Thousands of people packed in to New York City’s Times Square as millions more watched live on television while the famed ball drop marked the start of 2020.
A deafening cheer rose from the crowd as the dazzling 12-foot diameter ball covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles finished its descent at the stroke of midnight, marking the start of the new year on the East Coast.
Later celebrations in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Honolulu and elsewhere marked the march of midnight across the U.S. time zones.
In Times Square, the throng of revelers in the heart of Manhattan came to see an extravaganza including performances by rap-pop star Post Malone, K-pop group BTS, country singer Sam Hunt and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette.
A deafening cheer rose from the crowd as the dazzling 12-foot diameter ball covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles finished its descent at the stroke of midnight, marking the start of the new year on the East Coast
In Times Square, the throng of revelers in the heart of Manhattan came to see an extravaganza
Confetti drops over the crowd as the clock strikes midnight during the New Year’s celebration in Times Square
Confetti falls during a New Year’s celebration in New York’s Times Square on the first minute of Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Fireworks go off in Times Square as the clock strikes midnight, ringing in the new year and new decade
Confetti fills the air over top of revelers during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square on January 1, 2020
Sandra Desjardins kisses Jean-Charles Goulet both of Montreal, Canada, during a New Year’s celebration in Times Square
For some, being part of a spectacle viewed by millions was worth a trip around the world and a long day spent waiting in a locked-down security zone with not much to do for hours.
‘We often watched this in the TV and see this and we totally want to be a part of it,’ said Mathieu Plesotsky, 25, visiting from Hesse, Germany.
Plesotsky arrived in Times Square at 1pm with his girlfriend and bopped along to the performers while waiting for the ball to drop. ‘We’ve just stayed, stand, tried not to pee, danced to the Village People,’ he said.
Eric and Aileen Sanchez-Himes brought their son and nephew from Framingham, Massachusetts, to experience what they consider a ‘bucket list item.’ Eric packed granola bars and water in his coat in case they got hungry. They arrived at 10.30am.
‘I grew up in New York, in Brooklyn and the Bronx and I’ve never done this and this was the first time for us and what better year than 2020 to do this,’ Aileen said.
Ever since the NYPD tightened security and began cracking down on public drinking years ago, Times Square on New Year´s Eve has been an endurance contest as much as a raucous celebration.
Many people arrive before noon to get a spot close to the action. Alcohol is banned. Spectators enter through a security screening gauntlet to enter pens they cannot leave, including to use the bathroom, if they hope to return.
People gather during New Year’s Eve celebrations at Time Square in New York on December 31, 2019
Revelers celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York City
Thousands packed into Times Square to watch the ball drop at the stroke of midnight marking the new year
Revelers wait for the ball drop during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31
People from all around the world packed into Times Square to be part of a spectacle viewed by millions on TV
People began celebrating New Year’s Eve at Times Square in 1904, in 1907 the New Year’s Eve Ball made its first descent from the flagpole at One Times Square.
The weather can be brutal.
When revelers rang in 2018, it was only 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 Celsius). For the dawn of 2019, rain poured throughout the evening, leaving puddles on the performance stages.
The weather seemed perfect Tuesday, until it wasn’t. Rain, which wasn’t in the forecast, briefly drenched the crowd just before 8:30 p.m.
Still, the celebration was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.
‘It was a dream, I wanted to do it so this year a lot of people helped me to get here so I´m here, and I´m thankful for that,’ said Mariemma Mejias, 48, who flew to New York for the festivities from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Amanda Camacho, 25, from Heredia, Costa Rica, said she and her mother spent their evening in the security pens ‘talking to people and meeting people and sharing,’ Camacho said. ‘We met people from Korea, we met people from Guatemala that were actually here just for New Year´s Eve, so it has been pretty cool.’
While giddiness was expected to prevail at the televised event, some important global issues will be driven home, as well.
The Associated Press presented a news reel highlighting the most memorable events of 2019.
