As the world prepares to usher in 2018, thousands of people are starting the countdown.
In New Zealand, the clock will strike midnight at 11am GMT as half a tonne of fireworks is set off from Auckland’s Sky Tower. Preparations for the display reportedly began six months ago to guarantee the coordination of the 3,000 fireworks.
In Australia, 2018 will arrive at 1pm GMT. As many as one million people are expected to watch the world famous fireworks display around Sydney harbour. Police in the city have tightened security measures ahead of the festivities, including implementing road blocks.
Arctic temperatures in parts of the US have caused some celebrations to falter. In Omaha, Nebraska, temperatures are forecast to dip to minus 22 degrees on New Year’s Eve, causing organisers to postpone their planned fireworks display.
The hundreds of thousands of people heading to New York’s Times Square for the annual celebration may witness the giant ball drop on the second-coldest evening on record for the night, forecasters said. Temperatures are expected to hover around -12 C or colder in midtown Manhattan.
Revellers in Edinburgh will come together for one of the world’s biggest street parties later, despite the stormy weather and travel disruption facing parts of Scotland.
Organisers have said that the Hogmanay celebrations will go ahead in full as gusts of up to 80mph are expected to batter parts of the country in the first half of December 31.
Underbelly, which is producing the event for the first time, is promising the “best party ever”, with live music, DJs, street entertainment and the “ultimate fireworks display” from Edinburgh Castle.
Rag’n’Bone Man will headline Concert in the Gardens, with Declan McKenna and Nina Nesbitt as support acts, while those performing on the three Street Party stages include The Human League, Sacred Paws, Treacherous Orchestra and Huey Morgan.
Fireworks will be launched from Edinburgh Castle at 9pm, 10pm and 11pm in a countdown to midnight, when a soundscaped fireworks display will entertain the audience for the first nine minutes of 2018.
Police said they will be using local and specialist resources including armed officers to protect the public and act as a deterrent.
Chief Superintendent Kenny MacDonald, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, said: “Please do not be alarmed by the presence of these professional and highly-trained officers. They are being deployed purely as a precaution. I would again reiterate that there is no specific intelligence relating to a potential threat for either event.
“In addition to the police officers and stewards present on the evening a range of barriers and bollards will also be utilised, which prevent vehicles accessing the event arena. Again, this is purely a precautionary measure.”
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations run for three days, drawing in an estimated 150,000 people from elsewhere in the UK and around the world.
The Met Office has issued a yellow “be aware” warning for Edinburgh and parts of the Central, Tayside and Fife regions, which is in place from 2am to 3pm on Sunday. However it is not expected to affect the celebrations.
Additional reporting by agencies
