Photos show the striking contrast between packed, jubilant crowds in previous years and quiet, empty streets heading into 2021.
New Year’s Eve celebrations across the globe looked radically different this year as large crowds stayed away from traditional party spots such as New York City’s Times Square and the Champs Elysees in Paris.
The coronavirus that changed so much in 2020 led to cancellations of most fireworks displays and public events in favour of made-for-TV-only moments in cities around the world.
The Associated Press captured then-and-now images of some of these popular locations around the globe to illustrate the striking contrast between jubilant crowds in previous years and deserted streets heading into 2021.
The Champs Elysees avenue in Paris very early on New Year’s Day 2021, top, and the same location packed with revellers early on January 1 2020 (Thibault Camus/Christophe Ena/AP)
An empty Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 31 2020, top, contrasted with one year prior, when a crowd watched fireworks at the same location (Bruna Prado/AP)
Bosingak pavilion in Seoul, South Korea, during the annual New Year’s Eve bell-ringing ceremony on December 31 2020, top, and on January 1 2018 (Lee Jin-maN/A Ahn Young-joon/AP)
Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on December 31 2020, top, and on January 1 2019 (Kin Cheung/AP)
Police direct visitors around Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, a popular location for New Year’s Eve gatherings, on December 31 2020, top, and on January 1 2020 (Kiichiro Sato and Shohei Miyano/Kyodo News via AP)
The plaza in front of the Ottoman-era Mecidiye mosque in Ortakoy Square in Istanbul on December 31 2020, top, and on January 1 2020 (Emrah Gurel/AP)
New year celebrations in St Petersburg, Russia, on January 1 2021, top, and on New Year’s Day 2020 (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on December 31 2020, top, and on January 1 last year (Jae C Hong/Hiro Komae/AP)
Times Square in New York in the early hours of January 1 2021, top, and on New Year’s Day last year (Craig Rutte/Ben Hider/AP)
Fireworks in Dresden, Germany, on January 1 2020, bottom, and an image taken from the same location on January 1 2021 without fireworks (Sebastian Kahnert/DPA via AP)
The Gateway of India in Mumbai on December 31 2020, top, and on December 31 2019 (Rafiq Maqbool/Rajanish Kakade/AP)
Fireworks exploding over the Kremlin in an almost empty Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on December 31 2020, top, and on December 31 2019 (Pavel Golovkin/Denis Tyrin/AP)
Colle Oppio hill overlooking Rome’s Colosseum in the early hours of January 1 2021, top, and on January 1 2018 (Andrew Medichini/AP)
