In pictures: UK parties for 2012

Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate London becoming the official Olympic city. They watched events in Beijing, where London had an eight-minute slot at the closing ceremony.

The weather brightened in time for the live music, led by McFly, who performed just before the symbolic handover. They opened their set with a cover of Abba's The Winner Takes it All.

Other performers included Katherine Jenkins (above), Will Young and the cast of Queen musical We Will Rock You. Olympians including Sharron Davies, Sally Gunnell and Roger Black also attended.

The mood was a mixture of pride in what the Great Britain team had achieved in Beijing, plus excitement about what lies ahead for London. "A once-in-a-lifetime experience" was how one described it.

And the celebrations were not confined to London. In Weymouth, thousands gathered on the beach to celebrate. The seaside town is the base for Great Britain's sailing team, which won six medals.

And in Glasgow, about 2,000 people cheered as the 2012 flag was raised over the City Chambers. Glasgow will host some football matches in 2012 and is an official Olympics city.

The union jack was a dominant image, although the celebrations came on the day when Scotland raised the possibility of competing as a nation in 2012.

A short distance away from Buckingham Palace, thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square to watch the closing ceremony in Beijing on a giant screen.

The Red Arrows air display team staged a fly past over Buckingham Palace as London celebrated being the first to become an Olympic city three times.