India News | Sea of People Fill Goa Beaches to Usher in the New Year; Midnight Masses Held

Panaji, Dec 31 (PTI) Midnight masses in churches and the presence of thousands of tourists thronging beaches marked New Year celebrations in the coastal state of Goa.

Visitors began pouring into seafront areas across the state, which has a 105-km-long coastline, on Sunday evening to catch a glimpse of the last sunset of 2023.

Also Read | COVID-19 Death in Bihar: 10-Year-Old Girl Succumbs to Infection in Rohtas District.

Goa police had increased their presence on the beaches and also on roads leading to the coastal belt.

Vehicles crawled on the busy Calangute-Baga road in North Goa from Sunday afternoon as people headed to their respective party venues to avoid last-minute rush.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Government College Principal Alleges Attack Over 'Witchcraft' in Sidhi; Police Launch Probe.

As the countdown for 2024 began, tourists flocked to the beaches, filling the shacks along the coast.

In keeping with Goa's tradition, midnight masses were held across all the churches in the state as parishioners ushered in the New Year with the pealing of bells.

At the stroke of midnight, the beaches lit up with colourful revelry, with visitors greeting one another amid a display of fireworks.

The parties will continue till 2 am as the state government has relaxed the timings to host New Year events. Parties in Goa usually have to wind up by 10 pm.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)