Sydney is already 2024

New Year's Eve - Sydney is already 2024

In some countries, 2024 has already begun. In Germany, people are still waiting for the new year. Here, people are looking forward to the upcoming night with both anticipation and concern. For many people in the flooded areas, the New Year's Eve party on Sunday evening literally fell through.

Major cities such as Berlin are preparing for possible riots with thousands of emergency services. In Cologne, after the terror alert for the cathedral, the police want to secure the world-famous church tightly during the night.

Weather cooler than last time

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there will initially be some rain on New Year's Eve, but it will quickly move eastwards. There will be showers in some areas, especially in the west and northwest. After mild double-digit temperatures last time, only up to around 7 degrees were expected this time.

In Lower Saxony, Interior Minister Daniela Behrens called on people to be cautious with New Year's Eve fireworks due to the tense flood situation. The fire departments and rescue services are busy enough, said the SPD politician in Verden.

In the South Pacific is already 2024

The people on the South Pacific atoll of Kiritimati were the first in the world to start 2024, with the approximately 7300 inhabitants welcoming in the New Year at 11.00 a.m. German time. One hour after Kiritimati, New Zealand and the island states of Samoa and Tonga celebrated the New Year.

The New Year began at 14:00 CET in parts of Australia, including Melbourne. In Sydney, a mega light show lit up the sky against the world-famous backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. According to the organizers, more than 13,500 fireworks were set off in the harbour district alone. There were also light projections generated by artificial intelligence.

Gigantic light spectacles were also planned in many Asian cities, including Singapore, where thousands were expected to watch the fireworks at 5 p.m. CET at Marina Bay with a view of the skyline.

Fear of riots in Berlin

After riots at the turn of the year last year, the police in Berlin faced one of their biggest New Year's Eve operations. The war in Gaza following the terrorist attack on Israel by Islamist Hamas on October 7 has exacerbated the situation. According to the police commissioner, a total of around 4500 police officers from the capital and other federal states will be on duty in the capital that night.

Some New Year's Eve incidents had already occurred by Sunday afternoon: the police reported that a 40-year-old man had lost a hand when setting off a rocket in the Kaulsdorf district. In Berlin-Lichtenberg, a man who allegedly fired pyrotechnics from a gun from a balcony triggered a SEK operation. According to the police, the 33-year-old was arrested on Saturday evening.

The first incidents of rioting and attacks on emergency services also kept the police busy. For example, a group of people in Neukölln threw pyrotechnics at passers-by, the police reported on X (formerly Twitter).

Private fireworks are banned at the Brandenburg Gate, where the traditional New Year's Eve party takes place. For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, there will be a fireworks display there. ZDF will once again broadcast the celebration live as a show called "Welcome 2024".

Before Christmas, security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group in Cologne relating to New Year's Eve. Security precautions at Cologne Cathedral had already been increased for Christmas. Emergency services are to patrol the city with machine guns on New Year's Eve.

Entire globe only on January 1 at 1 pm in the new year

It takes a total of 26 hours for the entire globe to enter the New Year. American Samoa, which lies just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last country to ring in the year 2024 - twelve hours after Germany. At 13:00 CET on January 1, only two uninhabited islands will follow.