Andy Cohen (left) and Anderson Cooper did multiple shots of tequila in Times Square on live TV throughout the night
South Korean boy band BTS performs during the Times Square New Year’s celebration in New York City
USO Troupe performs during the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2020 Celebration on December 31 in New York City
Alanis Morissette thrilled the crowds at the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2020 Celebration in Manhattan
High school science teachers and students, spotlighting efforts to combat climate change, were to help press the button that begins the famous 60-second ball drop and countdown to 2020, followed by 3,000 pounds of confetti.
Thousands of police officers were on hand for the festivities, plus more than 1,000 security cameras, helicopters and drones equipped with thermal-imaging and 3D-mapping capabilities and super-zoom lenses.
Christina Genovese and Jessica Vanich, friends from Buffalo, New York, said the security line was about 30 minutes long when they arrived at 10:30 a.m.
‘It´s not as cold as Buffalo so we´re OK,’ Genovese said.
Billions celebrate New Year’s across the globe
Sydney and Auckland became the first major world cities to let rip with huge firework displays, after a handful of remote Pacific island near the international date line had already flipped the calendar to 2020.
Organizers in Sydney decided to go ahead with their show despite calls for it to be cancelled amid wildfires that have brought swathes of devastation across the country, killing at least 12 and destroying dozens of homes.
There were also fraught scenes in Hong Kong as the state marked the start of the New Year amid pro-democracy protests, as Beijing and Singapore celebrated at the same time.
It came ahead of huge celebrations in Brazil and America. Hawaii will be one of the last to mark the end of 2019.
In London , the familiar ring of Big Ben ushered in 2020 amid what Mayor Sadiq Khan promised would be the ‘best fireworks the city has ever seen’ to ring in the new decade
Fireworks explode over The Coca-Cola London Eye, Westminster Abbey and Elizabeth Tower near Parliament as thousands of revelers gather along the banks of the River Thames to ring in the New Year on January 1, 2019 in London, England
Fireworks explode over The Coca-Cola London Eye, Westminster Abbey and Elizabeth Tower near Parliament as thousands of revelers gather along the banks of the River Thames to ring in the New Year on January 1, 2019 in London, England
Revellers look on by the London Eye during New Year’s celebrations in central London just after midnight on January 1, 2020
The London pyrotechnics show featured more than 12,000 fireworks, with the display set to a soundtrack ‘inspired by London and Europe’
Fireworks light up in the fog in front of Atomium Monument to celebrate the arrival of the new year 2020, in Brussels, Belgium, 01 January 2020
The New Year is being celebrated on and around the Erasmus Bridge with the National Fireworks, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 01 January 2020
A new firework display on and above the Binnenhof and Hofvijver near the Dutch parliament in The Hague marks the start of the new year 2020 during the National Countdown Moment
Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year’s celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France January 1, 2020
People take pictures of the fireworks erupting in the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year’s celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue, in Paris, on on January 1, 2020
Fireworks explode over the Brandenburg Gate on New Year’s Eve at midnight in Berlin, Germany, 01 January 2020
moke rise as people set off fireworks near the Reichstag during New Year celebrations in Berlin, Germany January 1, 2020
Fireworks explode over the Brandenburg Gate on New Year’s Eve at midnight in Berlin, Germany, 01 January 2020. The city welcomed the year 2020 with its annual fireworks display and street party near the German capital’s most prominent symbol
The sky is lit in a display of fireworks during New Year celebrations at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany January 1, 2020
Fireworks explode around the Berlin television tower during New Year celebrations in Berlin, Germany, January 1, 2020
Fireworks light the sky during New Year celebrations in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, January 1, 2020
People stand on a bridge and watch fireworks during New Year celebrations near the buildings of the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, late Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Fireworks explode over Daugava river during New Year celebration in Riga, Latvia January 1, 2020
Fireworks light the sky above illuminated Christmas tree at the Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight during the New Year’s celebrations, Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Thousands of anti-government protesters and citizens watch a firework display during the New Year’s celebrations in Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Lebanese anti-government protesters and citizens watch fireworks illuminate the night sky during New Year’s celebrations at Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 01 January 2020
Thousands of anti-government protesters and citizens gather during the New Year’s celebrations in Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, January 1, 2020. Protesters have been holding demonstrations since October 17 demanding an end to widespread corruption and mismanagement by the political class that has ruled the country for three decades
Fireworks explode over Alexander Nevski cathedral during the New Year celebrations in Sofia, Bulgaria, January 1, 2020
Fireworks illuminate the Athenian sky as the temple of Parthenon sits atop the Acropolis hill during the New Year celebrations in Athens Greece, 01 January, 2020
