The world welcomes 2025 with light shows, hugs, and ice jumps
From Sydney to Vladivostok, communities around the world began welcoming the arrival of 2025 with spectacular light shows, hugs, and ice-jumping.
Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, with thousands of people crowding the city center or climbing the volcanic peaks to find the best vantage point to watch the fireworks. A light show paid tribute to Aboriginal people.
The South Pacific nation was the first to ring in the new year, with New Zealand striking midnight 18 hours before the ball drop in New York’s Times Square.
Fireworks exploded over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and across the bay. Over a million Australians and others gathered on the iconic Sydney Harbour to celebrate. British pop star Robbie Williams led the crowd in singing.
The celebrations also featured Aboriginal ceremonies and performances to honor the land’s original inhabitants.
Asia
Most of Japan closed ahead of the country’s biggest festival, with temples and homes thoroughly cleaned.
Japan began celebrating the Chinese zodiac on Jan. 1, and stores have been selling snake-themed products. The rest of Asia will follow with the Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Snake.
Celebrations have been curtailed or canceled as the country is in mourning after a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed in Muan on Sunday, killing 179 people.
In Bangkok, Thailand, shopping malls are drawing crowds with live music and fireworks. A performance by popular rapper Lisa, the Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, is scheduled for just before midnight.
A fireworks display in Jakarta, Indonesia, used 800 drones.
Chinese state media reported that leaders Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year greetings, a reminder of the growing ties between the two leaders in the face of strained relations with the West.
Xi told Putin that China and Russia will “always move forward hand in hand,” Xinhua reported.
Middle East
New Year celebrations in Israel are likely to be muted as the Israeli-Palestinian war continues and dozens of hostages remain held. Meanwhile, the extent of famine in northern Gaza is difficult to assess as thousands flee Israel’s intensified military crackdown.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah ended in an uneasy ceasefire, leaving many parts of Lebanon devastated. Meanwhile, Syrians expressed hope and uncertainty following the overthrow of leader Bashar Assad.
In Dubai, tens of thousands of people watched a fireworks display from the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa.
Europe
The traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations in Rome have an extra attraction: the start of Pope Francis’s Holy Year. The celebrations, which happen every 25 years, are expected to draw more than 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
Francis will hold vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday and mass on Wednesday, where he is expected to repeat his calls for peace in Ukraine and the wars in the Middle East.
Jan. 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the feast of the Virgin Mary.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on residents to unite despite a sluggish economy and a deadly attack on a Christmas market that shocked the country.
“We are a united nation. We can draw strength from that—especially in difficult times like these,” Scholz said in a pre-recorded speech as
Paris closed out 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysees.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympics, held from July to September in Paris, have transformed the city into a city of joy, camaraderie, and amazing sporting achievements. It is also a milestone in Paris’ recovery from the 2015 extremist attacks by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
London will usher in the new year on Wednesday with a fireworks display on the banks of the Thames and a parade with 10,000 performers in the city center.
Celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland, including a New Year’s Eve street party and a castle fireworks display, were canceled as storms brought bad weather to other parts of the UK.
But people in Switzerland and some other regions embraced the cold, stripping off and jumping into the water in freezing temperatures.
Americas
Rio de Janeiro will host Brazil’s most important New Year celebrations on Copacabana Beach, with ferries setting off fireworks for 12 minutes. Thousands of cruise ship tourists will get a close-up view of the extravaganza.
More than 2 million people are expected to descend on Copacabana, hoping to squeeze in concerts by Brazilian superstar artists like pop singer Anitta and Grammy winner Caetano Veloso.
New York Times Square authorities tested the famous ball-dropping ceremony and checked the 2025 numbers, lights, and thousands of crystals that have been part of the tradition since 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC, the Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
American Samoa will be one of the last territories to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.
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