Setting scene for crackerjack new year
Sydney might have stolen the show but other capitals around the world rang in the new year was met with just as much gusto.
Revellers around the world are still ringing in the New Year. Samoans were the first to celebrate the start of 2018, after moving from the east side of the international dateline to the west seven years ago. Samoans can then take an hour’s flight to American Samoa to celebrate again, as American Samoa is one of the last places to hit midnight.
New Zealand: Tens of thousands of New Zealanders took to streets and beaches, becoming among the first in the world to usher in 2018.
In Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, tens of thousands gathered around Sky Tower as five minutes of nonstop pyrotechnics exploded from the top of the structure.
China; Bells will be rung and prayers offered at temples in Beijing, but the Gregorian calendar’s New Year’s celebrations are typically muted in China compared to the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, a time of fireworks, feasts and family reunions.
Authorities throughout China are also on high alert for stampedes or terror attacks at large public gatherings.
Japan: Many Japanese are celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Dog in the traditional way of praying for peace and good fortune at neighbourhood Shinto shrines, and eating New Year’s food such as noodles, shrimp and sweet black beans.
South Korea: Thousands of people are filled the streets near Seoul’s City Hall for a traditional bell-tolling ceremony to usher in the new year.
India: Security was tight in the southern Indian city of Bangalore to prevent a repeat of incidents of alleged groping and molestation of several women during last year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Philippines: Hours before midnight, authorities had already reported that at least 86 people had been injured by celebratory firecrackers in the Philippines, which has some of the most raucous New Year’s celebrations in Asia.
Many Filipinos, largely influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year’s celebrations drive away evil and misfortune.
Turkey: Security measures were ramped up across Turkey, which was hit by a New Year’s attack a year ago that killed dozens.
In Istanbul alone, 37,000 officers were on duty, with multiple streets closed to traffic and large vehicles barred from entering certain districts. LAS VEGAS Tourism officials expect about 330,000 people to come to Las Vegas for the festivities, which are anchored by a roughly eight-minute fireworks display at the top of seven casino-hotels.
Acts including Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and the Foo Fighters will keep partiers entertained before and after midnight at properties across Sin City.
Sydney: Sydney’s double-bunger fireworks displays along the harbour might have again stolen the show last night, but in the other capitals, and in towns right across the continent, the enthusiasm for ringing in the new year was met with just as much gusto.
Security was beefed up in all the big locations, with memories of fatal inner-city attacks in Melbourne last year leading a sensible approach to crowd control nationwide.
And as always, there was a solid complement of international tourists soaking in the atmosphere at the bigger locations, magnifying the sense that this truly is a homegrown, world-class event.
In Melbourne, where more than $2.6 million was spent on the celebrations, including 14 tonnes of fireworks, an extra 100 train services were being run to get more than 100,000 people in and out of the city.
Victorian Police deputy commissioner Andrew Crisp said a “ring of protection” had been placed around the CBD to keep revellers safe, with extra concrete bollards in place and additional police, a special city “strike squad” and security patrols on the river, streets and on horseback.
There was also an alcohol ban on city streets, along the edges of the Yarra, and on the St Kilda foreshore after a wild Christmas Day gathering of backpackers left the beach and its neighbouring parks an ugly mess.
But the security blitz did not affect the number of families and others pouring into the city to watch its biggest fireworks display explode from the rooftops of 22 buildings.
Susan and Greg Cail of Gowanbrae in Melbourne’s north have travelled by train with their young children Madison and Oliver into the city for the past two years to watch the fireworks spectacular.
Mr Cail said that while they had been worried about security issues, they refused to be beaten by cowardly attacks such as the one in Flinders St two weeks ago, when a man drove a car into a crowd of pedestrians, injuring 17 and fatally injuring an elderly man.
“You always think about it, but you can’t live behind closed doors because you are too afraid to go out,” said Mrs Cail, positioning the family for a prime viewing spot along the Yarra.
Scottish backpacker Michael Jenks was with a group of friends also in position early along the river to watch the midnight fireworks. He said the group had thought about going to Sydney for the night but felt safe in Melbourne and thought it was a great place to celebrate.
“We’ve been here four months now and love the place; we spent Christmas here and loved it so thought we may as well see in the new year in Melbourne too,” Mr Jenks said.
What they missed, of course, by staying away from the Emerald City, was a $7 million fireworks extravaganza featuring more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects firing off barges, the bridge and the Opera House.
Australian Hollywood star Hugh Jackman co-designed one particular gold effect to the music of indigenous musician Gurrumul Yunupingu.
Brits Rowannah Smith and Stepheine Butler, with Swiss friends Rahel Amman and Alexandra Weber, waited two hours to get through security at the Domain by noon; it was “totally worth it”, Ms Amman said.
In Brisbane, not even an early thunderstorm could dampen the city’s spirits, with tens of thousands of revellers pouring into the CBD for the fireworks at South Bank and on the Brisbane river.
The Gold Coast, which will host the Commonwealth Games this year, began the biggest year in the city’s history with fireworks along the Glitter Strip.
Hundreds of additional police were on duty in overt and covert roles at the events.
Canberrans flocked to their city to enjoy a free concert headlined by electronic dance trio Art vs. Science, some of the territory’s best food and two fireworks displays launched from the city centre’s City Hill.
Adelaide held a concert featuring local acts, and in Perth, crowds were packed along the Swan River and in the city to watch a child-friendly 9pm show, and James Packer’s new Crown Towers was preparing to host its first New Year’s Eve party.
Additional reporting: Michael McKenna, Rosie Lewis, Sue Neales
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