Images from then and now show the contrast of New Year’s Eve

There were countdowns and live performances, but New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world seemed radically different this year, as large crowds moved away from traditional party venues, such as Times Square in New York and the Champs Elysees in Paris.

The coronavirus that changed so much in 2020 led to the cancellation of most pyrotechnic shows and public events in favor of television-only moments in cities around the world.

The Associated Press captured images of some of these popular locations around the world to illustrate the striking contrast between crowded and cheerful crowds from previous years and quiet, empty streets heading into 2021.

In South Korea, the Seoul city government canceled its annual New Year’s Eve sleep ceremony in the Jongno neighborhood for the first time since the event was held in 1953, months after the end of the Korean War.

And in Tokyo, the Maiji Jingu Shinto shrine, which traditionally attracts millions of people each year during the New Year holidays, closed on New Year’s Eve for the first time in 74 years.