With the end of the last hours of the year 2025, the countries of the world began successively to welcome the year 2026, in a recurring global scene in which the East precedes the West due to time differences, as celebrations began first in the Pacific region, before gradually extending to Asia and Europe, then the Americas.
As usual, the Australian city of Sydney was one of the first major cities to announce the entry of the New Year, as fireworks lit up the sky of the famous harbor and the Harbor Bridge, amid a large public presence and global following, confirming its position as one of the most prominent symbols of New Year’s celebration in the world.
As the clock moved west, Tokyo entered the year 2026, where celebrations varied between cultural events and traditional rituals.
In Taiwan, the year 2026 was ushered in amid light shows and fireworks around the Taipei 101 Tower, which is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, in massive celebrations.
In Beijing and major Chinese cities, the entry into the new year passed amid public celebrations, and noticeable activity in Southeast Asian cities such as Bangkok and Singapore, where the central squares witnessed light shows and large crowds.
Juyongguan Great Wall on December 31, 2025 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)” fetchpriority=”low”/>
With the arrival of midnight, Indian subcontinent time, Indian cities welcomed the New Year with an atmosphere that varied between popular celebrations and private gatherings.
As the clocks move towards the west, cities in the Gulf, Europe and the Americas await the moment of entering the year 2026, as Dubai, Riyadh and Doha prepare to welcome midnight, while attention turns to Paris, Berlin, Rome and London as revelers begin to gather in public squares. The atmosphere of waiting will later move to New York and other American cities, before Hawaii and American Samoa conclude and bid farewell to the year 2025, the last stop in the global New Year.
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