Revellers across the UK have ushered in 2023 with fireworks and frivolity.
Despite the Met Office issuing yellow warnings for rain in England’s South West and southern Wales, and warnings for ice and snow across the Scottish Highlands, partygoers defied wet weather to welcome in 2023.
A crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered along the Thames Embankment in central London to see Big Ben chime in the new year and watch 12,000 fireworks streak across the sky.
The sold-out show was designed to send a message of “love and unity”, as it highlighted the Lionesses’ history-making Euro win at Wembley, marked 50 years of London’s Pride with a message from Peter Tatchell from the Gay Liberation Front, and sent a message of support to Ukraine.
The display also paid tribute to the late queen, featuring a voice recording from her and words from Dame Judi Dench, before honouring the King Charles, together with a message from the king about the need to preserve our planet’s future.
Complete with music that included Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, Ukrainian Eurovision winner Kalush Orchestra, and hits from Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Cher, Dave, Rihanna and Calvin Harris, the show concluded with the traditional Auld Lang Syne.
UAE Fireworks 2023 - in pictures
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Fireworks explode from Burj Khalifa to ring in the new year. Reuters -
Burj Khalifa was the showstopper this year with its spectacular fireworks. AFP -
The world’s tallest tower shines brightly in a dazzling array of colours and lights at the stroke of midnight. AFP -
The colours of the UAE flag light Burj Khalifa, which also displays the image of President Sheikh Mohamed. AFP -
Those in attendance and watching online were treated to an unforgettable New Year’s Eve with laser shows and fireworks -
Bluewaters Island hosted a three-minute-long fireworks show to ring in the new year. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Revellers welcomed the new year against a backdrop of mesmerising light and sparkle. Antonie Robertson / The National -
On the other side of the bridge, The Beach, JBR, hosted its own fireworks show in tandem with Bluewaters Island. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The display also lasted for three minutes. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The fireworks gave residents and visitors a memorable show. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The JBR fireworks were full of colour. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The fireworks light up the water at JBR. Antonie Robertson / The National -
New Year fireworks at Yas Bay in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National -
Residents and visitors turned out in large numbers to see the fireworks at Yas Bay. Pawan Singh / The National -
Yas Island hosted two fireworks shows: the traditional one at midnight and an earlier one at 9pm, which allowed families with younger children to see the lights spectacle. Pawan Singh / The National -
Visitors were treated to some spectacular fireworks. Pawan Singh / The National -
The fireworks lit up Yas Bay. Pawan Singh / The National -
Al Maryah Island had a 10-minute fireworks display. Deepak Fernandez / The National -
The fireworks could be viewed from the promenade. Deepak Fernandez / The National -
Fireworks on Al Maryah Island had plenty of colour and variation. Deepak Fernandez / The National
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “delighted” that Londoners and visitors could once again join together on the banks of the River Thames to ring in the new year.
Thousands of Metropolitan Police officers were on duty across the capital.
Officers have worked with charity Safer Spaces to build a place in Duncannon Street, central London, for women and girls to go should they feel unsafe.
While other parts of England also celebrated with fireworks, the North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough did not.
An Arctic walrus, believed to be “Thor” – who was spotted on the Hampshire coastline earlier this month, arrived in the harbour earlier in the day.
Scarborough Borough Council cancelled the fireworks display on the advice of British Divers Marine Life Rescue after the organisation expressed concerns that it could cause “distress” to the mammal.
In a village further down the coast in East Yorkshire, re-enactors took part in the Flamborough Fire Festival in a Viking-themed parade.
North of the border, people in Edinburgh enjoyed what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the “first full Hogmanay celebrations in three years”.
“Thinking back to Hogmanay last year and indeed the year before that, we’re reminded of just how far we have come from the very darkest days of the pandemic,” she said in a New Year’s Eve message on Twitter.
