Tens of thousands of people gathered in New York City’s Times Square for the countdown to 2024 on Sunday (31 December). Those celebrating the end of 2023 and the start of a brand new year were showered with confetti as they watched the descent of the colourful ball marking the birth of 2024. Tyrell Jacobs, 27, and Sarah Crayton, 26, arrived from New Orleans 15 hours before midnight and got engaged in streets packed with celebrations. “It’s definitely a must-see,” Crayton said of the colourful cast of strangers nearby in tall hats and blowing noisemakers. “At least go once, you know, just to experience the magic.”