New Year’s Eve fireworks, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia

© Wendell Teodoro/Getty Image

Happy New Year!. Sydney Harbour, Australia

We might be wrapping up warm for New Year’s Eve here in the Northern Hemisphere, but it’s midsummer in Australia, one of the first countries to welcome 2023. As a result, many Aussies choose to celebrate with a boat trip around Sydney Harbour, to take in the annual fireworks display.

Framed by the dramatic backdrop of Sydney Harbour Bridge and world-famous Sydney Opera House, the first fireworks show will begin this year at 9pm local time (10am in the UK), followed by a second show at midnight.

More than 1.5 million people typically attend this spectacular celebration in Sydney, with more than 400 million watching the images around the world as 2023 arrives.