Jubilant UK crowds celebrate restriction-free new year for first time since Covid pandemic

Britain welcomes 2023 without Covid restrictions as jubilant crowds celebrate for first time in three years

Jubilant crowds welcomed the new year with the biggest celebrations Britain has seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thousands of people stood together without restrictions to watch spectacular fireworks displays in capital cities across the country.

In London, the chimes of Big Ben rang to signal the start of the new year, as a crowd of more than 100,000 stood along the Thames to watch an iconic fireworks display.

Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye as the UK rings in 2023 (PA)

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.

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.

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.

It comes after two years of muted celebrations over the new year amid widespread restrictions on gatherings because of the spread of Covid. In 2020, the fireworks display on the South Bank was cancelled as the usual annual festivities were brought to a halt.

Fireworks illuminate the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the London Eye in central London during the New Year celebrations (PA)

The first restriction-free new year’s was brought in with over 12,000 fireworks over the Thames (PA)

The government urged people to bring the new year in from the safety of their homes as people from different households were not allowed to mix indoors.

The usually packed streets were also eerily quiet on New Year’s Eve in 2021 as Covid-19 rates spiked ahead of Christmas.

However, this year’s restriction-free celebrations were back and bigger than ever.

Speaking about the display, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “These are the biggest fireworks in Europe, I think they’re the best fireworks in the world. They’re the best we’ve had in London, they’re the biggest we’ve had in London.

“There is reflection on the last year, some really happy events and obviously one really tragic event with the loss of her late Majesty.

“It’s a really important way to bring in the new year.

“It’s a message of love from London sent to our friends across Europe and around the world and it’s really important we have a full recovery after the awful two or three years we’ve had because of the pandemic.”

Quirky references to the ‘new normal’ were made during the muted 2020 fireworks display (PA)

A normally packed Picadilly Circus was packed on New Year’s Eve 2020 due to the pandemic (PA)

Earlier in the day, cities around the world celebrated the start of the new year with street festivities and elaborate firework displays.

Large crowds gathered below the Sky Tower in Auckland, which was the first major city to ring in 2023 a year after Covid restrictions saw New Year’s Eve events cancelled.

Across the ditch in Australia, more than one million people crowded along Sydney’s waterfront for a multimillion-dollar celebration based around the themes of diversity and inclusion.

New Year's Eve fireworks light up the sky over the Sydney Opera House (AFP via Getty Images)

People gather on the Champs-Elysee as they wait for the New Year's Eve fireworks in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

Crowds even gathered in cities across China, despite soaring Covid infection rates. Thousands wearing masks assembled in central Wuhan on New Year’s Eve as they counted down to the start of what they hoped would be a brighter year.

People release balloons as they gather to celebrate New Year's Eve in Wuhan, China (REUTERS)

Crowds in Wuhan gathered on New Year’s Eve despite soaring Covid rates (REUTERS)

Despite the turnout, many confessed their fears of gathering together.

“I am afraid,” said a lady surnamed Jin, referring to the possibility of being reinfected with Covid-19.

“I was still afraid when I came out tonight, but I just wanted to come out, because everyone has come out.”

In Ukraine, some soldiers who would usually celebrate the holiday with family stayed in the trenches to defend their country, while others returned to the capital, Kyiv, to celebrate with their loved ones.

But with Russian attacks continuing to target power supplies, millions are without electricity, no big celebrations were planned and a curfew was in place as the clock struck midnight.