Excited revellers filled every corner of the Olde Towne to ring in the new year. The traditional Onion Drop event in St George on New Year’s Eve attracted hundreds of people who enjoyed performances by the popular Wall Street Band.

Hosts Nadanja Bailey and Jah Simmons did the traditional countdown to midnight, when the entire crowd burst into cheer as the great, dazzling onion made its way down to the ground.

Throughout the night the atmosphere was positive, celebratory and family oriented.

Lovitta Foggo, the Progressive Labour Party MP for St David’s, was seen dancing in the streets to the sounds of soca with members of her family.

She said: “I have been to this every year since it began in about 1990.

“There is always family and good friends, and that has been maintained throughout. There is a positive atmosphere, people can bring their children and celebrate in comfort.

“I was born and raised in the ‘back of town’ in St George’s where the perfume factory is. All of my siblings, my mother and all her siblings were born in that house. This is what we do every year.”

Asked if she had any new year’s resolutions in mind for 2025, Ms Foggo said: “I will always try to best my best. Good health and in politics, I still plan to be a winner.”

Emcee Jah Simmons, who was in The White Horse Pub & Restaurant during a brief stage break, said the night had been a success.

“The Corporation of St George did a marvellous job with the set up. The organisation was great, everything was on time and the band was phenomenal,” he said.

“Now it is just me and Nadanja to carry the rest of the load.

“We are going to do some karaoke, play some music then try to get people up dancing to bring in the new year properly.”

The pair kept the festivities alive as they engaged with the audience and welcomed a toddler on stage to dance with them.

They also managed to get a large crowd up on their feet before midnight in a synchronised dance.

One member of the audience performed a powerful rendition during the karaoke set of Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come, which left many in the crowd with mouths agape.

Earlier in the evening, a senior St David’s resident who was enjoying the Wall Street Band’s show said he hadn’t seen that calibre of music in Bermuda for at least 40 years.

The man added: “I have lived in Bermuda all my life, we used to have this kind of thing every night of the week back in the 70s to mid-80s.

“There were so many clubs — the 40 Thieves Club, Little Venice Club, the Rum Runners … there were hundreds of people lined up to get in and there was calypso and steel pan, all sorts of music.”

Zéa Swainson, of Face Paintz Byz, said she had been working flat out throughout the event.

She added: “All the kids are really enjoying it. It’s just me doing tonight and I have been constantly working. They are getting unicorns, Spiderman, dinosaurs … everything.”

Shaydawn Bulloch was leaving King’s Square with her husband Patrick just after 10pm and said it was traditional for the couple to visit church when welcoming in the new year.

She said: “We went to Somers Gardens for the Christmas lights and then came here. The band is great.

“We are going to Richard Allen [African Methodist Episcopal] Church — it is a midnight service to bring the new year in.”

Saharah Swan, from Warwick, made a last-minute decision to celebrate in St George’s with friends.

She said: “I like the family atmosphere and the community vibes. It is definitely getting back to our roots.

“It is my first time coming to this in a decade. I just wanted something different, I was tired of Front Street, you see that every day. Plus it’s free so that’s a plus too.”

Police officers said the night had run smoothly with no notable incidents taking place.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs said their tables were fully booked and their business enjoyed a welcome boost to start the year.

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