Things aren’t looking quite so nice in the UK, where strong winds and heavy rain are forcing the cancellation of some New Year’s Eve events.

Edinburgh canceled its official street parties yesterday due to the prospect of bad weather and the curse spread further south today.

Fireworks displays have been canceled in Blackpool, Newcastle, the Isle of Wight and Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Here’s the whole story.

Sydney is the self-proclaimed “New Year’s Eve Capital of the World,” but Melbourne will also see big crowds in 2025.

Families and groups gathered early on the banks of Melbourne’s Yarra River to get a good view of the city’s skyline and await the 14 tonnes of fireworks fired from 27 buildings along with 60 lasers.

Domenic Adami and a group of friends chose their spot in Alexandra Gardens near the Yarra and prepared a picnic before settling in for the midnight light show.

“I heard they will be bigger than Sydney this year, but normally they are pretty good,” Adami told the Australian Associated Press.

“Even if I sit at home or watch it from somewhere else on TV, it looks amazing.

“Every year has just gotten better and better, and this year seems to be the best.”

The family-friendly fireworks display was launched over Sydney Harbor earlier ahead of the main show at midnight (1:00 p.m. GMT).

Another visitor to Sydney is a British tourist who saw images of fireworks on the harbor as a child and vowed to visit the port city one day.

The 28-year-old found a viewing spot in Balmain with friends and is looking forward to the show.

“It’s kind of a bucket list thing for me,” she told AAP.

“Back home, fireworks are always on everyone’s lips in Sydney, it’s one of the first places to ring in the New Year.”

Auckland recently became the first major city to welcome 2025. Thousands of people counted down to the New Year and cheered on fireworks from New Zealand’s tallest structure, the Sky Tower, and a spectacular light show.

Thousands also flocked to the city center or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks to enjoy fireworks and a light show honoring Auckland’s indigenous tribes. It follows a year marked by protests against Māori rights in the country of 5 million people.

South Pacific countries are the first to ring in the New Year. In New Zealand, midnight strikes two hours before midnight in Sydney, 13 hours before midnight in London and 18 hours before midnight in New York.

The countdown in Australia is already underway – at least in the country’s eastern cities, where it is less than an hour before midnight.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already gathered at the best viewing points around Sydney Harbor to await the famous New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

Many of those who will ring in the New Year in Sydney are tourists like Roman and Monica Gezernek from Germany, who have waited hours for the pyrotechnics in Sydney.

“They are apparently world famous so we have to see them,” Roman Gezernek told the Australian Associated Press.

The couple will fly to New Zealand on New Year’s Day to continue the trip of a lifetime.

“We’re retired, so we just spend our time exploring the world,” he said.

People all over the world ring in the New Year