New Year’s Eve in Tbilisi:
Georgia offers celebrations for everyone

New Year's Eve fairs, theatre performances and musical shows involving hundreds of artists and bands will celebrate the New Year's Eve on Tbilisi's two central locations later today.

In the city's end-of-year celebrations, a day-long special fair, sports activities and theatre performances at the Rose Revolution Square will combine with shows by 200 artists and bands at the Freedom Square starting late evening.

Tbilisi's Rose Revolution Square was transformed into a special Christmas Town for the celebrations. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

The packed program of festivities will involve children's activities and pantomime theatre performances at the Rose Revolution Square that was transformed into a Christmas  Town starting on December 25.

For this year's celebrations the Town also featured a special wall of festive wishes where citizens left their messages of goodwill to relatives.

The Christmas Town featured a wall of festive wishes and messages for this year's celebration. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Meanwhile the central New Year's Eve show will feature Georgian, European, classical and contemporary musical genres from 200 performers on the Georgian capital's Freedom Square.

The three-section show will commence at 10:30pm and involve artists and bands including the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre orchestra and choir, waltz dancers and individual performers to entertain the crowds.

A festive message by Agenda.ge on the wall of New Year wishes in the Christmas Village in Tbilisi. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

The show will culminate in a fireworks display at midnight before the musical program is continued late into the night.

The closed-off festive area was set up as part of the 10-day festive season celebration starting on December 25. Photo by Tbilisi City Hall press office.

In connection with the celebratory performances the Tbilisi City Hall closed down parts of the central Rustaveli St leading to and from the two squares.

The city authorities also enabled a special schedule for public transportation for the late night celebrations, with the Tbilisi Metro and the aerial gondola from Rike Park to Narikala Fortress serving citizens for free.

The Metro service will operate without charge from 11pm on December 31 to 4am on January 1, while the cableway will be free to use from 11pm on December 31 to 3am on January 1, 2016.

Celebrations all over the coutry

New Year's Eve celebrations were scheduled to take place in Georgia's all major cities and towns except Telavi where official festive events were cancelled after adeadly attack on two police officers on Wednesday.

As Tbilisi geared up for major celebrations at public spaces, Georgia's seaside city Batumi was veiled in white as snow covered the resort's coastline and streets.

Snow-covered coastline in Georgia's seaside city Batumi. Photo by Goga Chanadiri.

While snow was forecasted for Tbilisi for the night of December 31, it was in Batumi that locals witnessed their city in contrasts of the winter weather first.