New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off around the world, and it’s already 2025 in some places | Global News Avenue

Wellington, New Zealand — Auckland became the first major city to ring in 2025 as thousands of revelers counted down to the new year, cheering on colorful fireworks and a spectacular city center light show from New Zealand’s tallest building, the Sky Tower.

Thousands also flock to the city center or climb the city’s volcanic peaks to get a vantage point of the fireworks and recognize the light show of Auckland’s indigenous tribes. The previous year had seen protests over Maori rights in the country of 5 million people.

South Pacific countries are the first to ring in the New Year, with New Zealand’s clock striking midnight, 18 hours ahead of the New Year’s bell. Ball drop in Times Square, New York.

After a year of ongoing conflict and political instability, other cities around the world are preparing to celebrate local culture and traditions.

In Australia, more than one million people flock to Sydney Harbor to watch traditional fireworks. British pop star Robbie Williams is leading the singing, and Aboriginal ceremonies and performances are planned to pay tribute to the land’s first inhabitants.

Much of Japan has been closed ahead of the country’s biggest holiday, with temples and houses undergoing thorough cleaning, including beating floor mats known as “tatami” with large sticks.

The upcoming Asian zodiac Year of the Snake is seen as a year of rebirth – an allusion to the reptile’s shedding of its skin. Stores in Japan, which began observing the zodiac cycle on January 1, have been selling figurines of the smiling snake and other snake-themed products. The rest of Asia will begin celebrating the Year of the Snake, the Lunar New Year, at a later date.

In South Korea, celebrations were curtailed or canceled as the country enters a period of national mourning after Sunday A Jeju Air flight crashes at Muan Airport Resulting in 179 deaths.

Jakarta’s New Year celebrations will feature a dazzling fireworks display, including a drone show by 800 drones, followed by a midnight countdown at the city’s iconic Indonesia Circle Hotel.

New Year’s Observations in War and Conflict

Chinese state media reported President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanging New Year greetings as a reminder Growing closeness between the two leadersthey face tensions with the West.

The official Xinhua News Agency said on Tuesday that Xi told Putin that the two countries would “always move forward hand in hand.”

China maintains close ties and strong trade with China Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine In 2022, help offset Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin. New Year celebrations may be curbed Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza The struggle has entered its 15th month and dozens of hostages remain in captivity.

Lebanon is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, with many areas devastated during the war and a ceasefire agreement in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Syrians expressed hope and uncertainty about the new year. Toppling longtime dictator President Bashar al-Assad.

Other celebrations around the world

In Dubai, thousands of people are expected to attend the annual fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations have an added attraction: the start of Pope Francis’ holy year, a quarter-century celebration expected to attract some 32 million pilgrims in 2025. An eternal city.

Francis will celebrate Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, followed by Mass on Wednesday, where he is expected to renew his appeal for peace amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Hours before the bells rang in the German New Year, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz called on the country’s 84 million residents to unite despite the many crises and wars facing the world and the country’s sluggish economic situation. Deadly Christmas market attack Shocked the country.

“We are a united country. We can draw strength from that, especially in difficult times like this,” Scholz said in a prerecorded speech.

Paris will end the important year 2024 with a traditional festive countdown and a fireworks extravaganza on the famous Champs Elysées.

this Summer Olympics and Paralympics The event in the French capital from July to September transforms the city into a scene of joy, camaraderie and stunning sporting achievements and marks the city’s recovery from the deadly extremist attacks by Al Qaeda and ISIS in 2015 another important milestone.

London will welcome the New Year on Wednesday with a fireworks display along the Thames and a parade featuring 10,000 performers in the city centre. Fireworks will explode against a backdrop of the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel across the river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament – assuming the high winds and severe weather expected to make things worse in northern England don’t force a worse scenario in northern England. Last minute cancellation.

However, celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland – including the famous New Year’s Eve street party, garden concerts and castle fireworks – were canceled early as the storm was expected to bring severe weather to northern England.

Rio de Janeiro will host Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve bash at Copacabana Beach, where 10 ferries will set off fireworks at sea for 12 minutes. Thousands of tourists on six cruise ships will witness the show up close.

Rio City Hall is closely monitoring plans for the light and sound display. Copacabana is expected to attract more than 2 million people to attend concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop star Anitta and Grammy winner Caetano Veloso.

Times Square and across the United States

In New York City, the organization that runs Times Square tested its famous ball drop game and examined the 2025 numbers, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a tradition that dates back to 1907. This year’s festivities will include musical performances by TLC, the Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Best.

The party, which will cover several neighborhoods around the city’s main tourist and theater hub, is expected to draw large crowds despite the rain and cold weather.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas is bidding farewell to 2024 with old traditions and some new ones. The annual eight-minute pyrotechnics show will take place on the Las Vegas Strip, with 340,000 people expected to set off fireworks from the rooftops of nine casinos.

The nearby large Sphere venue will display a countdown to midnight in different time zones for the first time.

In Pasadena, enthusiastic Rose Parade goers will camp out on the wintry streets to ring in the new year, hoping to get a prime spot to view the iconic Southern California tradition. A parade precedes the Rose Bowl football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks on January 1.

Thousands of people will take part in the midnight 5k along the parade route.

About 200,000 people will flock to Nashville for a party that will feature five-hour performances from some of country music’s biggest stars. At midnight – one hour later than midnight in New York – a 16-foot-tall, 400-pound note will fall as fireworks light up the sky.

As the New Year approaches, celebrations will ring out across the globe in different time zones, with American Samoa being the last country to welcome 2025 – a full 24 hours later than New Zealand.