New Year celebrations marked across the world

Revellers across the world are celebrating the New Year, with people coverging on Sydney’s iconic Opera House, the skyscrapers of Dubai and New York’s Times Square.

More than 1.5 million people crowded along the shores of the the Australian city’s harbour to watch the vivid eruption of light over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

The pyrotechnics display cost more than $6m and consisted of around 11,000 shells, 100,000 individual effects and 25,000 shooting comets, organisers said.

At the stroke of midnight, the crowd cheered as a 12-minute firework display was launched.

More than 1.5 million people converged on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge to watch the fireworks [Reuters]

Meanwhile, Hong Kong saw in 2015 in spectacular fashion, with a pyrotechnics show over Victoria Harbour.

The waterfront was crowded with spectators who craned their necks to watch the eight-minute display over the iconic Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Thousands gathered at Victoria Harbour to bring in the new year [AFP]

The Gulf Arab emirate of Dubai was aiming to break the world record for the largest LED-illuminated facade.

About 70,000 LED panels were wrapped around the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which draws throngs of thousands of spectators every New Year’s Eve for an impressive fireworks display.

A team from the Guinness World Records monitored the preparations following the world’s largest firework display the city put on last year.

The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was at the centre of celebrations in Dubai [AFP]

In London, hundreds of thousands of people lined the River Thames for a fireworks display timed to the midnight chimes of Big Ben, the UK parliament’s famous bell.

A reported 12,000 fireworks were used in the 11-minute display.

Revelers flocked to London’s River Thames to take part in celebrations [Reuters]