Nokia New Year Party Attracts Millions Tuesday, 02 January 2007 An event to celebrate the New Year has attracted more than 2 million people across five major capital cities and a further 150 million viewers via global TV and Internet broadcasts.
The Nokia event held in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Berlin, Rio and New York featured major headline acts such as The Black Eyed Peas and the Scissor Sisters. The event kicked off at Hong Kong's Ocean Terminal with Atomic Kitten topping the bill and making their first international appearance since splitting in 2004. Despite the massive Internet challenges created by the recent earthquake in Taiwan, Hong Kong music fans were also able to stream the live concert footage directly to their mobile thanks to local operators. Then in India's Andheri Stadium in Mumbai, Bollywood superstars joined Nelly Furtado and others including the first English language composition by Indian musical legend A.R. Rahman - Pray For Me, Brother - an anthem dedicated toward the eradication of world poverty. As the party moved on to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate for the largest party in the event an estimated 1.2 million party-goers turned up to see Scissor Sisters play their hit singles I Don't Feel Like Dancin' and Comfortably Numb in a ninety-minute set that wowed the audience before a spectacular 10-minute pyrotechnics display erupted at midnight. Sugababes then took to the stage to carry on the party well in to the night. By the time the party got to Rio it was raining, but more than a million Brazilians braved the weather to witness a nine hour concert on Ipanema beach that included a performance by the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Brazilian music legend Sérgio Mendes. Sergio Mendes was making his first Brazilian live performance for 28 years and treated the crowd to a host of hits from his country's musical history. Finally in New York performances from Rihanna, Ludacris and KT Tunstall concluded the event. Those unable to be their in person could access the performances via a global television broadcast, as well as online at www.nokianewyearseve.com. That audience is believed to have reached more than 150 million viewers.
