New Year’s Eve 2019 in pictures: Latest photos and Happy New Year 2020 around the world
NEW YEARS celebrations are well underway across the world, with some countries already entering the New Year. Here are the latest photos of New Year celebrations around the world.
New Year: Dubai welcome 2020 with incredible fireworks
Already several countries have welcomed the New Year, including Australia, Thailand, India and Dubai. Others have a bit longer to wait before they usher in 2020, but celebrations are in full force across the world.
New Zealand sent fireworks cascading into the sky when their clocks struck midnight 13 hours ahead of the UK.
In Sydney, fireworks lit up the sky as the clocks tolled midnight, glittering over the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.
The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was lit up with fireworks when Dubai rang in 2020.
The UK will soon be saying hello to 2020 too, with only a few short hours to go until we say goodbye to 2019.
READ MORE: New Years Eve fireworks: Can you watch London fireworks LIVE on TV?
Elsewhere, New Year has not brought celebrations, with protesters taking the opportunity to make themselves heard in Hong Kong.
Thousands of protesters briefly blocked one of Hong Kong's main roads on New Year's Eve after forming human chains across the city and marching through shopping malls, urging people not to give up the fight for democracy in 2020.
The protesters fled when police came to clear the road of objects such as umbrellas, street furniture and the metal skeleton of a Christmas tree decoration, but then occupied other parts of the road.
At least one man was arrested.
Many protesters held cards reading: “Let’s keep fighting together in 2020.”
One attendee of a rally told Reuters: "Liberate HK, Revolution of our time is my New Year wish.
"As we have been protesting for such a long time, but the government still refuses to listen to us.
"If we don't join the protest, we are in debt to our comrades who have already been jailed."
Authorities had cancelled the popular midnight fireworks for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns.
A "Symphony of Lights" was planned instead, involving projections on the city's tallest skyscrapers after a countdown to midnight.
In India there will be painted faces, balloons and hand-painted signs to welcome in the New Year.
In New York, up to a million people are expected to crowd Times Square to witness the famous ball drop, which has signified the beginning of the new year for more than a century.
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Across the UK preparations are in full swing, with Hogmanay in Edinburgh and the world-famous fireworks display in London.
Hogmanay celebrates the last day of the year, but is being commemorated across three days, having started on December 30 and ending on January 1.
There will be a ceilidh under the castle at 8.30pm tonight, and Grammy and Oscar Award winner Mark Ronson will host Hogmanay in Princes Street Gardens.
In London, the fireworks display will light up the London Eye and Big Ben come midnight.
New Year: Sadiq Khan says fireworks are 'London's best yet'
The theme for the 2019–20 display will be 'British New Decade' and will celebrate the last 10 years in the United Kingdom.
It will also look ahead to 2020 with upcoming events such as UEFA Euro 2020.
For those not able to attend the display in London, the BBC will show the fireworks live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised the "best fireworks London has ever seen".
New York is five hours behind the UK, so will enter the new year at 5am GMT.
The last places to celebrate the New Year are Baker Island and Howland Island, who will see the New Year at 12pm GMT on January 1.
However these islands are uninhabited, so this does not impact any residents.
Second to last will be American Samoa at 11am GMT – located just 558 miles from Tonga, where locals and visitors were ringing in the new year a full 25 hours before.
Thousands of revelleres watched the firework displays in Berlin and Paris, where the iconic landmarks of the Brandenburg Gates and the Arc de Triomphe were used as backdrops.
In Moscow the Kremilin was the setting for Russian festivities, as Russians swa in the New Year three hours before the UK.
London and Edinburgh put on specatcular firework displays, with around 2,000 fireworks used in London and 3.3 tonnes of fireworks consumed in Edinburgh.