The world welcomed 2024 with dazzling fireworks shows (Credit: CarolVanHook/ CC-BY-SA-2.0/ Flickr.com)

Happy 2024! As is the case each year, countries worldwide welcomed the New Year with dazzling fireworks shows. Here are some spectacular displays that lit up the skies at midnight on December 31, 2023.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney has earned the reputation as the "New Year's Eve Capital of the World" due to its elaborate fireworks. The annual celebration features two shows. The first, an eight-minute-long display at 9:00 pm, is for families with young kids.

The second magnificent spectacle takes place at midnight. This year, it featured 7,000 colorful fireworks, 6,000 shooting effects, 13,000 aerial shells, and over 75,000 pyrotechnic effects. Over a million people gathered at the Sydney Harbour Bridge to witness the impressive 12-minute display.

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong's first New Year's Eve fireworks display since 2018 was touted as the "biggest ever" in the city's history. The 12-minute-long musical extravaganza was themed "New Year, New Legend." It depicted the changing seasons and the beauty of nature through colorful fireworks. The thousands of spectators gathered along Victoria Harbor were also treated to lighting effects and pyrotechnics set off from the rooftops of some of Hong Kong's tallest buildings.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi welcomed 2024 with a mind-boggling 40-minute fireworks show. It set three world records for quantity, time, and shape. An additional record was achieved by a 20-minute-long show featuring 5,000 drones painting artistic images. Visitors were also treated to the region's largest-ever laser show.

London, England

London ushered in the New Year with a 13-minute fireworks display off the banks of the River Thames. The exciting event was seen live by 100,000 people and millions more worldwide. It began against the backdrop of 12 powerful chimes from the city's iconic Big Ben and a stunning drone show. The illuminations, set off from the London Eye and barges moored in the river, featured over 12,000 fireworks. They were accompanied by a varied soundtrack of songs and voice-over clips.

Happy New(s) Year!

Resources: BBC.com, theguardian.com, CNN.com, CBSnews.com