NEW YEAR 2008
Australia, China usher in New Year
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sydney and Beijing welcomed the New Year in spectacular fashion with massive firework displays.
Monday, December 31, 2007
By AFP
Sydney welcomed in the New Year in spectacular fashion with a massive fireworks display watched by more than a million people lining the harbour of Australia's largest city.
Police said every vantage point was taken as warm, mild weather brought record numbers into the city for the annual celebration that kicks off New Year celebrations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The giant steel archway of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was again the centrepiece of the display, with a giant neon hourglass illustrating the theme of time passing.
Streaks of red, green and blue light flew from the bridge and office buildings across the city centre, reflecting off the famous Opera House and the harbour.
The 12-minute display reached a crescendo with a waterfall of sparks falling over the edge of the bridge into the water.
The show also featured cutting-edge pyrotechnics that exploded in cube and heart shapes, as well as more familiar starbursts.
"Just when you think the fireworks have reached their peak, we try and go one level further," City of Sydney creative director Wayne Harrison said ahead of the event, describing the harbour as the world's best natural amphitheatre.
It was the second display staged in Sydney, with the first at 9:00 pm (1000 GMT) a family-orientated taster before the main event at midnight.
A dozen computers were needed to coordinate the split-second timing of more than 100,000 pyrotechnic effects.
Organisers had promised the traditional fireworks show this year would be "artistically risky" and delivered in the early show with an eclectic mix of music including hard-core dance, disco, rock and roll -- and even yodelling.
More than a quarter of Sydney's four million population Monday crammed into prime pieces of parkland and other areas offering views of the fireworks display.
Some even camped out overnight in city parks to be sure to get front row seats to the show.
Hotels with views of the festivities, some costing 5,000 dollars (4,300 US) for the night, were booked out months in advance.
More than 1,700 police patrolled the city, a magnet for international tourists and party-goers, but they reported no trouble during the celebrations.
Displays in previous years have been marred by strong winds and overcast weather but there were no such problems this year.
The evening's festivities also included a tugboat display on the harbour as well as an Aboriginal ceremony ahead of the midnight fireworks finale.
Elsewhere, in Melbourne temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) resulted in 25 people being taken to hospital for treatment.
The West Australian capital Perth hung what it described as the southern hemisphere's largest disco ball from a crane in the city centre.
Police said every vantage point was taken as warm, mild weather brought record numbers into the city for the annual celebration that kicks off New Year celebrations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The giant steel archway of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was again the centrepiece of the display, with a giant neon hourglass illustrating the theme of time passing.
Streaks of red, green and blue light flew from the bridge and office buildings across the city centre, reflecting off the famous Opera House and the harbour.
The 12-minute display reached a crescendo with a waterfall of sparks falling over the edge of the bridge into the water.
The show also featured cutting-edge pyrotechnics that exploded in cube and heart shapes, as well as more familiar starbursts.
"Just when you think the fireworks have reached their peak, we try and go one level further," City of Sydney creative director Wayne Harrison said ahead of the event, describing the harbour as the world's best natural amphitheatre.
It was the second display staged in Sydney, with the first at 9:00 pm (1000 GMT) a family-orientated taster before the main event at midnight.
A dozen computers were needed to coordinate the split-second timing of more than 100,000 pyrotechnic effects.
Organisers had promised the traditional fireworks show this year would be "artistically risky" and delivered in the early show with an eclectic mix of music including hard-core dance, disco, rock and roll -- and even yodelling.
More than a quarter of Sydney's four million population Monday crammed into prime pieces of parkland and other areas offering views of the fireworks display.
Some even camped out overnight in city parks to be sure to get front row seats to the show.
Hotels with views of the festivities, some costing 5,000 dollars (4,300 US) for the night, were booked out months in advance.
More than 1,700 police patrolled the city, a magnet for international tourists and party-goers, but they reported no trouble during the celebrations.
Displays in previous years have been marred by strong winds and overcast weather but there were no such problems this year.
The evening's festivities also included a tugboat display on the harbour as well as an Aboriginal ceremony ahead of the midnight fireworks finale.
Elsewhere, in Melbourne temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) resulted in 25 people being taken to hospital for treatment.
The West Australian capital Perth hung what it described as the southern hemisphere's largest disco ball from a crane in the city centre.
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