New Year’s Eve experiences in Hong Kong and London, from ‘wahs’ to a deadly stampede – though this year I’ll probably be asleep by midnight
- I sometimes braved the crowds at the Hong Kong harbourside during my 28 years in the city, though more recent times saw me at home with a glass of champagne
- In 1983, I gathered with friends in London for a chaotic night amid an alcohol-fuelled crowd, during which two women were crushed to death in a stampede
New Year’s Eve is supposed to be a time for wild celebrations. For me and, I suspect, for most of us, it does not always work out that way.
Over the years, I have greeted midnight in a variety of establishments, from a working men’s club in South London to a smoke-filled bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club, complete with bagpipes.
But many a New Year’s Eve has been spent quietly with my family at home. We sometimes struggle to stay awake for midnight.
When I think of New Year in Hong Kong, the fireworks come to mind. I am delighted they are making a return after a five-year absence.
During my 28 years in the city, I sometimes braved the crowds at the harbourside, joining in with all the “wahs” that marked each explosion. In more recent times, I watched at a distance, from the rooftop of my Discovery Bay flat, clutching a glass of champagne and hoping for a clear night.
This year, as in the past, there will be an impressive fireworks show in London, too. But you need to have a ticket and it is sold out.
Why the English seaside is still special, even to a returnee from Hong Kong
My forays into London for New Year’s Eve have, in years gone by, met with mixed results. In 1983, when 18, I gathered with friends in Trafalgar Square, the main attraction at that time. It was a chaotic night amid the swaying, alcohol-fuelled crowd. Two women were crushed to death during a stampede.
I returned for the millennium with my wife and five-month-old son, booking a hotel near Westminster Abbey, at the heart of the celebrations. But by midnight my wife and baby son were, understandably, exhausted and sound asleep in the hotel room. It was a tender but silent way for us to see in the new century.
Tonight, having moved back to the UK in 2022, I will be in our village home in the Kent countryside. The furthest we are likely to get is the pub across the road, a warm and cosy 17th century watering hole, and the perfect place to celebrate with our neighbours.
But we might not even make that. We are expecting to collect our older son from the airport when he arrives for an eagerly awaited visit from Hong Kong first thing on New Year’s Day. An early night might be in order.
New Year is a time for reflection as well as celebration. This year, I will be remembering my friends and colleagues in Hong Kong so that auld acquaintance will not be forgotten. I trust they will be taking a cup o’ kindness or two for auld lang syne.
Wishing them and all of you a very happy new year.
