As the world prepares to turn the calendar page, New Zealand once again became one of the first major countries to welcome the New Year, followed by Australia. The celebrations were marked with a spectacular fireworks display in Auckland, lighting up the sky above the city’s iconic Sky Tower.
The Sky Tower, a focal point of the city’s skyline, once again served as the centrepiece of the celebrations, drawing locals and visitors alike to witness the first major countdown of the year. In New Zealand, the Chatham Islands ring in the new year the earliest. The five-minute display included 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 240-meter (787-foot) Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest structure.
Sydney, the self-appointed “world capital of New Year’s Eve”, welcomed 2026 with a spectacular fireworks display. Ahead of the celebrations, A minute’s silence was observed for the Bondi Beach attack victims, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up at 11 pm (local time), with a menorah, a dove and the words “unity” and “peace” projected onto the structure.
First Country To Celebrate The New Year
Kiritimati Island in Kiribati, a country in the Pacific Ocean, is the first place in the world to welcome the New Year. The island, located in the UTC+14 time zone, is also known as Christmas Island.
When Will Different Countries Around The World Welcome The New Year?
Kiribati: 3:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
New Zealand: 4:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
Australia (East Coast): 6:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
Japan, South Korea & North Korea: 8:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
China, Hong Kong & Taiwan: 9:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
Thailand: 10:30 PM IST (Dec 31)
India & Sri Lanka: 12:00 AM IST (Midnight)
Russia (Moscow): 2:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
Ukraine: 3:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
Germany, France, Spain, Italy & Switzerland: 4:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
UK, Portugal & Ghana: 5:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
Brazil & Argentina: 8:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
US (East Coast): 10:30 AM IST (Jan 1)
The final places to celebrate the new year in the UTC-12 zone are American Samoa and the Baker and Howland Islands. Midnight here falls nearly a full day after Kiribati.