Fireworks explode over the ancient temple of the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis hill as part of Greece’s celebrations for the New Year in Athens on January 1, 2020
A shower of fireworks explodes, illuminating the Athenian sky next to the temple of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis hill during New Year celebrations in Athens, Greece tonight
Fireworks explode over the Kremlin in Moscow during New Year celebrations, on January 1, 2020
Fireworks light up the night sky over the Red Square within the new year celebrations in Moscow, Russia on January 01, 2020
Fireworks explode over the Kremlin tonight during New Year’s celebrations in Red Square in Moscow, Russia
The view from the Moskva River of the New Year’s Eve celebrations over Red Square in Moscow this evening
People gather at Erbil Citadel for the new year celebrations in Erbil, Iraq on January 01, 2020
Children spin burning steelwools to sprinkle fire sparks as they celebrate the new year on a street of Kibera slum in Nairobi, on January 1, 2020
Girls look at burning tires to celebrate the new year at the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 31, 2019
Men start buring tires on a broken bridge to celebrate the new year at the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 31, 2019
A girl spins a burning steelwool near a bonfire to sprinkle fire sparks as they celebrate the new year on a street of Kibera slum in Nairobi, on January 1, 2020
Children spin burning steelwools to sprinkle fire sparks as they celebrate the new year on a street of Kibera slum in Nairobi, on January 1, 2020
Fireworks illuminate the night sky behind July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge within the new year celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey on January 01, 2020
People celebrate the turn of the year in front of the Ortakoy mosque and 15 July Martyrs Bridge near the Bosphorus during new year’s celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, 01 January, 2020
This evening’s celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, as fireworks explode over the July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge
Fireworks explode in the sky over the Ortakoy Mosque by the July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge during the New Year’s celebrations, in Istanbul on January 1, 2020
Fireworks light up the sky as part of new year celebrations in Baku, Azerbaijan on January 1, 2020
Fireworks illuminate the sky around Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year’s 2020 celebrations in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 01 January 2020
Fireworks go off at the Burj Khalifa on New Year’s Eve 2019 on January 1, 2019 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Fireworks illuminate the sky around Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year’s 2020 celebrations in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 01 January, 2020
The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, is prepared for the fireworks of New Year 2020 celebrations in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 31 December 2019
People gather near to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, prior to the fireworks of New Year’s eve 2020 in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 31 December 2019
People gather near to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, prior to the fireworks of New Year’s eve 2020 in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 31 December 2019
People watch fireworks as part of the New Year celebrations in Rawalpindi on January 1, 2020
People watch fireworks as part of the New Year celebrations in Rawalpindi on January 1, 2020
People watch fireworks as part of the New Year celebrations in Rawalpindi, Pakistan
People watch fireworks as part of the New Year celebrations in Rawalpindi on January 1, 2020
Fireworks are seen over the Gateway of India monument on New Year’s Day in Mumbai, India, January 1, 2020
New Year’s Eve fireworks erupt over Mumbai’s iconic Gateway of India on January 1, 2020
People release balloons as they celebrate the New Year’s countdown event in a road in Ahmedabad, India, January 1, 2020
People gather around a vendor blowing bubbles during celebrations to welcome the New Year in a road in Ahmedabad, India, December 31, 2019
People wearing masks blow horns during celebrations to welcome the New Year in a road in Ahmedabad, India, December 31, 2019
Revelers get together to celebrate on New Year’s eve in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019
Revelers get together to celebrate on New Year’s eve in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019
Sri Lankans watch fireworks during new year’s celebrations in Colombo, on January 1, 2020
Sri Lankans watch fireworks during new year’s celebrations in Colombo, on January 1, 2020
Nepalese people make a human flag of Nepal and light candles to welcome 2020 in Swayambhunath New Year Celebrations, Kathmandu, Nepal on 31 December, 2020
Fireworks explode after midnight over Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park as part of New Year celebrations in Bali, Indonesia
Fireworks explode after midnight over Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park part of New Year celebrations in Bali, Indonesia
A woman takes selfie pictures next to 2020 decoration during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 31
A couple takes pictures as National Monument (Monas) is illuminated by video mapping during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Jakarta
Revellers take a selfie while arriving for a New Year countdown party outside a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok on December 31
Revellers take a selfie while arriving for a New Year countdown party outside a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok on December 31
Revellers drink beer before a New Year countdown party outside a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok on December 31
