Happy New Year London (and Edinburgh, Berlin, Moscow…)! Midnight sets off dazzling celebrations for 2014 around the world

Revellers in New Zealand have already hailed the start of 2014, dancing in the streets of Auckland and Queenstown
Dubai is planning the world’s biggest ever fireworks show with Guinness World Record judges on hand
More than one million people pack Sydney harbour to watch the spectacular fireworks display burst into the sky
Bright rockets flew from the four sails of the city’s iconic Opera House for the first time in more than a decade
More than 260 people injured as firecrackers are set off in the Philippines during the countdown to midnight

The biggest party in the world is underway with bright fireworks bursting into skies across the globe as midnight strikes and nations hail the start of 2014.

London welcomed 2014 with a mixture of futuristic fireworks and torch-lit tradition. For people in the capital, the New Year offered the unique opportunity to taste the fireworks.

Edible banana confetti and strawberry mist rained from the sky as a fireworks display along the River Thames lights up Big Ben and other landmarks.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: ‘There is no better way to celebrate the highs of 2013 and the start of an exciting new year than by seeing one of the world’s most dazzling firework displays, now augmented in more ways than one.

A room with a view! From the top of the Shard, the fireworks lit up the entire capital

All along the Thames, thousands of spectators braved the poor weather to see the start of 2014 at the foot of the Houses of Parliament

The sky above London burst into a riot of colours last night as the new year was welcomed in with one of the most spectacular fireworks displays for years

Big Ben was illuminated against the night sky as 250,000 people were treated to the city’s first ever ‘multi-sensory’ show of pyrotechnics

Fireworks light up the sky on the Southbank in one of the world’s most dazzling firework displays

London puts on colourful firework display to welcome 2014

Thousands of people lined the banks of the River Thames in central London to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display

The annual crackles of fireworks and chimes of Big Ben will ring in the new year in London, where people have been queuing for hours to get a prime spot on the Southbank

Up to 100,000 people in key viewing areas by the Thames received packs featuring scratch ‘n’ sniff programmes

Fireworks light the sky above the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament over the river Thames during the New Year celebrations in central London just after midnight

Thousands of people are waiting on the banks of the River Thames in central London to ring in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display

‘Watched by millions around the world, and hundreds of thousands of people from the banks of the Thames, it highlights our capital’s fantastic community spirit and its premier position on the global stage.’

Up to 100,000 people in key viewing areas by the Thames will also get packs featuring scratch ‘n’ sniff programmes, LED wristbands and seven kinds of fruit-flavoured sweets that link to the tastes and smells of the multi-sensory display.

The annual crackles of fireworks and chimes of Big Ben rang in the new year in London, where people have been queuing for hours to get a prime spot on the Southbank, while street parties and shindigs throughout the UK will coax others from their homes.

In Scotland about 80,000 people are expected in Edinburgh city centre for the famous Hogmanay street party, with music from the Pet Shop Boys as well as traditional Scottish sounds at an outdoor dance event.

A firework display in Manchester city centre marks the New Year, watched by a crowd estimated at 8,000

The fireworks event was held in Piccadilly Gardens for the first time in the city’s history

A bright start to 2014: Fireworks soared into the sky as Manchester welcomed in the brand new year

Russia celebrates 2014 with spectacular fireworks

With fireworks, dancing and late-night revelry, millions around the world welcomed 2014, gathering for huge displays of jubilation and unity as the new year arrived.

Dubai, a Persian Gulf city known for glitz, glamour and over-the-top achievements like the world’s tallest skyscraper, sought to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show.

In Ukraine, anti-government protesters hoped to set their own record for the most people to sing a national anthem at the same time.

Crowds heading to New York City’s Times Square could expect the traditional ball drop but no mayor this year. The new year was to be rung in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor instead.

The Dubai skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show capping off with six minutes of fireworks that engulfed the city’s man-made, palm-shaped island, with its fronds and trunk shimmering in thousands of lights.

Organizers had promised that the fireworks would form a flying falcon, sunrise and United Arab Emirates flag. It was not immediately clear if the promised designs or world record had been achieved.

In total, the extravaganza was slated to include half a million fireworks from 400 firing locations synchronized by 100 computers, said Barrett Wissman, co-chairman of IMG Artists, which was managing the event.

The company also organized the grand fireworks for the Atlantis hotel opening on Dubai’s Palm island in 2008.

