Crowds began arriving as early as 7pm for the New Year’s Eve countdown party at i-City in Shah Alam, Selangor, and continued to swell as the night wore on.
People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel were stationed in the area to man the traffic and help pedestrians cross the busy roads.
At CentralWalk near Central i-City mall, more than 500 people kicked off the countdown party at 8.30pm with a Zumba dance.
This was the first time a Zumba dance session was held there since the Covid-19 pandemic, said an i-City spokesperson.
“The dance has always been a much-anticipated event, especially among health enthusiasts, as a way to welcome the new year.
“Some 300 people registered and about 200 were walk-in participants,” she said.
She said the mall usually receive about 3,000 visitors a day but expected the crowd to swell up to 5,000 for the countdown celebration.
Meanwhile, the Digital Sports Arena, which began operating about three weeks ago, also saw a spike in visitors on New Year’s Eve.
Long queues snaked along the packed corridors outside the arena as crowds jostled to make their way inside the play areas.
Others were seen milling about with loved ones and friends, taking in the atmosphere and capturing the special occasion on their smartphones.
Over at the City of Digital Lights theme park, visitors delighted in the pine forest setting illuminated with decorative lights.
N. Surendran, 56, came with his wife and three daughters from Kuala Lumpur, to soak up the atmosphere.
“This is our first time here. We’ve heard much about the lighting and wanted to see it for ourselves,” he said.
Leong Wai Choon, 45, came from Klang with his wife and nine-year-old son.
“It’s our family tradition to usher in the new year by enjoying dinner together,” he said, before heading to the theme park.
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