Pope Francis marked the start of Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century event expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome.

Despite a ban on firecrackers, the skies were alight with the crackling sound of pyrotechnics both official and freestyle as a traffic jam led to the circa-80 A.D. Colosseum, where quiet crowds amassed in awe until animating at midnight with cheers.

The pontiff celebrated with vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday. Mass was scheduled for Wednesday.

Crowds gathered around Athens’ Acropolis, where the ancient Parthenon sits atop the hill. The Greek city’s firework show went off in the background of the temple.

Paris, the belle of the world ball after hosting the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and then welcoming the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, hosted a televised celebration with musical performances as well as numbers by dancers from the Moulin Rouge and Paradis Latin. Bookmarking midnight was 20 minutes of video imagery and electronic music, followed by a rendition of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” on a packed Champs-Elysées, with the Arc de Triomphe serving as a backdrop.

In London, a stormy forecast couldn’t stop celebrants from gathering around the London Eye and clogging vehicle traffic nearby as the massive Ferris wheel was lit up in sky blasting light of blue, yellow, and red. Fireworks erupted over Westminster and Big Ben along the River Thames.

Earlier, London celebrated with a parade through the city center featuring 10,000 performers. 

Heavy rain and winds forecast for Scotland prompted the cancellation of Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations, which usually include a street party, a rock concert and fireworks.

In Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is expected to host more than 2 million people along Copacabana Beach to watch fireworks erupt from ferries parked offshore and concerts by Brazilian pop stars such as Anitta and Caetano Veloso.

Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the first cities to welcome the new year as thousands thronged downtown or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point — and a light display recognizing Auckland’s Indigenous tribes.