New year celebrations around the world – as it happened

Sadiq Khan has called for resilience ahead of London’s New year fireworks show, saying the capital is “as safe as it possibly can be”. Khan said the mood on the streets was upbeat, adding that it was “really important we don’t allow terrorists to disrupt our celebrations on this New Year’s Eve”.

“We’ve done everything we possibly can do to keep us safe,” he said. “We’ve got more armed police officers on duty tonight than we have on any previous year, we’ve got more visible police officers working tonight than on any previous year. We’ve got to make sure the resilience that London is famous for is demonstrated tonight.”

A huge police presence has been deployed to the streets as spectators from around the world gather to watch fireworks light up the Thames as Big Ben strikes midnight.

This is Alexandra Rogers taking over the new year live blog from Marc Walker to keep you updated on celebrations across the world as they happen.

Crowds gathered to watch fireworks light up the night sky behind Myanmar’s landmark Shwedagon pagoda during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

In Berlin, revellers are preparing to welcome in 2017 at a show at the Brandenburg Gate.

Indonesia welcomes in the new year with a fireworks display at the Selamat Datang monument in Jakarta.

An elderly lady waits for customers to snap up her New Year’s Eve party hats and masks in Yangon, Myanmar. A process of reform has been under way in the country, also known as Burma, since November 2010, when military rule was replaced by a new army-backed civilian government

Celebrations are in full swing in Taipei, Taiwan, where the tourist board estimates more than 1m people have travelled to the city to marvel at the spectacle of thousands of fireworks exploding from the famous 101 skyscraper

On New Year’s Eve last year, about 100 women in Cologne’s central square and other German cities were sexually assaulted. A year on and Cologne police have deployed 1,500 officers – 10 times the number of officers compared to last year. Extra security guards are also on duty to ensure the area is safe for New Year’s Eve party-goers

Fears that selfie sticks would become passé in 2017 appear totally unfounded as new year partygoers in Hong Kong capture the turn of the year.

Swedes see in 1 January with a nyårstårta, or new year’s cake. Here’s a trifle cake inspired by Pokémon Go. One of many being baked up and down the country this evening. Looks good …

Having completed the important diplomatic work of saluting his “many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do”, President-elect Donald Trump will see in the New Year with 800 guests at an “elegant and sophisticated” party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Rather in the vein of a planned inauguration in which big names and smaller names – such as those of individual Rockettes and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – have declined to perform, in the last case preferring not to be seen to endorse “tyranny and fascism”, the calibre of celebrities on the guest list seems uncertain at best.

As of Saturday morning, ageing Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone, who reportedly turned down Trump’s offer of a job with the National Endowment for the Arts, was still due to attend. The legendary music producer Quincy Jones, however, was not.

In a call with reporters on Friday, incoming White House spokesman Sean Spicer mentioned the two stars as guests. Later, a spokesman for Jones – a Clinton donor – said he did not know how Spicer got that idea, as Jones would be seeing in 2017 with his family in Los Angeles.

Ongoing concerns about potential conflicts of interest between President Trump and Businessman Trump have also infringed on the party. Politico reported on Friday that Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks rejected suggestions that the sale of tickets, at between $525 and $575 a head, constituted the sale of access to the president-elect and his family.

“The transition is not concerned about the appearance of a conflict,” Hicks said, on the same call as Spicer. “This is an annual celebratory event at the private club, like others that have continued to occur since the election. “Additionally, the president cannot and does not have a conflict.”

Some beg to differ.

Koreans celebrate their day of birth but also mark growing a year older from 1 January.

Feliz Año Nuevo (Happy New Year!) from Hong Kong:

I am handing over to my colleague Marc Walker, who will be continuing this live blog. I would like to thank all those who have sent in their photographs and tweets, and for everyone who has commented under this article.

I’ll sign off with one of my favourite pictures of the celebrations so far. Happy New Year, everyone.

Beckie in Japan has just tweeted me with these lovely shots.

Photo editor fail of the day goes to the Daily Express who have confused the real city of Paris for the Paris Las Vegas hotel in their article about security measures in France for tonight’s celebrations. Oops.

It will be midnight in Hong Kong shortly.

Strictly Come Dancing pro, Neil Jones, is there and will be enjoying the fireworks from a rooftop.

A reader, Ian, is also in Hong Kong waiting for the fireworks.

Meanwhile in Beijing …

What’s the best way to celebrate NYE?

With pie and Prosecco. D’oh!

Lots of people in Asia are now tweeting pictures from their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Bali looks a bit good!

A bit of fun for the dying hours of 2016: Trevor Noah of The Daily Show bid farewell to the year many will care to forget.

It’s already 2017 in parts of Russia.

In South Korea, protesters have set off their own fireworks during a candle-lit vigil calling for the impeached president, Park Geun-hye, to step down, near the presidential house in Seoul.

