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In Pictures: COVID mutes New Year’s Eve as world ushers in 2021

Arrival of 2021 celebrated like no other, with many people bidding farewell to a year they’d rather forget.

Fireworks explode over the new suspension bridge crossing the River Nile in Cairo, Egypt, [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]
Fireworks explode over the new suspension bridge crossing the River Nile in Cairo, Egypt, [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]
31 Dec 2020

This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, but even with most people eager to see the back of a year they would prefer to forget, traditional firework displays have been toned down, and large crowds limited by coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

New Year’s experiences varied greatly depending on the country, just like the coronavirus itself.

Some big cities cancelled or scaled back their traditional celebrations, while a handful of places without active outbreaks were able to carry on as usual.

One million people usually crowd Sydney Harbour, Australia to watch the annual fireworks, but this year authorities advised revellers to watch the fireworks on television in an attempt to curb new COVID-19 outbreaks. [Mark Baker/AP Photo]
One million people usually crowd Sydney Harbour, Australia to watch the annual fireworks, but this year authorities advised revellers to watch the fireworks on television in an attempt to curb new COVID-19 outbreaks. [Mark Baker/AP Photo]
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A couple poses in front of illuminated 2021 sign in central Athens, which is normally packed on New Years' Eve [Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP]
A couple poses in front of illuminated 2021 sign in central Athens, which is normally packed on New Years' Eve [Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP]
A woman leaps as she has her photo taken on an empty street near Hotel Indonesia Roundabout which is normally crowded with people on New Year's Eve, in Jakarta, Indonesia. [Dita Alangkara/AP Photo]
A woman leaps as she has her photo taken on an empty street near Hotel Indonesia Roundabout which is normally crowded with people on New Year's Eve, in Jakarta, Indonesia. [Dita Alangkara/AP Photo]
Fireworks detonate from the Taipei 101 building during the New Year's celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan. [Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo]
Fireworks detonate from the Taipei 101 building during the New Year's celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan. [Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo]
People watch New Zealand band The Black Seeds perform during New Year's Eve celebrations at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. The country and its south Pacific island neighbours currently have no cases of COVID-19, and New Year celebrations there are the same as ever [Ernest Kung/AP Photo]
People watch New Zealand band The Black Seeds perform during New Year's Eve celebrations at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. The country and its south Pacific island neighbours currently have no cases of COVID-19, and New Year celebrations there are the same as ever [Ernest Kung/AP Photo]
Fireworks explode behind the towers of the Kremlin during New Year's Day celebrations in Moscow, Russia, where public events have been banned in other regions [Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]
Fireworks explode behind the towers of the Kremlin during New Year's Day celebrations in Moscow, Russia, where public events have been banned in other regions [Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]
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People hold candles to welcome the new year in Lahore, Pakistan. [K.M. Chaudary/AP]
People hold candles to welcome the new year in Lahore, Pakistan. [K.M. Chaudary/AP]
Fireworks explode over Pyongyang during New Year's celebrations in the North Korean capital. The country says it has had no cases of coronavirus but most in the crowd wore masks [Korean Central News Agency/via Reuters]
Fireworks explode over Pyongyang during New Year's celebrations in the North Korean capital. The country says it has had no cases of coronavirus but most in the crowd wore masks [Korean Central News Agency/via Reuters]
Many South Africans have swapped firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honour those who have died in the pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease. [Denis Farrell/AP]
Many South Africans have swapped firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honour those who have died in the pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease. [Denis Farrell/AP]
A man runs in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Due to coronavirus restrictions the annual New Year's Eve celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate with hundreds of thousands guests won't take place this year. [Michael Sohn/AP]
A man runs in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Due to coronavirus restrictions the annual New Year's Eve celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate with hundreds of thousands guests won't take place this year. [Michael Sohn/AP]
Fireworks explode from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year's Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates [Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters]
Fireworks explode from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year's Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates [Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters]
A light show over London's Tower Bridge as the British capital welcomed a new year without the usual crowds of revellers [Simon Dawson/Reuters]
A light show over London's Tower Bridge as the British capital welcomed a new year without the usual crowds of revellers [Simon Dawson/Reuters]
Germans were urged to stay at home, but there was a spectacular firework display over the Brandenburg Gate [John MacDougall/AFP]
Germans were urged to stay at home, but there was a spectacular firework display over the Brandenburg Gate [John MacDougall/AFP]
Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
A fireworks display is seen over Puerta del Sol Square on New Year's Eve in Madrid, Spain [Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images]
A fireworks display is seen over Puerta del Sol Square on New Year's Eve in Madrid, Spain [Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images]
New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Fireworks explode over the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill during New Year's day celebrations in Athens, Greece [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]
Fireworks explode over the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill during New Year's day celebrations in Athens, Greece [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]
Fireworks explode during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the new year in Mexico City, Mexico [Henry Romero/Reuters]
Fireworks explode during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the new year in Mexico City, Mexico [Henry Romero/Reuters]
A couple celebrates during New Year's Eve in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [Lucas Landau/Reuters]
A couple celebrates during New Year's Eve in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [Lucas Landau/Reuters]
Confetti flies around the ball and countdown clock in Times Square during the virtual New Year's Eve event in Manhattan, New York City [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
Confetti flies around the ball and countdown clock in Times Square during the virtual New Year's Eve event in Manhattan, New York City [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]

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