Large crowds were expected to swarm New Year's celebrations throughout Taiwan despite a cold front that will push temperatures to below 5 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan over the weekend. Taipei City estimated that as many as 750,000 people could gather around the landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper on New Year's Eve for the annual fireworks show that this year was designed by New York-based gunpowder project artist Cai Guoqiang. Another ceremony to kick off the Republic of China's 100th year will be held at Dajia Riverside Park in the city. To accommodate the throngs of people expected to celebrate the new year, the city's subway system was operating for 42 consecutive hours from 6 a.m. Friday morning. The Maokong Gondola will also run until 1 a.m. on Jan. 1. Many people were also expected to scramble to the coast, the mountains, or outlying islands to catch the first sunrise of 2011, where all-night concerts were being held to get people in a partying mood. One of the events to welcome the first rays of sun of the new year was scheduled to take place at Lishan in central Taiwan, located at an altitude of 2,614 meters above sea level. Orchid Island, off Taiwan's southeastern coast, will be the first sea level site in the country where people can see the sunrise on Saturday, with visitors able to enjoy the view on traditional boats of the island's indigenous Yami people. Two major hotels in the popular beach resort of Kenting in southern Taiwan, the Caesar Park Hotel and the Howard Beach Resort Kenting, said they were fully booked and had not received any cancellations because of the cold weather Friday. A concert will begin early Saturday morning in Lungpan Park, one of the best locations to watch the sunrise in the area. The overnight temperature in Kenting was forecast at 15-17 degrees, compared with 5-14 degrees in northern Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said. 