New Year’s Day: How the world ushered in 2020 from New York to Hong Kong

Countries celebrate start of new decade after year defined by protest movements

Revellers around the world welcomed the start of a new decade yesterday with fireworks and celebrations as 2019 came to a close.

In the UK, Big Ben rung in 2020 at the end of a year of almost complete silence due to extensive restoration work, which has seen the clock tower covered in scaffolding for much of 2019.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said the UK needed to be brought “together again” in the new decade as the capital celebrated the year with a spectacular fireworks display over the River Thames.

Ahead of Tuesday night's event, Mr Khan said the celebration would be the "best fireworks London has ever seen" to mark the start of the new decade.

At the end of a decade which will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring and a host of controversial political movements, such as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, here’s how the world celebrated the start of 2020.

New York

In New York City’s Times Square, attendees celebrated the new year with fireworks, thousands of pounds of confetti and performances from rap star Post Malone and K-pop group BTS.

At one of the world’s most-watched New Year’s Eve events, revellers counted down the final seconds of 2019 as a luminescent crystal ball descended down a pole.

One attendee, who had flown to New York for the celebration from Puerto Rico, said the event was “a dream”.

Amid the festivities, attempts were made to highlight the issue of climate change as high school science teachers and students pressed the button which set off the city’s famous 60-second ball drop that countdowns to the new year.

Rio De Janeiro

Brazil’s capital saw about 3 million people welcome 2020 at the city’s Copacabana beach, where colourful fireworks were set off after midnight.

Many locals and tourists were expected to stay at the beach until Wednesday’s sunrise for the first swim of the year in the ocean as they hope to wash away their troubles from 2019.

Meanwhile in Sao Paulo, about 2 million people took to Paulista Avenue, the city’s main road, for more celebrations and fireworks - which were silent this year to help pets who get distressed by the noise.

Paris

In France’s capital, a joyful crowd travelled to the Champs-Elysees despite almost no public transport due to major strikes.

Revellers enjoyed a light show at the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a fireworks display at midnight to celebrate the new decade.

All metro lines in the city were closed, except for two automatic lines, and only a few night buses were running as Tuesday marked the 27th consecutive day of transport strikes opposing Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the French pension system.

Hong Kong

After a tense year of protests, Hong Kong saw a toned-down New Year’s Eve as the city’s traditional fireworks display was cancelled due to safety concerns.

Despite this, protesters still flocked to sites across the city to usher in 2020 as demonstrators prepared for a major march on New Year’s Day to call for democracy reforms in the semi-autonomous Chinese region.

Police fired teargas at pro-democracy protesters on New Year’s Eve after a small crowd set fire to barricades in the Mong Kok district.

Rome

In Italy, Pope Francis delighted tourists and locals in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday by taking a stroll to see a Nativity scene.

However, one woman appeared to anger the pope when she grabbed his hand and pulled it towards her to shake it.

The visibly annoyed Pope Francis then struck her hand twice to force her to let go.

At a New Year’s Eve Vespers service, the pope urged people to practice solidarity and to “build bridges, not walls” in 2020.

Sydney

More than a million people descended on Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas to celebrate the new year despite an ongoing wildfire crisis which has hit New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.

Although there were calls to cancel Sydney’s fireworks display over the fires, which have killed 12 people in the past few months, the event went ahead after a brief delay due to strong winds.

Scott Morrison, the country’s prime minister, acknowledged a “tough past 12 months” in his new year message but urged residents to remember “there is no better place to raise kids anywhere on the planet” than Australia.

Cape Town

At Cape Town’s Waterfront area, thousands of revellers gathered to ring in the new year with music, dancing and fireworks in front of the city’s famous Table Mountain.

Meanwhile in a sombre statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged a rise in unemployment and a “deepening of poverty” in South Africa but said his government was “encouraged by the progress we have made under difficult conditions” and wished people a “successful and peaceful 2020”.

Dubai

Fireworks lit up the sky over Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, for nearly 10 minutes as hundreds of thousands gathered to watch the spectacular display.

The event was just one of seven different fireworks shows across the United Arab Emirates, which saw tourists from Europe flock to the country’s sunny beaches to escape the cold winter.

Dubai is set to host the world fair Expo 2020 this year, which will bring the most cutting-edge and futuristic technologies to the city.

Additional reporting by AP