the same grass track as the Mile race. By 1919 West Park Oval had an asphalt cycling track.
1920's
Wood Chopping Added
Wood Chopping was also added to the Carnival program in the 1920’s and is still a major part of the Burnie New Year’s Day Carnival today. Wood Chopping records prior to the early l920s have not been established. The 1928 Illustrated Tasmanian Mail has a picture of a Standing Wood Chopping event, the following year there is a picture of a Tree Felling Handicap event.
1975
20,000 Attendees
The event reached its peak in the mid 1970’s when more than 20,000 people attended the day and night sessions of the carnival at West Park on New Year’s Day 1975. The town of Burnie, at the time, had a population of 17,000 people.
2017
Celebrating 130 Years
The 2017 New Year’s Day Carnival celebrated 130 years from the commencement of the New Year’s Day Carnival. It also celebrated 100 years of the Burnie Wheel and it was 40 years since the now famous 1977 Burnie Wheel Race won by Danny Clark.