After two years of a mandatory break due to the pandemic, New Year’s Eve celebrations can and should get hotter again this year – not just weather wise, but up to 19 degrees Celsius are expected! Reason is still required when ringing in the new year with champagne, pigs and sulphurous fumes. After the riots, 1,000 police officers in uniform and plainclothes are also on duty across Austria.
The New Year’s Eve celebration takes place on Saturday with a large police presence. After the wild scenes at Halloween parties this year in Linz and two years ago on New Year’s Eve in Vienna-Favoriten, the executive has armed itself. You especially want to be prepared for riots and the use of illegal fireworks. In the run-up to the event, there were major actions across the country and hundreds of kilograms of illegal firecrackers and fireworks were seized.
„zero tolerance“ for rioters
After a two-year break due to Corona, the famous New Year’s Eve route will take place again in Vienna this year. Last but not least, the president of the Vienna State Police, Gerhard Pürstl, hopes that this will lead the crowds to the city center.
The fact that many people gather in the city center, especially in Vienna, should make it easier for officials to oversee the celebrations. In any case, Pürstl has already declared a “zero tolerance” for rioters. The security forces are also paying particular attention to the New Year’s concert on Sunday morning at the Wiener Musikverein, as activists fear disruptive action. In the federal states, too, the executive branch wants to intervene rigorously before escalations can arise.
Firecrackers: What’s Legal – What’s Not?
Private individuals in Austria are only allowed to set off category F1 and F2 fireworks without a pyrotechnic course. The instructions for use must be followed carefully. F2 firecrackers may only be detonated outdoors – and outside urban and urban areas. Mayors are free to allow exceptions to this – but only if there is no danger to be feared.
A number of people are still injured when the fireworks burn off.
Burns are particularly common, sometimes ears (acoustic trauma) or eyes are damaged. The best safety tips from the police: only buy fireworks from specialist shops, Keep a safe distance and Never light “duds” a second time!
However, it will likely be loud and colorful, which will have a huge impact on the animal inhabitants, especially in the metropolitan areas. “Krone” animal expert Maggie Entenfellner: “I almost never go into background noise so as not to amplify my animals’ fears. I create retreats and stay with them in the apartment at midnight, which is what works best for us.”
Official fireworks are cancelled
Incidentally, there will be no official fireworks in the federal capital at the turn of the year: in times of rising prices, the actual ‘burning’ of tens of thousands of euros is not well received. Environmental protection and animal welfare also play an important role.
Up to 19 degrees warm
But even without fireworks, etc. it can be “hot”. This year it will be very mild on New Year’s Eve, especially during the day in higher valleys. “From Vorarlberg via the Ausserfern to the Mostviertel, temperatures will rise to 18, in some cases even 19 degrees,” predicted Ubimet expert Nikolas Zimmermann.
Million digital congratulations
A side note: For digital New Year’s greetings and the like, the mobile communications advocacy organization Forum Mobilkommunikation expects a record amount of data sent by mobile devices around the turn of the year: 43 million gigabytes are likely to be sent in the hours around New Year’s Eve alone.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
