Taiwan celebrates New Year with countdown parties, fireworks

TAIPEI -- Countdown parties and firework shows are scheduled for Monday night across Taiwan to bid farewell to 2018 and greet 2019.

One of the most famous celebrations on the island is the New Year's Eve firework display and countdown party at the Taipei 101 skyscraper, a landmark of the city.

The show was first launched in 2004 and is the climax of New Year celebrations in Taipei, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every year.

The organizer of the Taipei 101 new year celebrations said a total of 16,000 fireworks will be used in this year's show. Accompanied by animated show on a LED lighting system, the show will last 6 minutes.

In order to cope with the huge crowds, the Taipei metro runs non-stop for 42 hours from the morning of Dec 31 through Jan 1.

Security at the New Year's Eve countdown party in the Xinyi precinct of Taipei has been tightened, with around 1,100 policemen and several bomb-sniffer dogs stationed in the area. Drones and balloons are prohibited in the region.

Similar celebrations will also be held in other cities including Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Taichung.

The firework show in Kaohsiung city will run for 999 seconds to form firework shapes like tetris and gluttonous snake.