THE biggest ever fireworks display in Edinburgh heralded the start of 2012 in Scotland.

The city, eager to live up to its reputation as the ''home of Hogmanay", welcomed around 80,000 partygoers for the occasion.

This year's midnight display featured more than 2800 individual fireworks. The crowed then erupted into a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

More than 20 acts performed across seven stages at a Hogmanay Street Party Concert in the Gardens and The Keilidh.

Rockers Primal Scream, Friendly Fires, DJ Mark Ronson, Glasgow band Kassidy and folk band The Peatbog Faeries were among the acts.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay was worth more than £32 million to the Scottish economy last year, pulling in 132,000 visitors.

Pete Irvine, creative director of the event, said: "Edinburgh's Hogmanay has a worldwide reputation, and we are delighted that, once again, revellers are travelling from around the globe to join us."

Glasgow's George Square was quieter than usual after a lack of cash put a damper on celebrations.

Gordon Matheson, leader of the city council, said at the time of the announcement that the George Square street party would not deliver the best value for money.

He said: "At a time when frontline services are under extreme financial pressure, it is imperative that we get the best bang for every Glasgow buck and that is not what is happening at the moment."

Instead, a family day was hosted in the square yesterday with music and new attractions such as the big wheel.

Merchant Square and Ashton Lane in the city both held ticketed events.

Crowds gathered in Aberdeen city centre to bring in the bells with a free firework display set off from the roof of His Majesty's Theatre in the city centre.

At Stirling Castle there were performances from Eddi Reader, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Three Blind Wolves, while in Inverness revellers joined in the free Red Hot Highland Fling Hogmanay Party.

The weather was much better than last year, when plunging temperatures reached as low as minus five. Though torrential rain showers hit Glasgow, forecasters said it was an unseasonably mild 11 or 12 degrees across the country, with Aberdeen and Inverness enjoying the best weather.

REST OF THE UK

THE LONDON Eye was the backdrop for the biggest New Year's Eve celebration in the UK, with around a quarter of a million people gathering to watch the show. And while it was a wet night, it was unusually mild.

Scotland Yard had 3000 officers on duty at street level as well as on podiums to give them a bird's-eye view of any troublemakers.

As well as the Southbank area around the Eye, traditional meeting place Trafalgar Square remained a new year hotspot.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the pyrotechnics would be a fitting way to mark the start of an "extraordinary" year for the city, which will host the 2012 Olympics in the summer.

There were 12,000 fireworks – producing 50,000 projectiles – launched during the display, which was triggered by Big Ben's chimes and lasted for 11 minutes and 15 seconds.

However the regular firework display in Manchester was axed due to a lack of funds.

Bosses from Manchester's Pub and Club Network called it "a shambles," and said revellers would head elsewhere.

Belfast was another city which didn't hold any official celebrations this year.

Birmingham's Victoria Square did bring in the New Year with a bang, with crowds of thousands at the display which had a big screen linked to the BBC TV countdown.

Cardiff's "Calennig" celebrations focused on a fireworks show at the Civic Centre, followed by a midnight ice skating session at the festive ice rink, or a special ride on a big wheel.

Free bus transport in and out of the city was laid on for revellers.

Meanwhile, the Dorset town of Weymouth held its traditional New Year's Eve fancy dress party.

It has been running for the past 20 years and attracted around 20,000 people.

The town, which closed off roads for the night, has been voted one of the best places in the UK to see in the New Year.

THE WORLD

THE PACIFIC nations were the first to welcome in 2012. And this year one country which is usually the last to see in Hogmanay became the first – thanks to a bizarre shuffling of time zones.

The tiny island of Samoa moved its time zone 24 hours ahead to catch up with Asia, New Zealand and Australia, meaning it skipped December 30 and jumped straight to New Year's Eve.

Tourists and locals partied throughout Saturday as Samoa revelled in its new time-traveller status.

The small former New Zealand dependency Tokelau, which has its administration in Samoa's capital Apia, also changed datelines.

Samoa, a country of about 180,000 people, was in the same time zone as New Zealand and Australia until 1892, when it celebrated July 4 twice and aligned itself with the United States.

Elsewhere, a spectacular firework display in Sydney lasted 15 minutes and cost millions. The Harbour Bridge provided the backdrop for the show.

Bad weather in New Zealand forced some events to be cancelled.

In Hong Kong, the countdown to 2012 was made in giant numbers illuminated on the side of a skyscraper near the harbour.

In Japan, which was devastated by a earthquake and tsunami almost a year ago, people released balloons from Tokyo Tower listing their hopes for the new year.