Drummers pounded within the New 12 months and a stampede of computer-generated horses was proven over a part of the Nice Wall as China and the remainder of Asia marked the beginning of 2026.
Temple bells rang throughout Japan, and a few climbed mountains to see the yr’s first dawn within the 12 months of the Horse, which in response to the Asian zodiac is believed to herald power and transformation. However Hong Kong held subdued celebrations following a latest fireplace that killed 161 individuals at an condominium advanced.
Drones mild up the evening sky to have fun the New 12 months in Busan, South Korea, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Kang Solar-bae/Yonhap through AP).
Sydney saluted the brand new yr with pleasure and defiance, because the well-known Harbor Bridge crackled with fireworks lower than three weeks after Australia’s worst mass taking pictures in virtually 30 years.
South Pacific nations have been the primary to bid farewell to 2025. New Zealand’s capital, Auckland, held a fireworks show 18 hours earlier than the ball drop in New York’s Occasions Sq..
Australians defiant after mass taking pictures
Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, celebrations have been held beneath the pall of Australia’s worst mass taking pictures in virtually 30 years. Two gunmen focused a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Seaside on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the course of the New 12 months celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Picture/Rick Rycroft).
A heavy police presence monitored the 1000’s who thronged to observe a fireworks present centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers brazenly carried rapid-fire rifles, a primary for the occasion.
An hour earlier than midnight, bloodbath victims have been commemorated with a minute of silence. The gang was invited to point out solidarity with Australia’s Jewish neighborhood.
Fireworks explode from the Taipei 101 constructing in the course of the New 12 months’s celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Picture/Chiang Ying-ying).
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents to not keep away by means of worry, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds as a victory.
“We’ve got to point out defiance within the face of this horrible crime,” he mentioned.
Indonesia, Hong Kong maintain subdued occasions
Cities round Indonesia scaled again festivities in solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides in components of Sumatra island a month in the past, claiming greater than 1,100 lives. Live shows and fireworks on the vacationer island of Bali have been changed with a cultural occasion that includes conventional dances.
Folks attend the New 12 months countdown occasion to have fun the beginning of 2026 within the Central district of Hong Kong, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Picture/Chan Lengthy Hei)
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Hong Kong rang in 2026 with out the same old fireworks over Victoria Harbor after the large fireplace in November. Facades of landmarks as a substitute have been was countdown clocks that introduced a lightweight present at midnight.
Fireworks explode over the Chao Phraya River throughout New 12 months celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Picture/Sakchai Lalit).
In Japan, the place fireworks aren’t a conventional a part of festivities, temple bells rang throughout the nation. Celebrants lined up at Shinto shrines.
In Seoul, the South Korean capital, Mayor Oh Se-hoon and others rang the outdated Bosingak bell 33 occasions at midnight.
China’s Xi renews threats towards Taiwan
Chinese language President Xi Jinping in a New 12 months’s Eve handle broadcast by state media hailed his nation’s technological progress in areas comparable to synthetic intelligence and semiconductors whereas renewing threats towards Taiwan, which it claims as a part of its sovereign territory.
Folks have fun New 12 months’s eve at a promenade in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Picture/Rafiq Maqbool).
“We Chinese language on either side of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship,” he mentioned. “The reunification of our motherland, a development of the occasions, is unstoppable.” China this week launched large-scale navy drills across the island.
FILE – The 7-foot tall “2026” numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Occasions Sq., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Picture/Adam Grey, File).
Palestinians in Gaza mentioned they hope the brand new yr brings a definitive finish to the battle between Israel and Hamas that has battered the enclave for 2 years, as negotiators push for progress into the ceasefire’s difficult second part.
Drummers ring within the new yr on the Juyongguan Nice Wall on the outskirts of Beijing, China, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Picture/Ng Han Guan).
“We hope that it will likely be yr for our individuals in Palestine,” mentioned Faraj Rasheed, noting that 1000’s proceed to stay in harsh situations in tent camps.
Others described 2025 as a yr of loss. “The struggle humiliated us,” mentioned Mirvat Abed Al-Aal, displaced from the southern metropolis of Rafah.
Berliners marked the top of 2025 by taking selfies and making snowmen in entrance of the German capital’s cathedral and the long-lasting Brandenburg Gate.
Fireworks have been set to mild up the sky over different European landmarks from the Colosseum in Rome to the London Eye. Revelers have been anticipated to cram viewing factors alongside the Thames for fireworks to start when Large Ben strikes midnight.
In Scotland, the place New 12 months’s is called Hogmanay, fireworks have been deliberate over Edinburgh Fort.
First Minister John Swinney urged Scots to observe the message of “Auld Lang Syne” and present small acts of kindness in 2026.
“Every year, the world rings within the new yr by singing a music from Scotland, a music handed down by means of generations, written by our nationwide poet, Robert Burns,’’ Swinney mentioned.
Quieter celebrations in Greece, Cyprus
Greece and Cyprus have been turning down the amount, changing conventional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, mild reveals and drone shows in capital cities. Officers mentioned the change is meant to make celebrations extra welcoming for youngsters and pets, significantly animals delicate to loud noise.
Further safety in New York
Police in New York Metropolis can have extra anti-terrorism measures on the Occasions Sq. ball drop, with “cellular screening groups.” It’s not in response to a selected risk, in response to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
After the ball drops it is going to rise once more, glowing in pink, white and blue, to mark the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.
Zohran Mamdani will take workplace as mayor at the beginning of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are deliberate, beginning with a personal ceremonial occasion round midnight in an outdated subway station.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
