Fireworks lit up the Chao Phraya River Sunday night at midnight as Bangkok and all of Thailand welcomed the beginning of a new year. NEW ZEALANDTens of thousands of New Zealanders took to streets and beaches, becoming among the first in the world to usher in 2018. Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. During the midnight fireworks display, a rainbow waterfall off the Sydney Harbour Bridge was planned to celebrate recently-passed legislation legalising gay marriage in Australia. Television stations broadcast live from supermarkets full of last-minute shoppers, while beauty salons reported full bookings as revellers geared up for traditional celebrations of copious meals that can run to hundreds of euros.

Source: Bangkok Post December 31, 2017 12:42 UTC