Singapore Welcomes 2012

SINGAPORE - Singapore on Sunday morning welcomed New Year's Day at various countdown parties across the island.

The main countdown party - the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown, which is into its seventh year - saw party goers ushering the new year with a spectacular eight-minute fireworks display at the stroke of midnight.

The party was broadcast 'live' on MediaCorp Channel 5, and featured performances by local and international celebrities including Sylvia Ratonel, Canada's These Kids Wear Crowns and Malaysia's Siti Nurhaliza.

One of the 300,000 revellers at the event was 32-year-old freelance writer Aaron De Silva, who is counting down for the first time at the scenic Marina Bay area.

Countdown@Boon Lay, which saw about 40,000 party goers, is said to be the largest countdown event in the heartlands.

Other Singaporeans, who preferred to party outside without the crowd, chose to chill out at quieter places in Singapore.

There are also those who prefer to spend the new year at home