In Scotland, about 80,000 people are expected in Edinburgh city centre for the famous Hogmanay street party

Hundred thousands of people celebrated New Year’s Eve welcoming the new year 2014 in Germany’s capital

Fireworks explode over of Berlin’s landmark the Brandenburg Gate, where one of the country’s biggest New Year’s parties was celebrated

Ukrainians light screens and mobile phones as they sing the National anthem during the 2014 New Year celebrations at the pro-European supporters’ tent camp at Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine

Thousands of locals residents gather to see the fireworks display and celebrate the New Year at the Red Square in Moscow

Revellers wrapped up and braved the cold as they watched spectacular displays explode across the Red Square

The spectacle erupted at midnight at the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, and moved to the city’s sail-shaped Burj Al-Arab hotel before ending at the Palm.

‘It is really mind-blowing the size of this,’ Wissman said of the display.

The fireworks display was slated to surpass the current world record held by another Gulf Arab state in just the first 60 seconds. Kuwait has held the record since last year, when it fired more than 77,000 fireworks in a display lasting more than an hour.

Guinness World Record officials were on hand to measure the scale of Dubai’s event, which needed to be longer than five minutes to qualify.

On Kiev’s main square, at least 100,000 Ukrainians sang their national anthem in a sign of support for integration with Europe.

The square has been the scene of massive pro-European protests for more than a month, triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to ditch a key deal with the European Union.

Fireworks explode over Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The country kicked off New Year with a dazzling bid for a new world record to cap those the Gulf city state already holds for its mammoth property developments

The glittering fireworks display that lasted around six minutes spanned over 100 kilometres (60 miles) of the Dubai coast

In Scotland, thousands of people gathered in Edinburgh last night to celebrate the new year. Revellers from across the world took to Princes Street to welcome in 2014.

More than 80,000 people took part in the capitals world famous Hogmanay celebrations which were headlined by the Pet Shop Boys.

It is believed that during the Hogmanay and New Year period over 150,000 people have travelled to celebrate in Edinburgh.
Guest travelled from over 60 countries coming from as far away as Australia, Brazil , China, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.

Exploding fireworks sprayed from Sydney’s iconic opera house and harbor bridge as the world began ushering in a new year.

More than one million people crammed the Sydney Harbor foreshore on a warm summer night to watch Sydney’s renowned annual pyrotechnics show, which appeared to live up to its billing as the city’s most extravagant.

And for the first time in more than a decade fireworks launched from four sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Up Helly Aa Vikings at the start the Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations with a torchlight procession through Edinburgh city centre

Around 80,000 people are expected in the city for the traditional New Year celebrations, which run over three days. Tickets have been bought for the event by people from over sixty different countries

A general view of the torchlight procession as it makes its way through Edinburgh for the start of the Hogmanay celebrations

What a happy start to the new year! Alex Thomson steals a kiss from PC Heather Clark of Police Scotland

The New Year’s Eve Winter Carnival in Newcastle city centre saw performers parading through the city to the Civic Centre for a spectacular fireworks display

While organizers in cities like Chicago and New York were just starting to block off streets in preparation for the evening’s events, festivities were well under way in Newcastle

Hundreds of people gathered at the Great Wall, a landmark place in Beijing, to celebrate the New Year

Badaling Great Wall is illuminated during the New Year’s Eve count down to 2014 held at the Badaling Great Wall

All together now, happy new year! Performers gather for a group photo after the end of a New Year’s Eve count down to 2014 in Beijing, China

Packed in like sardines! Fireworks light up the sky as thousands of people gather to watch, in the main business district on New Year’s Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia

In Hong Kong the harbour provided the focal point much like Sydney harbour three hours earlier.

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A bright spray of fireworks erupted from the water at the same time as rockets burst above the city creating a stunning spectacle of red and white light.

In Malaysia, fireworks exploded across the sky near Kuala Lumpur’s most famous landmark, the Petronas Towers.

Fireworks lit up the sky as thousands of people gathered to watch the show in the main business district on New Year’s Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In North Korea, all eyes were on the Juche Tower and the Taedong River in Pyongyang to celebrate the New Year.

Closer to the edge of the International Dateline, New Zealand bid farewell to 2013 two hours before Sydney with fireworks erupting from Auckland’s Sky Tower as cheering revelers danced in the streets of the South Pacific island nation’s largest city.

