Happy New Year 2018!

Revellers across the world are forgetting the turmoil of the past year to cheerfully welcome the 2018 to the sound of music and fireworks.The new year slowly crept in from the far east, kicking off first in Samoa and the Christmas Island in Australian territory.Bells have since rung across Hong Kong and other parts of China when the clocks struck midnight at 4pm UK time.

A mesmerising display of multi-coloured fireworks broke out over Victoria Harbour to the sound of Auld Lang Syne sung in English and Chinese.

In Beijing, a 7.8 km-long stretch known as ‘Beijing’s backbone’, brightly lit up all the way from Yongding Gate in the south all the way through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.South Korea and Tokyo joined the loud celebrations when the clocks struck midnight at 3pm GMT.In Seoul, a dazzling show of fireworks burst out from the Lotte World Tower, where the official party will continue to rock into the morning.

Joining the celebration, party-goers in North Korean capital Pyongyang were pictured watching as the clocks struck midnight, followed by fireworks over the Juche Tower monument.

GETTY

Fireworks illuminate the city’s skyline during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

New Year's Eve celebrations in Beijing, ChinaREUTERS

New Year’s Eve: Celebrations in Beijing sprung up outside the Forbidden City

New Year's Eve in Japan, TokyoREUTERS

New Year’s Eve: Revellers in Tokyo, Japan, opted out for more traditional celebration

New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, AustraliaGETTY

New Year’s Eve: Australia celebrated with a colourful rainbow form Sydney Harbour Bridge

To the east in Japan, many locals joined the traditional Joya no Kane celebration which saw temples up and down the country ring their bells a total of 108 times.Meanwhile in Tokyo, residents of the metropolis celebrated out in the streets and clubs. Thousands of balloons were released from Tokyo Park and fireworks went off at the Sea Paradise Aquarium in Yokohama.The clocks in Australia and New Zealand chimed midnight at 1pm UK time, with jubilations erupting across Sydney and Auckland.

Around 1.6 million spectators gathered in Sydney Harbour to witness one of the most stunning pyrotechnic shows in the world.

AFP

Fireworks explode over the Selamat Datang Monument in downtown Jakarta as Indonesia welcomes 2018

The main highlight of the night involved a colourful rainbow of fireworks, lasers and light cascading down the side of Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate the legalisation of gay marriage this year.However it took over two hours for the whole of Australia to celebrate the new year, due to being caught in not one, but five different time zones.Meanwhile in New Zealand, fireworks lit up the Auckland and Wellington skyline as thousands lined the streets to usher in 2018.

Thailand overturned a ban on fireworks for a series of stunning New Year displays.

Paris Arc de Triomphe on New Year's EveREUTERS

Paris welcomed the New Year with a light and fireworks display on the city’s Arc de Triomphe

Hong Kong welcomes in 2018 with extravagant fireworks

India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan welcomed the new year a short while later, with millions coming out to see the fireworks in events across the region.Dubai’s New Year celebrations are renowned for their extravagance and this year was no exception.Thousands turned out to see the display, which featured around the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa – and included a light show, a firework display and even lasers!

Moscow and Ankara followed with some spectacular scenes in the Russian capital before a number of Eastern European countries, including Hungary, Greece and Ukraine, welcomed 2018.

Lights and fireworks lit up Paris’s Arc de Triomphe and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate as France and Germany also welcomed in the new year at 11pm UK GMT.

The London Eye erupted in fireworks after Big Ben struck midnight. The sky sparkled with colours of red, blue, pink and green in the city’s largest New Year’s Eve firework display ever.

New York City and the US East Coast celebrated the New Year with its famous ball drop in Times Square at 5am UK GMT.

New Years Eve Mexico City Getty

Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Angel de la Independencia in the New Year’s eve celebration

New Years Eve Chicago Getty

Fireworks light up the sky during the new year celebrations at the Navy Pier, Chicago

New Year's Eve San FranciscoGetty

New Year’s Eve celebrations in San Francisco

Mexico City, Chicago and Guatemala City celebrated the New Year at 6am GMT, with revellers in Chicago having to layer up as it was the coldest New Year’s Eve in Chicago since 1969.

There was an official reading of zero degrees just as it hit midnight in the Windy City and thousands packed the Navy Pier for the big countdown.In Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas the New Year was celebrated at 8am, as security was tightened in Las Vegas following the deadliest shooting in modern US history just three months ago.

A fireworks display took off from the top of seven of the city’s world famous casino hotels, starting at the Stratosphere and continuing to Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Aria and MGM Grand. More than 80,000 pyrotechnic firings that illuminated the sky in gold, red and green.

Hawaii was one among one of the last places to celebrate the New Year at 10am GMT, but it was the residents of Baker Island and Howland Island – the tiny outlying states in the US -which was the last place to celebrate the New Year at 12pm GMT – 12 hours after revellers celebrated the occasion in the UK.