Regardless of our skin colour, language, or beliefs, 31/12 brings everyone together in bidding farewell to another year and celebrating a fresh start in an extravagant display of pyrotechnic glory!
And god knows 2016 has been a rough one, with its oversized share of celebrity deaths, political surprises and military conflict. But let’s not go there, and instead have a look at how different cities from around the world celebrated the new year.
As always, our brothers and sisters across the ditch in New Zealand were the first to welcome in 2017 with a super cool laser light and firework show over Auckland Sky Tower kicking off at the stroke of midnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VE7SuTEkQA
Impressive, $hit yeah, but definitely not as cool as Sydney’s yearly display of pyrotechnic might, which once again put on an insanely EPIC fireworks orchestration on the Harbour Bridge that’s still touted as the best in the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2tZcSNnNLY
Come on world? Ain’t there anyone out there who can beat the Harbour City at putting on these NYE firework displays? – said as a loyal Melburnian!
In good old London, celebrations were as crazy and colourful as ever, with revellers enjoying an awesome fireworks and lighting show above the River Thames and a full concert by ex-boy group star Robbie Williams.
On ya Robbie – you’ve still got it!!
But not everyone was in the mood to celebrate as the clock approached midnight and 2016 drew to a close…
Take South Korea, for example. The mood in Seoul couldn’t have been more different compared to London, Sydney or Auckland, with thousands of protesters gathering at the Bosingak pavilion staging the biggest mass demonstration in their nation’s history. The protesters are demanding the removal of their impeached President Park Geun-hye.
Credit – Reuters: Kim Hong-Ji.
If the red signs that read “Regime change in the New Year” and “Step down Park Geun-hye immediately” held by protestors at the candlelight vigil weren’t enough to get the President’s attention, then the fireworks display set off right near his house certainly would’ve!
So at least they got to have a little fun in the end…
Over in chilly New York (said in my thickest Bronx accent) revellers counted down the last remaining seconds of 2016 and fixed their gazes on the iconic ball, waiting for it to drop and usher in 2017 – a year that will see Obama hand over the White House keys to president-elect Trump on 20 January later this month.
It was a tense few final hours of 2016 in the Big Apple with the NYPD and citizens on edge after news of the horrific attack that killed 39 at an Istanbul nightclub made its way across the Atlantic.
Thankfully NYC survived the night unscathed.
Finally, over in the sandpit of the world, Dubai brought in 2017 in pure style (of course) with a dazzling firework show around the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mYBfXZqlqk
One word: Wow!!
That was so good, in fact, that me thinks we may have found a new winner in the world’s most impressive firework show – aka, move over Sydney. Do you agree?!
