Fireworks dazzled down under.
A multitude of fireworks lit up the sky above Sydney Harbour Bridge during a show ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Australia.
The lavish production, which got underway around 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, included 7,000 fireworks — the city’s largest display in history — and cost $5.8 million, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Fireworks were also launched from the Opera House and four rooftops. The show, which had an estimated 1 million revelers in attendance, also included 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.
“We have had a couple of fairly difficult years; we’re absolutely delighted this year to be able to welcome people back to the foreshores of Sydney Harbour for Sydney’s world-famous New Year’s Eve celebrations,” said Stephen Gilby, the city’s program manager.
In Seoul, the traditional bell-ringing ceremony returned after a three-year hiatus. The custom, where the bells ring 33 times at 4 a.m. to signal the beginning of the year, started in 1953.
More than 100,000 people were expected at the celebration, which is held in Bosingak in Jongno-gu, according to The Korea Herald.
At 6 a.m. New York time, New Zealand marked the new year with a stunning light show over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and a fireworks display launched from the 1,076-foot Auckland Sky Tower.
Thousands also gathered for fireworks and a light show at West Tour Park in Huai ‘an, in East China’s Jiangsu province. When the East Coast reached 11 a.m., Hong Kong marked the new year with fireworks over Victoria Harbour, a tourist attraction on the South China Sea. At the same time, in the Philippines, fireworks illuminated the sky over Manila Bay.
An hour later, Bangkok started 2023 with festivities at CentralwOrld, dubbed the ‘Times Square of Asia.’