The First Sunrise of the 2020s

Happy New Year and Welcome to New Roaring 2020s. Will the new year roar into a new decade of wonder, happiness, hope and prosperity. On this first day, we can all be optimistic that nothing but the best will happen to the State of Hawaii, our communities, families, friends and ourselves. That is why we all wish each other a Happy New Year. We want the year to be happy as it is at the dawn of its 366-day infancy.

Yes, 2020 is a 366 day leap year, which means all of those quarter days that were missed since the last leap year will now add up. There will be a February 29. Hooray!

The best way that I have found to ring in the new year, is to go out early in the morning and shoot photos of the first sunrise. I have been doing this for the past several years now, rain or shine, on good health or bad. The sun comes up on January 1, I have to shoot it.

This year I just walked over from my home near Ala Moana Center to Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island. As I have many times over the year, the sunrise hour rarely disappoints. I got a decent sunrise though not as dramatic if I made an effort to go East toward Diamond Head and beyond. But for 2020, Ala Moana Beach Park was it. Here are the photos.

Early risers got to view the colors of the sky change from yellow, orange, red and violet to a more subdued gray and eventually blue, signaling the start of a new sunny day and year. Welcome 2020!

The brightness of the first sunlight as it slowly climbs out of the east and eventually over Diamond Head mountain. Dozens of people flocked to Magic Island park today to catch the first rays of the New Year Sun in Honolulu.

This group of early risers starting the year right with calming Asian exercises. Nice.

This group of people greeted the first day of the new year with songs and prayer. Magic Island, January 1, 2020.

The first colors of the new morning and the brand new year of 2020 in Hawaii. Aloha!