Oceania and eastern Asia welcome New Year with spectacular shows

Celebrations for the start of 2024 are well under way, with Oceania, Far East Asia and South-East Asia welcoming in the New Year.

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 as crowds hit the streets like in many other cities, with coronavirus restrictions a thing of the past across the world.

The landmarks of New Zealand's largest city Auckland were also illuminated, with fireworks lighting up the Sky Tower, while viewers enjoyed a laser light and animation show synchronized with other landmarks, including Auckland's Harbour Bridge.

The five-minute-30-second-long display at Sky Tower, the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, consisted of 500 kilograms of pyrotechnics.

SkyCity chief operating officer Callum Mallett said: "It’s a time when people come together to celebrate the upcoming year and enjoy time with friends and family. New Zealand is the first in the world to bring in the New Year, and we are delighted to play a part in those celebrations."

The Pacific country's capital Wellington also organized fireworks and music at an inner city lagoon.

At the same time, two separate fireworks displays in Samoa, one in the capital Apia, and the other in Savai'i, signalled the start of the new year. The displays were synchronized by New Zealand pyrotechnic experts and fired simultaneously from both islands.

The Chatham Islands, part of New Zealand's territory, were first in the country to ring in the year. The islands, about 800 kilometres east of New Zealand's South Island, are home to some 700 people.

Initially, people in Kiritimati rang in 2024 with fireworks and parties in the South Pacific, among the first in the world to do so.

Kiritimati, the largest island of the Pacific island state of Kiribati, is home to about 5,000 people and the first inhabited island to begin each new year.

Later, people in Asia enjoyed massive light shows, including in Singapore, where onlookers watched firework displays at Marina Bay.

In Bangkok, celebrations centred on the Chao Phraya River which reflects the lights of the fireworks display each year. Thailand, which follows the Buddhist calendar, is welcoming the year 2567.

In Taiwan, about 16,000 fireworks were set off at the country's landmark Taipei 101 building, which is 509 metres tall.

In the South Korean capital Seoul, the start of 2024 was marked with the giant Bosingak bell being struck exactly 33 times, like every year. Tens of thousands of people gathered for the event.

China also welcomed in the New Year - albeit much more quietly than other parts of the world. New Year's Eve is not a top priority for the Chinese given that their traditional lunar year does not begin until February 10. Only then do people celebrate extensively.

However, in the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, New Year's Eve has a higher significance due to their British and Portuguese heritage. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands gathered by Victoria Harbour to marvel at the huge fireworks display.

There will though be little to cheer in Israel and the Gaza Strip or Ukraine, where conflicts continue unabated.

Western Europe will follow, with police in Berlin fearing riots like last year as people get overexcited. Injuries have already been reported hours before 2024 begins in Germany, where there is a tradition of sending up fireworks in small groups from the street.

Around 4,500 police officers from the capital and other states will be on duty in Berlin, where the traditional New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate is already open. Visitors faced long waits due to strict security controls.

The Americas wrap up the festivities, with a big turn-out expected in New York's Times Square. Police there are also on alert in case of terrorist attacks linked to Israel's war in Gaza.

American Samoa, 220 kilometres to the east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last to ring in 2024.