While countries around the world canceled their New Years celebrations because of COVID-19, thousands of North Koreans donned face masks and braved the cold for a midnight New Year’s Eve concert and fireworks show in downtown Pyongyang.

But the events were scaled down and celebrations were subdued compared to North Korean New Year’s Eve events of the past, possibly as a result of the country’s own anti-epidemic policies or the tough economic hurdles it faced in 2020.

The show was broadcast live on Korean Central Television(KCTV) starting at 11 p.m. local time on Dec. 31, as it did since