The coronavirus pandemic has forced many celebrations to take place in muted form behind closed doors. With lockdowns or other restrictions in place in many countries, would-be New Year partygoers were told to have a quiet night in.
Photos of the New Year celebrations in various European cities were published by Euronews.
In France, the government ordered a visible security presence in urban areas from 20:00 (19:00 GMT) on Thursday, when the curfew began. In Paris half of the metro lines were closed. Yet, Champs Elysees in Paris, where thousands of revellers usually turn up to ring in the New Year, is deserted due to a curfew implemented to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The Eiffel Tower shined at midnight to mark the New Year.
In Italy, a 22:00 curfew was imposed, and bars, restaurants and most shops were closed. Meanwhile, Pope Francis is not leading New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services in Rome after suffering a recurrence of chronic hip pain. Mass festivals were banned due to lockdown, Rome also banned mass festivities due to lockdown, but at the same time, a grand fireworks display over the Colosseum took place, so that Italians could watch it from their windows and balconies.
Germany is currently under lockdown until 10 January. The government has banned the sale of fireworks and placed tight restrictions on the number of people who can gather in public. Berlin was deserted on New Year's Eve. Hundreds of thousands of spectators usually gather to watch the New Year's firework at the Brandenburg Gate. But this time strict quarantine prevented people from gathering.
In New York, just a handful of people were allowed into Times Square to watch the famous midnight ball drop - mainly frontline workers, first responders and their families. Stars performed as usual at the televised event. Fireworks were cancelled in cities including San Francisco and Las Vegas.
According to ‘Apostrophe’, in Rome, hundreds of birds died after many people set off fireworks in the Italian capital on New Year’s Eve, animal rights groups said Friday, calling it a “massacre.” Footage of streets near Rome’s main train station showed dozens and dozens of birds — mostly starlings — scattered lifeless on the ground. The cause of the deaths was not clear, but the International Organization for the Protection of Animals said it appeared related to a particularly loud display of firecrackers and fireworks in the leafy neighbourhood that many birds use to nest.