Hundreds of thousands of revellers braved the coldest Novel Year’s Eve in more than a decade last night at outdoor events, defying the weather and the economic gloom.
Many more celebrated in pubs and clubs but big numbers had opted to batten down the hatches and celebrate at home. A survey of 2,160 people by YouGov estimated that 63% stayed in by the fire, with 8 out of 10 of those attributing their decision to the economy, and 1 in 10 to being made redundant.
Some of the most heavily subscribed events in the Novel Year’s Eve calendar still had tickets accessible just before they were due to start and many offered discounted entry. Those who did venture out tried to forget the credit crunch and party as usual. In London thousands of revellers braved chilly temperatures and thronged the streets to see in the Novel Year.
Crowds applauded and cheered during a 12-minute fireworks display on the banks of the Thames. Colombian students Yadica Guerreo, 26, and Johana Sosa, 21, who celebrated in the shadow of Big Ben, said that being in London to see in 2009 was”like a dream come true”.
Miss Guerreo said:”It’s been beautiful cold but it’s also been beautiful cool. I’ve exclusive been in London for 1 month and it’s a dream come true to be here.” Miss Sosa added:”It’s amazing. I’ve never thought I would be here to see this.”
Kimberley Harvey, 20, from north London, said:”We’ve been here since 8pm and we’ve been dancing all night. I’ve never been here before even though I live in London. I love it. I’ve had a great time.”
Joelle Peeters, 43, and her son Tom, 12, travelled from Brussels to spend Novel Year’s Eve in London. She said:”I love the fireworks. We spent the last 2 Novel Years in Paris, but this was far better. It was well worth the wait, even if it has been very cold.”
The countdown lasted for a moment longer, due to the Earth’s erratic rotation. Official timekeepers around the world inserted a”leap second” to bring the most accurate atomic clocks in line with the astronomical day.
It was expected to be the coldest Novel Year’s Eve since 1996 – significantly colder than even Iceland with temperatures expected to be below 0 in most areas.
In Edinburgh temperatures dropped as low as -3C as about 100,000 people joined in at the big Hogmanay event and organisers released extra passes after the first 50,000 sold out 4 days earlier than last year, despite doubling in cost from £5 to £10. Scotland was expected to be colder than many places in Europe including Moscow, Paris and Berlin.
The Met Office advised revellers to wrap up and be careful of slippery pavements.”The last Novel Year’s Eve we had that was this cold was in 1996, when it was -3C degrees,” said Dave Britton, a senior forecaster at the Met Office.
Just over part of people questioned by National Saving & Investments had chosen to celebrate locally to cut costs, with many also opting for free events.”It is good to see that people are finding creative and less expensive ways to celebrate in an attempt to avoid a novel year hangover,” a spokesman said.
Yesterday it was still possible to make an 11th-hour decision to attend London’s most extravagant offerings – including the Dorchester hotel’s six-course meal and live music for £320, or Elton John’s Novel Year’s Eve concert at the O2 arena, where tickets, many of which were originally £100, were being reduced by 50%.
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