The UK celebrated the start of 2025 with a spectacular fireworks display on the banks of the River Thames – as London defied weather concerns which led to the cancellation of other events around the country.

Thousands listened to Big Ben ring in the new year after celebrations had already taken place across the world – with fireworks lighting up the night skies in major cities including Sydney in Australia, Mumbai in India and Damascus in Syria.

The 11-minute display in the UK capital took place over the London Eye and began with the message “Your New Year Is Unwritten”.

To a diverse soundtrack which featured music from the likes of Sir Elton John, One Direction and Charli XCX, the display looked back at 2024 with topics including the weather, the Paris Olympics, the Paralympics and Euro 2024.

Follow latest: Live updates as world ushers in 2025

There were also voiceovers from British actress Dame Imelda Staunton and actor Sir Ian McKellen.

The London mayor’s office said around 100,000 ticketholders had attended the display, which included more than 12,000 fireworks and 420 lights.

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.

UK celebrations fall victim to bad weather

Meanwhile, crowds sheltered under umbrellas to watch fireworks and enjoy entertainment in Manchester, but the weather curtailed celebrations elsewhere with fireworks displays cancelled in Blackpool, Newcastle, Ripon in North Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight.

It came after Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations, which were due to include a street party and fireworks, were called off due to safety concerns.

The Met Office has numerous weather warnings in place across the country on New Year’s Day – including an amber warning for rain covering much of the North West.

The world parties into 2025

The first country to welcome in the new year was the Pacific nation of Kiribati at 10am UK time.

It was followed by New Zealand an hour later – with fireworks launched from the Sky Tower in Auckland as part of a spectacular light show.

At 1pm UK time it was Australia’s turn to usher in 2025.

A stunning fireworks display lit up the sky above Sydney Harbour Bridge as more than one million people watched below.

British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong moments earlier outside Sydney Opera House, with indigenous ceremonies and performances also taking place in the build up to the celebrations.

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A couple of hours later the clocked ticked into 2025 in South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony took place in the historic Bosingak Pavilion.

On the other side of the demilitarised zone, North Korea said goodbye to 2024 with a fireworks display in Kim II Sung Square in the capital Pyongyang.

At the same time crowds had gathered at a temple in central Tokyo to watch a traditional bell-ringing ceremony, known as Joya no Kane.

An hour later fireworks kicked off 2025 with a bang in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

It came as crowds in the Chinese capital Beijing gathered in Shougang Park to celebrate the start of 2025.

In the Thailand capital Bangkok, fireworks blasted off in style over Chao Phraya River, while in Malaysia people gathered near the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, to celebrate the New Year.

A fireworks display in Indonesia’s Jakarta featured 800 drones.

A couple of hours later it was India’s turn to say goodbye to 2024, with thousands of people in Mumbai flocking to the city’s bustling promenade facing the Arabian Sea.

In the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai, thousands attended a dazzling light and fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

It came before hundreds gathered in the Syrian capital Damascus to sing, dance and watch a fireworks display – with many looking forward to a new beginning weeks after rebels ousted President Bashar al Assad.

Hours later countries in Europe began to celebrate the start of 2025.

Paris appeared to have spared no expense with its display at the Champs-Elysees.

The French capital was capping a momentous 2024 following the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Meanwhile, Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities had an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.

At 3am UK time, A huge fireworks display thrilled crowds gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil welcomed the new year.

More than two million people were expected to descend on the beach for the celebration.

Two hours later thousands of people celebrated the start of 2025 in Times Square in New York.

Crowds cheered and couples kissed when a crystal-covered ball weighing almost six tons descended down a pole in the square to signal the beginning of the new year.

The Times Square celebrations also included musical performances by TLC and Jonas Brothers.

Elsewhere, Chinese state media covered an exchange of new year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin in a reminder of the growing closeness between two leaders who face tensions with the West.

Meanwhile, a blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early on Tuesday as the US territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

More than 1.2 million out of 1.47 million customers were without power, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution on the island.

It was not immediately clear what caused the widespread outage or when power would be restored.

A new amber warning for heavy rain has been issued for parts of England this evening, as wet and windy weather elsewhere in the country forced the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Outdoor events planned for 31 December as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will not take place, and events on the 30th were also cancelled.

A spokesperson said events in the city centre of the Scottish capital, including fireworks from the castle, are unable to go ahead “on the grounds of public safety” due to “high winds and inclement weather”.

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Meanwhile, organisers of a planned fireworks display in Blackpool said it has also been cancelled due to the weather.

Visit Blackpool said only the pyrotechnics have been affected, with the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party to continue as planned, including free ice skating and a projection light show.

