Large crowds gather at Marina Bay as Singapore rings in 2026
As crowds gathered throughout the night, the police closed off several areas that had reached full capacity.
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SINGAPORE: Large crowds filled Marina Bay to welcome the New Year, amid a dazzling pyrotechnic display.
At the stroke of midnight on Thursday (Jan 1), the skyline lit up in a blaze of fireworks, with crowds across Marina Bay pointing their phones skywards to capture the display, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Some revellers hugged those beside them, while a few couples kissed as the new year arrived.
Shortly after the fireworks ended at around 12.13am, many in the crowd began to disperse. Movement was slow but steady due to heavy congestion at exit points.
At Marina Bay Sands, where most parts of the waterfront had been closed off by police in the hour leading up to midnight, people were funnelled towards a number of designated exits.
Security officers were stationed at and around barricades to facilitate the movement of the crowd.
Mr Rance Valle, a 20-year-old student from the Philippines who is on holiday in Singapore, described the fireworks display as "mesmerising" and "amazing".
He said large-scale fireworks displays were uncommon in his hometown, adding that witnessing the spectacle at Marina Bay left a strong impression.
"When I saw the fireworks, I felt like Singapore is very rich. It was just very amazing," he said.
Mr Valle also said the crowd control measures were effective. "It's quite calm and controlled," he added.
By around 12.30am, litter could be seen on the ground in several areas as people continued to move off. To facilitate dispersal, security personnel widened some exit points.
CNA observed brief moments of tension earlier in the night when some people were separated from family and friends after security officers closed sections of the waterfront area due to large crowds.
These situations were quickly resolved without further incident.
As crowds gathered throughout the night, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) closed off several areas that had reached full capacity, including the Jubilee Bridge, the Fullerton waterfront area and the Merlion waterfront area.
Clifford Square, the Esplanade waterfront area, Helix Bridge and most of the Marina Bay Sands waterfront area were also closed in the course of the evening.
Members of the public were advised to avoid those areas.
All areas around Marina Bay had been reopened as of about 1am.
New Year's Eve revellers also gathered around The Kallang, with SPF saying at about 11.10pm that the Stadium Riverside Walk and Water Sports Centre had been closed.
As of about 12.40am, all areas around The Kallang had been reopened.
Around four hours before midnight, polytechnic students Mr Eros E, 22, and Ms Yasmine Maricar, 21, had already settled down along the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade near the Red Dot Design Museum.
The pair said they had spent the afternoon shopping at Suntec City and had dinner before heading over early to soak in the atmosphere. It was their first time ringing in the new year by watching the fireworks at Marina Bay.
Mr Eros said he was looking forward to the year ahead, especially the chance to travel after completing his polytechnic studies.
"Next year we'll have more opportunities for us to travel," he said.
Both said they were surprised by the level of security in the area, noting that several spots they had hoped to access were off limits to revellers.
Mr Chua Chin Guan, 51, turned this year's countdown into a family outing, arriving early to secure a spot along the Marina Bay Sands waterfront.
By 6pm, he had laid out a picnic mat for a group of around 10, which included a couple, a child, a domestic helper and even the family dog.
Other family members were still in nearby malls when CNA spoke to him.
While it is not a yearly tradition for the Chua family to join the countdown celebrations, Mr Chua said he felt it was a good opportunity for the extended family to spend time together.
When asked about his wishes for the year ahead, he said: "Let's hope Singapore businesses will get better and better, and everybody gets more money."
As more people continued to arrive at Marina Bay, some revellers noted patchy mobile phone reception, likely due to the large crowd already in the area.
Others also kept an eye on the skies, where occasional flashes of lightning lit up the night, even as many waited for the countdown festivities to begin in earnest.
To manage crowds, the police released real-time photos of the situation at Marina Bay and Kallang.
People who headed down to these areas were advised to check the crowd levels on the Crowd@MarinaBay website and the Crowd@Kallang website, which showed real-time crowd levels and area closures, as well as the photos released by SPF.
Apart from Marina Bay and Kallang, various countdown activities also took place at Sentosa and Clarke Quay, as well as seven heartland sites.
Additional reporting by Abigail Ng
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