Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2017Credit: London News Pictures
74
Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye in central London during the New Year celebrations.Credit: PA:Press Association
74
Thousands of people lined the banks of the River Thames in central London to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks displayCredit: Getty Images
74
Big Ben and the London Eye are lit up by the jaw-dropping annual fireworks display in the capital cityCredit: Getty Images
74
The technicolor display wowed TV audiences and Londoners lining the banks of the River ThamesCredit: EPA
Thousands gathered on the streets of Edinburgh for the sold-out world-famous Hogmanay Celebrations which will see Scots favourite Paolo Nutini headline The Concert In The Gardens.
The world-renowned street party will also see performances from The Charlatans, Fatherson and Be Charlotte.
Four firework displays were due to be held rising to the crescendo of the spectacular Midnight Moment display from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens and Calton Hill which will also include a laser show this year.
Thousands of party-goers will join hands to sing the world's largest rendition of Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight, with images being beamed around the globe.
74
The Edinburgh Castle provided an incredible backdrop as a jaw-dropping fireworks display welcomed in the New Year in the Scottish cityCredit: Deadline News
74
A general view during the torchlight procession as it makes its way through Edinburgh for the start of the Hogmanay celebrationsCredit: Getty Images
74
Thousands of revellers descend on Princes Street in Edinburgh where the city has enjoyed a huge parade and stunning fireworks displayCredit: Splash News
74
Fireworks over Edinburgh Castle as the Hogmanay celebrations get underway in spectacular fashionCredit: Deadline News
74
Thousands of people march through Edinburgh's City Centre towards Calton Hill with torch lights, lead by the Up Helly AA Vikings from ShetlandCredit: Splash News
74
Party-goers from Australia and New Zealand have joined the celebrations in the Scottish capitalCredit: Rex Features
74
Up Helly Aa Vikings from Shetland led the torchlight procession through Edinburgh for the start of the Hogmanay celebrationsCredit: Splash News
74
Fireworks also lit up the Austrian capital of Vienna in stunning blue lightCredit: Reuters
74
The Kenyan capital also celebrated with fireworksCredit: EPA
There was a huge police presence on the streets of London as spectators from nearly 100 countries flocked to the Thames to watch the night sky light up as Big Ben struck midnight.
With memories of the lethal Berlin lorry truck attack still fresh, London mayor Sadiq Khan assured crowds the capital was "as safe as it possibly can be".
Mr Khan said the mood on the streets was "upbeat", adding it was "really important we don't allow terrorists to disrupt our celebrations on this New Year's Eve".
Around 3,000 officers were on duty within and outside ticketed areas, while armed police were also set to be a fixture on the capital's Tube trains as they travel between jobs in a move aimed at reassuring passengers.
74
Australia was one of the first to celebrate the new year in styleCredit: Getty Images
74
Fireworks go off on Sydney Harbour Bridge as the Australian city celebrates at midnight with the coming of the new yearCredit: Getty Images
74
The display, one of the most grand in the world, began at around 1pm GMTCredit: Sky News
74
The midnight display was the second of the evening, following a build up at 9pm local time/11am GMTCredit: Getty Images
74
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House during an early evening display in the lead up to the main New Year's Eve fireworksCredit: Reuters
74
Large crowds gather in Newcastle City Centre as the New Years Eve celebrations begin with a special Winter Carnival and fireworks display this eveningCredit: North News and Pictures
74
Hundreds of revellers have gathered in Newcastle ahead of the New Year's celebrations, as the city gears up for 2017Credit: North News and Pictures
74
Fireworks explode in Marina Bay during spectacular New Year celebrations in SingaporeCredit: Reuters
74
A stunning panoramic view of the shows the fireworks celebrating New Year during the Marina Bay Singapore 2017 countdownCredit: Alamy
74
Fireworks illuminate the skyscrapers in Marina Bay where the celebrations for 2017 have gone off with a bangCredit: AP:Associated Press
74
Thousands watched as the sky across the city was lit up by a dazzling displayCredit: EPA
74
More fireworks will be let off in Sydney as the clock ticks towards midnight in the cityCredit: EPA
74
Charlotte Kent from Huddersfield in England wears glowing glasses and a headset for 2017 before watching the New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney, AustraliaCredit: Reuters
74
The famous firework display in Sydney Harbour, AustraliaCredit: Reuters
