Country by country, the world welcomed 2023 early Sunday morning — and bid goodbye to a year marked by war, economic uncertainties, and COVID variants.

Many cities were celebrating New Year's in full force for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 100,000 gathering on the Embankment of the Thames in London for a firework show that paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, while an estimated million people braved the rain for the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square.

New Year's Eve celebrations light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge

New Year's Eve celebrations light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge
(Image credit: Roni Bintang/Getty Images)

Fireworks over Big Ben in London.

Fireworks over Big Ben in London.
(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

New Year's Eve in Times Square

New Year's Eve in Times Square
(Image credit: Alexi Rosenfeld/ Getty Images)

New Year's Eve in San Francisco

New Year's Eve in San Francisco
(Image credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace, and love," Tina Wright, a reveler visiting New York City from the Phoenix area, told the Los Angeles Times. "And let's just get things moving in the world right now."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.