The world rang in the new year on Wednesday with spectacular firework displays from Sydney to Tokyo - though celebrations in Australia were overshadowed by deadly wildfires and the festive mood in Hong Kong and India was dampened by protests.
Around a million people were in attendance in Sydney harbour and nearby districts to watch more than 100,000 fireworks explode above the city, even as thousands of people along Australia’s eastern seaboard sought refuge from the bushfires on beaches.
Thousands in Hong Kong who welcomed 2020 on neon-lit promenades in the picturesque Victoria Harbour broke into pro-democracy chants shortly after the countdown to midnight.
Hong Kong authorities canceled the main midnight fireworks display for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns. A “Symphony of Lights” took place instead, involving projections on the city’s tallest skyscrapers, while smaller-scale pyrotechnics were launched from waterfront rooftops.
Elsewhere, revellers from Auckland in New Zealand to Pyongyang, capital of isolated North Korea, welcomed the new year with firework displays. In Japan, people took turns to strike Buddhist temple bells, in accordance with tradition.
London’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display will this year look ahead to the city hosting several key games in the Euro 2020 football tournament.
Seven of the competition’s matches are set to be played in the capital, with Wembley Stadium scheduled to host the final and semi-finals.
Edinburgh is set to welcome tens of thousands of people to celebrate Hogmanay.
More than 3,600 fireworks will be let off from Edinburgh Castle at midnight, with street parties, music and ceilidhs happening in more than a dozen city centre streets.