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A group of men pose in front of before an ice sculpture depicting a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during new year celebrations at the Pyongyang Ice Sculpture Festival on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Photo: Agence France-Presse

From Pyongyang to Sydney to New York, here’s how the world welcomed 2018

North Korea staged an ice sculpture display of its missiles, Japan prayed as it ushered in the Year of the Dog, while Dubai opted for lasers instead of the usual fireworks display

Agencies

From fireworks in Australia to a huge LED light show at the world’s tallest building in Dubai, revellers around the world rang in 2018 in spectacular fashion.

In Sydney, Australia, a pyrotechnics display befitting the city’s status as one of the first major metropolises to welcome 2018 lit up the city’s famous harbour.
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney. Photo: EPA

In Indonesia, hundreds of couples celebrated by getting married in Jakarta in a free mass wedding. The communal event, attended by 437 couples, was staged by authorities to ease residents’ struggles with bureaucracy.

Japan, where the new year always holds special significance, celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Dog in the traditional way of praying for peace and good fortune at neighbourhood Shinto shrines, and eating New Year’s food such as noodles, shrimp and sweet black beans.

In nearby North Korea, meanwhile, revellers took to an ice sculpture park. Among the displays was a frozen rendition of the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have caused so much concern in Japan.
Participants dressed up as foxes prepare for the parade for the first prayer of the New Year in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Participants dressed up as foxes parade for the first prayer of the New Year in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
People take pictures as the sun rises over Tokyo Bay to mark New Year's Day on January 1, 2018. Photo: AFP
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, has again served as the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations – though this year authorities decided against fireworks and chose a massive LED light show on the structure.

In London more than 100,000 ticket-holders gazed up at a spectacular pyrotechnics display from the banks of the river Thames, before dancing to Auld Lang Syne.

Keeping with tradition, the Big Ben bell in the Houses of Parliament rang in Britain’s new year -- the chimes having been turned back on especially for the celebrations as the famous clock tower is undergoing renovation and encased in scaffolding.

Other European cities were similarly awash with people despite the winter cold.

In Paris hundreds of thousands of partygoers braved a storm warning and drizzle to line the Champs-Elysees avenue before a dazzling light show and a fireworks display lit up the Arc de Triomphe.

In Berlin, special tents were set up at the Brandenburg Gate to assist female victims of sexual harassment, following mass assaults on women in Cologne two years ago.

In Cologne itself, 1,400 police were being mobilised, street lighting improved and more video cameras installed.

People posing for a selfie during a laser show at Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, to mark the New Year's eve celebrations in Dubai. Photo: AFP

As the midnight chimes neared in western Europe, Dubai had already moved into 2018, celebrating with a laser show on the world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.

Moscow likewise entered the new year with major boulevards and 36 key sites decked out.

The glittering crystal ball dropped with a burst of confetti and dazzling fireworks as revellers rang in 2018 in frigid Times Square - the second-coldest celebration there on record.

It was only -12 Celsius in the city, and the celebration was less crowded than other years. Some of the metal pens, usually packed with people, were only half-full.

Some revellers, bundled up in hats, gloves, face masks and numerous layers of clothing, jogged to keep warm, others bounced and danced. Some stood and shivered.

Revellers brace freezing cold temperatures in Times Square, New York. Photo: Reuters
A man injured by firecrackers is attended at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Centre in Manila. Photo: AFP
Children pose for a photo before an ice sculpture depicting a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and self-propelled launcher, as people mark the new year in Pyongyang. Photo: AFP
Children stand before an ice sculpture in Pyongyang. Photo: AFP
A South Korean family poses for a photo as they attend the New Year countdown at Bosingak in Seoul. Photo: EPA
A woman prays in front of lanterns to celebrate the New Year at Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul. Photo: AP
People celebrate with a lantern during the New Year's celebrations on a beach in Mumbai, India. Photo: Reuters
People take pictures as fireworks explode over the Kremlin in Moscow. Photo: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual New Year address. Photo: EPA
Images are projected on the Arc de Triomphe monument as fireworks explode during New Year celebrations in Paris. Photo: AFP
New Year revellers cram the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris during New Year celebrations. Photo: AFP
Fireworks explode over the River Thames behind the scaffolding-clad Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben,in London. Photo: AP
Revellers gather prior to the annual fireworks display of the New Year's celebrations, in central London. Photo: AFP
Fireworks explode around the London Eye during New Year's celebrations in central London. Photo: AFP
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Coolest places to welcome 2018
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