WELLINGTON, New Zealand –
Auckland has become the first major city to welcome 2025, with thousands of revelers counting down to the new year and cheering as colorful fireworks launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, and a spectacular light show in the center.
Thousands of people also crowded into the city center or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks to enjoy a viewing platform with fireworks and a light show in recognition of Auckland’s indigenous tribes. It follows a year marked by protests over Māori rights in the nation of 5 million people.
The countries of the South Pacific Ocean are the first to ring in the New Year: midnight in New Zealand will strike 18 hours before the ball drops in Times Square in New York. Other cities around the world are preparing with celebrations that highlight local cultures and traditions, after a year rocked by ongoing conflict and political instability.
In Australia, more than a million people are expected to flock to Sydney Harbor to watch the traditional fireworks. British pop star Robbie Williams will lead a song and indigenous ceremonies and performances will recognize the land’s first inhabitants.
The 9:00 p.m. fireworks are seen during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
Asia prepares for the Year of the Snake
Much of Japan has closed ahead of the country’s biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent extensive cleaning, which included hitting mats called “tatami” with large sticks.
The next Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is announced as one of rebirth, alluding to the reptile’s shedding of skin. Stores in Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle since Jan. 1, have been selling small figures of smiling snakes and other snake-themed products. Other places in Asia will start celebrating the Year of the Snake later, with the Lunar New Year.
In South Korea, celebrations were scaled back or canceled as the country observes a period of national mourning following Sunday’s crash of a Jeju Air flight in Muan that killed 179 people.
In Bangkok, Thailand, two major shopping malls competed to draw crowds with live musical performances and fireworks displays. While CentralWorld is the older venue, the relatively new ICONSIAM has the scenic advantage of its location next to the Chao Phraya River and a performance by popular rap singer Lisa, a Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, scheduled just before midnight .
New Year’s celebrations in Jakarta will feature a dazzling fireworks display, including a drone show with 800 drones, followed by countdowns until midnight at the city’s iconic Hotel Indonesia roundabout.
Western rivals exchange goodwill
Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of the growing closeness between two leaders facing tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin that their countries will “always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
China has maintained ties and strong trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to counter Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.
China’s leader, in his annual pre-recorded New Year’s Eve address, said the country has “deepened solidarity and cooperation with the global South,” while praising the “responsible” role it has played with “the world in crisis.” .
Xi also said China’s economy, which has slowed in recent years, was “improving and recovering.”
He also headed to Taiwan, the autonomous island claimed by Beijing. “We Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same family. No one can ever break the bond of kinship between us,” Xi said.
Conflicts darken the Middle East
New Year’s celebrations are likely to be subdued in Israel as its war with Hamas continues into its 15th month and dozens of hostages remain in captivity. Meanwhile, it has been difficult to assess the extent of the famine in northern Gaza, where thousands of people have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed the delivery of only a dozen trucks of food. and water since approximately October.
Lebanon is mired in a serious economic crisis and many areas were severely damaged during the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with an unstable ceasefire. Meanwhile, Syrians express hope and uncertainty for the coming year following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
In Dubai, thousands of people are expected to attend an annual fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.
Midnight mass, with bubbles
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the quarter-century celebration that is expected to attract some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a Mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to once again appeal for peace amid the wars ravaging Ukraine and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Minnesota will host a mass at 11:00 p.m. followed by a champagne reception and toasts. January 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary, and many churches will celebrate vigil masses on Tuesday afternoons and evenings.
German leader calls for solidarity in a new year
Hours before Germany rings in the new year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the country’s 84 million residents to stand together despite numerous global crises and wars, the country’s weakened economy and a deadly attack on the Christmas market that shocked to the nation.
“We are a country of togetherness. And we can draw strength from this, especially in difficult times like these,” Scholz said in his pre-recorded speech.
Paris recovers the Olympic spirit
Paris will cap a momentous 2024 with its traditional festive countdown and fireworks show on the famous Champs-Elysées.
The summer Olympic and Paralympic Games held in the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a place of joy, brotherhood and astonishing sporting achievements, and marked another important milestone in its recovery from the deadly 2015 extremist attacks by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State Group.
The British will face the winter weather
London will ring in the New Year with a fireworks display along the River Thames and a parade through the city center on Wednesday featuring 10,000 performers. The fireworks will explode against the backdrop of the London Eye, the huge Ferris wheel across the river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
However, with a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the UK, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, including the Hogmanay Street Party, Garden Concert and Castle Fireworks Show, have already been cancelled.
Rio will see 2 million revelers
Rio de Janeiro will celebrate Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve party on Copacabana Beach, with 10 offshore ferries carrying 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists aboard six cruise ships will witness the spectacle up close.
The Rio City Council was closely guarding its plans for a light and sound show. More than 2 million people are expected to attend Copacabana, hoping to catch 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 organization that runs Times Square tested its famous ball drop and inspected 2,025 numbers, lights and thousands of crystals, as part of a tradition that dates back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
The party, which will span several blocks around the city’s main tourist and theater center, is expected to draw large crowds despite the rain and cold weather.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will say goodbye to 2024 with old (and some new) traditions. Its annual eight-minute fireworks show will take place on the Las Vegas Strip, with 340,000 people expected as fireworks are launched from the rooftops of nine casinos.
Nearby, the huge Sphere venue will for the first time show countdowns to midnight in different time zones.
Country music, football and the midnight run
In Pasadena, eager Rose Parade spectators camped out on the cold streets and rang in the New Year in hopes of finding prime spots for this iconic Southern California tradition. The parade precedes the Rose Bowl football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks on January 1.
Thousands of people will participate in a midnight 5K race along the parade route.
About 200,000 people will attend a party in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring a five-hour show by some of country music’s biggest stars. At midnight, one hour after New York, a 16-foot-tall musical note weighing 400 pounds will fall as fireworks light up the sky.
Celebrations will resonate around the world as the New Year arrives in different time zones, with American Samoa being one of the last to welcome 2025, 24 hours after New Zealand.
Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.