New Year partiers don't let weather warnings spoil the fun as they ring in 2023
Brits have been pictured in high spirits as they welcomed the New Year with parties up and down the country.
Many dressed up and braced themselves for the wind and rain as they headed to pubs and bars or outdoor firework displays.
And with the alcohol flowing, some revellers looked a little uneasy on their feet long before the countdown began to midnight.
Others though were seen laughing and having fun with friends but umbrellas were never too far away.
Partygoers defied the wet weather to welcome in 2023 after the Met Office issued yellow warnings for rain in England's South West and southern Wales, and warnings for ice and snow across the Scottish Highlands.
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Revellers didn't let the rain stop them (NB PRESS LTD)Scenes were repeated in many cities as people dashed from one bar to another while others were forced to wait in queues for popular venues.
There were plenty of smiles and laughter as people were seen hugging friends as they posed for photos whether in the rain or during pauses in the downpours in cities including Leeds, Newcastle or Cardiff.
People queue outside a bar despite the rain (NB PRESS LTD)Big Ben bonged in England's capital as a crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered along the Thames Embankment in central London to watch 12,000 fireworks streak across the sky.
The sold-out show was designed to send a message of "love and unity", as it highlighted the Lionesses' history-making Euro win at Wembley, marked 50 years of London's Pride with a message from Peter Tatchell from the Gay Liberation Front, and sent a message of support to Ukraine.
New Year's Eve brought rain to much of the country, but that didn't stop the party in Leeds (NB PRESS LTD)The display also paid tribute to the late Queen, featuring a voice recording from her and words from Dame Judi Dench, before honouring the King, together with a message from Charles about the need to preserve our planet's future.
Drones spelled out a positive message during the show, welcoming in "2023 with love from London" as fireworks exploded behind them.
A group of revellers have a chat sitting on a kerb in Cardiff despite the cold (Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)Complete with music that included Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, Ukrainian Eurovision winner Kalush Orchestra, and hits from Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Cher, Dave, Rihanna and Calvin Harris, the show concluded with the traditional Auld Lang Syne.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was "delighted" that Londoners and visitors could once again join together on the banks of the River Thames to ring in the new year.
Thousands of Metropolitan Police officers were on duty across the capital, with the force later saying eight people were arrested for offences including assault on police, drunk and disorderly, and possession of an offensive weapon.
A pal gives a friend a lift in Leeds city centre (NB PRESS LTD)Officers have worked with charity Safer Spaces to build a place in Duncannon Street, central London, for women and girls to go should they feel unsafe.
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In other parts of England there were also fireworks but it didn't get in the way of the drinking with some people looking the worse for wear by midnight.
Photos showed some people sitting by the roadside, others falling to the ground and some being carried by friends.
A woman stumbles over by a queue for a bar in Leeds (NB PRESS LTD)After several years of Covid restrictions this was a chance for people to go out and celebrate with friends and the weather did not put a dampner on the party atmosphere.
Despite the rain many people dressed up and headed out despite the cold.
While other parts of England also celebrated with fireworks, the North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough did not.
A group of friends in Leeds seen hugging and laughing together (NB PRESS LTD)An Arctic walrus, believed to be “Thor” – who was spotted on the Hampshire coastline earlier this month, arrived in the harbour earlier in the day.
Scarborough Borough Council cancelled the fireworks display on the advice of British Divers Marine Life Rescue after the organisation expressed concerns that it could cause “distress” to the mammal.
In a village further down the coast in East Yorkshire, re-enactors took part in the Flamborough Fire Festival in a Viking-themed parade.
There were plenty of smiles despite the rain in Newcastle (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)North of the border, people in Edinburgh enjoyed what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the "first full Hogmanay celebrations in three years".
"Thinking back to Hogmanay last year and indeed the year before that, we're reminded of just how far we have come from the very darkest days of the pandemic," she said in a New Year's Eve message on Twitter.
People queued in the rain to enter the party in Princes Street.
Fireworks lit up the sky behind the city's castle.
It was also a busy night for police in London with some rowdy behaviour (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)The 80s duo The Pet Shop Boys sang the city into 2023.
More artists rang in the new year with songs as Eurovision star Sam Ryder performed hits on BBC One.
In Cardiff, families partied in the city's Winter Wonderland, while people in Belfast celebrated at Europa Hotel's annual Gala Ball.
People dressed up for the night and headed out despite the cold weather (NB PRESS LTD)
Two friends pictured laughing in Cardiff city centre (Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)The party scenes were similar to those around the world as countries welcomes in the New Year.ear.
Pacific nation Kiribati was the first country to wave in 2023.
Auckland followed an hour later where huge crowds gathered below the Sky Tower for a countdown that ended in fireworks
More than 10,000 people gathered to see the fireworks display in London (Martyn Wheatley / i-Images)More than one million people flocked to Sydney's waterfront in Australia as over 7000 fireworks were launched from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and another 2,000 from the Opera House.
Celebrations were also held at the Great Wall in Beijing, while Shanghai Disneyland put on a special fireworks show.
In Ukraine, some soldiers decided to stay in the trenches to defend their country while others returned to Kyiv to spend New Year's Eve with their loved ones.
There was plenty of passion on display at a Portsmouth nightclub (Paul Jacobs/pictureexclusive.com)While most people had plenty of fun in the celebrations, it was also a busy night for the police in the UK with many on the streets in the city and dealing with people who had too much to drink.
Some people were seen getting involved in fights while others were seen being separated as tempers got out of control.
And there appeared to be some arrests with police restraining some revellers.
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