New Year’s Eve festivities in New York and Beijing… Individual celebrations despite official event cancellations
Global metropolises displayed varied atmospheres as 2022 dawned.
Certain urban centers hosted lavish New Year’s celebrations similar to pre-pandemic times; however, numerous municipalities axed their events to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The renowned Times Square Ball Drop in New York City drew a crowd of 15,000 spectators.
As the New Year’s countdown commenced, a massive 5.4-ton crystal ball descended, and at the stroke of midnight, 1.5 tons of confetti rained down upon the city’s buildings.
In contrast to the previous year’s private, COVID-19-conscious event, 15,000 attendees enjoyed the spectacle of the ball’s descent in Times Square this year.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Times Square hosted a massive gathering of a million spectators for its yearly New Year’s Eve spectacle, a tradition dating back to 1907.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) implemented stringent security measures for the New Year’s celebration, restricting vehicle access in Manhattan from 38th to 59th Street and limiting pedestrian entry to eight designated points.
Before the festivities, some advocated for the event’s cancellation due to the Omicron surge; however, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared the city’s intention to demonstrate its resilience against the pandemic, proceeding with the celebration.
Attendees were mandated to show proof of vaccination and wear face coverings.
Conversely, European authorities scaled back or scrapped their New Year’s celebrations, yet many individuals still congregated to mark the occasion independently.
In the United Kingdom, planned fireworks displays at the London Eye and a large gathering in Trafalgar Square, involving 6,500 people, were called off.
Barricades were erected around Trafalgar Square to manage crowd entry.
Despite this, many Londoners assembled along the River Thames to ring in the New Year.
Big Ben, undergoing repairs since 2017, chimed to herald the new year for the first time in four years.
Celebrations also unfolded on the Champs-Élysées in France.
Paris officials canceled a concert scheduled for the Arc de Triomphe on New Year’s Eve; nonetheless, Parisians still took to the streets to celebrate.
A pyrotechnics prohibition and a ban on the sale of firecrackers were implemented in Berlin, Germany; however, residents congregated near the Brandenburg Gate to observe the new year’s arrival.
Moscow, Russia, launched 30,000 fireworks to commemorate the New Year.
New Year festivities in numerous Asian nations were either canceled or scaled back.
It was evident that even when large-scale public gatherings were permitted, stringent quarantine measures were maintained.
Bangkok, Thailand, scrapped all city-sponsored New Year’s countdown events, while Indonesia and Vietnam did not host large-scale celebrations.
In contrast, Beijing, China, which has intensified quarantine protocols in anticipation of next month’s Winter Olympics, presented a different scene.
A New Year’s countdown event was staged at ‘Fahrenheit Live Wooker Song’, a popular downtown Beijing hangout for young people, with a substantial security and police presence.
In Japan, where the COVID-19 situation recently improved, Tokyo’s New Year’s countdown celebration was canceled, mirroring last year; however, visits to Meiji Jingu Shrine resumed after a two-year hiatus.
(Global team reporting from New York, Paris, London, Bangkok, Beijing and Tokyo)
/yunhap news
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