More bad news came on Tuesday evening when the Met Office issued an amber warning for rain over an area from Preston to Bradford. It is in place as of 8.38pm on Tuesday evening until 9am on Wednesday morning.

“Persistent and, at times heavy, rain will continue overnight before clearing southwards on Wednesday morning,” the forecaster said.

“40-50mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100mm across west-facing hills. There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100mm.”

Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of multiple Met Office weather warnings over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Another fireworks event in Ripon, North Yorkshire, also succumbed to the weather, with the council posting on Facebook that the event planned to take place in the city’s Market Square could not go ahead due to high winds.

While a homemade boat race in Poole in Dorset, a sea dip in Lyme Regis in the same south coast county, as well as fireworks displays on the Isle of Wight and on Newcastle’s Quayside, were all cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Although London’s City Hall had said it was “monitoring the weather”, mayor Sadiq Khan this evening reassured visitors the fireworks would go ahead.

London mayor Sir Sadiq told the PA news agency: “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.

“Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”

Rain, wind and snow warnings

Three separate weather warnings currently cover Scotland alone for Tuesday evening, including a yellow warning for “persistent snow” over Shetland and Orkney, a yellow warning for rain and snow in the north, which could bring possible blizzard conditions, especially over high ground in Sutherland and Caithness.

A yellow warning for wind spans from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and the Met Office has warned of possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

Train operator ScotRail warned its services were being disrupted by speed restrictions due to “very heavy rainfall”.

At least 11 lines have been affected, according to the ScotRail website, and 18 trains were cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Network Rail said it closed the Highland Main Line at Kingussie because of “more extreme rainfall overnight”.

Forecasters say the high winds and rain may also cause flooding, particularly in the Midlands and Pennines, with the Environment Agency urging people to stay away from swollen rivers and avoid driving through floodwater.

In the Highlands, flooding has forced the closure of the A9 at Tomich.

‘Tricky couple of days’

As the clock strikes midnight in the UK, separate warnings for wind and rain are in place for Wednesday.

Strong winds are forecast across much of England and Wales until 3pm on 1 January, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.

The period from Thursday to Saturday is expected to be a “widely cold but sunny few days, with wintry showers mainly confined to coastal areas.

“Northern areas may see patchy rain, sleet and snow move in on Saturday.”.

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Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.

“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”

Veteran radio DJ Johnnie Walker, who hosted BBC Radio 2’s Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show, has died aged 79.

Known for championing artists like Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, Walker in October announced he would retire from radio after 58 years.

He had previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung condition.

Weeks later, he presented his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show as he hung up his headphones due to ill health.

Tiggy Walker, Walker’s wife, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of Johnnie – how he kept broadcasting almost to the end and with what dignity and grace he coped with his debilitating lung disease.

“He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong, amazing man.”

She added: “And if I may say – what a day to go. He’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a stash of great musicians in heaven.”

Walker’s death was announced on air by his friend and colleague, BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, who took over as presenter of Sounds Of The 70s in November.

Harris said: “I first started listening to him on pirate radio and we know what an incredible, wonderful, superb broadcaster he was.

“We also know how passionate he was about his music, went out on a limb many times to defend the music that he loved.”

The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said the organisation was “deeply saddened” by the passing of a “pop radio pioneer and a champion of great music”.

“No one loved the audience as much as Johnnie, and we loved him back.”

From fixing cars to hosting Drivetime

Born in Birmingham, he left school aged 15 to train to as a mechanic, later becoming a car salesman.

But his passion for music was already bubbling away, and he picked up a Friday night slot as a disco DJ under the name Peter Dee.

He began his radio career in 1966 on an offshore pirate station, Swinging Radio England.

But it was with Radio Caroline that he became a household name, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1969.

After a stint in San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly show for Radio Luxembourg, he returned to the UK in the 1980s, working on various BBC stations until landing his own weekly show on Radio 2, and then taking over Drivetime.

He gained a reputation as a DJ who placed more importance on the tracks he played than the chat between them.

Helen Thomas, head of BBC Radio 2, said Walker “loved radio and inspired a generation of presenters, passionately promoting the artists and music he cared about so deeply”.

She called him a “much-loved broadcasting legend” with a “wry sense of humour” and “warm, open style”.

Shaun Keaveny, who took over presenting Radio 2’s The Rock Show from Walker, described him as “a rebel, a soul searcher, and a seeker, a rocker, and a phenomenal broadcaster”.

Walker ‘died’ three times

In October 2003, Walker underwent chemotherapy and an emergency operation for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He revealed his diagnosis live on air, and later revealed he “died” three times during surgery to repair his burst intestine.

IPF is a condition that scars lungs and makes it increasingly harder to breathe.

The NHS website says it is not clear what causes the condition, and although treatments can slow its impact, there is “currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs”.