PETALING JAYA: It may be a muted New Year’s Eve for many but it is no less merry.
Thousands turned up at the city’s landmarks such as i-City, KLCC, Bukit Bintang and Dataran Merdeka, and various tourist spots in Penang and Johor for the countdown and to usher in 2016.
Fireworks thundered in the night as the clock struck midnight, accompanied by cheers and shouts from the revellers.
In Shah Alam, the early evening shower failed to dampen the festive mood at the i-City Theme Park with many welcoming the New Year with a bang.
For digital animation student Chow Ken Hong, last night was his first New Year’s Eve at i-City.
“My friends dragged me along for this outing. It’s been fun,” said the 20-year-old.
Among the merrymakers were tourists taking the opportunity to celebrate the passing of the old year in Malaysia.
“The shopping around here is good and we’ve celebrated New Year’s Eve here before and we liked it,” said 64-year-old Linda Roads from Perth, Australia.
Mohd Irhan, 23, who was at the ticketing booth at the park’s main entrance last night, said working in a theme park had its perks, especially on New Year’s Eve.
“I have front row seats to the fireworks,” he said.
The New Year countdown at the i-City’s City Of Digital Lights saw free entry offers after 11.30pm and free parking for revellers as well as the extension of operating hours till 3am.
“Friday is the start of a long weekend and we wanted our guests to just take their time and have fun,” said i-City’s information manager Tang Soke Cheng.
The festivities saw many of the highways and major roads in the city such as the Elite Highway and Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong choked with traffic.
In George Town, isolated showers did not dampen the mood with thousands gathered at the Karpal Singh Drive as early as 6pm for the Penang Waterfront Countdown 2016 celebration.
Some 3,000 colourful balloons were released during the celebration while some 1,500 balloons were released at Gurney Paragon Mall in Gurney Drive.
In Johor Baru, those attending the countdown at Sutera Mall were treated to an array of performances and entertainment.
Teacher V. Mohana, 48, who had just moved to Taman Mutiara Rini with her family last year, said this was their first time celebrating the New Year in Johor.
“We have been counting down at Dataran Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur for 12 years. It doesn’t make our New Year’s Eve any less exciting because Johor Baru has its own specialty,” said Mohana, who came with her husband and two daughters.
Thousands also turned up at Dataran Bandaraya to attend a tahlil ceremony to mark the passing of Tunku Laksamana Johor Tunku Abdul Jalil Ibni Sultan Ibrahim some three weeks ago.
The tahlil started after the Maghrib prayers which were also held to mark the 22nd anniversary of Johor Baru as a city.
