02 January,2025 08:19 AM IST | Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) | Agencies
The show dubbed ‘Our Story in the Sky’ in UAE. Pic/RAK Tourism Development Authority
Ras Al Khaimah welcomed 2025 with a captivating drone and fireworks display, setting two new Guinness World Records titles for the âlargest aerial display of a tree formed by multirotors/drones' and the âlargest aerial image of a seashell formed by multirotors/drones'.
Dubbed âOur Story in the Sky', the show celebrated the Emirate's natural and cultural heritage. Transcending traditional fireworks, three-dimensional drone artistry, lasers and synchronised pyrotechnics that stretched over 5 km of the Ras Al Khaimah waterfront combined to transform the night sky into a living canvas of light and emotion through stunning visuals representing iconic symbols of Ras Al Khaimah's landscapes and culture.
Over 1,00,000 residents and visitors gathered to witness the show. The event also catered to outdoor enthusiasts with dedicated areas for camping, caravans, and RVs.
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Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to ring in the New Year. Auckland was the first major city to celebrate, with thousands thronging downtown or climbing the city's ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point. American Samoa was among the last to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.
A few hours after Auckland, fireworks blasted off Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge and across the bay. More than a million people gathered for the celebration featuring British pop star Robbie Williams, along with Indigenous ceremonies and performances that acknowledged the land's first people.
In New York City, crowds cheered and couples kissed when the ball weighing almost 6 tonnes and featuring 2,688 crystal triangles descended down a pole in Times Square. The celebration included musical performances by TLC and Jonas Brothers. Las Vegas' pyrotechnic show on the Strip saw 340,000 people as fireworks launched from the rooftops of casinos. In Pasadena, California, Rose Parade spectators were camping out while some 200,000 people flocked to a country music party in Nashville, Tennessee.
Much of Japan shut down ahead of the nation's biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning. The upcoming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is heralded as one of rebirth, alluding to the reptile's shedding skin. Other places in Asia will mark the Year of the Snake later, with the Lunar New Year. In South Korea, celebrations were cut back or cancelled due to Sunday's air crash that killed 179 people.
Rome's traditional New Year's Eve festivities had an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis' Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025. On Tuesday, Francis celebrated a vespers at St Peter's Basilica. During Mass on Wednesday he again appealed for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. January 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary.
Paris capped a momentous 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysées. The city's emblematic Arc de Triomphe monument was turned into a giant tableau for a light show that celebrated the city's landmarks and the passage of time, with whirring clocks.
London rang in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames. With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the UK, however, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, were cancelled.
But in Switzerland and some other places, people embraced the cold, stripping and plunging into the water in freezing temperatures.
Rio de Janeiro threw Brazil's main New Year's Eve bash on Copacabana beach, with barges shooting off 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists on cruise ships and charter boats witnessed the show up close, while many more streamed onto the sand to find their spot. The crowd on Copacabana was expected to exceed 2 million people to enjoy concerts by Brazilian music legends.
The New Year celebrations in Karachi were overshadowed by a series of aerial firing incidents across the city, leaving at least 29 people injured, including women and children. Rescue officials confirmed the injuries, which resulted from celebratory gunfire during the early hours of January 1, 2025.
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