New Year’s Eve is celebrated the world over, with fireworks, drinking and singing of traditional songs. London celebrates with a massive fireworks show, from the base of the London Eye. New York sees residents and tourists gather in Times Square to witness the notorious ball drop, which has signified the beginning of the new year for more than 100 years.
With time differences, Samoa is the first country to ring in the new year, being 14 hours ahead of the UK.
Sydney, Australia, celebrate with huge fireworks across the harbour, and queues have already begun, with 7 News Sydney advising those travelling to allow plenty of time to find a spot.
Sydney is 11 hours ahead of the UK, so will be celebrating the New Year at 1:00 am GMT.
In New York, up to a million people are expected to crowd Times Square to witness the ball drop.
The ball is located on top of the One Times Square roof and has been an annual event since December 31, 1907.
All times below are in GMT.
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8.45am update: What is the meaning behind “Auld Lang Syne”?
Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, signifying the beginning of the New Year.
The origins of the song come from a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788.
The title of the Scots poem translates to “old long since”, “long, long ago”, “days gone by” or “old times”.
In the first line of the chorus, “For auld lang syne” can be loosely translated to mean “for the sake of old times”.
8.00am update: How to say ‘Happy New Year’ in 10 different languages
- French – Bonne Année
- Spanish – ¡ Feliz Año Nuevo!
- Welsh – Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
- Italian – Buon anno
- German – Frohes Neues Jahr
- Dutch – Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
- Icelandic – Gleðilegt nýtt ár
- Norwegian – Godt nytt år
- Turkish – Mutlu yıllar
- Finnish – Hyvää uutta vuotta
7.40am update: New South Wales Police detail their security measures for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations
New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Mark Walton told reporters: “We will have literally thousands of police that are deployed right across all of the event areas here, particularly across the Sydney Harbour foreshore.
“These events are literally months in the planning, not just by police but by all the partner agencies that are involved in actually hosting the event.
“There’s a level of complexity with these plans, they get more detailed, more complex every year.”