LONDON/DUBAI: The night sky over Riyadh became illuminated in a sea of color as the Kingdom marked the start of the new decade with its first New Year fireworks display.
The display, which came just 10 years before the self-imposed deadline to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project, was watched around the globe and will likely be seen as yet another example of the Kingdom’s modernization.
The Saudi capital joined cities around the globe with their moments of attention with fireworks, music, and hi-tech lightshows.
05:00 (GMT): K-pop superstars BTS entertained the thousands packed into New York's Time Square as the US east coast became the latest venue to welcome 2020.
03:00 (GMT): In Santiago, Chile, new year celebrations were marred by protests
00:00 (GMT): Fireworks exploded over the London Eye by the River Thames in London as the British capital welcomed in 2020.
23:00 (GMT): France ushers in the New Year with this dramatic firework show at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
22:00 (GMT): Fireworks explode over the ancient temple of the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis hill as part of Greece's celebrations for the New Year in Athens.
21:00 (GMT): Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh is the latest global city to welcome in 2020 with a sky-bound message... watch the full fireworks show below...
#WATCH: The full firework show for #NewYearsEve from #Riyadh #SaudiArabia ushering in 2020 and a brand new decade #NewYear2020 (Video: @mbc1)https://t.co/dR6Prw5vZR pic.twitter.com/Nj8O6IGtex
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 31, 2019
#LIVE: Happy New Year from #Riyadh #SaudiArabia to all AN readers!#NewYearsEve #NewYear2020https://t.co/dR6Prw5vZR pic.twitter.com/Y4NjxSQLTS
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 31, 2019
19:30 (GMT): Downtown Dubai is always known for a fantastic NYE show, and this year is expected to be no different. Watch the live stream from Dubai below...
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16:00 (GMT): Asian mega-cities Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing have ushered in 2020 with big firework displays - Hong Kong's celebrations, however, were accompanied by anti-government protests as the unrest rumbles on in the special administrative region.
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15:00 (GMT): Japan has welcomed in the new year, with revellers releasing balloons as they took part in the New Year countdown event in Tokyo.
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One of the first countries to welcome 2020 was New Zealand, which started its midnight celebrations by lighting up its iconic Sky Tower in Auckland, while fireworks erupted above the Kiwi skyline.
Other major cities of the world will show off their own versions of New Year’s Eve celebrations, including Dubai, where the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa – will take the center stage as hundreds of thousands flock to the iconic tower.
Meanwhile in Australia, Sydney kicked off its celebration with an early fireworks show at 9 p.m. local time.
Almost eight hours ahead of most Gulf countries, its skies lit up again for the main midnight event which took place at 1 p.m. GMT:
