New Year’s is being celebrated across the world – including in London, where the fireworks went ahead despite bad weather forcing the cancellations of events across the UK.
Millions of Britons feared a New Year’s Eve washout as storms swept southward and the Met Office issued weather warnings for nearly every part of the country – as well as a fresh alert hours before midnight.
Heavy rain, snowstorms, 70 mph gales and even landslides have caused travel disruption, flooding and celebration cancellations, with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay outdoor events scrapped.
However, the capital’s fireworks display dazzled as thousands flocked to Big Ben despite the bitter weather.
A couple of hours beforehand, the Met Office issued an amber alert for heavy rain, which has been put in place across parts of North-West England until 9am on New Year’s Day, with warnings of “danger to life” flooding.
Network Rail Scotland said they were dealing with 15 flooding incidents on the Far North Line and a landslip near Brora on 31 December, while rising river levels have led to closures of the Dalguise viaduct lines and the Highland Main Line remains closed in Kingussie.
“Do not travel” warnings have been issued as rivers are feared to burst their banks in other areas of Scotland.
Three days of weather warnings are in place across the country, with heavy rain set to turn to blusters of snow showers on Wednesday, which is forecast to continue through the night in Scotland.
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- Where snow could hit UK on New Year’s Day as temperatures drop to -2C
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Key Points
- New Year begins in UK
- In pictures: New Year’s celebrated across world
- London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks event to go ahead amid weather concerns
- Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations cancelled due to ‘extreme weather’
- Recap: New Year’s Eve events being cancelled due to storms
- Heavy rain closes rail lines across Scotland
The Met Office’s numbers for New Year’s Eve
Tara Cobham1 January 2025 07:00
Watch: Sydney’s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks show rings in 2025
Sydney’s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks show rings in 2025Tara Cobham1 January 2025 06:00
In photos: New York celebrates 2025
A view of the Ball Dropping during Times Square New Year’s Eve 2025 Celebration on December 31, 2024 in New York City (Getty Images)Revelers celebrate the New Year at Times Square in New York City, just after midnight on January 1, 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)Revelers kiss as they celebrate the New Year at Times Square in New York City, just after midnight on January 1, 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)Gustaf Kilander1 January 2025 05:20
Revelers welcome 2025 in Times Square
Revelers braved the rain in Times Square as New York welcomed 2025.
Frank Sinatra’s New York New York sounded through the square as confetti fell from the skyscrapers.
A reveler looks on as people celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square on December 31, 2024, in New York City (AFP via Getty Images)
New Year’s Eve in Times Square is one of the most significant challenges for the New York Police Department, which, along with state and federal agencies, is monitoring the area with more than 70,000 cameras, roadblocks, heavy trucks, and drones.
“I’m not scared at all — this is the safest I’ve ever felt in a long time,” Tiffany Lopez, 41, told the New York Post.
Revelers wait in the rain at Times Square for the midnight ball drop for the New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2024 in New York City (Getty Images)
“Security was very tight. Made me feel very safe,” she added. “It’s an epic experience — something a New Yorker never does. You’re in the middle of Times Square, and it’s raining, and people are so happy.”
Tommy Onfolo, from Long Island, told the paper that this was his eighth year celebrating in Times Square. He arrived at 6 a.m. to get a good spot.
Revelers wait in the rain at Times Square for the midnight ball drop for the New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2024 in New York City (Getty Images)
“There’s no other place to be than on Times Square on New Year’s — especially when the confetti falls!” he said.
“Not all worried about the rain. I’m a lifeguard and diving board coach in the summer, water doesn’t bother me,” he told the Post.
Gustaf Kilander1 January 2025 05:14
Instead of partying, thousands turn New Year celebration into anti-government protest in Serbia
Instead of the traditional boisterous street partying on New Years Eve, tens of thousands of protesters led by university students gathered overnight in Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand political reforms and justice in the Balkan country.
The protesters have been actively demonstrating following the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy in the northern town of Novi Sad’s central train station on Nov. 1, which resulted in 15 fatalities.
