As every year, spectacular hotspots were Sydney, where 13,500 fireworks were set off with elaborate special effects, New York with the crystal ball sliding down a flagpole and Copacabana in Rio. In London there was the usual fireworks display at the London Eye Ferris wheel, including the chimes of Big Ben.
The residents of the South Sea atoll of Kiritimati were the first people in the world to welcome the year 2024. The approximately 7,300 residents started the new year at 11 a.m. CET on New Year’s Eve. The Chatham Islands, which belong to New Zealand, followed just 15 minutes later. They are located regarding 800 kilometers east of New Zealand and have their own time zone. An hour following Kiritimati, New Zealand and the island states of Samoa and Tonga celebrated the turn of the year.
At 2 p.m. CET (Sunday) it was the turn of Sydney, Australia, with its impressive light show in front of the world-famous backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. In the harbor district alone, more than 13,500 fireworks with elaborate special effects were set off. A million spectators were there live.
Gigantic light spectacles in Asian metropolises
Gigantic light spectacles also took place in many Asian cities, including Singapore. In China, New Year’s Eve celebrations were subdued; Chinese New Year is only celebrated there in February. However, in the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, New Year’s Eve is more important than in most of the People’s Republic. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands gathered around Victoria Harbor to marvel at the large fireworks display. Numerous large parties also took place in the casino city of Macau.
Picture gallery: New Year’s Eve: This is how the new year is celebrated all over the world
Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA (AFP)) Bild 1/19
View gallery
At least 15 police officers injured during celebrations in Berlin
The turn of the year in Berlin was not completely peaceful. In the German capital, at least 15 police officers were injured on New Year’s Eve, one of whom was so seriously injured that she had to stop working. Among other things, emergency services were shot at with pyrotechnics. A police spokesman said there were around 300 arrests.
After the terror warnings at Cologne Cathedral, the area around the cathedral remained quiet on New Year’s Eve, according to the police. The New Year’s Eve celebrations ended fatally for an 18-year-old in Bavaria. According to previous information from the police in Eschlkam in Upper Palatinate, the young man threw a firecracker into a plastic pipe in order to cause it to explode. When the young man’s head was above the pipe, the firecracker exploded and fatally injured the man in the head area.
Impressive fireworks display on the Thames
As usual, London experienced an impressive fireworks display around the London Eye Ferris wheel on the Thames at midnight. Traditionally, the bells of Big Ben rang in the New Year in the British capital. It was an anniversary for the clock tower of the British Parliament, as the BBC broadcast its bells live for the first time at the turn of the year 100 years ago. Until then, the typical sound was only audible to people in the surrounding area of the London Borough of Westminster.
Twelve-minute fireworks display on Copacabana Beach
In the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the turn of the year with fireworks and music. At midnight, a traditional twelve-minute fireworks display began, launched from ten rafts off the world-famous Copacabana Beach. The celebration was also accompanied by an orchestra and a drone show.
Heavy confetti rain in Times Square
The New Year’s rituals in New York are also a classic: the global metropolis on the US East Coast welcomed the New Year as usual with a heavy rain of confetti on the famous Times Square in Manhattan. At just above zero degrees Celsius, hundreds of thousands of onlookers sang the songs “Auld Lang Syne” and “New York, New York” to ring in 2024. Beforehand, as usual, a glowing crystal ball slid down a flagpole (“ball drop”).
more on the subject
Who said it? The quote quiz for the year 2023
