New year celebrations around the world as UK rings in 2023

Summary

Cities across the globe are welcoming 2023 with large crowds gathering for fireworks and light displays
In London, Big Ben fired the starting gun for a spectacular display that included a tribute to the late Queen
In Edinburgh, huge crowds filled the streets for the city's world famous Hogmanay party - back for the first time in three years
11 hours earlier, Sydney put on a spectacular display as ever, with fireworks launched from its Harbour Bridge and Opera House
Revellers in China made the most of recently lifted Covid restrictions and were able to gather in large crowds
Russia and Ukraine have marked the start of 2023 - Putin by raising a glass surrounded by soldiers, and Zelensky by thanking Ukrainians for the war effort
The traditional Times Square event in New York returned after two years of reduced festivities, ringing in the new year to the sound of Frank Sinatra

Live Reporting

Edited by Alexandra Fouché and Gem O'Reilly

That's a wrap, roll on 2023!published at 10:36 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Thank you for joining us for our new year live coverage: we've had a night of watching fireworks from New Zealand to the west coast of the USA and some of the Pacific islands.
From displays at the London Eye to Sydney’s harbour front, people around the world have enjoyed bringing in the new year without Covid restrictions for the first time in a couple of years.
This page was brought to you by Alexandra Fouché, Chris Giles, Gem O'Reilly, Jeremy Gahagan, Matt Murphy, Emma Owen, Nathan Williams and Francesca Gillett.
Happy New Year from us all!
WATCH: Chinese snow and ice theme park returns for new yearpublished at 10:35 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
The Harbin Ice and Snow World winter attraction has returned in north-eastern China for the new year.
The annual festival is one of the biggest ice and snow festivals in the world.
Some 150,000 cubic metres of ice and snow are carved into towers and buildings over an area of some 810,000 sq m.
After two years of pandemic-control measures, the theme park was packed with tourists on the last day of 2022.
Media caption,
The Harbin Ice and Snow World returns for new year
Celebrations nearly overpublished at 09:58 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
We've nearly come full circle now in new year celebrations with only some islands in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Tahiti, left to bring in the new year in the next few minutes.
WATCH: Emirate attempts record-breaking firework displaypublished at 09:44 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE has attempted to break one world record and set another with its New Year's Eve firework display.
The display aims to break the world record for the "most remote operated multirotors or drones launching fireworks simultaneously". It was last broken in October 2022, external in Saudi Arabia, with 548.
It is also attempting to set a new record for the largest aerial sentence formed by multirotors or drones.
Last new year, Ras Al Khaimah broke the record, external for highest altitude multirotor or drone firework display, reaching 1055.8 metres.
New year in Putin’s Russia - nothing is normalpublished at 09:24 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Image source, Getty Images
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President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year's address surrounded by troops
Meanwhile in Russia, nothing is normal about the new year, writes BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg:
The clock in the Kremlin's Spassky Tower strikes midnight. The Russian national anthem plays.
Then Channel One TV kicks off 2023 with a pop song: "I'm Russian and I will go all the way... I'm Russian, to spite the world."
Next on Top of the (patriotic) Pops: "I was born in the Soviet Union, I was made in the USSR!"
I change channels. At the Russia-1 New Year party, one of the station's most famous war correspondents is holding a champagne glass, toasting 2023 and wishing for "more good news than bad from the front line".
Sitting with him are men in military fatigues. A Moscow-installed official from Russian-occupied Ukraine declares: "I wish us all peace. But peace will only come after our victory."
You get the gist. This year's festive extravaganzas on Russian TV are a strange mixture of let's party and let's win on the battlefield.
This is not normal TV fayre for a New Year's night in Russia. Then again, this is not a normal new year's night. "Normal" disappeared 10 months ago when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read more of Steve's piece here.
Happy New Year America!published at 09:01 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Most of the American continent has now welcomed in the new year, with Alaska the latest US state to see in 2023.
In the US city of Atlanta in Georgia (known as the peach state), new year is marked with the Peach Drop event which was back fully after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic.
Image source, Getty Images
London New Year's Day Parade founder: 'It's fantastic to be back'published at 08:31 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
London's New Year's Day Parade has taken place for the last two years but with restrictions because of Covid. Its founder, Bob Bone, speaks with excitement about this year's edition coming back "bigger and better than ever before".
"It's fantastic to be back. There's nothing like the real thing and the big parade coming back today," he tells BBC Breakfast.
Bob says London was quiet on New Year's Day before the parade started being held.
"My wife, kids and I were looking for something to do, there was nothing, the place was dead. Shops didn't bother to open, hotels were shut between Christmas and New Year.
"So we just had this idea of bringing a bit of American, spectacular fun and joy to the city, and a bit of British pomp, circumstance and ceremony. And we've never looked back, 37 years now. We've got a potential audience of well over 300 million today."
Image caption,
London's New Year's Day Parade has been running for 37 years
In pictures: Mexico ushers in new yearpublished at 08:06 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
People in Acapulco, Mexico, have been celebrating with fireworks which illuminated the night sky during new year celebrations.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
US marching band's journey to London to take part in paradepublished at 07:43 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
As the New Year's Day Parade preparations kick off in London, some of the performers rehearsing for the day's events have been speaking to the BBC.
Lederian Townsend, leader of the Greenwave Marching Band which comes from Florida in the US, said: "These students have worked tremendously hard to be here. They've been through Covid, they've been through Hurricane Ian [earlier this year] and here we are in London - one of the greatest cities in the world.
