NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a million revelers crowded New York’s Time Square to witness the traditional dazzling ball drop, fireworks lit up Australia’s Sydney Harbor and communist Vietnam held a rare Western-style countdown to the new year as the world ushered in 2011.
The 8-minute fireworks show featured music choreographed with nearly 50,000 fireworks launched from atop MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Aria, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, Treasure Island and Stratosphere.
Police are closing traffic on the Strip (from the Sahara to Mandalay Bay) to make it safe for walking during tonight’s celebrations. Cars won’t be allowed on the Strip again until a few hours after midnight, at which point traffic will resemble a giant parking lot.
