Millions of revelers converged on the beaches of Brazil, the streets of Seoul, South Korea, and New York’s Times Square to say good riddance to a turbulent 2014 marred by terror woes and Ebola outbreaks.
Worldwide people gathered to remember those lost in 2014 and offer blessings for the new year. But as always, the common thread for the major celebrations in congested downtowns and public squares was fireworks – and tons of them.
In Dubai, fireworks surrounded the world’s tallest building, the 2,722-foot Burj Khalifa, which flashed with colored lights and images of the country’s leaders as organizers went for a Guinness World Record for the largest LED-illuminated facade.
Sydney’s famed Opera House provided a stunning background for a trademark glittery celebration replete with a tropical-style fireworks display featuring gold and silver palm tree pyrotechnic effects.
And in New York partiers eager to claim spots to ring in 2015 in Times Square arrived hours early, enduring freezing temperatures and a scarcity of restrooms before the glittering ball drop at midnight at the Crossroads of the World.