People across the globe have begun to welcome in the new year, with revellers in New Zealand and Australia among those leading the way.
A giant clock on Auckland's landmark Sky Tower counted down the minutes until the new year, with a huge fireworks display launching from the tower at midnight.
The capital, Wellington, hosted a family-friendly celebration in a park featuring orchestral music and movie clips and culminating in a fireworks display.
After a turbulent year marred by terror woes, Ebola outbreaks and a horrific series of airline disasters, many could be forgiven for saying good riddance to 2014 and gratefully ringing in a new year.
Sydney takes pride in being one of the first major cities in the world to welcome each new year, and it greeted 2015 in its trademark glittery fashion - with a tropical-style fireworks display featuring shimmering gold and silver palm tree pyrotechnic effects.
More than 1.5 million revellers crowded along the shores of the city's famed harbour in warm weather to watch the vivid eruption of light over the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and other points along the water.
At midnight, the crowd cheered as a 12-minute firework display was launched, the third and final light show for the night.
The festivities, however, come just two weeks after an Iranian-born self-styled cleric took 18 people hostage inside a downtown cafe.
A tribute to two hostages killed in the siege was displayed on the pylons of the Harbour Bridge during the main fireworks display, and an extra 3,000 police officers patrolled the city. Still, residents were encouraged to celebrate as usual.
In Indonesia, the loss of AirAsia Flight 8501 and a deadly landslide in central Java are recent tragedies that muted celebrations in the capital Jakarta.
Surabaya's mayor banned any kind of new year entertainment in the country's second-largest city, where most of the 162 people on the AirAsia flight that crashed on Sunday were from.
Hundreds of Surabaya residents, including young children, lit candles in the drizzle at a park and observed a minute's silence for victims of the crash.
In Dubai, celebrations included plans to break the world record for the largest LED-illuminated facade.
Some 70,000 LED panels were wrapped around the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which draws thousands of spectators every New Year's Eve for an impressive fireworks display.
Emaar Properties said a team from Guinness World Records monitored the preparations. Last year, Dubai won the title for the world's largest firework display, according to Guinness.
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