Sydney lets it rip in front of a million people
At 11 a.m. German time in Kiritimati, around 7300 residents welcome in the New Year. A little later, Australia follows suit and shoots eight tons of fireworks into the sky in Sydney alone. American Samoa will be the last country to welcome 2024.
Australia was one of the first countries in the world to welcome in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display in Sydney. More than a million people celebrated around the harbour of the Australian metropolis, where the harbour bridge and the Opera House, the city's landmark, were bathed in light and color at midnight. Eight tons of fireworks were shot up.
The first one started in 2024 on an atoll in the South Pacific. The approximately 7300 inhabitants of Kiritimati, which is part of the Kiribati archipelago, welcomed in the New Year at 11 a.m. German time. The island republic of Kiribati, which has several time zones, stretches along the equator in the middle of the South Pacific.
The Chatham Islands, which belong to New Zealand, follow just 15 minutes later. They are located around 800 kilometers east of New Zealand and have their own time zone - only around 700 inhabitants live on two of the archipelago's ten islands.
One hour after Kiritimati, the island states of Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand started the new year. On Samoa's largest island and in the capital Apia on the island of Upolu, elaborate firework displays lit up the sky over Polynesia. In the New Zealand capital of Auckland, 500 kilograms of pyrotechnics were shot into the sky from the 55th, 61st and 64th floors of the 328-metre-high Sky Tower. There was also a laser and animation show; the spectacle was reportedly six months in the making.
Fear of riots in Berlin
In Germany, fear of riots dampened the anticipation of the New Year - especially in Berlin. After riots at the turn of the year last year, the police there are facing 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 further intensified the general conditions. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced a "crackdown" in the "Tagesspiegel". The security authorities are extremely vigilant and are keeping a close eye on the situation. Nobody wants to see senseless violence, said the SPD politician. The federal government is supporting the Berlin police.
According to police commissioner Barbara Slowik, 3000 police officers will be out on the streets of the capital that night. A further 1000 officers are on duty in 220 patrol cars and in the 37 police stations. There are also 500 federal police officers at the train stations. The fire department and other aid organizations plan to deploy a total of more than 1,500 personnel.
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. A new feature this time is an admission fee of ten euros. According to the organizers, 65,000 people can attend. ZDF will once again broadcast the celebration live as a show called "Welcome 2024". It will be hosted by Andrea Kiewel and Johannes B. Kerner.
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. It will take a total of 26 hours between 11:00 a.m. German time on December 31 and 1:00 p.m. on January 1 for the entire globe to slide into the new year. As a leap year, 2024 will have 366 days.
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New Zealand joins the global celebrations just one hour after Samoa and Tonga, with Auckland hosting a grand fireworks display. Fireworks were also shot from the Sky Tower's 55th, 61st, and 64th floors, accompanied by a laser and animation show. (New Zealand)
Kiribati, an island nation located in the South Pacific, was the first to welcome 2024 at 11 a.m. German time on an atoll in their archipelago. Their celebration took place on the atoll of Kiritimati, which has about 7300 residents. (Kiribati)
Aside from Australia and New Zealand, several other countries in the region celebrated the turn of the year, such as American Samoa, which welcomed 2024 twelve hours after Germany. (American Samoa)
Source: www.ntv.de
