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

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How are you celebrating the new year?published at 15:40 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
As we bid farewell to 2022, we’re looking to see how you’re ringing in the new year wherever you are in the world.
Send us pictures and videos of your New Year’s Eve celebrations by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, external.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
- WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803·
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Ukraine recognised in New Year Honours listpublished at 15:26 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
A number of people have been recognised in this year's New Year Honours list, including some who worked on the UK's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
They include senior diplomats Melinda Simmons, ambassador in Kyiv, and Deborah Bronnert, ambassador in Moscow, who were awarded damehoods.
The UK started withdrawing some embassy staff from Kyiv in January, shortly before the war started, but Simmons remained in Kyiv till late February, and stayed on in Ukraine for a while longer before returning to London.
Louenna Hood, a nanny from Cambridgeshire who raised more than £190,000 and delivered essentials for people fleeing Ukraine, receives a British Empire Medal.
Read more about this year's honours list here.
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As world rings in new year, war grinds on in Ukrainepublished at 15:14 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Russia launched another wave of missile attacks hitting cities across Ukraine in the run-up to the new year.
The mayor of the capital, Kyiv - Vitaly Klischko - said there had been several blasts in the capital, causing at least one death. A hotel has also been damaged.
The attacks happened two days after Russia carried out one of the largest air strikes since the start of the war.
Read more here
Tokyo welcomes 2023published at 15:01 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Reuters
Japan has now also bid farewell to 2022, as it enters the new year.
Seoul celebrates new yearpublished at 15:00 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Getty Images
As the new year sweeps across the globe, 2023 is now being welcomed in Asia.
The South Korean capital of Seoul the latest city to celebrate.
Happy New Year!
Image source, Reuters
Darwin sees celebrations halted by weatherpublished at 14:50 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, which has just entered 2023, saw its official New Year's Eve fireworks display cancelled due to severe winds and rain across the region.
Brisbane welcomes 2023published at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Happy New Year to those of you living in Queensland, Australia.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast have becomes the latest cities to welcome in 2023.
Times Square set for return to full capacity for ball droppublished at 13:44 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Reuters
New York's Times Square is set to reach full capacity for the first time in two years when crowds gather to watch the annual ball drop on New Year's Eve later today.
The event is one of many new year festivities across the globe to be scaled back in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Revellers were allowed to attend last year’s celebrations but crowd numbers were limited to 15,000.
Attendees had to show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test if exempt. In 2020, it was closed to spectators but a small number of health workers were allowed into the square for the event.
The spectacle will go ahead this year without any restrictions.
The ball, made up of nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals, will be placed at the top of the pole in Times Square just before 18:00 EST(23:00 GMT).
The drop, will begin at a minute to midnight and takes exactly 60 seconds.Replacements for the ball's crystal panels have been made by hand by Irish craftsmen at Waterford Crystal.
Each year a new theme is chosen and this year's theme is the "Gift of Love".
WATCH: Sydney treated to dazzling fireworks displaypublished at 13:17 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Media caption,
Sydney welcomes in 2023
Sydney's new year display has only just wrapped up - it was over 10 minutes long.
Happy New Year Australia!published at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Reuters
Happy New Year - again! (I guess you'll get used to this.)
It's eastern Australia's turn to welcome in 2023, with the famous firework display over Sydney Harbour.
Teams have been busy setting up for a spectacular show, with more than 35,000 shooting ground-based effects and 100,000 pyrotechnics launching from barges, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and rooftops across the city.
get involved
How are you celebrating the new year?published at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
As we bid farewell to 2022, we’re looking to see how you’re ringing in the new year wherever you are in the world.
Send us pictures and videos of your New Year’s Eve celebrations by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, external.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
- WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803·
- Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external·
- Upload pictures or video
Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy
Sydneysiders prepare for city's famous fireworkspublished at 12:27 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Sydney's family fireworks returned on Saturday after not being held for three years because of the pandemic
New Year's Eve revellers are waiting in Sydney to watch the famous annual fireworks display following two years of muted celebrations.
Crews have been busy setting up more than 35,000 shooting ground-based effects and 12,000 aerial shells along with 100,000 pyrotechnics that will be launched from barges, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, and rooftops across the city.
Sydney Harbour Bridge will also be transformed into a rainbow at midnight to celebrate the city’s diversity.
The event has already kicked off with a family fireworks show that started at 21:00 (10:00 GMT) - that event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
More than 4,000 hours have gone into designing and staging the display, Foti International Fireworks director Fortunato Foti said.
Speaking in November, Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney was excited to welcome international and domestic visitors to mark the beginning of 2023.
He said the impact of the pandemic was still being felt throughout the community, but they were hopeful the celebration would provide "some relief from the challenges faced over the past few years".
WATCH: New Zealand fireworks kick off 2023 celebrationspublished at 12:07 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Fireworks light up the sky in Auckland on New Zealand's North Island.
It was one of the first major cities in the world to usher in the new year.
Media caption,
Auckland welcomes in 2023 with a fireworks display from the Sky Tower
People we lost in 2022published at 11:58 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
The past 12 months have certainly been eventful, not least because of the notable figures we lost in that time, including former Pope Benedict XVI who died earlier this morning.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest serving monarch, passed away in September. She acceded to the throne in 1952, with her reign spanning post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth and the end of the Cold War.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the 20th Century’s most influential political figures, died in August.
And from the world of popular culture we also saw the deaths of Dame Olivia Newton-John and rock star Meat Loaf.
See more of the famous global figures who passed away here.
Which countries are first to see in the new year?published at 11:31 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Auckland in New Zealand is one of the first major cities to see in the new year
We still have several hours to go before the clock strikes midnight here in the UK, but some parts of the world have already ushered in the new year.
The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was the first to welcome in 2023 at 10:00 GMT, soon followed by New Zealand at 11:00 GMT.
At 13:00 we're expecting to see a spectacular display over Sydney Harbour as eastern Australia sees in 2023.
The small outlying islands of the US will be last to see 2023. Baker Island and Howland Island, which are uninhabited, will enter 2023 on Sunday at 12:00 GMT.
We'll bring you live updates as countries around the world start their celebrations, keep your party poppers at hand.
Auckland, New Zealand, welcomes 2023published at 11:25 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Image source, EVN
Happy New Year New Zealand!
In the past half hour Auckland has greeted 2023 with fireworks launched from the city's Sky Tower.
Welcomepublished at 11:12 Greenwich Mean Time 31 December 2022
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage as the world begins to see in 2023.
The Pacific island of Kiritimati is already over an hour into the new year and New Zealand has just welcomed 2023.
We'll watch out for new year celebrations from Sydney in Australia to Times Square in New York - and lots of places in between.
Cities such as London and New York will see larger crowds this time around, as Covid restrictions fall away.
The past 12 months have certainly been eventful, let's see what next year will bring.