The mishap has been attributed to corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to widespread public outcry and demands for accountability.
Read more here:
Instead of partying, thousands turn New Year celebration into anti-government protest in Serbia
Instead of traditional street partying on New Years Eve, tens of thousands of protesters led by university students have gathered overnight in Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand political reforms and justice in the Balkan country
Tara Cobham1 January 2025 05:00
Revelers bring in the New Year in New York’s Time Square
About a million people packed Times Square Tuesday night to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve as well as performances by Rita Ora and Carrie Underwood, among several others.
The weather was mild before the rain began to fall in New York as crowds poured into the square, with one reveler telling CBS News he had arrived at 6 a.m. to get a good view of the ball drop.
“We just came from Japan all the way here just to see this, just to feel the crowd,” another told the network.
The ball drop, which began 114 years ago, features a 12,000-pound ball made of 2,500 chrystals.
Read more:
Revelers bring in the New Year in New York’s Time Square
‘We just came from Japan all the way here just to see this, just to feel the crowd,’ says one fan
Gustaf Kilander1 January 2025 04:30
Comment: There’s only one type of person who’s allowed to hate New Year’s…
Iget it. It’s been a very long year.
Remember the bonkers Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow? Those poor employees, milling about in a warehouse, half-heartedly dressed up as Oompa Loompas with that distant, sad look in their eyes? That all happened in February – this year. Haunting.
Then again, it was only one month into 2024 that the internet collectively trauma-dumped on Elmo so hard that the president had to post about it. So maybe we should have known things were off to a rocky start…
Read more here:
There’s only one type of person who’s allowed to hate New Year’s
…unless that’s you, put up and shut up, says Maja Anushka — who maintains that 31 December is the best night of the year (for everybody else)
Maja Anushka1 January 2025 04:00
Crowds shelter to watch fireworks in Manchester but weather curtails celebrations elsewhere
Crowds sheltered under umbrellas to watch fireworks and enjoy entertainment in Manchester, but the weather curtailed celebrations elsewhere.
Fireworks displays in Blackpool, Newcastle, Ripon in North Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight were all axed.
Tara Cobham1 January 2025 03:00
London defies weather with spectacular fireworks display to ring in 2025
Thousands of people saw in 2025 on the banks of the River Thames as London defied weather concerns with a spectacular firework display.
The weather forced outdoor celebrations in Edinburgh and other places across the UK to be cancelled, but London’s annual display went ahead in clear skies.
After Big Ben marked the start of the new year, the 11-minute display began with the message “Your New Year Is Unwritten”.
To a diverse soundtrack covering the likes of Vera Lynn, Sir Elton John, Travis, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, One Direction and Charli XCX with voiceovers from people including Dame Imelda Staunton and Sir Ian McKellen, the celebration looked back at 2024 with topics including the weather, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, Euro 2024.
The celebration doubled as a 25th birthday party for the London Eye, which provided the centre point for the fireworks, with the message to “honour our history and never give up hope for our future”.
The mayor’s office said around 100,000 ticketholders had attended the display, which included more than 12,000 fireworks and 420 lights.
Declaring that London will “always be a city of hope and place for everyone”, 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.
The show was organised by the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, who had declared it the “biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe”.
He said: “It’s fantastic to welcome 2025 with our biggest and best-ever New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“From honouring the heroes of the D-Day landings to Paddington Bear celebrating our capital’s diversity, I’m proud that we sent a message of hope and love to the world, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye (PA Wire)Tara Cobham1 January 2025 02:00
Full story: Revellers cheer in New Year around world despite bad weather forcing cancellations in UK
Revellers have cheered in the New Year around the world – including millions across the UK, despite bad weather forcing the cancellation of many celebrations.
From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world began welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges.
Countries in the South Pacific Ocean are the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand striking 18 hours before the ball drop in Times Square in New York.
Read the full story here:
Revellers cheer in New Year around world despite bad weather forcing UK cancellations
From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world began welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges
Tara Cobham1 January 2025 01:00Newer1 / 4Older