As the UK prepares to usher in 2018, thousands of people around the world are already celebrating.

In New Zealand, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and beaches as the clock struck midnight at 11am GMT.

Half a tonne of fireworks were set off from Auckland’s Sky Tower, with revellers gazing at the nonstop pyrotechnics that lasted more than five minutes. Preparations for the display reportedly began six months ago to guarantee the coordination of the 3,000 fireworks.

Over 5 minutes of fireworks from the Sky Tower welcomes in the new year in Auckland, New Zealand (Getty)

In Australia, a massive fireworks display included a rainbow firework to celebrate recently passed legislation legalizing same sex marriage.

Over a million people watched the festivities from Sydney Harbour as the chimes tolled at 1pm GMT. Police in the city tightened security measures ahead of the festivities, including implementing road blocks, but officials said there was no particular alert.

People watch fireworks in the rain at the Marina Bay ahead of the New Year in Singapore (REUTERS)

Crowd’s await the fireworks on New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia (Brett Hemmings/Getty)

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.

Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations (EPA)

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.

Las Vegas is expecting more than 330,000 people to flock to the city for this evening's celebrations, less than three months after the worst mass shooting in US history.

An eight-minute fireworks display and acts including Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and the Foo Fighters will keep partiers entertained before and after midnight at properties across Sin City.

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.

Vikings from Shetland’s Up Helly Aa Festival take part in a torchlight procession which marks the start of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival. Around 20,000 people, including 17,000 torchbearers, took part in the procession down the Royal Mile, past Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament. (PA)

The celebrations run for three days, drawing in an estimated 150,000 people from elsewhere in the UK and around the world.

New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Chinese people celebrate the New Year in Beijing Getty Images New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks illuminate the city's skyline during New Year's Eve celebrations of 2018 in Indonesia Getty Images AsiaPac New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures This illustration taken with a long time exposure and with zoom effect on in Budapest, Hungary, shows the year "2018", painted with a flashlight in front of a Christmas tree AFP/Getty Images New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks explode over Victoria harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong AFP/Getty New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures People perform a fire dragon dance in a shower of molten iron sparkling like fireworks to welcome the new year in Taierzhuang ancient town in Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong Province Rex Features New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures People wait for the New Year in downtown Shanghai Rex New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures People release balloons as they take part in a New Year countdown event in celebrations to ring in 2018 in Tokyo REUTERS New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Children wear "2018" glasses as they wait for the New Year fireworks in Hong Kong Reuters New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures A picture taken with a fish-eye lens shows a fireworks over the world's fifth 123-storey Lotte World Tower during the New Year celebrations in Seoul, South Korea EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures A couple takes part in a mass wedding organised by the city government as part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures An Indian youngster celebrates and welcomes the New Year in Bhopal EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Some of the thousands of performers parade through the streets as part of the annual Joburg Carnival, in South Africa. EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures A handmade puppet is seen along a highway, ready to be burned at midnight on December 31 as a way of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new in San Juan, Nicaragua Reuters New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures People watch fireworks in the rain at the Marina Bay ahead of the New Year in Singapore REUTERS New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus ride a red car to welcome the new year, in the streets of Gaza City New Year celebrations Rex Features New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures The Torchlight Procession which marks the opening of New Year celebrations, makes its way through Edinburgh. Torchbearers blazed through the city accompanied by a cast of pipers and drummers with the procession starting at St Giles cathedral and making its way down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Park, passing Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyrood House. PA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Swimmers bath in the 5 degrees cold Moossee (Lake Moos) near Moosseedorf, Switzerland. Several dozens people gathered for the annual swimming on New Year's Eve. EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks from Salisbury Crags at Edinburgh's Hogmanay The Corner Shop/PA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Indian girls welcome the new year in Amritsar EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Over 5 minutes of fireworks from the Sky Tower welcomes in the new year in Auckland, New Zealand Getty New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Up Helly Aa vikings from the Shetland Islands hold axes and lit torches during the annual torchlight procession to mark the start of Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh REUTERS New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Balinese take part in a cultural parade during a festival to mark the New Year in Denpasar on Bali island AFP/Getty Images New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks light up the sky from building rooftops along the Yarra River in Melbourne AFP/Getty Images New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Indian girls pose for photographs with lighted candles during celebrations to welcome the new year in Bhopal EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures The Taipei 101 tower displays a dog, the word 'GO' and the Chinese name of a man called Wu Jian-sheng who wishes Taiwan happiness before setting off fireworks to welcome 2018 EPA New Year's Eve celebrations as world welcomes 2018: in pictures Fireworks burst over the skyline during an hourly display leading up to the final countdown for the New Year 2018 celebrations in Singapore AFP/Getty Images

Hours before midnight, authorities had already reported that scores of people had been injured by celebratory firecrackers in the Philippines, which has some of the most raucous New Year's celebrations in Asia.

Although the number of injuries has tapered off in recent years, largely due to hard economic times and government scare campaigns, the figures remain alarming. President Rodrigo Duterte signed an order in June confining the use of firecrackers to community-designated areas, such as near shopping malls and parks.

Many Filipinos, largely influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year's celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding dangerously large firecrackers and firing guns to welcome the new year despite threats of arrest.