2011 revellers attend open-air parties around the UK

 

Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay festival got under way on Thursday and lasts four days

Hundreds of thousands of revellers have welcomed in the new year at open-air parties across the UK.

About 80,000 people attended the annual Hogmanay party in Edinburgh, where the crowd erupted in cheers as the clock struck midnight.
An estimated 250,000 people watched the eight-minute firework display at the London Eye, which was set to music for the first time.
Events were held in various other cities, including Glasgow and Cardiff.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival lasts four days and got under way on Thursday with a torchlight procession.
The ticket-only main event on New Year's Eve included fireworks, traditional Scottish dancing and an open-air concert starring Biffy Clyro, The Charlatans and Billy Bragg.
Bragg, who stayed on with his family to watch Biffy Clyro and the fireworks after his performance, said Scotland had "kind of invented new year get-togethers", so Edinburgh was where he wanted to be.
Biffy Clyro, whose hit Many of Horrors has become a number one single for X Factor winner Matt Cardle, took to the stage topless and wowed the crowd with a volley of their anthems.
The Scottish rockers' frontman Simon Neil said: "There's no better way to end the year."
'Great night' Irina Rusina, originally from Siberia but now living in Germany, said it was her first time in Scotland and she was loving Edinburgh.

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We've been queuing up here since midday and I think these are the best fireworks I have ever seen”

Erin Wilkins Tourist in London

"I'm completely enjoying myself," she said. "It is a lot warmer but much more crowded than it is in Siberia."

Edinburgh Hogmanay director Peter Irvine said Edinburgh was now "on the map" for new year celebrations.
"This was a truly great night. Nothing went wrong, from the weather to the crowds, who are here from all over the world. They were incredibly good-natured, no aggravation."
Around 330 police officers patrolled Princes Street and the surrounding area, and one person was arrested for a "minor disorder".
About 5,000 people packed into Glasgow's George Square to see in 2011 with one of Scotland's biggest outdoor ceilidhs.
'Best fireworks' Crowds also gathered in central London for the free annual fireworks, which were launched from barges on the Thames and the London Eye.

People had been queuing for hours to ensure a good Thames view

Showers of brightly coloured fireworks shot into the sky to a soundtrack including Queen's We Will Rock You, The Beatles' Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Blur's Song 2.
Erin Wilkins, 26, and Emad Tehrani, 30, had travelled from Sydney to see in the new year in London.
Ms Wilkins said: "We've been queuing up here since midday and I think these are the best fireworks I have ever seen."
Some 3,000 police officers were on duty, and the Metropolitan Police have made 77 arrests so far for a range of offences including public order, theft and possession of an offensive weapon.
"There is a huge demand for public transport after midnight," a Met Police spokesman said.
"People may have to wait some time before getting on Tubes or trains. Those who live in London may want to walk a bit further to get to a Tube station; Charing Cross and Waterloo are extremely busy."
Hundreds of people attended the free Calennig celebrations at Cardiff Civic Centre, which featured a live music concert with Dr and The Medics and T.
The event included a fire show and funfair, as well as midnight skating at an open-air ice rink.
Party organisers were no doubt relieved the freezing conditions of the past few weeks were replaced by milder weather, with temperatures of 4-5C in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.
The BBC Weather Centre said it had been a dull and misty end to 2010.
It said a band of rain and hill snow would move south through Scotland overnight, reaching northern England and Northern Ireland by dawn, with colder, clearer conditions, frost and ice following behind in a northerly breeze.
Further south it will be mostly dry and cloudy.