England’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on Friday were not quite the damp squib many were expecting, with partygoers taking to city centres across the country to celebrate the end of 2021.
In Leeds, queues of revellers lined the streets, in stark contrast to the Christmas period, when the city centre had been virtually empty because of concerns over the highly infectious Omicron variant.
On Greek Street, a tartan-clad bagpiper hired by a restaurant played Auld Lang Syne as groups of people of all ages went from bar to bar.
Sophie Kramer and David Brown had come from Bradford for a New Year’s Eve night out with some friends. Being young and double-jabbed, they felt there was little risk for them.
“I’m not worried, not at all,” said 24-year-old Kramer. “We’ve both had Covid before and we just really need a night out, to be honest. I know that sounds stupid because it’s a pandemic, but everyone’s mental health has been so bad this year. That’s important too. It’s not just about Covid.”
Brown agreed. He said the couple had wanted to avoid self-isolation over Christmas but were less concerned about needing to isolate now. He said: “We were a bit more careful before but the Omicron variant isn’t supposed to be as bad, so I think it’s worth the risk.”
Robert and Sheila Brine had a similar attitude. They had been for dinner and were heading to the casino before going home before midnight.
“We’re not worried. We’ve got our masks, we’re triple-jabbed we’ve just got to get on with it,” Robert said.
Ryan and Keely O’Shea were also going for dinner, in a change to their original plans.
“We were supposed to be having a bit of a do but we’ve cancelled it because a lot of our friends didn’t want to be in a confined space with other people, which is understandable,” said Ryan.
“I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been jabbed. I didn’t get it right away because I wanted to see what happened but I’m glad I’ve got it now. It gives you some confidence to go out and live a normal life.”
His hesitancy was due to having very little trust in the Conservatives, he said.
“I have trouble believing the government. But I always did. Now at least I think other people feel the same.”
The pair said the UK government was being shown up by the devolved countries, which were handling the pandemic better.
“I don’t understand why there are no rules in England but other places have got them,” Ryan added.
Nightclubs in Wales were closed and indoor events were restricted to 50 people, leaving streets empty.
Meanwhile in Scotland, despite the cancellation of large-scale Hogmanay events and being urged by the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to “stay at home as much as possible”, about 1,000 people of all ages climbed to the top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh to make the traditional countdown to the bells at midnight.
Sturgeon said the restrictions were aimed at cutting down transmission of the Omicron variant and because “large events put an additional burden on emergency services”.
