The UK celebrated the start of 2025 with a spectacular fireworks display on the banks of the River Thames – as London defied weather concerns which led to the cancellation of other events around the country.
Thousands listened to Big Ben ring in the new year after celebrations had already taken place across the world – with fireworks lighting up the night skies in major cities including Sydney in Australia, Mumbai in India and Damascus in Syria.
The 11-minute display in the UK capital took place over the London Eye and began with the message “Your New Year Is Unwritten”.
To a diverse soundtrack which featured music from the likes of Sir Elton John, One Direction and Charli XCX, the display looked back at 2024 with topics including the weather, the Paris Olympics, the Paralympics and Euro 2024.
Follow latest: Live updates as world ushers in 2025
There were also voiceovers from British actress Dame Imelda Staunton and actor Sir Ian McKellen.
The London mayor’s office said around 100,000 ticketholders had attended the display, which included more than 12,000 fireworks and 420 lights.
The display ended with a message from Paddington Bear that “anyone can fit in” in London before a version of Auld Lang Syne by Boney M.
UK celebrations fall victim to bad weather
Meanwhile, crowds sheltered under umbrellas to watch fireworks and enjoy entertainment in Manchester, but the weather curtailed celebrations elsewhere with fireworks displays cancelled in Blackpool, Newcastle, Ripon in North Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight.
It came after Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations, which were due to include a street party and fireworks, were called off due to safety concerns.
The Met Office has numerous weather warnings in place across the country on New Year’s Day – including an amber warning for rain covering much of the North West.
The world parties into 2025
The first country to welcome in the new year was the Pacific nation of Kiribati at 10am UK time.
It was followed by New Zealand an hour later – with fireworks launched from the Sky Tower in Auckland as part of a spectacular light show.
At 1pm UK time it was Australia’s turn to usher in 2025.
A stunning fireworks display lit up the sky above Sydney Harbour Bridge as more than one million people watched below.
British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong moments earlier outside Sydney Opera House, with indigenous ceremonies and performances also taking place in the build up to the celebrations.
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A couple of hours later the clocked ticked into 2025 in South Korea, North Korea and Japan.
In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony took place in the historic Bosingak Pavilion.
On the other side of the demilitarised zone, North Korea said goodbye to 2024 with a fireworks display in Kim II Sung Square in the capital Pyongyang.
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At the same time crowds had gathered at a temple in central Tokyo to watch a traditional bell-ringing ceremony, known as Joya no Kane.
An hour later fireworks kicked off 2025 with a bang in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
It came as crowds in the Chinese capital Beijing gathered in Shougang Park to celebrate the start of 2025.
In the Thailand capital Bangkok, fireworks blasted off in style over Chao Phraya River, while in Malaysia people gathered near the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, to celebrate the New Year.
A fireworks display in Indonesia’s Jakarta featured 800 drones.
A couple of hours later it was India’s turn to say goodbye to 2024, with thousands of people in Mumbai flocking to the city’s bustling promenade facing the Arabian Sea.
In the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai, thousands attended a dazzling light and fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.
It came before hundreds gathered in the Syrian capital Damascus to sing, dance and watch a fireworks display – with many looking forward to a new beginning weeks after rebels ousted President Bashar al Assad.
Hours later countries in Europe began to celebrate the start of 2025.
Paris appeared to have spared no expense with its display at the Champs-Elysees.
The French capital was capping a momentous 2024 following the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities had an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
At 3am UK time, A huge fireworks display thrilled crowds gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil welcomed the new year.
More than two million people were expected to descend on the beach for the celebration.
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Elsewhere, Chinese state media covered an exchange of new year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin in a reminder of the growing closeness between two leaders who face tensions with the West.
Meanwhile, a blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early on Tuesday as the US territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
More than 1.2 million out of 1.47 million customers were without power, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution on the island.
It was not immediately clear what caused the widespread outage or when power would be restored.