A Sri Lankan woman lights oil lamps as other devotees carry various offerings at a Buddhist temple on New Year’s Eve in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Lots of people in Switzerland wave goodbye to the old year by swimming in a very chilly lake. Whatever floats your boat!

Do you do anything special to mark the last day of the year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com

In Japan, New Year’s Eve is traditionally a day spent with family and although there will be fireworks over Tokyo’s Disneyland castle, the bars will remain fairly quiet.

Elliot Morris decided to do something a bit different while holidaying in the capital city and went to watch a New Year’s Eve boxing match at Ota City Gym. He said: “It was fantastic and very fun. We are now just in a quiet bar.”

How are you celebrating the new year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com.

My colleague Emma Beddington has written a guide to surviving New Year’s Eve with children. Does this ring any bells?

Traditionally a grave disappointment, New Year’s Eve is at least a time to cut loose and escape the suffocating, sprout-scented stranglehold of the family Christmas. But with kids, you can forget about that. You’re far too late (and broke) for babysitters. Everyone is bored, bloated, probably sick, definitely fighting and stuck with one another. How can you reach midnight without tears?

Worshippers of Yemanjá ask for blessings from their deity at Copacabana – before one of the world’s largest New Year’s Eve beach parties kicks off.

Brisbane just welcomed in 2017. It looks nice and tropical there, a bit different to the cold and foggy weather on this side of the world.

Incidentally, it’s not the first time Donald Trump has thought to mention his enemies while sending good wishes on special holidays or events.
Here’s a thanksgiving tweet from 2012:

This was on the anniversary of 9/11 in 2013:

Here’s his Father’s Day message from the following year:

And one from Memorial Day in 2015:

The New Year enthusiasm is at risk of being dampened here in the UK. The fog in the south has caused delays at Gatwick and Manchester, while in northern England and Wales, rain is set to sweep across areas including Manchester, Leeds and possibly Cardiff at midnight, the Met Office said.

Spectacular fireworks have illuminated Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate the arrival of 2017 in Australia, as Britons count the hours until the new year also lands in the UK.

The Pacific island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were the first to welcome the new year as the clock hit 10am on New Year’s Eve in London.

The end of 2016 was then marked in the Chatham Islands and parts of New Zealand shortly afterwards, with fireworks launched from the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower, before celebrations began in Sydney at 1pm London time.

Sydney Harbour Bridge was doused in the bright light of an estimated seven tonnes of fireworks during two displays, including an earlier show which saw the landmark bridge glow purple in a tribute to the late US singer Prince.

British singer David Bowie was also honoured with space-themed fireworks as a nod to the late star’s hit Space Oddity.

Sydney welcomes 2017 in with lots of loud and colourful fireworks, as per usual.

Happy New Year Sydney!
The fireworks have started and are set to feature tributes to Prince and David Bowie. Send us your snaps!

How are you spending the last day of 2016?

Libby Maguire spent it exploring the Australian coast. “I did the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk to celebrate the last day of the year … I’m now at a house party at the beach with an Aussie band playing some hits.”

Do you do anything special to mark the last day of the year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawsonor send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com

In Spain it is traditional for people to eat one grape at every stroke of the midnight clock chimes on New Year’s Eve to bring luck in the following year. Some extra keen people held a warm-up session at midday in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol.

Curious as to how Sydney organises its always impressive fireworks displays? Wonder no more:

Safety and security is high on the agenda for New Year celebrations around the world this year:

I love this photograph of a passenger plane flying in front of a rainbow during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan.

This year’s celebration in the city will use fireworks combined with a light show for the first time, with an estimated cost of TW$45m (£1.1m).

A Guardian reader in Taiwan also sent us this photograph of her family’s New Year’s Eve feast. Laura Pepper Wu said: “We are celebrating our baby’s first NYE with a dim sum dinner here in Taiwan! Happy New Year!”

How are you celebrating the new year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com

More pretty pictures from down under courtesy of ABC News Australia:

In case you’re confused, Sydney has two sets of fireworks – one at 9pm (for families who don’t want to be out too late), and the other at midnight proper, which falls at 1pm GMT.

Here’s a time lapse of the 9pm fireworks, boiled down to a mere 16 seconds by Mike Bowers, Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large:

Does anyone else think the Sky Tower in Auckland looks like a bit like a pineapple in this stunning shot?

Shame about the lack of capital letters in this tweet from the City of Sydney, but it’s more about the picture of course …

The celebrations in Sydney have already kicked off with a children’s fireworks display. Tell us how you are celebrating in your part of the world.

Only a couple of minutes to go until midnight in New Zealand. How are you celebrating? Tweet me @nicola_slawson and let me know.

Not everyone is having a good night in Auckland though, thanks to public transport woes!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Welcome to our last live blog of the year, probably. Join us as we chart the new year being welcomed in across the globe.

For those desperate to see the back of 2016, the good news is it is already 2017 in Samoa!