Mr. Bloom -- er, Mr. Byrne -- slipped out after emceeing the event, but the festivities remained in high gear.
Although this year's official festivities remain in limbo thanks to empty public coffers, Romans will nevertheless take to the streets, bundled in parkas and clutching bottles of beer and wine to numb them to the relative cold.
The remaining festivities are Slavic (July 8), Irish (July 15), Italian (July 22), Arab and Polish (both on July 29), Indian (Aug. 5), Hispanic (Aug. 12), and Yiddish (Aug. 19).
The remaining festivities were called off after an assassination attempt on the Huguenot leader Admiral Coligny, who was shot from a house by an arquebusier on 22 August and wounded in the elbow and hand.
Locals and visitors alike have not forgotten the death during training of the young Georgian luger, a death that blackened the mood of the festivities and will remain part of the legacy of these flawed Olympics long after the last lawsuit is settled.
But the carefully orchestrated festivities continue unabashed.
The Vikings' festivities began with just over a minute remaining.
The festivities in the ancient kingdom, the last remaining Polynesian monarchy, are scheduled for July and will include three coronation balls, a military parade, traditional dancing, a fireworks display, a rugby match and an open-air concert.
Brussels officials, however, were sufficiently worried about the remaining risks that Mayor Yvane Mayeur announced on Wednesday evening that the planned New Year's Eve fireworks display and related festivities in the city centre were being cancelled.
A 510-page filing with the Federal Election Commission made public Wednesday provided details of donations, though it provided no information about how the committee spent its money, including how much money remained after the festivities.
Animal welfare groups, however, have not been entirely mollified by this and remain concerned that the festivities may still cause distress.
