Happy New Year! UK rings in 2026 with Europe's biggest firework display as tens of thousands flock to London for 'best of British' show on Thames | Retrui News | Retrui
Happy New Year! UK rings in 2026 with Europe's biggest firework display as tens of thousands flock to London for 'best of British' show on Thames
SOURCE:Daily Mail
LIVEBLOG: Follow New Year's Eve celebrations across the globe as nations around the world throw parties to toast the final hours of the year before ushering in 2026.
Thousands of revelers packed into Times Square for the festivities as the clock inched closer toward midnight.
New Year's Eve celebrations have been taking place all over the world to mark the remaining hours of 2025.
In London, 100,000 people turned out to witness the spectacle - making the event Europe's biggest fireworks display.
Mayor Sadiq Khan kickstarted the festivities with a political message in praise of multiculturalism as the London eye was illuminated in the flags of other countries, with a booming voiceover describing England as a 'cup of tea'.
Japan and South Korea became the first Asian nations to see in the new year with traditional bell-ringing celebrations taking place across Tokyo and Seoul.
Parties soon followed in Beijing, Singapore, Taiwan and Manila where the clock struck midnight an hour later.
Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand were the first major countries to enter 2026 with celebrations in Sydney particularly poignant as people honoured the victims killed in the Bondi Beach terror attack in December.
Across Britain, revellers were told to wear extra layers when heading out to watch fireworks displays with the Met Office issuing a snow warning for London later this week.
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Follow the latest updates on New Year's Eve celebrations below
02:43
Times Square starts rocking on New Year's Eve
Revelers packed into Times Square to wait for the ball to drop at midnight.
Ciara performed for the crowd as they waited in the freezing cold on New Year's Eve.
New Yorkers were prepared to ring in 2026 as Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani was preparing to be sworn in at midnight.
00:41
WATCH BACK: London's New Year's fireworks display
Have a look back here at some of the dazzling moments from London's New Year's fireworks display.
00:32
IN PICTURES: Scotland welcomes in the new year
Scotland had its own stunning display in Edinburgh, as is tradition, to welcome in 2026.
Revellers packed out the streets of the capital as the city's castle was illuminated amidst the celebrations.
00:26
HIGHLIGHTS: London Eye lit up with an image of England's women's football team
England's women's football team was also celebrated during the capital's display - as the London Eye was lit up with an image of the Lionesses.
As previously mentioned, it was not the only depiction on the iconic landmark, as the flags of other countries also illuminated the wheel, in a celebration of multicultarism.
00:16
Revellers welcome in the new year with 'Auld Lang Syne' - as capital's fireworks display comes to an end
As is tradition, the British public welcomed in the new year with the traditional Scottish song 'Auld Lang Syne' - as the capital's 12-minute fireworks display comes to an end.
One person celebrating described the display as a 'treat for the eyes' while another said they 'cannot explain how amazing the fireworks were'.
Another simply said it was 'significant'.
It comes as 100,000 people managed to get tickets for the event - making it the biggest fireworks display in Europe.
00:12
'London will always shine bright as a city of hope and a place for everyone'
Coldplay's 'Sky Full of Stars' and Sabrina Carpenter's 'Manchild' are among the songs to have featured in this year's display - with the former accompanying a voiceover saying 'London with always shine bright as a city of hope'.
Here are some more pictures taken in the midst of the action.
00:08
IN PICTURES: The London sky lights up
00:07
England to me is a 'cup of tea': Mayor kickstarts fireworks display with political message
The mayor's fireworks display has already kicked off with a seemingly political message - illuminating the London Eye in the flags of the world in a celebration of multiculturalism, describing England as a 'cup of tea'.
00:00
Breaking:HAPPY NEW YEAR: Britain ushers in a new dawn (2026) with spectacular annual fireworks display over the Thames
Happy new year to you and your loved ones from everyone here at the Daily Mail.
London's sky has lit up once again - to usher in the 26th year of the 21st century.
Stay tuned into the new year as we continue to bring you all the latest reaction to the festivities - and beyond.
23:52
Less than TEN minutes to go...
There is just 10 minutes to go until Britain can celebrate 2019.
Have you got your New Year's resolutions ready?
In the meantime, here is a picture of some people being detained by police in Newcastle...
23:40
How are YOU celebrating the new year? Will it be with a packet of Tesco's 12 (seedless!) grapes - on offer for £1.25?
Let us know in the comments how you plan on ringing in the new year.
If you plan on following the century-old Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, perhaps you've gone and purchased them from Tesco - which is selling a dozen grapes a pack (seedless, mind you) for £1.25.
Have a read about it below.
23:33
Keir Starmer: A message of 'hope'
If you missed Keir Starmer's message of 'hope' for the coming year, you can watch it here below, in all its glory.