Fireworks explode over Juche Tower and the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the New Year

Ringing in 2014! Fireworks explode near Malaysia’s landmark, Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

While many were happy to welcome the new year, thousands of Malaysian people marched on the street to protest against price hikes by the Malaysian government

Soaring into the air: The fireworks near Malaysia’s iconic Petronas Towers heralded a new start and a new year for many

In Tokyo, five priests at the Zojoji temple used ropes to swing a wooden pole against a large bell, sounding the first of 108 gongs to mark the new year. Simultaneously, ‘2014’ lit up in white lights on the modern Tokyo Tower in the background.

Both Japanese and tourists jammed the temple grounds for the traditional ceremony. Suburban resident Juji Muto said he was curious to hear how the bell sounded. At his age, the 75-year-old retiree said he wishes as every year for good health in the new year.

China displayed light shows at part of the Great Wall near Beijing and at the Bund waterfront in Shanghai.

The city of Wuhan in central Hubei province called off its fireworks show and banned fireworks downtown to avoid worsening its smoggy air.

An anti-Thai government protester waves national flag as dancers perform on stage during a New Year’s Eve rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand

With fireworks erupting from the water and bursting high in the skies, Hong Kong’s harbour was showered in sprays of red and white as midnight struck

The bright lights of the city’s skyline merged with the colourful spray of fire across the harbour

In Beijing, one flower shop manager said he hoped the new year brought more customers.

‘Since the government started its campaign to crack down on luxury spending and promote frugality, our business with government agencies has been in decline,’ said Mao Xiangfei. ‘In the past, government clients accounted for about 10 percent of our business, but now it’s zero.’

In the Philippines, more than 260 people were injured by firecracker blasts and celebratory gunfire ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, one of Asia’s most violent revelries.

Department of Health spokesman Dr Eric Tayag said he expected the number of injuries to rise sharply when Filipinos ignite powerful firecrackers to end a year marked by tragic disasters, including a typhoon on November 8, that left more than 6,100 dead and nearly 1,800 others missing.

‘Many here are welcoming the new year after losing their mothers, fathers, siblings and children so you can imagine how it feels,’ said village chief Maria Rosario Bactol of Anibong community in Tacloban, the city worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan.

Thousands release balloons into the sky as the Tokyo is illuminated during the countdown to midnight in Japan’s capital

Tokyo tower in the countdown to midnight

Tokyo tower in Japan in the countdown to midnight, left. And right, as 12am strikes and the crowds celebrate the start of the Year of the Horse

Midnight strikes in South Korea as thousands celebrating with the ‘moon house’ burning and fireworks during the 21st Sungsan sunrise festival of New Year in Sungsan, on Jeju island

South Koreans gaze up at the bright display above their heads as they hail the start of 2014 on Jeju island

More than one million people packed the water and shoreline of Sydney’s harbour to watch the annual fireworks spectacular

Sydney celebrates 2014 with spectacular fireworks

‘I tell them to face the reality, to move on and stand up but I know it will never be easy.’Dubai, home to world’s tallest tower, is known for its glitz, glamor and over-the-top achievements, and this New Year’s Eve the city is planning to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show ever.

Organizers plan to light up the city’s coastline with a flying falcon made out of fireworks that moves across a massive man-made palm-shaped island alongside a countdown in fireworks.

The Opera House is lit up by the stunning fountains of fireworks streaming off the harbour bridge. This year’s display is the most extravagant ever, organisers have said

The view over Sydney Harbour from Mrs Macquarie’s chair as midnight strikes and the crowds hail the New Year

Fireworks launched from the four sails of Sydney’s iconic Opera House for the first time in more than a decade

Tourists and locals dance to celebrate the New Year in Queenstown, New Zealand

New Zealand is among the first nations to see in the New Year

Happy New Year! New Zealand celebrates arrival of 2014

As midnight struck in New Zealand a fireworks display erupted over the city as thousands danced in the streets below

Sportsmen in Allahabad, India light candles to celebrate New Year’s Eve at Madan Mohan Malviya Stadium

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A Buddhist woman attaches her name card on a lantern ahead of the New Year at Chogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea

Gearing up for the New Year, students in China use light pens to welcome 2014

Organisers say they will also create a burst of light out of fireworks to imitate a sunrise and dazzle spectators with a United Arab Emirates flag that could also break records for being the largest ever made out of fireworks.

The six-minute extravaganza will include 500,000 fireworks from 400 firing locations, all synchronized by 100 computers from stations across the city, said Barrett Wissman, co-chairman of IMG Artists that is managing the event. Guinness World Record officials will be on hand to measure the scale of the event.

