Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Bucharest, Romania

by Victor Grigore, Webphoto.ro

About 90.000 dwellers of Bucharest met the new year in the street, at one of the several open air concerts that were held. The largest audience was in Constitution Plaza, in front of the Parliamentary Palace, where the municipality was the main organizer. A comparable crowd filled George Enescu Square, in front of the Atheneum and University Library, near the Revolution Plaza, for a concert organized by Pro TV. Smaller open air celebrations took place in IOR Park and Sebastian Park.

The main attraction was, like in every New Year’s Eve, the fireworks display at midnight. The locals of Bucharest did not forget some superstitions for the moment of entering the new year, for which some came prepared with glasses and a bottle of champagne. Others simply used the opportunity to lit their own firecrackers as fireworks lit the sky. Among the artists that sang in Bucharest in the night between years were: David Bisbal, Anastasia, Voltaj, Loredana, Smiley, Ștefan Bănică, Conect-R, Antonia, Andreea Bănică, HiQ, Vunk.

The traditional preparations of the city for the winter holidays included a Christmas market in University Square, where there are two Christmas trees, and special decorations for the main boulevards. Also the trees and fountains of Independence Boulevard were also covered with Christmas lights.