From jubilant revellers in Nathan Phillips Square to superhero-clad children running wild in Burlington and everywhere in between, Torontonians rang in the new year in festive fashion last night. At Toronto City Hall, thousands of toque-clad partygoers celebrated gathered early into the night. Many arrived shortly after sunset for a skate on the public rink, then stayed on in on at Nathan Phillips Square for a concert and planned fireworks. With a mix of celebrants from near and far, The city expected 40,000 people to attend the festivities at City Hall last night.
Vendors hawking glow-in-the-dark everythings were busy shortly after sunset while the first 9 metres 30 feet of standing room around the concert stage was gone by 7 p.m. By the time the opening act hit the stage a few hours later, thousands had jammed around City Hall to bring in the new year with dancing at the city’s biggest party.
Meanwhile, a family of five, all bedecked in neon flashing new year’s goggles walked to the complimentary hot chocolate stand.
“No one wants the coffee. It’s all about the hot chocolate,” said Jonah Cato, 14, as he filled another cup.
“No, no. They’ll want the coffee as New Year’s gets closer. To stay awake,” Jeffrey Kankam, 14, said.
While many of those gathered at City Hall tried hard to make it to midnight for the culmination of their celebrations, children gathered at the Toronto Zoo rang in the new year three hours early. New Year’s at 9 p.m.?It was for the Hundreds of kids who took part in the zoo’s fifth annual New Year’s Eve Family Countdown at 9 p.m.
Among the young revellers in attendance was 2-year old Gabe Patterson, who arrived early with his father, Brad, and got to spend the x dying hours of 2007 staring at caged owls and gorillas.
But by the time the countdown began, at 9 p.m., young Gabe was fast asleep. Six-year old Melissa Lee, attending her first New Year’s Eve party, was also on hand at the zoo.
“This is a great event for the kids,” said Melissa’s mother, Susan Abouzaki.
Melissa spent the lead up to 9 p.m. dancing, eating beaver tails pastries and blowing on her noise-maker to make sure she’d be ready for the early countdown.
“It’s a good thing the countdown is at 9,” Susan said. “We couldn’t last until 12.”
In Burlington, members of Burlington City Council celebrated the New Year at the city’s Central Park in odd fashion as a few thousand local children dressed up like their favourite superheroes and partied into the night with their parents and local politicians.
At that event, Spider-Man — or, at least a 15-year-old Victoria McEwan dressed in a Spider-Man costume — was seen sitting cross-legged atop a booth outside the Burlington Seniors Centre.
That scene seemed to inspire a little boy riding inside a green plastic wagon, as he pretended to shoot web strings at her from his wrist.
McEwan, who is part of the Burlington Student Theatre that organized the superhero New Year’s Eve event for children, said the kids were having a blast.
“It’s just fun for them to see their superheroes, you know?” she said.
As superhero-clad children ran rampant into the night, a nearby circus show was performed for the amusement of others who gathered. There, a little boy could be seen staring in wonder at a man on stilts as he moved along the sidewalk outside the Burlington arena.
“Do you think he is really that tall or is it just his hat?” his mother joked.
Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson was also on hand to share in the fun.
“It’s exciting. This is an annual event for us in this city,” Jackson said.
“What’s really exciting is how animated people are.”
Jackson said this New Year’s marked a milestone for the city of Burlington as the municipality turned 50 at midnight having been amalgamated into being in 1958.
Hours before any of the countdowns to the new year began, a different countdown took place at LCBOs across the city.
“Five minutes to closing time,” said a voice over the loudspeaker at the liquor store at Bayview and Sheppard Aves., just prior to 6 p.m.
After hearing the announcement, customers in the store frantically ran around buying whatever was left on store shelves.
“Just get some champagne,” said Joe Mancini to his friend, looking at a nearly empty champagne section.
Champagne and sparkling wine were the biggest sellers this year as usual, said one store employee.
But as the minutes ticked on and the door to the store inched shut, it seemed some people would be destined to toast in a dry new year without the traditional bubbly.
Tabitha Navratil ran into the mall hoping to pick up an extra bottle of champagne for her party, but was also turned away.
“I would expect the LCBO to be open a little longer, since it’s New Year’s for last minute things, like champagne.”
Meanwhile, hard-partying revellers were cut a break this year for the first time in decades as both the TTC and GO Transit were offered free rides. to ride after midnight.
Some other cities in Canada offer free transit to their citizens on New Year’s as an incentive to keep inebriated drivers from climbing behind the wheel, but Toronto had been too strapped in recent years to offer a similar service.
That changed this year when Capital One offered to pick up the Red and Green Rockets’ tabs.
Their decision seemed a hit among commuters.
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