74
The new year events began just before 11am GMT in the cityCredit: AP
74
A little girl enjoys staying up late specially to bring in the new yearCredit: Getty Images
74
Australians welcome in the new year in Sydney HarbourCredit: Getty Images
74
2017 arrives in the country between 1pm and 3.15pm GMT todayCredit: Getty Images
74
A group of friends get in the new year spirit in Sydney, AustraliaCredit: Getty Images
74
Australia followed Tonga which was the first to enter 2017Credit: Getty Images
74
A young woman writes '2017' using a sparkler during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Nyiregyhaza, 245 kms east of Budapest, HungaryCredit: EPA
74
A horseherd blows a horn during the New Year's Eve celebrations in HajduszoboszloCredit: EPA
74
This was the stunning scene in Hajduszoboszlo where a juggler performed during the celebrationsCredit: EPA
74
Thousands poured into the harbour for the fireworks celebrationsCredit: Getty Images
74
Many have been waiting most of the day in the world-famous harbour for the big eventCredit: Getty Images
74
Crowds gather at McMahons Point on New Year's Eve on Sydney HarbourCredit: Getty Images
74
A spectacular fireworks display rounds off the Winter Carnival in Newcastle City Centre as the New Years Eve celebrations get underway this eveningCredit: North News and Pictures
74
The Winter Carnival in Newcastle ended in style with this dazzling fireworks displayCredit: North News and Pictures
74
Spectacular sights during the special New Years Eve Winter Carnival in Newcastle City Centre this eveningCredit: North News and Pictures
74
Thousands of people gathered in the city to witness a breathtaking carnival display rounding off 2017Credit: North News and Pictures
74
The streets between the Civic Centre and the Monument in Newcastle were transformed, as a host of creatures took over the city centreCredit: North News and Pictures
Tonga welcomed in 2017 at 10am GMT today – a full three hours before it reaches Australia, which is often associated with being the first to enter a New Year due to its famous Sydney Harbour fireworks display.
Tourists and French revellers swarmed along Paris' illuminated Champs Elysees Avenue on a frosty night, admiring the laser display from the Arc de Triomphe and lines of trees sparkling with lights.
"It's so magical to be here in Paris, on what people say is the world's most beautiful avenue," said Maureen O'Reilly, 42, a visitor from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"At times like this, I do think about all those terrible things in Aleppo and how lucky we are here in Europe despite everything."
Tens of thousands of merrymakers converged on Times Square on Saturday evening, hours before the giant New Year's Eve ball makes its midnight descent, a century-old New York tradition unfolding this year under an unprecedented blanket of security.
As many as 2 million people, surrounded by a ring of 40-ton sand trucks and some 7,000 police, are expected to gather in the "Crossroads of the World" to watch the glittering sphere complete its midnight drop, marking the beginning of 2017.
74
Tourists pose at Mrs Macquarie's Chair on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour waiting for the New Years Eve fireworksCredit: EPA
74
The SkyTower firework display during New Year's Eve celebrations on January 1, 2017 in Auckland, New ZealandCredit: Getty Images
74
The pyrotechnic display includes 500kgs of fireworks, 1 tonne of equipment and 10 kilometres of wire were used in the display set upCredit: Getty Images
74
New Zealand's firework display went off with a bang as midnight approached in the countryCredit: Getty Images
The last place or places to receive 2017 will be the tiny outlying islands of the US.
74
People take photos as they prepare for the fireworks and light effects to illuminate the night sky from the Taipei 101 skyscraper, TaiwanCredit: EPA
74
Fireworks illuminate the night sky around, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world on occasion of the new year of 2017 in Dubai, United Arab EmiratesCredit: EPA
74
Fireworks explode from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower,Credit: Getty Images
74
A man and a woman dressed as Father Frost and his granddaughter take part in a New Year's Eve celebration in Bishkek, KyrgyzstanCredit: EPA
74
Father Frost is the Slavic culture equivalent of Santa ClausCredit: EPA
74
Police officers patrol Times Square before New Year's eve celebrations in New York which draws millions of spectators each yearCredit: Getty Images
74
Police officers patrol Times Square as sand-filled sanitaion trucks are used as street barriers before New Year's eve celebrationsCredit: Getty Images
Sydney sent up a dazzling tribute to 2016's fallen icons with a New Year's Eve fireworks display honouring the late singer David Bowie and late actor Gene Wilder, becoming the first major city to bid a bittersweet adieu to a turbulent year.
