Rotterdam, the most modern city in the Netherlands, rings in the New Year each year with a spectacular fireworks display launched from the Erasmus Bridge. I’ve now been living in Rotterdam for over five years, and watching the New Year’s fireworks has become one of my most cherished annual traditions.
And yet, it wasn’t until this year (2024–2025) that I finally got to see them. In the first couple of years, the pandemic put a stop to large public gatherings. The year the fireworks returned, I happened to be back home in China for the holidays. The year after that, I rallied a group of friends to come watch — only for the show to be cancelled at the last minute due to dangerously strong winds. But on New Year’s Eve about a year ago, I finally got my wish.
I made my way to the tip of Noordereiland, a small island sitting in the middle of the Nieuwe Maas river in the city centre. It turned out to be a brilliant choice — the island faces the Erasmus Bridge directly, offers an unobstructed view, and draws far fewer crowds than the main viewing areas along the riverbank.
The event organisers had set up an official viewing point here, complete with a large screen and speakers so the crowd could follow along with the main stage atmosphere on the opposite bank.
The one downside was that Noordereiland happened to be downwind that night. While the fireworks looked stunning to the naked eye, the smoke drifted right over us and made photography a real challenge. I managed to salvage a few shots.
As the finale approached, the Erasmus Bridge itself lit up in a cascading rainbow of fireworks.
On the walk home across the long Willemsbrug, I turned back for one last look — Noordereiland behind me, and the KPN tower glowing with a giant green heart. It might have been the moment I’ve loved Rotterdam most.
Out of environmental concerns and budget pressures, the Rotterdam city council originally announced that last year’s show would be the last. They then reversed course and launched a public crowdfunding campaign to fund a 2025–2026 edition. On the very day the campaign fell short of its target, the council did another U-turn and quickly passed a motion to fund the show with public money anyway. I have no idea where I’ll be next New Year’s Eve. But I often wonder: could this first time I watched Rotterdam’s fireworks also turn out to be the last?
Out with the old, in with the new — on a night ablaze with light, would you come to Rotterdam to watch the fireworks?
Translated and posted by AI. Original post written in Chinese by Xiaoming.