Wissman said the display will cover 30 miles (48 kilometers) of seafront. ‘It is really mind-blowing, the size of this,’ he said.

Dubai goes huge for 2014 New Year’s Eve firework display

Actors dressed as the Russian Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), right, and his companion Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), left, take part a New Year parade in the Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek

Musicians wearing Christmas costumes take part in the New Year parade in Bishkek. New Year, which was the biggest informal holiday of the year in the former Soviet Union, is also very popular in the predominantly Muslim Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan

China was planning to count down to the New Year with light shows at two spectacular and historic locations – part of the Great Wall near Beijing and at the Bund waterfront in Shanghai.

In Beijing, one flower shop manager said he hoped the new year brought more customers.

But in one polluted Chinese city, the celebrations were slated to be quieter as authorities in Wuhan in central Hubei province called off their annual New Year fireworks show and banned fireworks downtown to avoid making the smoggy air worse.

Shinto priests walk toward the main hall to hold a shinto ritual in preparation for the New Year at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. It is expected that around three million people will visit the shrine to pray for their health, happiness and property during the first days of 2014

Shinto priests walk under a ‘torii’ (Japanese gate located at the entrance of a Shinto shrine) after they participated to a shinto ritual in preparation for the New Year at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan

In Japan, thousands of visitors, some donning kimono, prayed, rang a bell and tossed coins as offerings at shrines, wishing for health, wealth and happiness. Temple bells rang the customary 108 times, for the 108 causes of suffering according to Buddhism, and to welcome in the Year of the Horse.

Japanese are hopeful about the economy for the first time in years after some signs of revival under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose easing lending policies and pump-priming measures have been dubbed ‘Abenomics.’

Among those upbeat about what the new year might bring is Junya Sakata, a 23-year-old Tokyo waiter looking forward to taking sommelier classes next year so he can move up in his career.

‘I hope the economy will keep improving, building up to the 2020 Olympics,’ he said, which will be held in Tokyo. ‘So many things happened this year, but I was able to grow. Maybe next year I will find a girlfriend.’

The 9.30pm New Year’s Eve fireworks at Yarra Park beside the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Thousands of people gathered on Princes Bridge in Melbourne waiting for midnight to strike

In North Korea, a group of tourists, including Americans, planned to watch fireworks in Kim Il Sung Square and watch the Pyongyang Bell strike midnight, said Andrea Lee, CEO of Uritours, a tour group specializing in travel to North Korea.

‘There were a lot of people out on the streets today for an outdoor dance event, and cars filled the streets,’ Ms Lee said.

In Hong Kong, tens of thousands turned out to watch the fireworks display over the southern Chinese city’s famed Victoria Harbor.

In Indonesia, New Year’s celebrations are widespread except in the city of Banda Aceh where Islamic clerics prohibit Muslims from celebrating New Year’s Eve.

In the capital, Jakarta, Governor Joko Widodo will lead a festival featuring concerts, parades, a marching band and fireworks.

While organizers in cities like Chicago and New York were just starting to block off streets in preparation for the evening’s events, festivities were well under way in other parts of the globe.

As midnight struck in Sydney, Australia, a massive fireworks display lit up the night sky around the city’s famed Harbor Bridge and Opera House. New Year’s organizers in Dubai were attempting to break the Guinness World Record for largest fireworks display.

Meanwhile in London Ian Guy and Alice Summerill from Bristol arrive early to get a prime spot to watch the Southbank fireworks show illuminate the capital as midnight strikes in the UK

Dozens of Portaloos are moved into position close to Parliament as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to London today

Barriers have been erected around the fountains in Trafalgar Square to try and stop revellers jumping in the water amid the excitement as the clock strikes 12am

Vladimir Putin has added a twist to the stolid ritual of Russian presidential New Year’s Eve address by doing two versions this year.

Russian leaders traditionally make short, prerecorded messages to be broadcast as the year begins in each of the country’s nine time zones.

The address broadcast in Russia’s Far East was typical, showing Putin at the Kremlin and calling for Russians to work together, according to Russian news websites.

But an hour later, Putin came out with a different speech mentioning this week’s suicide bombings in Volgograd that killed 34 people and vowing to destroy terrorists, reports said.

Putin made that recording Tuesday while visiting the city of Khabarovsk. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there wasn’t time to get it to the Far East, according to Ekho Moskvy radio.