Fireworks explode for the ‘Amazing Thailand Countdown 2020’ at Icon Siam during the New Year’s celebrations on January 1, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand
Fireworks explode over Chao Phraya River during the New Year’s celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand
Fireworks explode over Chao Phraya River in Bangkok in a dazzling display to ring in 2020
Fireworks explode for the ‘Amazing Thailand Countdown 2020’ at Icon Siam during the New Year’s celebrations on January 1, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand
New Year fireworks explode near the Petronas Twin Towers New Year Celebrations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 01 Jan, 2020
The light drawing of 2020 during the New Year celebrations near the Petronas Twin Towers New Year Celebrations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 January, 2020
The twin Petronas skyscrapers are temporarily overshadowed by the dazzling display of New Year’s Eve pyrotechnics
New Year fireworks light up the night sky around the Petronas Twin Towers during celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists stage a demonstration as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, after a year of political upheaval in the Chinese administered region
Pro-democracy protesters in a rally and revellers use their phones at the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui district as fireworks explode over Hong Kong
A dazzling fireworks display in Hong Kong as the clock ticks over to midnight on New Year’s Eve on Tuesday night
Pro-democracy protesters take part in a march along the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong to mark New Year
Pro-democracy protesters and people gather at the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui district, Hong Kong, as they they take part in a rally and to celebrate New Year
Singapore also marked the start of 2020 with a fireworks and laser display on Marina Bay
Drones are seen in the sky forming the shape of a planet as Singapore awaits 2020 with curtain-raiser fireworks by Star Island as revellers join in the biggest countdown celebration at Marina Bay on December 31, 2019
A drone forms a light display which depicts a running man during today’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in Singapore
A light show erupts as Singaporeans celebrate the New Year tonight
Singapore awaits 2020 with curtain-raiser fireworks by Star Island as revellers join in the biggest celebration at Marina Bay
South Koreans perform on stage to celebrate New Years at the Bosingak pavilion in Seoul
Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off 2019
People attend a ceremony to celebrate the new year in Seoul, South Korea
People gather to celebrate New Years at the Bosingak pavilion on January 1, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea
South Korean celebrate on New Years Eve at the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul, South Korea
Residents and tourists watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks show at Yulpo Beach in Yulpo, South Korea
South Korean Buddhist devotees light candles as they pray at the Jogyesa temple on New Year’s Eve in Seoul
Japanese priestesses offer up New Year prayers at Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo
People visit Kanda Myojin Shrine to offer New Year prayers for the health and wealth of their families in Tokyo
A man wearing a costume with LED lights poses for a photograph during the You Make Shibuya Countdown 2019-2020 event at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo today
Revellers release balloons as they take part in New Year countdown event in Tokyo, Japan
People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year’s of the Reiwa era, after a new Emperor took the throne
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year’s speech as Beijing marks the start of 2020
Entertainers pose for photo at the countdown event to celebrate the arrival of 2020 during the New Year’s Eve celebration at Shougang Industrial Park in Beijing, China on January 1
A young child celebrates the arrival of the year 2020 at a New Year’s Eve countdown event at Shougang Park on December 31, 2019 in Beijing, China
People celebrate the arrival of the year 2020 at a New Year’s Eve countdown event near the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic headquarters in Beijing January 1, 2020
Fireworks exploded over Pyongyang in North Korea as the country became the latest to join in with New Year celebrations, with millions celebrating the end of the decade across the world
Kim Jong-un will give a televised address to the North Korean people following the display, where he will lay out his priorities for the year ahead amid fears the country could restart nuclear testing
Residents of Pyongyang, where only those most loyal to Kim Jong-un’s regime live, celebrate the New Year with fireworks
Sydney went ahead with its New Year firework display despite calls for it to be cancelled amid wildfires raging across the country, with furious Australians describing it as ‘slap in the face’
Thousands of tourists and locals packed in to the city harbour and on to viewing platforms as the pyrotechnic display – which took 15 months to plan – took place
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour as part of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney
Fireworks explode after midnight over Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park as part of New Year’s celebrations in Bali, Indonesia, while tens of thousands of revelers in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta were soaked by torrential rains as they waited for New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Festive events along Indonesia’s coastal areas near the Sunda Strait were dampened by a possible larger eruption of Anak Krakatau, an island volcano that erupted last year just ahead of Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.
