Global Cities Rethink New Year’s Festivities
Several prominent cities around the world, including Paris, Hong Kong, and Belgrade, Serbia, have either canceled or modified their New Year’s Eve festivities amid rising security concerns.
The Mayor of Belgrade, Aleksandar Šapić, announced that the city would forgo official celebrations for both New Year’s Eve and Serbian New Year on January 13-14. He pointed to security incidents at last year’s concerts as the reason behind this decision.
“Most attendees at these concerts are children aged 13 to 15, primarily girls. Last year, we experienced an incident where a group attempted to breach the fence and engage with concertgoers. We will not host a reception until we can ensure that no more than 500 or 1,000 individuals will attempt to disrupt the concert and traumatize the children. I refuse to take that risk; therefore, there will be no New Year’s concert,” Mr. Šapić stated during a press conference.
In Paris, the cancellation of concerts along the Champs-Elysées was prompted by concerns from the Paris Police Prefecture. Jeanne d’Hauteserre, Mayor of the eighth arrondissement in Paris, noted that police were worried about “unpredictable crowd movements” and indicated that the Champs-Elysées is not suitable for such dynamic gatherings.
Despite these changes, a fireworks display is still scheduled to take place at the Champs-Elysées.
In Hong Kong, officials did not specify reasons for canceling fireworks over Victoria Harbor; however, they confirmed that the countdown event for 2026 will occur in Central District instead.
The Shibuya district in Tokyo has also decided against holding its celebrations for another year. Mayor Ken Hasebe cited issues related to public drunkenness and unruly behavior as factors influencing this decision.
