Major cities are canceling New Year's Eve celebrations in the wake of recent terrorist attacks

Reuters/Francois Lenoir

In the shadow of horrific terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, several major cities have canceled their New Year's Eve celebrations.

Brussels and Paris have scrapped their fireworks displays entirely, while much of Europe will welcome 2016 in a subdued fashion.

Belgium canceled official festivities on Wednesday in its capital due to significant risk of a terrorist act, Bloomberg reported.

The termination of Brussels' fireworks came as police detained eight suspects and members of a motorcycle club called the Kamikaze Riders in connection with a New Year’s Eve plot, IBTimes UK reported.

Belgium remains at the core of the investigation surrounding the November 13 Paris attacks that left 130 people dead after two of the suicide bombers, Brahim Abdeslam and Bilal Hadfi, were tied to Brussels. 

Grief-stricken Paris has also canceled its main fireworks display. A smaller celebration, however, involving a five-minute video performance shown on screens along Champs-Élysées will still take place, Sky News reported.

Approximately 600,000 people typically gather around the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Élysées to ring in the new year, according to Sky News.