Revellers celebrate New Year (From York Press)

Revellers celebrate New Year

7:40am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News

REVELLERS massed together outside York Minster as the traditional New Year’s Eve party was given a twist to mark the end of the York 800 celebrations.

Bands and musicians played out the final hours of 2012 in a night which also saw a summing up of everything that happened last year.

A film looking back at the York 800 celebrations of 2012 was screened in Duncombe Place as the clocks chimed in the New Year.

Major events of the year were recalled, including the Queen’s Jubilee visit, York City’s return from Wembley, the Olympic and Paralympic flames visiting the city and the Mystery Plays.

Then the bells rang out to herald the end of a momentous year for the city – and the beginning of another.

While the crowds enjoyed the bands and music, not everyone was pleased. Later on Twitter, some people complained the band had continued to play at midnight, drowning out the Minster bells.

Bellringer John Ridgeway-Wood said on the social media site: “What a shame nobody could hear us!!”

BBC Radio York presenter Jonathan Cowap replied: “It was an awful mistake – Someone somewhere owes you folks a massive apology for spoiling the ‘midnight moment’.”

The partying took its toll elsewhere. North Yorkshire Police said every cell across the force was full yesterday due to rowdy revellers heralding the start of 2013.

Tim Madgwick, North Yorkshire Police’s acting chief constable, said it had been an “extremely busy night” on New Year’s Eve across the force with officers making a number of arrests as people celebrated the New Year in the wrong spirit.

“It is such a shame people cannot enjoy New Year’s Eve without behaving so badly,” he said.