Fireworks light up the London skyline just after midnight. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty
Jubilant crowds ushered in 2023 with the first large gatherings without restrictions in many cities since before the pandemic
Countries around the world welcomed in an uncertain new year amid economic woes, fears new Covid variants may arise in China, and the political backdrop of conflict in Ukraine. Many cities were hosting firework displays and large public gatherings free of restrictions for the first time since the pandemic.
Large crowds in the UK braved cold temperatures, as more than 100,000 people were estimated to have gathered on the Embankment of the River Thames in London for the display at midnight, despite blustery showers.
The fireworks and light show referenced the late Queen Elizabeth II’s death with ER, the initials of the Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II, illuminated by drones along with a portrait of Her Majesty’s on a coin changing to an outline of King Charles III. The conflict in Ukraine, the England women’s football team winning the European championships and Pride’s 50th anniversary were also referenced in the show.
It was an altogether different story in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, where an 11pm curfew had already precluded large parties, before a series of air raid alerts and reported explosions from Russian attacks disturbed the first few hours of 2023. Earlier in the evening Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had given a TV address in which he declared: “They said our only choice is surrender. We answered our only choice was to fight on!”
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, devoted his new year address to rallying the Russian people behind his troops fighting in Ukraine. Festivities in Moscow were muted, without the usual fireworks on Red Square.
New York City joined the glow of the new year later with a dazzling spectacle in Times Square, anchoring celebrations across the United States. The night culminated with a countdown as a glowing geodesic sphere 3.6 metres (12ft) in diameter and weighing almost six tons descended from its lofty perch atop One Times Square. The ball’s surface was comprised of nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals that officials said were illuminated by a palette of more than 16m colours.
At the stroke of midnight, a ton of confetti rained down on revellers, glittering amid the jumbo screens, neon and pulsing lights.
Last year Covid restrictions meant only 15,000 of the usual 60,000 spectators attended Times Square to watch the traditional moment.
Elsewhere, Australia marked its first restriction-free New Year’s Eve after two years of Covid disruptions, with more than a million revellers watching the traditional fireworks display in Sydney’s harbour.
Lockdowns at the end of 2020 and a surge in Omicron cases at the end of 2021 led to crowd restrictions and reduced festivities.