World rings in 2023 with fireworks - in pictures
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The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball drops during New Year's celebration in Times Square in New York. AP Photo -
Women pose for photo on New Year's Eve at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP -
Fireworks at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Reuters -
A reveller at the New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square in New York. AP Photo -
A man celebrates the start of the New Year watching fireworks explode over Santos Bay in Brazil. AP Photo -
A fireworks display on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea. AFP -
Revellers in Times Square, New York. AP Photo -
Fireworks in Santos, Brazil. Reuters -
Fireworks mark the new year behind Saint Georges Castle in Lisbon. AP Photo -
Fireworks in Baghdad. Reuters -
New Year's Eve celebrations in central Moscow. Reuters -
A fireworks display in Karachi. AFP -
Fireworks in Karachi. AFP -
A Viking-themed parade in aid of charities and local community groups in Flamborough, Yorkshire, in the UK. -
Fireworks next to the lit-up Lotus Tower during celebrations in Colombo. AFP -
Fireworks over the Selamat Datang (Welcome) Monument at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Jakarta. AFP -
Hundreds attend a water and laser show on the main square in Graz, Austria. AFP -
New Year celebrations outside the 3Arena in Dublin. PA -
Fireworks at North Wall Quay in Dublin. PA -
Celebrations outside the 3Arena in Dublin. PA -
Revellers release balloons in Wuhan, China. Getty -
New Year's Eve celebrations in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Getty -
A crowded business area ahead of the new year in Nanning, China. AFP -
Fireworks in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Getty -
Celebrations in Jakarta. EPA -
Thousands gather in Jakarta. EPA -
Fireworks bring in the new year at Marina Bay in Singapore. Reuters -
Crowds wait for the countdown to 2023 at Marina Bay in Singapore. Reuters -
Fireworks explode over buildings during celebrations in Makati, Philippines. Getty -
Revellers in Quezon City, Philippines. Reuters -
Fireworks light up the sky over the Xiyou World theme park in Huaian, China. AFP -
Fireworks explode over the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters -
The countdown to the new year in Bangkok. Getty -
Fireworks explode over Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) in Bangkok. Reuters -
Fireworks over Chao Phraya river in Bangkok. Reuters -
Buddhists pray at Wat Suthat Thepwararam temple in Bangkok. Reuters -
Fireworks light up the sky over Manila. AFP -
Balloons are released in Wuhan, China. Reuters -
Fireworks over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong to mark the new year. Reuters -
Selfies are taken at the main roundabout in Jakarta. EPA -
Fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Getty -
Fireworks and light effects illuminate the sky during a downpour of rain from the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan. EPA -
Celebrations in Taipei. Getty -
Fireworks over Manila. AFP -
New Year's Eve in Wuhan. Reuters -
Celebrations after midnight in Seoul, South Korea. AFP -
Fireworks Sydney Harbour Bridge. AP -
More than one million crowded Sydney’s waterfront for a celebration based around the themes of diversity and inclusion. Reuters -
More than 7,000 fireworks were launched from Sydney Harbour Bridge and a further 2,000 from the nearby Opera House. AFP -
Fireworks explode over the Sky Tower in Auckland, as celebrations begin in New Zealand. AP -
Sri Lankans writing '2023' with firecrackers during New Year's Eve celebrations in Colombo. EPA
People queued in the rain to enter the party in Princes Street.
Fireworks lit up the sky behind the city’s castle.
The 80s duo The Pet Shop Boys sang the city into 2023.
More artists rang in the new year with song as Eurovision star Sam Ryder performed hits on BBC One.
In Cardiff, families partied in the city’s Winter Wonderland, while people in Belfast celebrated at Europa Hotel’s annual Gala Ball.
Some of the world has already greeted the new year.
Pacific nation Kiribati was the first country to wave in 2023.
Auckland followed an hour later where huge crowds gathered below the Sky Tower for a countdown that ended in fireworks.
More than one million people flocked to Sydney’s waterfront in Australia as over 7000 fireworks were launched from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and another 2,000 from the Opera House.
Celebrations were also held at the Great Wall in Beijing, while Shanghai Disneyland put on a special fireworks show.
In Ukraine, some soldiers decided to stay in the trenches to defend their country while others returned to Kyiv to spend New Year’s Eve with their loved ones.
