Cities worldwide are gearing up for New Year celebrations, from fireworks in Rio and Sydney to cultural traditions in Asia.
As the clock ticks toward midnight, cities worldwide prepare for New Year celebrations highlighting their cultures and traditions, after a year roiled by ongoing conflict and political instability.
South Pacific nations will be the first to welcome 2025, with New Zealand reaching midnight 18 hours ahead of New York’s Times Square ball drop.
In Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, thousands are expected to flock to the city centre or hike up the volcanic hills for a prime view of the fireworks with a light display honouring the city’s Indigenous Māori tribes. It comes after a year of protests over Māori rights in the country of 5 million people.
Two hours later in Australia, more than 1 million people are expected at Sydney Harbor for the traditional fireworks. British pop star Robbie Williams will lead a singalong and Indigenous ceremonies and performances will acknowledge the land’s first people.
Asia gets ready for the Year of the Snake
In Japan, the country has largely shut down ahead of its biggest holiday. Homes and temples have been thoroughly cleaned, including the tradition of beating tatami mats with sticks.
The upcoming Year of the Snake, which starts on 1 January in Japan’s zodiac, is seen as a time for renewal, symbolised by the snake shedding its skin. Shops in Japan are selling small snake figurines and other snake-themed items.
In other parts of Asia, the Year of the Snake will be celebrated later during the Lunar New Year.
In South Korea, celebrations have been scaled back or cancelled as the country observes a period of national mourning following the Sunday crash of a Jeju Air flight at Muan that killed 179 people.
West’s rivals exchange goodwill
Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of growing closeness between two leaders who face tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin that their countries would “always move forward hand in hand,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China has maintained strong diplomatic and trade relations with Russia, helping to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and efforts to isolate Putin.
Midnight Mass with sparkling touch
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations will be extra special this year with the beginning of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, a once-in-a-quarter-century event expected to attract around 32 million pilgrims to the city in 2025.
On Tuesday, Pope Francis will lead vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by Mass on Wednesday, where he is expected to once again call for peace amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
In the US, the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Minnesota will host an 11 pm Mass, followed by a champagne reception and toasts. January 1st is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary, and many churches will hold vigil Masses on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Paris recaptures the Olympic spirit
Paris will end a momentous 2024 with its iconic festive countdown and a spectacular fireworks display on the Champs-Elysées.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games hosted in the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a site of joy, fraternity and astonishing sporting achievements, and marked another major milestone in its recovery from deadly terror attacks in 2015.
Britons will brave wintry weather
London is set to welcome the New Year with a stunning pyrotechnic display along the River Thames and a grand parade through the city centre on Wednesday, featuring 10,000 performers. The fireworks will light up the sky against the backdrop of the London Eye, the iconic Ferris wheel opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the United Kingdom, however, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland — including the Hogmanay Street party, garden concert and castle pyrotechnics show — were already cancelled.
Rio to host 2 million revellers
Rio de Janeiro will throw Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve bash on Copacabana Beach, with 10 ferries offshore bearing 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists aboard six cruise ships will have a front-row view of the show.
Rio’s City Hall is keeping details of its light and sound display under wraps, but more than 2 million people are expected to gather at Copacabana, hoping to squeeze into concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy-award winner Caetano Veloso.
American traditions old and new
In New York City, the organisation managing Times Square has tested its famous ball drop, and inspected 2025 numerals, lights and thousands of crystals, as part of a tradition going back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Despite the forecast of rain and chilly weather, the celebrations are expected to attract large crowds, covering multiple blocks around the city’s main tourism and theatre district.
In Las Vegas, the city will say goodbye to 2024 with a mix of old and new traditions. The annual eight-minute fireworks display on the Las Vegas Strip will launch from the rooftops of nine casinos, with around 340,000 people expected to attend.
Nearby, the massive Sphere venue will display countdowns to midnight for different time zones for the first time.
Celebrations will echo around the globe as the New Year arrives in different time zones, with American Samoa among the last to welcome 2025 a full 24 hours after New Zealand.
