Ushering in 2018 in high spirits

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians of all races and ages welcomed 2018 with parties and shows throughout the country.

People turned up at many places, such as KLCC, Bukit Bintang and Putrajaya, while others thronged popular spots nationwide.

At Dataran Putrajaya, visitors watched the colourful lights as they danced across buildings at the Festival Light and Motion (Lampu).

A 10-minute-long musical fireworks display was seen at the KLCC Park as the clock struck midnight, while more fireworks shows were held at i-City Theme Park in Shah Alam and other locations.

A myriad of festivities were also held at several venues, including Sunway City, KL Tower, Pavillion, Publika, Citta Mall and Desa Park City.

 

Fireworks lighting up the sky around Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

In George Town, pomp and gaiety were the order of the day as thousands of revellers thronged several popular locations to usher in the New Year.

At M Mall O2O in Penang Times Square, many were seen immersing themselves in the music brought out by show-stoppers at the “M Mall O2O 2017 Countdown Concert”.

International sensation Happy Polla of Thailand and Faye Chen, the lead vocalist of Taiwanese Rock Band F.I.R, sent the crowd into euphoria with their performances.

At the promenade at the Straits Quay Retail Marina in Tanjung Tokong, the highlight of the day was the LED Brazilian Samba Dance.

The crowd danced and shook their bodies to the “Futuristic Mirror Dance” and “Laser Board Dance”.

The celebration finally reached a crescendo at midnight with shouts of Happy New Year!

Children at Gurney Paragon Mall enjoyed their own mini party with a special appearance by clowns.

Entertainment was provided by De Fam and The Mans Dreamer. To ring in 2018, the mall released about 2,000 balloons.

At Gurney Plaza, Malaysian band Acidic Bunch was there to greet hundreds of revellers.

Teenagers and young adults also made a beeline for the virtual reality (VR) games – the Haunted House and Shooting Gallery.

Over at Queensbay Mall, more than a thousand people came as early as 8.30pm to get into the New Year spirit. Among the activities was an energetic Zumba dance session led by instructor Lisa Lim.

The celebratory mood was also evident at several other locations, including at Auto-City in Bukit Mertajam, The Top@Komtar, Gur­ney Drive and the Esplanade.

While revellers were having fun welcoming 2018, the police were ever present to prevent any rowdy incident.