New Year’s Eve celebrations have been cancelled in several major cities around the world following safety concerns, with tens of thousands of revellers affected by the decisions.
New Year’s Eve festivities worldwide are being cancelled due to significant concerns raised by local authorities.
The decisions have disrupted the plans of tens of thousands, with fireworks displays, parties and other live events among those called off in the lead up to 31 December. Some unofficial events were cancelled after a planned bombing attack in Los Angeles was exposed by the FBI, leading to the arrest of four individuals during a rehearsal of their attack.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli disclosed surveillance footage from a drone that showed suspects attempting to assemble a bomb. The four alleged culprits were identified as Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41, all hailing from the Los Angeles area.
Despite the threat, Los Angeles has not actually cancelled any official New Year’s Eve events. However, several major events have been cancelled for safety reasons globally, reports the Mirror.
Sydney
Australians are still grappling with the aftermath of the horrific shooting at Bondi Beach where 15 people lost their lives and an additional 40 were injured. As a result, the popular New Year’s fireworks display on the beach has been cancelled.
“Due to the current situation on the ground, Waverley Council has decided to cancel New Year’s Eve events at Bondi Beach, including elrow XXL Bondi and Local’s Lawn,” organisers at Waverley Council informed Sky News. They stated the decision was made with “compassion and care for Sydney’s Jewish community”.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has stated that the persistent threat of antisemitism means Jews are not entirely safe. He commented: “The real test for us will be one year from now, five years from now, 15 years from now, when the Jewish community feels safe in their community.
“I have spoken to so many members of the Jewish community in the last week who don’t feel safe. They don’t feel safe celebrating their religion, they don’t feel safe getting together as a community and we cannot have a situation where the solution to this horrible terrorism event is to have the Jewish community so we can only exist and celebrate our faith behind big walls.”
Sydney will continue its tradition of fireworks, providing the iconic annual spectacle of colourful displays over the famous Opera House. Attendees will be given a moment’s silence to honour those who lost their lives at Bondi.
Russia
Russians are also being told to ring in 2026 quietly and in many places, not to ring it in at all.
Paris
Concerns raised by police have resulted in the scrapping of a well-attended music gathering on the Champs-Elysées, according to Parisian publication sortiraparis. Officers pressed Mayor Anne Hidalgo to abandon the event amid worries about potential crushing incidents caused by massive turnouts.
The capital’s principal fireworks display will proceed without disruption.
Tokyo
Comparable anxieties about overcrowding have prompted officials in Japan’s capital to scrap the countdown celebrations outside the renowned Shibuya Station. Mayor Ken Hasebe cited apprehensions about public alcohol consumption as an additional factor behind the move, according to local media.
Jakarta
Indonesia’s central administration has announced support for multiple regions choosing to abandon fireworks displays in remembrance of those affected by recent flooding on Sumatra. Fatalities from devastating floods and mudslides across parts of Asia climbed beyond 1,500 earlier this month.
The catastrophe was made worse by concerns that years of forest clearance driven by unregulated development, mining operations and palm oil cultivation may have intensified the destruction. Pressure has mounted on authorities to take action.
“We need the government to investigate and fix forest management,” stated Rangga Adiputra, a 31 year old teacher whose residence in West Sumatra was destroyed. The slopes above his village near Padang city had been damaged by unlawful timber harvesting.
“We don’t want this costly disaster to happen again,” he added. More than 900 fatalities in Indonesia alone have been verified.
Belgrade
The Serbian capital, Belgrade, has decided to cancel some events due to concerns over the safety of children. This includes celebrations on New Year’s Eve and also on the Serbian New Year’s Eve on 14 January.
Mayor Aleksandar Šapić cited previous instances where barriers at events had been breached as a reason for the cancellations.
Hong Kong
An alternative display will be shown after the traditional fireworks display was cancelled following the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The tragic incident occurred at an apartment complex at Wang Fuk Court, in the northern suburban district of Tai Po, which was undergoing a lengthy renovation project with buildings shrouded in bamboo scaffolding and green netting.
The fire claimed the lives of at least 160 people.
Police reported that the youngest victim of the fire was a 1 year old, while the oldest was 97.