"We took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian and many of the students that you see here lost their home. They showed resilience and got here anyway. After all those years of looking at books about London, to finally be a part of it is a life-changing experience," he told BBC Breakfast.
"We are coming together to form one goal, I'm tremendously proud of my students. Happy New Year!"
Image caption,
Greenwave Marching Band members were affected by Hurricane Ian which hit the US earlier this year
WATCH: How the world brought in 2023published at 07:16 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Media caption,
New Year celebrations around the world
Countdown to New Year continues for some US and Canadian citiespublished at 06:56 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
More US and Canadian cities are getting ready to welcome in 2023.
People in Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Calgary and Edmonton are looking forward to getting the champagne corks popping as the countdown to midnight continues.
Those in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver will have to wait a little longer, as they have more than an hour before they get to see the new year in.
Hawaii will be one of the last to celebrate, at 10:00 GMT.
US cheerleaders prepare for annual London paradepublished at 06:50 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
In London, around 8,000 acts will take to the streets as part of the city's annual New Year's Day parade - the first after a two-year break due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Among them will be a cohort of cheerleaders hailing from right across the US. The Varsity Spirit group are up early this morning getting ready for the event which gets under way at 12:00 from Piccadilly, external.
The group's participants perform with teams across the US during the year, but come together to take part in a series of annual special events.
"Ahead of time, they learn our choreography, they are working with our staff," coach Alexis told the BBC. "We got a couple of practices, and then we trust our athletes and their abilities to just shine.
"We've been coming for over 30 years, and it's a tradition for so many of our athletes, so we're happy to be here again and back after Covid."
Happy New Year Mexico!published at 06:15 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Image source, g
Almost all of Mexico has now celebrated the New Year.
It means that barring a small area of the country, all of Latin America has now rung in 2023.
Just the rest of North America to go, with Denver and Phoenix followed by Los Angeles, Washington and Vancouver.
Then it will be Alaska's turn, before finally Hawaii.
Pele remembered in Santos celebrationspublished at 06:02 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
As Brazilians ushered in 2023, they also paid tribute to the great Pele, who died just a few days ago.
At a fireworks celebration in Santos, there was also a light tribute to the footballing giant.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Ticker tape rains down on revellers in New Yorkpublished at 05:49 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
More pictures from Times Squarepublished at 05:24 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Crowds erupted into cheers as New York ushered in the New Year.
Frank Sinatra's New York New York was played across Times Square and people watched as the ball dropped.
Here are some of the best pictures so far.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Confetti filled the air to mark the beginning of 2023
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The crowds cheered as it reached midnight in Times Square
Image source, Getty Images
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People kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve
Happy New Year New York!published at 05:01 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
It is now 2023 for the many people who have gathered in Times Square, New York to join in the world-famous celebrations.
In the lead up to midnight, crowds have been watching performances from J-Hope and New Edition.
We'll bring you more pictures shortly.
Image source, Reuters
Some more of our favourite picturespublished at 04:31 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
2023 is moving its way across the Americas.
While it does so, here are a few more of our favourite pictures from around the world.
Image source, Getty Images
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3,000 Buddhist monks attend a mass alms giving ceremony Pathum Thani, Thailand
Image source, Getty Images
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A couple bring in the New Year in Cologne, Germany
Image source, Getty Images
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Fireworks light up Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary
Image source, Getty Images
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The Chinese People's Liberation Army escorts the national flag during a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square
Image source, Getty Images
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Celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Image source, Reuters
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Fireworks at the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Image source, Getty Images
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Statues of the traditional large puppet figures called "Ondel-ondel" in Jakarta, Indonesia
Image source, Reuters
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Women celebrate before the 11pm curfew in Kyiv, Ukraine
Crowds get ready for the big moment in New Yorkpublished at 03:47 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
With just over an hour to go, crowds are gathering for celebrations in Times Square.
In the lead up to midnight, revellers have already enjoyed a performance from Jax.
Then, to mark the beginning of 2023, partygoeres will watch the world-famous ball drop.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Jax has been preforming in Times Square, New York
Image source, Reuters
New Year reaches the Americaspublished at 03:26 Greenwich Mean Time 1 January 2023
Celebrations begin in South America - Happy New Year to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and most of Brazil.
Greenland has also welcomed 2023.
Next up in an hour are a few more countries in South America, including Bolivia, Venezuela, and a bit more of Brazil, as well as the beginning of Canada.
Image source, Reuters
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Fireworks at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro
Image source, Reuters
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People make offerings to the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea, Lemanja, in Rio de Janeiro
Image source, Reuters
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There was a new year dip in the sea for some on Copacabana beach