THE New Year is off to a cracking start as parties kick off across the globe and firework displays erupt from Hong Kong to Sydney.
Millions have already welcomed 2024 with a bang as they flock to view their nearest display.
ReutersNew Year’s celebrations have kicked off across the globe, in this image fireworks illuminate the night sky above Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong[/caption]
APStunning fireworks exploded over the Sydney Opera House[/caption]
GettyMillions have gathered together to welcome 2024[/caption]
Stunning snaps have emerged from numerous cities – showing the sky ablaze with colourful explosions.
More than a million people swarmed to Sydney’s waterfront to party the night away in front of an epic firework display – before the sun sets on the rest of the world.
The streets were packed with revellers rushing to reach the best position to watch the heavily anticipated display of fireworks – watched annually by 425 million people worldwide.
As the clock struck midnight in Sydney, tons of explosives erupted in a 12-minute display that focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
“Its total madness,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7:30am to secure a prime viewing spot.
“Its not so easy to find a good place to sit, but the view is incredible.”
Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2024, with thousands cheering a fireworks display sprouting from New Zealand’s tallest structure, the Sky Tower.
Billions across the world are getting ready to ring in the New Year – with tens of thousands expected to line the streets of London before Big Ben sounds its gongs.
But this year’s celebrations are set to be overshadowed by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have cast a pall over festivities and heightened tensions across parts of the world.
Many cities are deploying extra security and some places have cancelled New Year’s Eve events altogether.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled 2023 as a year marked by war during a traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peters Square.
He offered prayers for the tormented Ukrainian people and the Palestinian and Israeli populations, the Sudanese people and many others.
“At the end of the year, we will have the courage to ask ourselves how many human lives have been shattered by armed conflict, how many dead and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” the pontiff said.
“Whoever has interest in these conflicts, listen to the voice of conscience.”
Security will also be heightened across European cities on Sunday.
In France, 90,000 law enforcement officers are set to be deployed, domestic intelligence chief Cline Berthon said Friday.
Of those, 6,000 will be in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.
New Years Eve celebrations in the French capital will center on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de triomphe.
The security challenge ahead of the Olympics was highlighted when a tourist was killed in a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on Dec. 2.
In Berlin, some 4,500 police officers are expected to keep order and avoid riots like a year ago. Police in the German capital issued a ban on the traditional use of fire crackers for several streets across the city.
They also banned a pro-Palestinian protest in the Neukoelln neighborhood of the city, which has seen several pro-Palestinian riots since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
In Russia, the country’s shattering war in Ukraine has overshadowed its end-of-year celebrations, with the usual fireworks and concert on Moscow’s Red Square cancelled again this year.
After Ukrainian missile strikes hit the centre of the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday, killing 24 people, some local authorities across Russia also cancelled their usual firework displays, including in Vladivostok.
Yet, millions throughout Russia are expected to tune into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Years address.
In New York’s Times Square, officials and party organisers say they are prepared to welcome tens of thousands of revellers to the heart of midtown Manhattan and ensure their safety.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there were no specific threats to the annual New Years Eve bash, which will feature live performances from Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J, as well as televised appearances from Cardi B and others.
Organisers said in-person attendance is expected to return to pre-COVID levels.
Amid near-daily protests in New York sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, police are expanding the security perimeter around the party to create a buffer zone.
“We will be out here with our canines, on horseback, our helicopters, our boats,” Adams said.
Fireworks burst from the Sky Tower in Auckland New Zealand
AlamyBoats gathered to watch the Sydney harbour fireworks display[/caption]
ReutersSpectators in Hong Kong were not disappointed with the display over Victoria Harbour[/caption]