Revelers in New Zealand and other Pacific islands were among the first to celebrate the new year with fireworks displays.

Events elsewhere in the world are being overshadowed by other concerns, including in Australia where the fireworks show in Sydney is going forward as other communities in the country cancel theirs due to fears of making a wildfire crisis worse.

In Hong Kong, the usual fireworks show was canceled due to what officials said were security concerns in the city that has seen months of pro-democracy protests…

Events are scheduled to take place as the new year rolls around in major cities from Berlin to Dubai and London to New York.