The festivities began in Auckland, New Zealand, which is a full 18 hours ahead of New York City.
As Americans and others in portions of the Western Hemisphere still await midnight to welcome 2025, many spectators in earlier time zones worldwide have already begun ringing in the New Year with celebrations, sprawling light shows, and ice plunges.
Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the first major cities to celebrate the New Year, as its midnight falls 18 hours before New York City, where the famous ball drop happens every year in Times Square. Thousands climbed Auckland’s ring of volcanic peaks or wrapped through downtown to witness a fireworks display that honored the country’s indigenous people.
As countries through the South Pacific Ocean have already had or begun their New Year celebrations, other countries worldwide are next in line to welcome 2025 with their unique festivities for the international holiday.
South Pacific Fireworks
Spectators in Sydney, Australia, watched as fireworks were shot off from the Sydney Harbour Bridge across the bay. More than a million funneled into the Sydney Harbour area to celebrate the coming of 2025, with British pop star Robbie Williams leading a singalong with those in attendance.
The festivities also included indigenous ceremonies and performances that honored Australia’s first people.
In Japan, portions of the country were shut down ahead of the New Year holiday as many temples and homes were cleaned.
In South Korea, celebrations were scaled back or canceled as the country is in a period of national mourning after a Jeju Air flight crashed on Sunday, killing 179 people.
Many shopping malls in Bangkok, Thailand, wooed crowds with live musical acts and fireworks displays. Popular rap singer Lisa, who is a Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, performed shortly before midnight. Jakarta, Indonesia, rang in the new year with a fireworks show that included 800 drones.
American Samoa will be one of the last countries to celebrate the New Year, with its timezone falling 24 hours after New Zealand’s.
Middle East, European Celebrations
Israel’s New Year’s celebrations were cut back this year due to its ongoing war with the Hamas terrorist group and its hostages that remain in captivity following the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.
Portions of Lebanon remain damaged after a war broke out between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist group, which recently ended with a cease-fire. In Syria, many express both hope and uncertainty after the fall of former leader Bashar Assad.
Thousands gathered in Dubai to watch a fireworks show at the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa.
In Rome, welcoming 2025 also coincides with a once-every-quarter-century celebration, the beginning of Pope Francis’s Holy Year. The festivities are expected to bring roughly 32 million to the city in 2025. Francis will celebrate a vespers, or a liturgy of evening prayer, at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday. The pope is expected to make another plea for peace amid the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine during Mass on Wednesday. The first day of the new year is also the day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used the holiday to call for unity in his country amid economic struggles and after a deadly Christmas market attack.
“We are a country of togetherness. And we can draw strength from this—especially in difficult times like these,” Scholz said in a prerecorded speech.
Paris, France, which hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, capped the year with a traditional countdown and fireworks display on the Champs-Elysées.
Northward in the United Kingdom, Britons are beginning the New Year with bitter winter storms, which have canceled some festivities, including the Hogmanay Street party and castle pyrotechnics show in Edinburgh, Scotland. London, however, is still set to host a pyrotechnic show on the River Thames with a parade through the city center on Jan. 1 featuring 10,000 performers.
In Switzerland, residents embraced the cold weather by stripping down and plunging into freezing, icy water to ring in the New Year.
The Americas Embrace 2025
Across the Atlantic in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is hosting its New Year’s celebrations on Copacabana Beach, featuring offshore ferries launching fireworks for 12 minutes straight for the thousands of cruise ship tourists who will see the light show up close.
Along with concerts from Brazilian musicians Anitta and Caetano Veloso, the New Year’s festivities on Copacabana are expected to attract more than 2 million spectators.
In the United States, New York City will continue its Times Square ball drop tradition that began in 1907. The managing organization has already tested and inspected the ball, the 2025 numerals, the lights, and the thousands of crystals used in the display ahead of the pre-midnight countdown. Musical celebrations in New York City will include TLC, the Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Las Vegas expects to attract roughly 340,000 people to its pyrotechnic display along the Strip, which will feature fireworks launched from casino rooftops. The city’s massive Sphere venue will also display a countdown to midnight in different time zones.
Rose Parade spectators were camping out today in Pasadena, California, in hopes of securing prime spots for the city’s celebrations. And in Nashville, Tennessee, roughly 200,000 are expected to attend a party that will feature some of the biggest stars in country music.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.