The glittering display over Sydney's famed harbour and bridge featured Saturn and star-shaped fireworks set to "Space Oddity," the classic song by Bowie one of the many beloved entertainers who died in 2016.
"This year, sadly, we saw the loss of many music and entertainment legends around the world," fireworks show co-producer Catherine Flanagan said.
"So celebrating their music as part of Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks displays is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and what the future may hold."
More than 300,000 visitors are expected to descend on Las Vegas for an extravagant New Year's Eve celebration.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has called on the faithful to help young people find a place in society, noting the paradox of "a culture that idolises youth" and yet has made no place for the young.
Francis said during vespers marking New Year's Eve that young people have been "pushed to the margins of public life, forcing them to migrate or to beg for jobs that no longer exist, or fail to promise them a future."
74
People watch fireworks explode around the National Monument during New Year's Eve celebrations in Jakarta, IndonesiaCredit: Reuters
74
Fireworks illuminate the night sky over Traffict Circle of Hotel Indonesia during New Year's Eve celebrationsCredit: EPA
74
A man holds a spankler at the Bajra Sandhi Monument during New Year celebrations in Denpasar, Bali island, IndonesiaCredit: Reuters
74
People in Teatralnaya Square in central Moscow during the Puteshestviye v Rozhdestvo (Journey to Christmas) FestivalCredit: Getty Images
74
The offices of the mayor of Moscow in Tverskaya Street in central Moscow ready for the big celebrationCredit: Getty Images
A worker arrangers rows of freshly roasted pigs, known locally as "lechon", at a store in Manila, Philippines
74
They are famously served as main courses during the New Year revelryCredit: Reuters
74
Shinto priests walk in a line to attend a ritual to usher in the upcoming New Year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, JapanCredit: Reuters
74
A woman prays in front of lanterns to celebrate the new year at Chogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South KoreaCredit: AP
Second last will be American Samoa at 11am – just 558 miles from Tonga, where locals and visitors were celebrating a full 25 hours before.
Watch each country bring in the new year here as we follow the start of 2017 around the world.
74
Kimono-clad women take a selfie in front of a wooden torii gate at Meiji Shrine as the shinto ritual preparing for the New Year is held at the shrine in TokyoCredit: EPA
74
The Parade of Eight Deities on Ratchadamri Road in BangkokCredit: Splash News
The Philippines' notorious tradition of dangerous New Year's Eve celebrations persisted after President Rodrigo Duterte delayed to next year his ban on the use of powerful firecrackers, often worsened by celebratory gunfire.
Tonga was the first at 10am GMT, followed by New Zealand at 11am, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
At around 3.30pm GMT North Korea rang in the new year followed by China, the Phillipines, and most of Indonesia.
As we Brits headed into the evening people in Bangalesh, Nepal, India and Pakistan were welcoming in their 2017, before countries like Russia, Greece and Germany took their turn from 9pm onwards.
Following the UK at midnight will be Brazil at around 2am, the USA at 3.30am, and finally its outlying islands at 12 noon tomorrow.
74
The parade went from Lumpini Park to the Ratchaprasong shopping area, a distance of about one mileCredit: Splash News
74
Ratchaprasong, known as a centre of high end shopping centres in Bangkok, is also home to eight important Buddhist and Hindu shrines and is the site of a large New Year's celebration in BangkokCredit: Photoshot
74
Fireworks explode above Singapore's financial district at the stroke of midnightCredit: AP
74
Fireworks illuminate the sky near Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers during the New Year celebrations in Kuala LumpurCredit: Getty Images
74
Revellers take selfies and watch a fireworks display over Victoria Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Hong KongCredit: EPA
74
The display took place as it hit midnight in the Chinese city after 4pm GMTCredit: Reuters
74
The spectacular followed similar displays in Australia, New Zealand and SingaporeCredit: Getty Images
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368
