Hi °C | Lo °C Tonight's the night when millions of people from across the world will be bringing in the new decade with a bang.
However, if you live in Northern Ireland you could be mistaken for asking if anybody will even notice. There are no civic events planned anywhere in the province.
While hundreds of thousands of people descend on Edinburgh and London for their annual New Year’s Eve celebrations, the streets of Belfast and other cities across Northern Ireland will offer no entertainment for families.
Earlier this year the decision was made to cancel Belfast’s annual open air concert at the City Hall. For several years the concert has been the centrepiece of the New Year celebrations in the city.
However, the council took the decision to axe the event because of falling numbers and rising costs. It was felt that more and more families are deciding to stay at home at New Year, while younger people tend to prefer the bars and clubs to open air events.
But Belfast bar manager Connor McCrory (29) said he was disappointed with the decision to cancel the concert.
He said: “I’ve been to the concert the last three years, the line- up was great and we had a brilliant time. I was counting on going this year again but I’ll probably just stay at home and watch Jools Holland with some friends.
“It’s a shame for something like this to happen to the city, especially after the great Christmas market. A capital city, however small, should always put some kind of New Year celebration on.”
Councillor Jim Rodgers said: “Last year there was only 4,000 people at the concert and although this might seem a lot it was down tremendously from the previous years.
“The cost of holding the concert hits the budget very badly so this year we looked at the figures and reluctantly decided to cancel it until a time we think it will be cost-effective. More people are choosing to remain at home and a lot of young people don’t want to stand outside to brave the cold.”
While Belfast allows the credit crunch to eat its way into the new year other cities vow to start the new decade as they mean to go on.
As London celebrates the 10th anniversary of the London Eye, Mayor Boris Johnson said: “London will bring in 2010 with a bang, a glittering explosion across the midnight sky. We want to show the world that we are looking forward to the future with optimism.”
Edinburgh is leading the way with their New Year’s celebrations by hosting a five-day Hogmanay complete with street parades, carnivals, fireworks and music.
So with no civic events in any of the province’s cities, bars and clubs will be the ones responsible for providing entertainment. And with nothing more than live bands, DJs, or masquerade balls to choose from, residents may feel a little cheated.