People flocked to temples and shrines in Japan, offering incense with their prayers to celebrate the passing of a year and the the first New Year’s of the Reiwa era.
Under Japan’s old-style calendar, linked to emperors’ rules, Reiwa started in May, after Emperor Akihito stepped down and his son Naruhito became emperor.
Although Reiwa is entering its second year with 2020, Jan. 1 still marks Reiwa’s first New Year’s, the most important holiday in Japan.
‘We have a new era and so I am hoping things will be better, although 2019 was also a good year because nothing bad happened,’ said Masashi Ogami, 38, who ran a sweet rice wine stall at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, drawing a crowd of revellers.
Thousands of South Koreans filled cold downtown streets in Seoul ahead of a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall to send off an exhausting 2019 highlighted by political scandals, decaying job markets and crumbling diplomacy with North Korea.
Dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included South Korean Major League Baseball pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Pengsoo, a giant penguin character with a gruff voice and blunt personality that emerged as one of the country’s biggest TV stars in 2019.
The annual tolling of the ‘peace bell’ at Imjingak park near the border with North Korea was canceled due to quarantine measures following an outbreak of African swine fever.
More than a million people descended on a hazy Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas ahead of the ringing in of the new year despite the ongoing wildfire crisis ravaging New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.
The planned 9 p.m. fireworks over Sydney’s iconic landmarks was delayed by 15 minutes due to strong winds, but revelers clearly enjoyed themselves in a desperately needed tonic for the state.
New South Wales has copped the brunt of the wildfire damage, which has razed more than 1,000 homes nationwide and killed 12 people in the past few months.
Some communities have canceled New Year’s fireworks celebrations, but Sydney Harbour’s popular display was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban that is in place there and elsewhere to prevent new wildfires.
New Zealand’s major cities greeted the new year with traditional fireworks. In Auckland, half a ton of fireworks burst from the Sky Tower above the city center.
Riot police officers detain an anti-government protester during a demonstration on New Year’s Eve outside Mong Kok police station in Hong Kong
A man is detained by riot police outside of a police station ahead of countdown on New Year’s eve in Hong Kong
2019 marked a huge period of unrest in Hong Kong spurred by pro-democracy activists, and New Year’s Eve was no exception
Fireworks explode to welcome in the New Year over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during the midnight display
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
Fireworks light up the sky during the New year Celebrations in the New Zealand capital of Wellington
Fireworks light up the sky during the new year celebrations in Wellington, New Zealand
Fireworks erupt over the Melbourne central business district during New Year’s Eve celebrations
Crowds watch a fireworks display during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Brisbane
New Year’s Eve fireworks explode from the top of the SkyTower in Auckland as New Zealand became the first major country to mark the start of 2020
Waitemata Harbour in Auckland was illuminated by fireworks as the city marked New Year’s Eve in style
Crowds watch the fireworks from the SkyTower during Auckland New Year’s Eve celebrations
Women in Auckland join in with the New Year’s Eve celebrations as cities across the world prepare to ring in the change
New Zealanders saw off the old year without regret.
