Transport chaos and disorganisation put a damper on the New Year’s Eve celebrations for thousands in Valletta on Friday night.

The countdown to 2011 was festive and cheerful for those who made it into St George’s square, where the main event was held.

But thousands of others who failed to wade through the crowds were disappointed with the lack of entertainment outside the square for a night promoted as a national celebration to usher in the new year.

“At 10.45 p.m. the Christmas lights in Republic Street were switched off and families started leaving as there was no entertainment apart from the beat coming from the square,” Carmen Portelli told The Sunday Times.

Bars ran dry, leaving thousands with no festive bubbly well before the clock struck midnight. People stood in long queues at the kiosks, waiting for the countdown to the new year.

Sparklers were lit at the stroke of midnight, but as the crowds started making their way to the terminus to get the bus home around 1 a.m., they were shocked to find no buses.

One conductor was heard telling crowds the buses were probably held up due to traffic generated by festivities in nearby St Anne Street in Floriana.

As the buses started trickling in, people rushed on board and scuffles broke out as would-be passengers pushed and shoved to get on board.

Some had to endure a one-and-a-half hour wait before they boarded the bus back home.

Foreigners at the terminus voiced their disappointment at the disorganisation, especially since taxis were in high demand.

“There were too many people and it was very badly organised. Few taxis, few buses, few signs, restaurants were all full and we didn’t manage to eat anywhere. The service was really bad,” Ivan and Silvia Cassano from Italy said.

Others said they enjoyed the event, but still voiced their frustration about the public transport system, which was in demand after the police’s anti-drink-driving campaign over the festive season.

“I enjoyed the event but we don’t like this bit. The rest was fantastic,” Ian Sayer, a British tourist said while waiting on the bus terminus.

Readers commenting on the timesofmalta.com forum express-ed varying opinions.

While some congratulated the local council for the organisation of the event, others were critical.

“The idea was good and the entertainment was excellent on stage. The rest was terrible,” said Kenneth Grech, pointing out that St George’s Square was too small to cater for so many people.

However, Owen Spiteri from G7, who co-organised the event with the local council, said the high turnout was unexpected.

“The event went far beyond our expectations. Many, many people came. No one expected this,” he said. Valletta Mayor Alexiei Dingli said an estimated 35,000 people converged on the capital last Friday, far more than the 15,000 expected by the organisers.

“We had a budget,” Mr Spiteri said, pointing out that the large numbers proved a headache for the organisers.

Eighty per cent of the event was funded by commercial entities and 20 per cent by the Malta Tourism Authority through a funding scheme for local councils.

The mayor agreed with Mr Spiteri that the numbers exceeded projections. Because of this, he said, all the events were focused on the square and on top of that restaurants were packed.

Asked about the transportation difficulties, the mayor said the public transport arrangement in place was similar to the annual Notte Bianca event.

However, due to New Year’s Eve traffic jams, buses were finding it difficult to get into the terminus.

“During the new year festivities traffic is terrible on most roads, but the fact St Anne’s street was closed didn’t help,” Dr Dingli said.