Countries around the world welcomed an uncertain new year amid economic problems, fears of new variations of Covid in China and the political context of the conflict in Ukraine. Many cities were holding fireworks shows and large public gatherings without restrictions for the first time since the pandemic.
Huge crowds across the UK braved the cold temperatures as more than 100,000 people were estimated to have gathered on London’s River Thames embankment for the midnight show, despite downpours.
The fireworks and light show commemorated the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II with ER, the initials of Queen Elizabeth II’s royal cipher, illuminated by drones alongside a portrait of Her Majesty on a coin which changed to an outline of King Charles III. The conflict in Ukraine, England’s women’s football team winning the European Championships and the 50th anniversary of Pride were also referenced in the programme.
It was a completely different story in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, where a 11pm curfew had already prevented large parties, before a series of air raid alerts and explosions reported Russian attacks upset the early hours of 2023. Earlier in the evening, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had given a televised address in which he declared: “They said our only option is to surrender. We replied that our only option was to fight!”
We hear the rumble of air defenses in the distance, the laughter of 20-somethings who want to live their lives, the sounds of a kid playing a video game on a smartphone, the jokes of old ladies talking about despite nothing This is how 2023 begins in a bomb shelter in Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/KNMZ3jDMBs
— Nolan Peterson (@nolanwpeterson) January 1, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin dedicated his New Year’s address to rallying the Russian people behind its troops fighting in Ukraine. The festivities in Moscow were muted, without the usual fireworks in Red Square.
Elsewhere, Australia marked its first unrestricted New Year’s Eve after two years of Covid disruptions, with more than a million revelers watching the traditional Sydney Harbor fireworks display.
Lockdowns in late 2020 and an increase in Omicron cases in late 2021 led to crowd restrictions and reduced festivities.
Fireworks over Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A rainbow of colors lit up Sydney Harbor with 2,000 fireworks launched from the four sails of the Sydney Opera House and 7,000 fireworks from more positions on the Sydney Harbor Bridge than ever before.
In Edinburgh, thousands attended the traditional Hogmanay celebrations, which included a concert in Princes Street Gardens headlined by the Pet Shop Boys and DJ sets at the annual street party.
Fireworks went off every hour between 9pm and 11pm, counting down to the traditional midnight show.
People wait in the rain ahead of New Year’s celebrations in Edinburgh. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters
In Manchester, celebrations went ahead in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens without fireworks due to budget pressures.
Scarborough also had to give up fireworks, after an arctic walrus nicknamed ‘Thor’ became a celebrity on New Year’s Eve after being discovered in the harbour. The council decided to postpone the fireworks display to avoid disturbing the creature as the giant mammal drew large crowds to the marine station in what is believed to be the first sighting of a walrus in Yorkshire. The animal is believed to be the same walrus seen off the Hampshire coast earlier this month.
A walrus rests in Scarborough Harbour. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
In China, thousands gathered in central Wuhan to count down to the start of what many hoped would be a much better year after a “tough” 2022 full of lockdowns and, in December, a new major outbreak of Covid. Many released balloons into the sky as the clocks struck midnight, as is the tradition in the central Chinese city where the pandemic began three years ago, before taking selfies with their friends.
“Last year, I think the Covid-19 was very serious and some of my relatives have been hospitalized,” a 17-year-old Wuhan high school student surnamed Wang said from the riverside shortly after of midnight “I hope they’re healthy in the new year. That’s the most important thing.”
Some came in costumes and almost everyone in attendance wore masks as the country sees a wave of Covid that has accelerated after the pavements collapsed and has since infected large swathes of the population, with 9,000 deaths in day, according to the United Kingdom. health data-driven company Airfinity.
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“I’m scared,” said a woman surnamed Jin, referring to the possibility of re-infection with Covid. “I was still scared when I went out tonight, but I just wanted to go out, because everyone has gone out.”
A Wuhan resident surnamed Chen, 24, who works in e-commerce, said: “It’s been a long time since things were lively and vibrant.”
Police used loudspeakers at various locations, broadcast a short message on a loop telling people not to gather, which people seemed to ignore.
In Shanghai, which like many Chinese cities in 2022 was placed under a long lockdown, many filled the historic riverside walkway, the Bund.
“We all traveled from Chengdu to celebrate in Shanghai,” said Da Dai, a 28-year-old digital media executive who was traveling with two friends. “We’ve had Covid before, so now we feel it’s safe to enjoy it.”
In France, Paris staged its first New Year fireworks since 2019 with a 10-minute show, which was seen by an estimated 500,000 people who had converged on the Champs Elysees.
But the Czech capital, Prague, was among those feeling the economic pinch and did not put on a show.
“Holding celebrations did not seem appropriate,” said city council spokesman Vit Hofman, citing “the unfavorable economic situation of many households in Prague” and the need for the city to save money. Heavy rain and strong winds forced fireworks shows to be canceled in major cities across the Netherlands.
Berlin welcomed the new year with fireworks over the Brandenburg Gate, while Athens put on a display over the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill.
Fireworks explode behind the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
In New York, people began gathering around 6pm local time in Times Square ahead of unrestricted celebrations. Last year, Covid restrictions meant only 15,000 of the usual 60,000 spectators attended Times Square to watch the traditional toss of a six-tonne ball encrusted with nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals.
Reuters contributed to this report