On March 15, a lone gunman identified killed 51 people and wounded dozens at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. In December, an eruption of volcanic White Island off the east coast of the North Island killed at least 19 tourists and tour guides.
As the clock ticks past midnight, major cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas will embrace the celebrations, but in many places the festivities will be marked by turmoil and political upheaval.
After more than six months of near-daily demonstrations, Hong Kong will usher in 2019 with a series of pro-democracy rallies planned for New Year’s Eve.
Protesters are set to form human chains across the city, stage demonstrations at major shopping malls and hold ‘suck the eve’ gatherings at major countdown attractions including the city’s famed Victoria Harbour.
In Paris, 250,000 to 300,000 people usually gather on the Champs-Elysees to welcome the New Year, but turnout could suffer amid a gruelling transport strike that has caused weeks of misery for commuters.
Midnight in London will be marked by the chimes of Big Ben, which has been silent during a long restoration, as traditional fireworks are set off over the Thames for the last new year before Brexit.
It follows a year of political wrangling that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May and culminated in Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledging to leave the European Union on January 31.
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver his annual New Year address, 20 years after he was elevated to the presidency by Boris Yeltsin’s shock resignation in his 1999 end-of-year speech.
Russia will celebrate the new decade over several time zones, with Muscovites flocking to the centre of the capital for fireworks over the Kremlin.
As partygoers embrace the festivities, attention will turn to 2020 and whether it will be as tumultuous as the previous year, which saw an explosion of demonstrations as people demanded an overhaul of entrenched political systems and action on climate change.
There was talk of cancelling firework displays across Australia amid terrifying bush fires, with events in the capital Canberra cancelled, but organisers in Sydney and Brisbane ruled their shows could go ahead
Mallacoota mother Allison Marion took a photo of her son (pictured) wearing a facemask in a boat on the Mallacoota lake trying to stay safe from fire
Up to 13 people have been killed with another four missing and dozens of homes destroyed amid wildfires that have torched an area larger than the Netherlands across five Australian states
The protests in Hong Kong, sparked by a now-abandoned bill to allow extraditions to the authoritarian mainland, have since morphed into a popular revolt against Beijing’s control.
The city’s biggest crisis since the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 appears set to spill over in 2020, with protesters already preparing the year’s protest schedule and the government showing no sign of backing down.
Anti-government protests also swept Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East in 2019, including mass demonstrations that brought down leaders in Lebanon, Algeria, Sudan and Bolivia.
Climate change sparked rallies worldwide calling for action, initiated by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, as temperatures soared above records, Iceland lost its first glacier to climate change, and Venice was swamped by flooding not seen in decades.
US President Donald Trump again dominated headlines in 2019, culminating in his historic impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on two counts of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress.
The Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict Trump in a trial expected to begin in January but the controversy over claims he pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, a rival in his 2020 re-election bid, will linger until the November poll.
Students cheer as they release balloons during celebrations to welcome the New Year at a school in Ahmedabad, India
A vendor decorates his gift shop ahead of New Year’s eve in Kuwait City
Shinto priests leave the inner shrine after concluding a ritual to mark the end of the year and prepare for the new one at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan
Members of the indigenous Gurung community wearing traditional attire perform as they take part in a New Year celebration ceremony known as ‘Tamu Lhosar’ in Kathmandu
Members of the indigenous Gurung community wearing traditional attire perform as they take part in a New Year celebration
People queue to buy traditional Dutch oliebol – fried dough sprinkled with sugar which is eaten on New Year’s Eve – in The Hague, Netherlands
Filipinos choose from an assortment of round-shaped fruit sold at a market in Quezon City, Philippines, which they believe will bring them good luck in the year ahead
Many Filipinos believe that round-shaped fruit bring good luck for the coming New Year and flock to markets to buy various kinds to have in their homes on New Year’s Eve