Tuesday, January 30, 2018

New Year's Eve celebrations: World welcomes 2018

The New Year has officially begun, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to watch dazzling fireworks and join lively celebrations in the UK.
Crowds swamped the banks of the River Thames in London for the 12-minute display after Big Ben's bongs rung out across the capital at midnight, having been turned back on for the festive period.
In Edinburgh, revellers braved blustery conditions to enjoy Hogmanay celebrations, after Storm Dylan earlier threatened to cause disruption.



Gusts of up to 76mph were recorded in parts of Scotland on Sunday afternoon but conditions calmed, allowing one of the world's biggest street parties to go ahead as planned.
More than 100,000 ticket-holders watched London's New Year's Eve fireworks, which featured a soundtrack dominated by women to mark the centenary of women being granted the vote.


Songs by Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Florence Welch were among those included in the women-only second half of the world-famous show.
More than 10,000 fireworks lit up the capital's sky during that sold-out event, prompting huge cheers from the lively crowd.

Scotland Yard confirmed fewer Metropolitan Police officers were working during this year's celebration, but security at the event appeared tight, with armed police on patrol and security barriers erected.
In London, there were 35 arrests during the festivities.
Twelve of these  were made for public order offences and five were were held for GBH, with a further five for common assault.
Two of the arrests were made for assaults on police officers, and there were also two alleged sexual offences that resulted in police action.
Another arrest was for criminal damage, with a further two for theft and one person being held for drugs offences, the rest of the arrests are logged as "other".
As expected, the emergency services were stretched as they dealt with people who had too much to drink.


Along with St John Ambulance, the London Ambulance Service said 295 patients were treated in central London over the course of the New Year's Eve festivities, with many helped to sober up or given treatment for minor injuries before being discharged.
Deputy director of operations Pauline Cranmer said: "It has been a busy night for us, and we've been taking up to 400 calls an hour, when we normally get around 250."
Paramedics, meanwhile, were working from nine treatment centres in the capital to avoid clogging up A&E departments as crews now look to deal with what is expected to remain a busy New Year's Day.
Addressing Londoners who could be waking up "feeling unwell after a heavy night", Ms Cranmer said: "We would encourage them to consider using other healthcare services such as walk-in centres or calling NHS 111 for health advice to ensure our medics are free and able to respond to the patients in serious and life-threatening conditions."

The huge event took place at the end of the year which saw London hit by four terror attacks.
In Edinburgh, tens of thousands saw in 2018 against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Underbelly, which is producing the event for the first time, promised the "best party ever" for the 75,000 people attending, with live music, DJs, street entertainment and the "ultimate fireworks display" from Edinburgh Castle.
Rag'n'Bone Man is headlining Concert in the Gardens, with Declan McKenna and Nina Nesbitt as support acts, while those performing on the three Street Party stages include The Human League, Sacred Paws, Treacherous Orchestra and Huey Morgan.
But those trying to get home from the fireworks were warned to prepare for rail disruption due to strike action, including to services in and out of London Waterloo.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on South Western Railway (SWR) and CrossCountry walked out on Sunday for 24 hours in long-running disputes on issues including the role of guards on trains.
Andy Mellors, managing director of SWR, said spectators may face "long queues and crowded stations on the way home".
Here's how the rest of the world celebrated...

Los Angeles puts on a show

 

Thousands assembled in downtown LA to ring in the new Year.
At the alcohol-free event in Grand Park, many went to watch the live music.
There was music and dancing as well as an interactive light show.
Also in LA, radio host Ryan Seacrest put on a live concert featuring acts including Halsey, Khalid, and Bebe Rexha.


New York glitters in the cold

 

With a burst of confetti and fireworks, throngs of revellers ushered in 2018 in a frozen Times Square as the glittering crystal ball dropped.
It was the second-coldest on record, hitting a temperature of -12 Celsius at midnight.
Partygoers bundled up in extra layers wearing with warm hats and face masks, dancing and jogging in place to ward off the cold.
There was also tighter security than ever after two terrorist attacks and a rampaging SUV driver who ploughed into a crowd on the very spot where the party takes place. The party went off with no major problems.


Auld Lang Syne and New York, New York played as the crowds cheered.
The music had barely died away before people headed for the warmth of home or midtown clubs.
Earlier Mariah Carey made it through a performance before the crowd, making amends for her disastrous appearance last year. At the end of 2016 she had technical difficulties during a live performance of her hit song Emotions. She stopped singing, paced the stage and told the audience to finish the lyrics for her.
This year, however, she made it through cleanly despite the bitter cold.

No comments:

Post a Comment

My Identity hello, my name is Gina Wangsanagara. some people call me Gina. i am 15 years old. iwas born on 10th september 2003. i li...