Health-care workers celebrate the new year in the intensive-care unit at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome.
New Year's celebrations around the world
Health-care workers celebrate the new year in the intensive-care unit at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome.
Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Updated 0603 GMT (1403 HKT) January 01, 2021

We can finally say goodbye to 2020, a messy, tragic year.

But because of the coronavirus pandemic, there weren't many of the mass celebrations we're used to seeing. Many cities even canceled their fireworks shows.

Here's how people around the world rang in the new year.

Confetti falls on a mostly empty Times Square in New York. This year, a limited live audience of first responders and essential workers and their families were allowed to watch the ball drop from a secure area.
Confetti falls on a mostly empty Times Square in New York. This year, a limited live audience of first responders and essential workers and their families were allowed to watch the ball drop from a secure area.
Corey Sipkin/AFP/Getty Images
A New Year's Eve memorial is held in Johannesburg for victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A New Year's Eve memorial is held in Johannesburg for victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Joao Silva/The New York Times/Redux
Hotel guests in Paris welcome 2021 near the Eiffel Tower. New Year's Eve fireworks were canceled throughout France, and an 8 p.m. curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Hotel guests in Paris welcome 2021 near the Eiffel Tower. New Year's Eve fireworks were canceled throughout France, and an 8 p.m. curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
Children play with sparklers in Caracas, Venezuela.
Children play with sparklers in Caracas, Venezuela.
Matias Delacroix/AP
Revelers celebrate on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands' second-largest city.
Revelers celebrate on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands' second-largest city.
ANP/AFP/Getty Images
Fireworks light the sky behind the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Fireworks light the sky behind the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Michael Sohn/AP
Two women celebrate in Newcastle, England.
Two women celebrate in Newcastle, England.
Lee Smith/Reuters
A member of the security staff at a concert in Berlin wears a face mask that reads "Happy New Year 2021."
A member of the security staff at a concert in Berlin wears a face mask that reads "Happy New Year 2021."
John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
Lights are seen over the Nile River in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
Lights are seen over the Nile River in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Residents of the San Jeronimo nursing home dance in Estella, Spain.
Residents of the San Jeronimo nursing home dance in Estella, Spain.
Alvaro Barrientos/AP
People gather near Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, prior to the fireworks show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
People gather near Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, prior to the fireworks show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Ali Haider/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
People celebrate under the lights of a Christmas tree in Kiev, Ukraine.
People celebrate under the lights of a Christmas tree in Kiev, Ukraine.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Revelers celebrate on a balcony in Johannesburg.
Revelers celebrate on a balcony in Johannesburg.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
People take pictures and watch the first sunrise of the new year from a beach in Fujisawa, Japan.
People take pictures and watch the first sunrise of the new year from a beach in Fujisawa, Japan.
Ben Weller/AFLO/Reuters
People watch fireworks in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
People watch fireworks in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images
Passengers celebrate inside a party bus driving through Moscow.
Passengers celebrate inside a party bus driving through Moscow.
Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./AP
People celebrate the new year in Wuhan, China, which nearly a year ago became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
People celebrate the new year in Wuhan, China, which nearly a year ago became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Roman Pilipey/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Fireworks erupt over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fireworks erupt over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
People pray for the new year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
People pray for the new year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
Carl Court/Getty Images
People in Beijing walk past a display that reads "Happy New Year."
People in Beijing walk past a display that reads "Happy New Year."
Ng Han Guan/AP
Joya-no-kane, a bell-ringing ceremony, is held at the Todaijii Temple in Nara, Japan. Usually worshippers are allowed to ring the bell, but the ceremony was more restricted this year.
Joya-no-kane, a bell-ringing ceremony, is held at the Todaijii Temple in Nara, Japan. Usually worshippers are allowed to ring the bell, but the ceremony was more restricted this year.
Takayuki Hamai/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP
People ring in the new year at the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.
People ring in the new year at the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.
Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images
This aerial photo shows students in Xiangyang, China, standing in formation to mark 2021.
This aerial photo shows students in Xiangyang, China, standing in formation to mark 2021.
Yang Tao/VCG/Getty Images
People take a selfie in front of a neon sign in Melbourne.
People take a selfie in front of a neon sign in Melbourne.
Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
People watch The Black Seeds perform during New Year's Eve celebrations at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. The country has become <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-zealand-travel-covid-19/index.html" target="_blank">the poster child</a> for how to deal with Covid-19. Its early lockdown and strict border measures mean it has suppressed the virus to an astonishing degree.
People watch The Black Seeds perform during New Year's Eve celebrations at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. The country has become the poster child for how to deal with Covid-19. Its early lockdown and strict border measures mean it has suppressed the virus to an astonishing degree.
Ernest Kung/AP
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Australia.
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Australia.
Mark Baker/AP