Revellers around the world ring in 2011

Revellers around the world said goodbye to 2010, ringing in the newyear with fireworks displays, sparklers, confettiand concerts.

Thousands who had jammed into Nathan Phillips Square atToronto's cityhallwere greetedwith fireworksand confetti as the clock struck midnight. In New York City, nearly onemillion people crowded into Times Square to witness the traditional ball drop.

Computer engineer Chris Tulloch, who came from upstate New York with his wife, Sherine, to experience Times Square for the first time, said the celebration was a good start for the new year.

"The amount of people in the crowd, the friendships that we formed, made us realize so many people have the same hopes and dreams for 2011 as we do," he said.

Earlier, officials estimated that about a quarter-million people watched the colours of the Union Jack light up the sky over the River Thames in London.

In Madrid, about 50,000 people gathered in the central Puerta del Sol square for Las Uvas, or "the grapes," a tradition in which people eat a grape for each of the 12 chimes of midnight.

New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, was the first major city toring inmidnightwith explosions of red, gold and white bursting over the Sky Tower early Saturdayas tens of thousands shouted, danced and sang in the streets below.

Two hours later in Sydney, Australia, an estimated 1.5 million people gathered on folding chairs, picnic blankets and blowup beds to watch the extravagant 12-minute fireworks display over the city's Harbour Bridge.

"Stunning, beautiful," said Cinthya Romo, 32, a Sydney-based interpreter from Chile who watched the fireworks show from the Opera House.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered along Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor to watch fireworks explode from the roofs of 10 of the city's most famous buildings.

Thousands also flocked tothe opera housein Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam,for a New Year's party event, including techno music, DJs and strobe lights.

At Japan's Zojoji temple in central Tokyo, founded in 1393, monks chanted and thousands counted down until midnight. Revellers released a mass of silver balloons carrying notes with their hopes for the future, as the temple's giant bell rang in the background.

Blizzard-weary NYC prepped for ball drop

New York hadbeen reeling from a heavy snowfall earlier in the week that brought air and ground traffic in and around the city to a near-standstill for several days.

But officials said most midtown Manhattan streets werecleared ahead of the planned revelry.

With 32,256 LED lights and 2,688 Waterford crystals, the four-metre-wide Times Square ball had a picture-perfect test run on Thursday.