The traditions have been followed, the good luck measures taken and the corks popped as revelers around the globe welcomed 2025 in their own styles Wednesday morning.
More than a million people were estimated to have poured into New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday night for the iconic midnight ball drop, complete with a boosted police presence.
The ball made its 139-foot drop and then a medley of songs played, including “Auld Lang Syne” and Frank Sinatra’s performance of “New York, New York.” The plaza, bordered by high-rises and walls composed of digital billboards, was lit up like high noon as the official Times Square billboard that marks the calendar flashed “2025.”
Accompanying the drop of the nearly 12,000-pound ball, which organizers said will be replaced for next year’s event, was an estimated 3,000 pounds of confetti released from nearby rooftops, they said. Some was adorned with wishes for the new year sent to Times Square.
Shortly after the ball drop, New York police said no arrests had been made during public celebrations and no major incidents had been reported.
The global New Year’s transition began long before the big moment in New York City. In all, it takes 26 hours for the entire world to welcome the New Year across 39 time zones.
Chicago welcomed 2025 with a pair of waterway-adjacent public fireworks shows, one at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and the other at Riverwalk along the Chicago River.
Dallas had to do without a drone show after local firm Sky Elements helped produce a holiday drone show in Orlando that was canceled after some of the devices collided and one struck and injured a boy, NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando reported. The Federal Aviation Administration suspended a waiver that allowed the company to fly multiple drones as it investigates the cause of the Dec. 20 collision.
That didn’t seem to dim the lights at the iconic Reunion Tower high-rise, where the show, Lone Star NYE, went on without the planed drone display. Its ninth New Year’s Eve program included more than 5,000 pyrotechnics launched from the building, as well as a 259-LED light display, the tower said.
Then it was the West Coast’s turn, with a huge free public party at Grand Molina Park in downtown Los Angeles, where 25,000 people were expected to attend and see live music and a spectacular light show.
Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to wave goodbye to 2024. Midnight in New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of Eastern Time.
In some Asian countries, millions readied for the Year of the Snake, seen as the year of rebirth in the Asian zodiac.
In Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle from Jan. 1, stores sold snake-themed products while temples and homes underwent thorough cleanings before much of the country shut down in celebration.
Recent Comments