Despite a slow start, the community showed their support not only for the council, but for their friends, families and even strangers who have been affected by the fires burning across the state.

There was plenty of music to enjoy and ample space to lay a picnic rug down and soak up the live entertainment. Little ones didn't seem too phased by the thought of no fireworks and were thrilled to be able to get their faces painted for free, nibble on ice cream and play in the gardens.

The sprinkle of rain did not dampen spirits, instead bringing hope of relief for the ongoing fires.

Wagga City Council's decision to cease fireworks, along with the impact the blazes continue to have on people both directly and indirectly, saw the community pull together and show their support for what really matters.

Wagga resident Fiona McCully said the decision against fireworks was "great", planting her fold out chair in front of the stage at Victory Memorial Gardens and enjoying the music instead.

"My daughter is in Bateman's Bay at the moment so I understand the impact these fires are having and just how bad it is," she said.

It wasn't just locals who showed their support for the event, with Lydia Molineaux and her husband travelling all the way from Florida to see in the New Year.

"We're on holidays in Australia travelling from Canberra to Melbourne and saw Wagga so we thought it would be a nice place to stop over and have a look around," she said.

"The little bit of rain was great too, in a way we were hoping the event might get rained out just to bring some relief to the fires.

"On our travels we have had to be escorted on the road a couple of times to avoid the fires, it's scary."

Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said the New Year's Eve event went well and estimated that a few thousand people attended the gardens.

"It was a good crowd that turned up to celebrate the end of a year and ring in the new year," he said.

"It was a very warm atmosphere and everybody was enjoying themselves and there were a lot of families.

"The entertainment was excellent and a lot of food vans did extremely well; I know the Sunrise Rotary sold out very early."

Cr Conkey said attendees appreciated the reason why the fireworks were cancelled.

"A number of people spoke to me on the night thanking me and the council for cancelling the fireworks as they thought it was the responsible thing to do," he said.

"There was time last night to reflect on the bushfires and the people who are assisting the firefighting efforts and all those people who have been affected by it.

"While it was a good celebration, it was also marred by these tragedies that have been unfolding fairly close to Wagga and throughout NSW and Victoria."

Children were also in good spirits despite the cancellation with Wagga mother Erin Davis enjoying the night with her family.

"The kids aren't concerned, we've explained to them what is happening and they understand it is for the best," she said.

"It is devastating what is happening with the fires and those fighting them are doing an amazing job."

Volunteer firefighter for Oura Rural Fire Service, Tony Harper, was passing around donation buckets on the night to help the fire appeal.

"We are on a pretty constant rotation, some here tonight including myself will be going back out to Tarcutta tomorrow to help out," he said.

"They're long shifts, 12 to 18 hours, so these donations mean so much to us."

Cr Conkey said once the decision was made to cease the fireworks display, it was "A sigh of relief".

"It freed up resources, we had three tankers sent to the east and council assisted with road closure in Tarcutta and a number of tankers are on standby."

While unlikely, Cr Conkey said they hoped the fireworks could be saved for a later date.

"State regulations require council to return fireworks if not used in 24 to 48 hours. We will make an inquiry whether they will allow that period to be extended. We want to keep and use them later in the next couple of months. But I stress it is a long shot," he said.

It will be up to the council over the next few months to decide on the format for the 2020 New Years Eve event.